Attendance Line Number - 490-3062

December 16, 2005

Shepardson's Home Page: http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/she/

In this issue...

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PRINCIPAL REFLECTIONS

SIT met this past week and finalized a small group of teachers and parents who will be working with the district's architect to design the best remodeling plan that will provide an upgraded PE facility and a separate space for lunch. When I ask sixth graders each year what they would like to change, having a separate lunchroom and having more time to eat lunch are the most common suggestions. It is exciting to finally begin this long-awaited project.

The process will begin in January with the design phase with the bidding expected to occur in late spring. The project, which has been upgraded to $950,000 from the past Bond Issue, will begin construction when school is out. We are planning on the new construction and upgrades to be completed late next fall after school begins. In coordination with this project, money is also designated for the addressing of our parking lot and traffic congestion. Other smaller projects are likely to be attached when the building is in this state of remodeling. We will keep you informed as the process evolves.

I thank PE Teacher Greg Neal, Adm. Assist/5th grade teacher John Passantino, 3rd grade teacher Margo Miller, parent/SIT member David Dilley and parent John or Michelle Murray for joining me on this time intensive committee. We are committed to upgrading our facility with the best our resources will allow.

We have two vacancies on SIT. We thank Ann Kelnhofer for serving as our SIT Recorder since last year and are now looking for a replacement for her. We are also seeking a community/non-parent member to join us. Please give a SIT member or me a call for more information. Our next meeting is January 12th.

This is one of the special times of year when we are able to spend quality time with our families. In our busy lifestyles, we especially value the extended vacation time to visit and invite friends and family to spend time with us. We hope you are able to treasure every special moment! On behalf of the staff, I wish you all the happiest of holidays, a most relaxing and fun vacation, and a new year that exceeds your best hopes and dreams!

-	Mary Kay Sommers
	email: msommers@psdschools.org

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CALENDAR

December 16, 2005

DECEMBER 2005			JANUARY 2006
20	Tue	1st grade music program-6:00 pm-Gym	4	Wed	School Resumes
		2nd grade music program-7:00 pm-Gym	10	Tue	PTO Meeting-7:00 pm
21	Wed	All School sing with choir-1:00 pm-Gym	12	Thu	SIT-4:00-6:00 pm
		Winter Parties-2:00 pm	13	Fri	Report Cards Go Home
		End of Quarter			Confirmation of your conference time is sent home. (Parents who did not contact school will be assigned a time.
12/22-1/3	Thu-Tue	Winter Break	16	Mon	Martin Luther King Day - NO SCHOOL
			17-19	Tue-Thu	Parent Conferences-3:30-8:00 pm - School in session

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WINTERFEST WAS WONDERFUL! Special thanks to PTO and the many folks who helped to make this special family event happen! It was complete with an inflatable bubble of snowmen with falling snow. Children and their parents and often with older and younger siblings attended, making popcorn snowmen, glittered stars and decorated cookies. The process was as fun as the final product. Thanks to all for making this special event possible during this busy time of year!

(Table of Contents)   (Top) TIME FOR GIVING!

Special thanks to the many families who have donated different things to help others recently. We don't usually have so many as we do this year. Parents may continue to bring items or send in funds for any of these special projects. Contact the office for needed details.

• Mittens for the Mitten Tree

• Financial Donation for the family of our friend Haley Jimenez who died in November. Checks can be made out to "Shepardson Haley Jimenez Fund" and all proceeds will be given directly to help the family.

• Financial Donations to our school Friends Fund that serves some of our very own families with some very difficult needs that come to our attention during the year.

• Financial and other donations such as small stuffed animals to help our Adopted School---Chackbay Elementary School. We will be sending our check for $1000 to the school to assist them.

• Many thanks to HP Engineering Workstation Divison (via Sue and Jeff Harbour) for sponsoring 15 of our children who need extra support over the holidays.

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PARENT CONFERENCES COMING IN JANUARY!

Academic conferences will happen in mid-January to discuss with parents your child's progress thus far. The semester ends on December 21st. Shepardson was commended for having 99% attendance rate at our conferences, a visible sign of how committed our parents are in supporting their children's education! Please make note of the dates below to ensure your availability to attend this very important conference with your children's' teachers:

Jan. 6	Notices of prescheduled conferences are sent home. (These are for conferences that involve more staff members/translators and/or families with 3 or more children.)
Jan. 9-12 noon	Parents call school to arrange their conference time.
Jan. 13	Report cards go home.
Jan. 13	Confirmation of your conference time is sent home. (Parents who did not contact school will be assigned a time.)
Jan. 17-19	Actual conferences (3:30 - 8:00 p.m.) School is still in session. Other times will need to be arranged to visit with all parents.

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THE MAGIC OF MUSIC! Our fifth and sixth grade choir performed at the Foothills Fashion Mall today and will be performing at the All School Sing next Wednesday. These students come every Tuesday and Thursday before school to practice. Some students have volunteered to give up their lunch each week to create an Instrumental Group as well. Together they will be performing several songs that include Away in the Manger, Hanukkah is Here, O Kwanzaa, and the all-time favorite Santa Claus, Santa Claus, You are Much Too Fat! This year Shepardson Choir will be featured at the Lincoln Center on February 21st. We are very proud of our students who have made a commitment to join this special group to perform for our community as well as for us. They honor Shepardson by their dedication and hard work! Special thanks to Caren Everett who makes this extra-curricular opportunity available for our students! Outstanding job, Shepardson Choir! You make our heart sing with pride!

(Table of Contents)   (Top) BRRRRR! WHERE ARE YOUR GLOVES???

At Shepardson we keep students inside when the temperature is 10 degrees or below, a rare event! Students should come to school every day dressed for cold weather and being outside as much as 25 minutes. The weather can change and actually become worse during the day so we ask parents to insist that their children bring clothing that will keep them warm. We know that this may be a struggle at home, for some children can be very persuasive!

In the event that weather conditions warrant a school closure, please listen to the local radio and Denver TV stations for this information. Decisions are to be made by 6:00 a.m. More details are given on p.2 of the Shepardson Handbook, and the PSD Website under PSD Info, News and Events.

(Table of Contents)   (Top) VETERANS DAY REMEMBERD

By Ashlyn Stults and Brianne Cutter, Student Council Reporters

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day. This distinguished day was originally a way to honor World War I veterans. In 1954, however, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming that all veterans of our great nation are to be recognized each year on Veterans Day, November 11th. This date has some special importance. World War I officially ended the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Today, more than 50 years later, November 11th still has special meaning for all Americans.

Did you know that in 1954 when Veterans Day was first declared there were only 48 states in our country? Alaska became a state in 1959 and Hawaii became a state the year after that. This means the first Veterans Day flag had 48 stars while our flag today has 50.

There are more than 19 million veterans in the United States who have selflessly served our country. It is only fitting that we should honor these men and women. One way to honor our American Veterans is to display the American flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Each morning, here at Shepardson, we start our day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance together as a school. Our majestic red, white, and blue flag is a great reminder of the heroic men and women who have gallantly served our great nation.

(Table of Contents)   (Top) BOOK REVIEW

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

By Monica Franco, Maisie Iven, and Sandra Hamrick

Dive into a world of adventure, endless winter, and miracles happening. Venture across an ice-capped land, meet magical creatures, and a spiteful witch. How do you get there? Well, you use a magical wardrobe, silly!

Meet London's four courageous heroes: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. As you continue your journey across an imaginative land called Narnia, you encounter talking beavers, centaurs, giants, fauns and the most important...ASLAN!

Three of our four young heroes must save their brother, Edmund, from the clutches of the evil White Witch. All four of them need to save Narnia from an endless winter without Christmas brought on by the horrible witch.

This is probably the most exciting, amazing, breath-taking story from The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven books by C.S. Lewis. The sixth grade classes plan to attend the movie as an after school activity. We can't wait to see how it compares to the book!

(Table of Contents)   (Top) GETTING READY FOR KINDERGARTEN FOR 2006-07

2005-06 KINDERGARTEN PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT

Parent's of next year's kindergarteners are invited to Shepardson's Parent Information Night on Tuesday, January 31 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. to learn about the kindergarten curriculum, tour the kindergarten classrooms, meet the teachers, and learn about the half-day and full-day kindergarten programs. Parents will receive registration forms to complete and return on Registration Day, February 9. We encourage all Shepardson parents to share this information with your neighbors who may only have preschool children. We are anxious to welcome our next kindergarten class to Shepardson! For more information, contact school at 226-6370.

PSD Kindergarten Registration Scheduled for February 9

Kindergarten registration for students entering school in PSD in Fall 2006 is scheduled for Thursday, February 9, 2006. Registration will be held from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at all elementary schools (schedule available at all school offices or on the PSD web page at www.psdschools.org under "School Registration"). Children who will be 5 years of age on or before September 15, 2006, are eligible to register.

On the day of registration, parents should bring their child's birth certificate (original or certified preferred), Social Security number, immunization records, and emergency contact information.

There is no tuition for half-day kindergarten programs; full-day program charges $2,100 per year. The first payment of $210 is due at time of registration; the remainder is due in nine monthly installments from August 2006 through April 2007. Full and partial scholarships may be available; check with the individual school for eligibility requirements.

One-way transportation is provided for kindergarten students attending a half-day program who live more than one mile from their neighborhood school. Round-trip transportation is provided for students in an all-day program who live more than one mile from school. Transportation is not provided for School Choice students (those who attend a school outside their attendance areas).

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PSD SEEKING PUBLIC INPUT ON WEEKLY LATE START DAY

Make your voice heard! Parents and community members are encouraged to take an online survey and/or attend one of three public forums to provide input and ask questions about PSD's proposal for a district-wide, weekly Late Start beginning fall 2006.

Complete the online survey December 8 through January 19 and learn more about the proposal at www.psdschools.org under the "star" titled Late Start Information and Input.

Public forums, all scheduled from 7:00-8:30 p.m., will be held on:

• Tuesday, January 10, at Fossil Ridge High School, 5400 Ziegler Road

• Wednesday, January 18, at Dunn Elementary School, 501 S. Washington Ave.

The PSD Board of Education has asked the committee researching options to gather additional public input and bring a recommendation to the Superintendent and Board in early 2006.

Why the weekly Late Start? Following are some of the benefits to students and schools:

• Creates weekly, structured time for teams of teachers to collaborate, train, develop and coordinate curriculum, and share best practices in schools, across schools, and across levels.

• Provides time for instructional staff to work together to address local, state, and federal goals to increase student achievement (100% of students must be proficient in reading and math by 2014 under No Child Left Behind).

• Sets up consistent schedules for families across all schools - 12 schools currently have a late start, early release, or modified schedule, many on different days.

• Establishes a district-wide bus schedule to benefit families.

• Provides an opportunity to expose students to a variety of enrichment activities and academic support, computer labs and library time before school.

What Shepardson staff shared with SIT on this topic...

The Shepardson team meets monthly from 3:15 - 5:00 to address school and district issues, to finalize and discuss implementation of specific plans such as school goals, and to ensure that we have the skills we need to help each child reach high levels of performance. We run out of time each month and wish we had more time to share and learn from each other.

How Shepardson would use it? We have so many ideas!

• ELL teacher could meet regularly with teachers to plan and provide support without having to stop teaching students to communicate regularly

• PE/Music/Art teachers could share ideas with colleagues in other schools

• 6th grade teachers could have valuable dialogue with Junior High staff to prepare our students to be 7th graders

• Teachers in different grade levels could share successful strategies for students with special needs, from gifted to ESL.

• K-6 teachers could share strategies and ensure that vocabulary is consistently taught across the grade levels.

• Teachers could spend time with the Media and Computer Specialists to align instructional goals with the most meaningful uses of technology.

• Time would be available to share what teachers have learned at conferences for unique needs (such as gifted learners) and then have time to plan different ways to address these needs.

• We would not have to hire as many substitutes at $95/day to provide for needed professional development time, keeping teachers teaching!

Call 490-3427, visit the PSD website at www.psdschools.org or email info@psdschools.org for additional information.

(Table of Contents)   (Top) LOOKING TOWARDS 7TH GRADE

As we approach mid-year, it is time for 6th grade students and parents to begin thinking about 7th grade. This important transition can be a bit stressful and sometimes confusing, so I wanted to take this time to do a bit of information "front loading." In the past, the majority of Shepardson students moved on to attend Boltz or Lesher Junior High, our traditional neighborhood "feeder" schools. However, a few families each year do use the PSD school of choice process to attend a junior high school other than these two options. For all parents, there are some upcoming important dates and deadlines of which you need to be aware.

First of all, if you are considering a junior high other than Boltz or Lesher, you need to complete a School of Choice Application form. Completed School of Choice Applications need to be taken to the junior high school you wish your child to attend next year. The deadline for this is February 10, 2006, and parents are scheduled to be notified about a decision during the week of February 20th. It is recommended that you arrange a meeting with the junior high counselor at your school of choice before February 6th.

On February 7, 2006, counselors from both Boltz and Lesher will be coming to Shepardson to meet with 6th grade students to present general information about the school, discuss class options and 7th grade schedules, and then answer questions 6th graders might have about junior high. Sixth graders will be separated by groups depending on which school they plan to attend. School of choice students can either use that day to visit the closest elementary school where their junior high school of choice counselors are presenting (parents need to provide transportation) or they will meet with Mr. Kreider.

The Parent Orientation meeting for students headed to Lesher will take place at Lesher on Thursday, January 12, 2006 at 7:00 pm. Note that this meeting is before students meet with junior high counselors here at Shepardson. The Boltz Parent Orientation meeting is on Monday, February 13, 2006. This meeting takes place after the junior high counselors' presentation at Shepardson.

Course Selection Sheets are due to junior highs by February 27, 2006. Shepardson will be encouraging that these be completed and turned in to Mr. Kreider by Friday, February 17th if possible, and he will coordinate delivery to the appropriate junior high by the due date.

During the winter break, watch for a mailing to parents of 6th grade students from the Poudre School District, which will include a schedule and more detailed information entitled "6th Grade Junior High Registration." Our hope is that this process is as smooth as possible for all 6th graders. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your child's teacher or Rea Kreider at 226-6370.

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PSD SCHOOL CHOICE DEADLINE FEBRUARY 10

Approximately 72% of PSD students attend neighborhood schools, where PSD's rigorous standards-based curriculum is complemented by enrichment activities. However, parents who would like their children to attend a school outside of their attendance area can do so through School Choice.

Parents may choose from a neighborhood school, a school close to work, all-day or half-day kindergarten programs, before- and after-school care, and various programs and curricula on a space-available basis. School Choice students are accepted on a space-available basis, and transportation is the responsibility of the parent.

For the first time, current School Choice parents do not have to resubmit an application if they wish to remain at this school. However, if they plan to attend elsewhere, we ask you let us know so we can accept other families interested in attending.

To access a School Choice Application form, visit www.psdschools.org and click on "School Registration," or pick up an application at any school office.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE WINNERS! Tait Rutherford, 1st Place Arun Chandra, 2nd Place Jared Miller, 3rd Place Evelyn VonNieda, 4th Place The annual Shepardson National Geographic Bee was held on Friday, December 9, with 46 fourth, fifth and sixth graders participating. Students were quizzed on their knowledge of United States and World Geography. We "toured" the globe asking questions about the fifty states and many continents and countries. We're proud of all the participants for taking on the challenge of being in the "Bee" - a big congratulations to all of you for a job well done! 4th: Ben Gratias, Riley Murray, Rachel Carlson, Brenna Meyer, Autumn Dern, Antonio Franco, Elena Ingraham, Jillian Kauffman, Griffin Nelson, Jasmine Smith, Kelsey Hartmann, Drew Dahm 5th: Jake Hanks, Ashlyn Stults, Johnny Jacobs, Jackie Pfaffinger, James Duckworth, Evelyn Von Nieda, Jill Remmers, Taylor Steshen, Charlie DeMoss, Daniel Elder, Matthew Witczak, Brandi Demmer, Emily green, Katelin Hoffman, Eric Bleem, Sam Burns, Adam Berry. 6th: Tait Rutherford, Jared Miller, Jason Pelkey, Edward Zhu, TJ Jobe, Gretchen Carow, Heather Coburn, RJ Tuttle, Derek Dietrich, Jessy Knauas, Grant Fourcroy, Steven Tang, Arun Chandra, Monica Franco, Aaron Demmer, Trey Seale, Gabe Brull. Many thanks to Becky Woodcox for organizing all the details and encouraging students to take the risk and learn many geographical concepts and terms. She is preparing them for their future! Special thanks also to John Passantino who conducted the bee!

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ENERGY AWARD Thanks to the efforts of the students and staff, Shepardson Elementary School received the 2005 National Energy Star Award. Only 400 of these have been awarded across the country. Among the 75 recipients this year, 21 are in Poudre School District! Shepardson is now one of the top schools in the nation for efficient energy usage and conservation efforts. In addition to the plaque, we will receive $1000 that will help offset the costs of Eco Week next year! What an effort by the whole school to turn off our lights! Congratulations for an outstanding honor!!

(Table of Contents)   (Top) BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF LARIMER COUNTY

1608 Lancer Drive (next to Lincoln Jr. High) 970-484-5198 www.larimerboysandgirlsclubs.org 2:30 - 7:00 pm Monday - Friday The POSITIVE Place for Kids! 2006 WINTER SCHEDULE MONDAYS Arts - Mad Scientists Club - Yoga - Teen Tech Team Open Gym - First Serve Tennis 6-11 TUESDAYS Weight Training - Memory Powers - Art 6-11 - Smart Kids - Choir Sports Trivia - Geography Club - First Serve Tennis all ages WEDNESDAYS Teen Volleyball - Arts & Crafts - Games Room Tourney - Karate - Chess & Checkers - First Serve Tennis Jr. High THURSDAYS Open Gym - Kids in Control - Torch Club - Choir - First Serve Tennis all ages FRIDAYS Family Night - Open Arts - Whatza Wuzzle - Write On! - Open Art First Serve Tennis all ages - Baseball clinic A $5 annual membership includes: Free dinners served nightly at 5:00 PM* Power Hour homework and tutoring program NetSmartz Internet safety program Beginning to advanced art & music programs Intramural sports programs And a LOT more

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