Spartan Weekly
Shepard Middle School 12/3
The First Friday...
Good Evening Spartan Families,
As we head into the weekend I wanted to take a moment to highlight one of my favorite events that happens each month in our amazing Learning Commons and virtually on our Padlet. The First Fridays Open Mic Showcase has become a staple in the Spartan school community, as students gather to share their diverse talents with their peers. I look forward to visiting the LC during the grade level lunch periods to take in the many performances (a variety of musical pieces, comedy routines, ventriloquism, Irish dancing and other dance routines, vocal performances, poetry readings, crafting tutorials, cooking demonstrations and so much more), and this year the students have not disappointed! But...beyond the performances, I find myself consistently impressed and encouraged by the audience that assembles to cheer on their friends and classmates with encouraging words and enthusiastic applause.
This week, I encourage you to take a moment to enjoy the performances that were live in the LC and those submitted virtually, and hope you will continue to encourage your students to join the fun and step into the spotlight to share their talents with our Spartan community.
For more information, feel encouraged to reach out to Mrs. Trudeau, Mrs. Vaananen and Ms. Biasiello.
Have a safe and wonderful weekend!
Mr.C, Mrs. Zlotnikov and Mrs. Logemann
Student Council Needs Your Help
Operation Snowflake 2021 (Last Call)
The Spartan StuCo and Shepard PTSO are teaming up to support some of our families in need this holiday season. The goal is to make sure everyone will have something special to unwrap as they celebrate the holidays as a family. If you are interested in supporting this outreach, please visit our Operation Snowflake Gift Giving Sign-Up.
Select the gift (s) that you would like to purchase.
Drop off your purchased items to Shepard on any weekday between 8:00-4:00, from December 6-December 10. Please make sure you label the gift with the family name that corresponds to the SignUp Genius! (i.e. Pinecone or Frozen)
Please do not wrap the gifts. (Gifts will be carefully wrapped by our StuCo Team)
Gifts will be distributed starting the week of December 13.
If shopping doesn’t appeal to you, please consider donating a gift card (Target, Amazon, Jewel, etc.). Gift cards can be dropped off in the Shepard Main Office
Thank you for considering partnering with us for this worthy cause.
The Shepard StuCo
Calling All Artists
The Shepard PTSO is looking for help designing this year's holiday card. See below for information on submitting your art in the competition. Submissions are due Monday! Please share with your students.
Upcoming Dates
December 7 - Winter Concert Evening Performance
December 20-31 - Winter Break
January 3 - School Resumes
January 17 - No School (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
January 18 - MAP Testing (Math)
January 20 - MAP Testing (Reading)
SHIELD Testing (Weekly Opt Out Form)
- If your student has consent to test, we will assume they will come down during their scheduled time (a reminder announcement will be made for each time slot.
- SHIELD Testing remains optional. If for any reason you do not want your child to submit a test sample on Tuesday, December 7, please click here.
If you have questions, please call our office at 847-948-0620
Important D109 Information
Winter Weather Information
A reminder that this week, the district sent out updated information regarding winter weather and our plans for this year. If we can predict that a lot of snow will fall, students/staff/families will be given a heads up for a potential e-learning day. Click below to read more on the district website.
TEXT/EMAIL/ROBOCALL TEST HAPPENING NEXT WEEK
As part of winter weather preparations and making sure we have the right contact info on file for you, the district will be sending out test message next Wednesday at noon. If you haven't checked in a while, take 3 minutes and login to Family Access below to ensure we have the right email and phone number on file for you. If you have any questions, email communications@dps109.org.
OPTIONAL VACCINE DISCLOSURE FOR STUDENTS AGES 5+
Many families have recently chosen to have their 5-11 year old student vaccinated.
As a reminder, your child is not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving their second dose.
You can complete an optional form in Family Access to let DPS 109 know that your child is vaccinated. This is the same form that was made available to students ages 12 and older earlier this year. Please click below to log into Family Access.
Why are we asking for this information?
A major benefit of completing the form is that if your child is deemed to be a close contact to a positive case, either in school or outside of it, our contact tracing team will quickly be able to potentially rule out quarantine for those that have voluntarily disclosed their child’s vaccination status or minimize the number of additional tests required to participate in the test to stay program.
Again, filing out this form is entirely optional. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to communications@dps109.org and we will put you in touch with the appropriate department.
2022-2023 D109 Calendar
The official 2022 - 2023 School Year Calendar was approved by the Board of Education on November 19th, 2021. Please see the calendar on the DPS109 website.