| Attendance Line Number - 490-3062 | October 14, 2005 |
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Shepardson's Home Page: http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/she/ |
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| In this issue... |
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| Attendance Line Number - 490-3062 | October 14, 2005 |
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Shepardson's Home Page: http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/she/ |
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| In this issue... |
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It was indeed my honor and privilege to attend and host a special recognition program for 66 National Distinguished Principals in Washington DC last week. As I listened to each principal from each state and from around the world describe how their school has become so successful, each one spoke so strongly of the team of staff and parents they work with each day! They shared stories of the incredible passion and "above and beyond" attitude that staffs devoted to helping each child become a more successful learner. Each one spoke of how proud they were of the special caring that occurred in their schools so that each child was viewed as a unique individual. Many have instituted special programs that extend the learning opportunities and that involve parents more actively in the learning process. The growth many of these schools have made, often with challenges in the student population that seem insurmountable, was astounding and very impressive. The bottom line of these success stories is no surprise--- to increase student performance takes time and dedication.
I share this story only because as I listened to each one I beamed with knowing what is happening here at Shepardson! I do hear about other stories in my traveling adventures where teachers are giving excuses, complaining about conditions, and are unwilling to try different strategies that can increase student motivation and performance. In my 16 years at Shepardson, I continue to be highly impressed and grateful to be working with a highly dedicated team who is truly committed to helping each child show academic and personal growth. Shepardson is truly a school worthy to be among international winners!
This newsletter also has a summary of the new regulations regarding School of Choice. I know several of you are anxious to know your fate for next year. The final decisions actually support our belief system! If you are here as a School of Choice family now, you will be able to remain unless we find that space is no longer available. That would happen only if our class sizes rose unexpectedly or if we had to reduce the number of sections per grade level due to a reduction in staffing. At this time, we do not expect either to happen.
For families who are living in our attendance area, if you should choose to move out of our attendance area, then you must apply for School of Choice status. Your application would be determined after those who have been already accepted in previous years.
If you have other questions after reading this article, please contact John Passantino, Adm. Assistant, or myself. We want to keep our communication system open and clear as we implement this new board policy.
This week we want to celebrate one of our most prized gifts at Shepardson...OUR CLASSIFIED STAFF! Each of us knows the important role this team plays to ensure the success of both students and staff. From custodians who make sure the school is clean for us each day, to the food service, transportation, health office, and media/technology folks who specialize in critical services, to the office team who also specializes in customer service for all of us, to the paraprofessionals who work tirelessly every minute to help each child be successful. We thank you for your caring, dedication, and support of the entire Shepardson community! We could not do this job without you! Thank you all!
Have a great time with your most precious gifts...your children!
| - | Mary Kay Sommers |
| email: msommers@psdschools.org |
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| CALENDAR | October 14, 2005 |
| OCTOBER 2005 | OCTOBER 2005 | ||||
| 14 | Fri | End of Quarter | 24 | Mon | Fall Enrichment Classes Begin |
| 16-22 | Sun-Sat | National School Bus Safety Week | 25 | Tue | Music Program - 6th Grade - 6:00 pm Gym |
| 18 | Tue | FAMILY ART NIGHT-CANCELLED | 28 | Fri | Vision/Hearing Testing 8:30-3:00 |
| 20 | Thu | NO SCHOOL (conference comp days) | 28 | Fri | Sally Foster Orders Due |
| 21 | Fri | NO SCHOOL (conference comp days) | NOVEMBER 2005 | ||
| 23-31 | Sun-Mon | Red Ribbon Week | 1 | Tue | PTO Meeting 7:00 pm |
| 24 | Mon | Report Cards Distributed | 10 | Thu | SIT 4:00-6:00 |
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October is designated "National Arts & Humanities Month", encouraging millions of Americans to renew, or begin, a lifelong commitment to actively participate in the arts and humanities. The Ft. Collins Art In Public Places is sponsoring a treasure hunt! Ft. Collins is home to 42 works of public art. Have you seen them? Do you know who the artist is? Can you name them? Print out a public art map from the website, www.fcgov.com/artspublic, and go on a "Treasure Hunt' to see, first hand, as many of the projects as you can.
Good luck, and have fun!
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Family Art Night has been rescheduled for a later date.
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The College of Veterinary Medicine at CSU is inviting students Grades 4-6 to participate in their Open House Art Contest. They want to use students' art work for their Open House brochure, April 2006. All entries should represent the theme "Why animals are important?" The selection committee will also accept submissions that may indicate what an animal does for you or another, as well as what they mean to you or others. Animals may include: pets, wildlife, zoo, working (seeing-eye dogs, police, fire, herding), and farm.
If you want to participate, see Mrs. Pibal for the required form.
All submissions are due by November 14, 2005 to Mrs. Pibal, the art teacher.
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The SIT committee held its first meeting on Thursday, September 19, 2005. The committee is designed to maintain the vision and long term goals of the school. Staff, parents and community members make up the committee. We are in need of a meeting facilitator and a community representative for the 2005-2006 school year. Anyone is welcome to attend meetings, which are typically held the second Thursday of each month from 4-6 p.m. This year Shepardson saw an increase in attendance for Open House and the highest (400+) volunteer sign-up ever. Student enrollment is up by 19 from spring predictions. The committee will continue to monitor academic accreditation, budgeting and long-term school goals and initiatives.
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Corrections in the Student and Family Directory:
Moyer 204-0591
Jamie Moyer
1602 Alcott Street
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Smirnov 282-3451
Corrections in the Shepardson Business Listings:
Lawnmower Man Mowing Ilya Smirnov 402-2947
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Many thanks to all the volunteers that signed up to help at Shepardson this year. We have 410 volunteers registered at this time. Thank you!
What to do as a Volunteer:
| 1. | Sign in at the front office, on the "Sign In/Out Form". | ||
| 2. | Grab a badge necklace and your nametag out of the index cardholder. | ||
| (If you don't have a nametag in the cardholder, we are missing some or all of your information. Please take some time to fill out the "Volunteer Sign Up Form", located on filing cabinet, return it to the office staff and a badge will be made.) | |||
| When you're finished volunteering for the day... | |||
| 3. | Sign out at the front office. | ||
| 4. | Return badge to index cardholder and hang up necklace. | ||
| 5. | If you have worked as a volunteer, write ALL your hours you have worked at school or at home, in the "Vol. Time", and don't forget car miles related to your volunteering. | ||
Volunteer work includes:
Helping in the library, media, music or art, working on centers, birthday parties, copying, printing the newsletter, room helper, Friday folders, recess assistant, lunch monitor, presentations or demonstrations, reading, anything you do to help at school . . .
Work done at home:
Collating, calling parents, time spent on the road and on the field trip, preparing for meetings, events, and/or presentations in the school . . .
ALL school events and meetings:
Sock Hop, Book Fair, Ice Cream Social, REACH Week, Yearbook, Graduations, Staff Appreciation, Setting up and cleaning up Fundraisers and events, PTO or SIT meetings.
And don't forget the miles you put on the road:
Running errands, driving for field trips . . .
These are examples of where your time counts for our school. Don't forget to write in your hours on the SIGN IN/SIGN OUT form. (Round your time to the nearest quarter hour, please). If you know just how long you are going to be, go ahead and fill out your hours when you sign in. WE don't care as long as you write down your volunteer hours.
We would like to recognize 5 volunteers, with a gift of appreciation, every month for the next 8 months, starting with September. Volunteer's names will be taken from the SIGN IN/SIGN OUT Form; so don't forget to right those hours down. Names will be announced in the next newsletter. Thank you for your time.
Any questions or problems, you can contact Becky Haberecht, 204-4822.
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By: Brittany Drake and Monica Franco Seventy-two sixth graders flooded the halls of Shepardson early Wednesday morning preparing for ECO week. The buses filled quickly and soon they were on their way. Making no stops, they got to Pingree Park in two hours. "The bus ride was long, but we got there, didn't we?" quoted Emily Rosing. When they arrived at Pingree Park, students and teachers had planned to stay in the newer North Dorm but unexpectedly ended up staying in the older South Dorm. An hour later after eating their lunches from home, classes began. Mrs. Eberhardt's class had stream ecology and ropes course. Mrs. Hoffman's class had ropes course and orienteering, and Mrs. Shibles' class had orienteering and stream ecology. The weather was breezy and a little overcast at times, but everyone was excited and eager to learn. The first night of singing and dancing was led by Mrs. Everett, our music teacher. Then students returned to the dorms and crept into bed. Orienteering taught students a lot about how to use a compass and how to find a destination. After learning how to use compasses, students were divided into groups with each group given different clues that led them on a treasure hunt. "Orienteering taught us a lot about maps and using them," explained Megan Arent. Stream Ecology gave hands-on experience with arachnids and insects that live underneath the water surface. Students put on waders and used nets to collect some samples in the riffles of a stream. Next, they examined the creatures under microscopes, drew them in their journals, and tried to identify them. "The ropes course was extremely challenging and also very fun," quoted Will Budy. The kids had three activities to choose from: the Leap of Faith, Cat Walk, and the Giant Swing. Students supported each other with encouragement and cheers. Many thought this was the highlight of their trip. The second day began with a wake up call at 6:00 o'clock in the morning, a little early for many students! They tiredly went into the cafeteria to have their morning meal and pack their lunches for the hikes. "The food was srumpdidilicious!" exclaimed Mrs. Hoffman. From then on it was hiking all day. There were three choices of hikes. One led to a beautiful meadow, the other led to a B-17 crash site, and the third went above the tree line. Many people wanted to quit, but they all made it. Most agreed that going down was easier than going up. After dinner, everyone gathered around a gorgeous campfire for songs and skits let by the Pingree staff. The last morning was packing day. The students were all disappointed to go home but excited at the same time. Joseph Gutierrez summed it up, "I wanted to go home, but I didn't want to go home!" Packing was hard because they had to make sure all the stuff that they brought with them had to be back with them again, and they had to clean their rooms, just like at home! Without a doubt, the sixth graders experienced the time of their lives during ECO! Thank you Shepardson, PTO, the teachers, and Pingree for the awesome time! |
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We had an absolutely fabulous turnout with about 35 student and 25 parents. We also had many Shepardson staff members that joined the group as well. By 5:00 p.m. this great group of volunteers had made 110 blankets!!! These blankets will be mailed sometime the week of October 24th and Shepardson will be proudly donating 130 blankets to The Fort Collins Chapter of Project Linus. Sometimes thank you just isn't enough. |
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We sold approximately 665 books this year for a total of $6650.00 with 40% of the sales coming back to Shepardson. The top individual sales went to Josh Miller in Mrs. Bonertz class with 15 books. The top family sales went to Brian and Andy Brown with 18 books and $180 in VG2 sales. Other top sellers were as follows:
| Hunter Freitas | - | 14 Books | ||
| Mathew Skipworth | - | 12 Books | ||
| Taylor Steshyn | - | 12 Books | ||
| Lauren Smailes | - | 12 Books | ||
| Pranaya Sathe | - | 10 Books | ||
| Mitchell Dilley | - | 10 Books | ||
| Emily Morrison | - | 10 Books | ||
| Michael Hurley | - | 10 Books |
This year we gave 20% of the total 6th grade sales back to the students to be used toward their ECO week registration costs. The 6th grade classes sold $1480.00 worth of Gold C and VG2 cards for a total of $296.00 toward their registration costs.
The 5th grade classes sold a total of $1,660.00 worth of Gold C and VG2 cards. There will be $332.00 put into an ECO week account for the 5th graders to use toward their registration costs for next year.
The total sales of each grade are as follows:
| Kindergarten | - | 85 Books | ||
| 1st Grade | - | 35 Books | ||
| 2nd Grade | - | 67 Books | ||
| 3rd Grade | - | 78 Books | ||
| 4th Grade | - | 112 Books | ||
| 5th Grade | - | 148 Books | ||
| 6th Grade | - | 140 Books |
The top selling class was Mrs. Eberhardt's class with 74 books sold and they will receive a pizza party. Thank you for your efforts. We appreciate all of your hard work!
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Given excess capacity at some schools and overcrowding at others, PSD is considering several options: building new schools, closing schools, relocating program schools (Traut), and/or major boundary shifts. Parents and community members are encouraged to attend at least one of the public input meetings to provide your feedback on these decisions to the board. The meetings may be in a kiosk format (i.e. one on one feedback). It is very important to provide feedback on a survey form which will be available at the public meetings and also at school. Public input will be gathered and then presented to the Board of Education on November 21. The Board will make a final decision on building and/or closing schools at the end of January.
Junior High and Village East Potential Boundary Changes to be Considered in the Spring
The 5 proposals being considered by PSD do not include smaller, more detailed moves such as changing Village East to an O'Dea only attendance area. Nor are Junior High changes being considered at this time. Those changes will be taken up by PSD Boundary Committee after the Board's final decision on whether or not to build or close elementary schools. The Boundary Committee is made up of 1 representative from each school in the district. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shepardson's representative to the Boundary Committee, Debbie Bostak. She can be reached at 207-0446 or Bostak@verinet.com.
Elementary Decisions: Scenarios and Opportunities to Provide Feedback
At this time, please use the forums provided for your feedback and focus on the elementary "Build/Close" decisions. There will be an opportunity for us to give feedback on potential Village East and Junior High changes in the spring.
Information on these 5 proposals is available on the PSD Website, www.psd.k12.co.us. It is highly recommend that you review the detail on the PSD Website before attending the feedback meetings.
Public input meetings yet to be held at schools, "Open House" format used for presentation of information and to obtain feedback. Meetings will conclude by 9:00 p.m.
| 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 19 | Eyestone Elementary 4000 Wilson Avenue, Wellington |
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| 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 26 | Fort Collins High School 3400 Lambkin Way |
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| 7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 27 | O'Dea Elementary School 312 Princeton Road |
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| 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 9 | Riffenburgh Elementary School 1320 East Stuart Street |
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| 7:00 p.m., Thursday, November 10 | Lab School for Creative Learning 223 S. Shields Street |
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Parents are urged to attend one of two remaining public input meetings in November to review scenarios and provide feedback on options to address uneven distribution of students in Poudre School District schools.
Three factors-growth in some areas, decline in others, and a growing percentage of families exercising School Choice-are creating significant, uneven distribution of students across schools. The focus at this time is on elementary schools, where more than 1,200 open seats exist.
Committees have met extensively over the past year to research and discuss options for boundary changes, building new schools, and combining or closing schools. Committee members are presenting scenarios, which include boundary changes for overcrowded schools, closing schools, and building new schools, as the starting point for discussion at public input meetings in October and November (see meeting schedule below).
The Student Enrollment Steering Committee will analyze feedback from the public, hold an additional work session with the Board November 21, and make a recommendation to the Superintendent for consideration by the Board in January. NOTE: The Boundary Committee does not plan to meet and discuss any new options for boundary changes until a decision is made in January.
November Input Meeting Schedule:
Meetings in "Open House" format to present information, answer questions, and record feedback. Parents can "drop in" any time during the meeting. Those attending can ask specific questions and will be asked to complete a feedback or survey form. Childcare and refreshments provided.
| Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005, 7-9 p.m., | Riffenburgh Elementary 1320 East Stuart |
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| Thursday, Nov. 10, 2005, 7-9 p.m., | Lab School for Creative Learning 233 South Shields |
Preliminary options, meeting schedules, and continuous updates are posted on the PSD website under Boundary & Enrollment News at www.psdschools.org. Information: (970) 490-3427 or e-mail elaubhan@psdschools.org.
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The Boys and Girls Club of America, 1608 Lancer Drive, Fort Collins (next to Lincoln Jr. High School) invites students to participate in one of these after-school activities during November:
Register at the Boys and Girls Club of America; registration fee is $5 for the entire year and includes dinner every night!
For more information, call Michele Schmidt, athletic director, at (970) 484-5198. The Boys and Girls Club of America is open Monday - Friday, 2:20-7:00 p.m. (earlier on early dismissal days).
| Holiday Closings: | Thanksgiving Holiday | - | Thursday and Friday, November 24 & 25 | |
| Winter Break | - | Monday, December 26 and Monday, January 2 |
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Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 1st at 7:00 p.m. (committee work) followed by the 7:15 p.m. Board Meeting in the Shepardson Library. For more information please contact: Jennifer Burkhart @ 225-1873.
NEW FACES AND INPUT ARE WELCOME SO PLEASE JOIN US AND LEARN ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT SHEPARDSON!
6th Grade POD Rep Still Needed -- We still need one more POD Rep for this year. If you are interested in helping out, please call me, Jennifer Burkhart, at 225-1873. Thank you for considering to help!
Tickets Available until October 19th for: FOLEY'S CHARITY DAY! Monday, October 24, 2005 Celebrate Foley's new Loveland Store with a Charity Shopping Day! Send money and order (below) to Shepardson Front Office. Tickets will be sent home in your child's Friday Folder. Thanks! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Child's Name: ___________________________ Teacher: __________________ # of Tickets ___________ x $5.00 each Total enclosed: _______________ |
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One of our Shepardson Families has fallen upon difficult times. The See Family has been a part of Shepardson for many years - from the time their children attended Shepardson to the years Carol See served as our kitchen manager. Sadly, Jeff See has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Shepardson, along with O'Dea Elementary, is selling inspiring bracelets in order to send support to the Jeff See Foundation, to help in their time of need. If you can help, please send a donation of $2.00 with the order form below. A bracelet will be sent home with your child in their Friday folder unless other arrangements are requested.
Thank you!
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Jeff See Foundation Donation
Name: _____________________________________________________________
Child's Name: ___________________________ Teacher: __________________
# of Bracelets___________ x $2.00 each Total enclosed: _______________
Please make checks payable to Shepardson PTO.
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Poudre School District's Board of Education recently adopted a new School Choice policy (Policy JFBA).
Among the new areas of the policy are the commitment-state law and PSD's policy presume a family that exercises School Choice plans to keep their student(s) in that school for at least the full school year and also through all grades served by that school. Those wanting to transfer back to a previous school must complete a School Choice Application and ask to be transferred back.
There's no need to re-submit a School Choice Application each year once you've been accepted and are currently attending that school. Families exercising School Choice will no longer receive a renewal letter or notice in the future. However, if your child is on a waiting list for a school and wants to remain there, you do need to re-submit your application before the second Friday in February.
For complete details, refer to Policy JFBA, available on the PSD web site at www.psdschools.org under School Registration, at each school, or by calling 482-7420. Below are some of the key dates and action required by parents.
| Dates | Required Action |
| 10/2/05 - 2/10/06 |
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| 2/9/06 |
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| 2/10/06 |
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| 2/13/06 - 2/17/06 |
Order of Priority - For each grade level where the number of choice/open enrollment applicants during the first-round application period exceeds the number of spaces available, the determination of space availability for each applicant shall be made based on the following order of priority:
If the number of applicants exceeds the number of spaces available within any of the foregoing priority levels, the space availability determination shall be determined by random selection at a public lottery.
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| 2/17/06 |
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| 2/17/06 - 2/28/06 |
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| 2/13/06 - 10/1/06 |
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Last month I wrote an article for the newsletter explaining that Shepardson was trying to "adopt" a school in need from the New Orleans area. Our goal would be to establish relations with the students and faculty of that school community and offer whatever services we could to help them get back to as normal a routine as possible. Each time I call the Louisiana Association of Principals I hear about the thousands of students who were relocated to Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Houston or other places, including a few who have relocated to Ft Collins. Many of the schools do not yet have power or telephone services. Other schools are sharing buildings and students attend only half days. The goal is to have schools open again later this month, and sadly, but not surprisingly, there are some schools that will not reopen this school year.
Today I called and was told that a school has been contacted and told that we are ready and waiting to help, but had not yet called back. I am confident that we will be assigned our "sister school" very soon. While we wait, we have not been idle. Our fundraiser collected nearly $1000. This will be sent in the form of a check to the principal to help meet immediate needs. Project Linus at Shepardson was a huge success! (See article in this newsletter.) In addition, we have purchased 500 purple bracelets with the words "Hope, Courage and Faith" and a beautifully illustrated book, Imagine, that we will send in our first package. As soon as we hear that we have been assigned a school, we will let the Shepardson students and families know. From there, we will watch as this incredibly caring and creative community launches into a humanitarian service project we will most likely remember for years to come.
By Rea Kreider, Counselor
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