October 10, 2017
Brought to you by the Shepard Elementary PTA
From our Principal
Dear Shepard Families,
I hope you and your kids had a relaxing few days off of school!
Fall is here to welcome everyone back from the long weekend. The kids came into school so happy this morning! I know that they are being welcomed by their teachers this morning with hugs and smiles! A little known secret….when teachers have a day at school with no kids in the building (like yesterday) we enjoy about the first hour of peace and quiet, but then we start missing the kids. They are the reason we teach!
I hope everyone will join us for the Monster Mash Fall Carnival on October 20. Our PTA is sponsoring the carnival, and it looks like it will be AMAZING! Tons of fun games and bounce houses as well as yummy food. Information about purchasing bracelets for the kids to do all the fun activities is included later in the newsletter. This is a major fundraiser for PTA (as well as a “Fun-raiser!”) Our PTA supports so many great programs or the Shepard kids. We have the Dennis Lee program coming next week, and High Touch High Tech Science is joining us soon as well. They have already been helping us organize some field trips for this year, and we have Story Night coming up in December. The support that Shepard PTA provides to the campus is second to none, and I hope you’ll come on out to the Monster Mash to help support those programs!
We also have Red Ribbon Week coming up October 23-27. We’ll be sharing the “theme days” to help the kids focus on staying smart and drug-free. It should be a great week!
Sincerely,
Kristin
Shepard PTA Monster Mash Carnival and Silent Auction Fundraiser is October 20
To purchase bracelets go to ShepardPTA.org and login. Now!
Bracelets are $25 and cover unlimited games including the dunking booth, face painting, inflatables and all carnival games.
Want to come have fun but not spend on a bracelet? We will have small bags of tickets for sale at $5 and $10. There will be vendors on site with Food for Purchase. (Shepard gets 20% of all food sales so buy those fried Oreos and corndogs!)
You may purchase bracelets on www.ShepardPTA.org. We also have an option to donate a bracelet for a student.
Remember, this is the main fundraiser for PTA this year in lieu of asking kids to sell wrapping paper, etc.
All proceeds go directly back to YOUR kids at Shepard.
The funds we raise help us pay for:
~for High Touch High Tech Science to come in and do experiments in every grade level
~for events such as the Sock Hop and End of the Year Picnic
~for much needed supplies in classrooms and Stream lab
~for Field Day and Field Day t-shirts
~for showering our teachers and staff with meals and treats throughout the year...
...AND MUCH MORE.
Be sure to wear your costumes and we'll see you at the Monster Mash!
Visit www.ShepardPTA.org for details!
* * * * *
PLEASE NOTE!
If you are unable to attend the carnival because of financial reasons, please contact Erin Christenson, Shepard Counselor, at 469-752-3115 or erin.christenson@pisd.edu.
We want ALL Patriots to be able to attend!
* * * * *
Helping Children Develop Social Skills: Free workshop October 12
Did you know you could attend FREE parenting classes offered by the district?
There are many series coming up, including sessions about parenting strong-willed children, parenting children with ADHD, and grandparents raising grandchildren.
We will also have four parenting classes here at Shepard this year.
The first one is about helping children develop healthy social skills and it is coming up on October 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the counselor classroom.
Click here for more details.
We hope to see you there!
You can find more information and other free classes being offered by the district at: www.pisd.edu/parentworkshops
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the counselor, Mrs. Christenson, at 469-752-3115 or erin.christenson@pisd.edu
Next Week is Red Ribbon Week!
Shepard Elementary's Red Ribbon Week is October 23-27 celebrating DRUG FREE!
PTA presents Dennis Lee and hi Puppets to kick off Red Ribbon Week, October 18 at 1:30 pm.
Click here for the dress-up day schedule!
Box Tops for Education will be collected October 20
Please start collecting your Box Tops for the first contest of the school year. Each grade level has a container, so your student just puts them in a baggie and brings them to their Grade Level Box.
More prize details to come!
This is a huge fundraiser for PTA, and the funds always go back to the kids!
2018-2019 School Calendar Feedback
Plano ISD appreciates your input on two calendar options for the 2018-2019 academic year that were presented to the school board on September 5. Please review both drafts and provide feedback on your preferred calendar.
Click on the link below to see each option, along with a survey to gather your input.
http://tinyurl.com/PISDCalendar
The survey is open until November 1, 2017.
Thank you for your input.
CALLING ALL SHEPARD FAMILIES! Join our PTA
As you may or may not know, Shepard’s PTA membership drive is in full swing.
Thank you to all who have signed up as members so far! If you have not had a chance to do so, please consider joining our school’s PTA by visiting www.shepardpta.org . Typically, August, September and October are our most important months. We are working hard to increase our membership not for bragging rights, but to help as many of our children as possible.
Currently, we have 118 out of 346 total families that have signed up as members. That is a 34% membership sign-up rate. I am confident we can do better as a school! Please know that the PTA supports ALL students and faculty at Shepard. Thank you for your consideration!
We need your help!
By simply signing up to become a member, you are helping us fund many activities, programs and resources that PTA provides.
If you would like to volunteer too, you are always welcome. Volunteering is not a requirement for becoming a member! Be sure if you are planning to volunteer at school that you have completed your PISD Background Check and Volunteer application.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Vanessa Hall (vmloya@yahoo.com) . Thank you for your time!
To be added to the current school directory: IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
In order to have access to the directory, you must be a member of the PTA. Texas PTA is in the process of entering all members who did not sign up online. This process may take 2-3 weeks from the time the first official roster and dues were received. Texas PTA received our first roster on September 7th.
Please allow a little more time if you are not able to access the school directory and we thank you for your patience.
Elementary PACE Referral Information 2017-2018
For more detailed information about the PACE program, please click here.
Kindergarten – 5th Grade referral deadline is December 6, 2017.
From the Office: Absence & Tardy Information
Running late…
Please remember school starts at 7:45 am. Once the school doors are closed your child needs to come through the office for a Late Pass, and a tardy will be recorded.
If your child is going to be absent or arriving after 9 am…
Please remember to call the school’s Child Safe Line at (469) 752-3100. Dial #1 for English, or #2 for Spanish, and then dial #3 to report your child’s absence.
Please leave your child’s name, grade, teacher’s name, the reason they are absent and when they might be returning to school.
If we do not receive a call reporting the student absent by 9:00 am we are required to call to confirm their absence with a parent/guardian.
If your child has been absent…
Please send a doctor’s note or a note from a parent with the following information:
- Your student’s first and last name
- the date(s) they were absent
- the reason for their absence
- a parent’s hand written signature
All notes must be received by the school within 3 days of your child’s return to school to be considered for excused absence.
Absences due to illness for longer than five days will require a physician’s note to excuse.
Thank you!
October
20- PTA Carnival/Auction - "Monster Mash"
November
3- PTA Executive Board Mtg 9:15am
9- 3rd Grade Music Program; General PTA Mtg 6pm
10- Picture Retakes Day
13-15 5th Grade Camp
20-24 Thanksgiving Break
Give Back...To Shepard
At smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Shepard Elementary.
Here's how:
Login to Amazon via this link https://smile.amazon.com
And then choose PTA Texas Congress 7434 Shepard Elementary PTA
Tom Thumb's Good Neighbor Program: Another Way to Give Back!
Tom Thumb will pay 1% of our members' total grocery purchases to Shepard Elementary. The amount of the check depends on the amount of our supporters' total purchases.
Click here to sign up give back to Shepard Elementary. Use Shepard Elementary School PTA vendor #: 228023
Helpful Online Links
Online Federal Meal Application
Sign Up for Plano ISD eNews
Plano ISD Food and Nutrition Services
Click here for School Menus
Pre-pay here for School Meals at PayPams
Register here for PASAR (Paid After School Care located at Shepard)
How to Register for Parent Portal
You will need your child's student ID# to create an account. You can receive your child's ID# by calling the Shepard front office at 469-752-3100.
HOW TO CREATE A PARENT PORTAL ACCOUNT
You must have an email address to access Parent Portal. A confirmation email will be sent to that email address when you complete the sign up process. REMEMBER TO WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORD AND SECURITY QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE USE.
1. Open up your internet browser and go to http://parentportal.pisd.edu
2. Click on the "Register Here" link near the bottom of the page.
3. Enter the required information. Be sure to complete every field. If you have more than one student in PISD you will only need to submit the form for one student. The system will recognize all PISD students in your household.
4. After your Parent Portal account is created an email will be sent to you at the email address you provided.
5. If you have questions about the process, send an email to parentportal@pisd.edu Include the legal name of your child, their ID# and the school name. They will respond within 48 hours.
6. Your child should know their six-digit ID # if they attended PISD schools. It is the one they use to purchase lunch at school and sign on to the school computers.
Click here for Parent Portal
Shepard Elementary
Sign up for text messaging: https://www.remind.com/join/6k3946
School website: www.pisd.edu/shepard
Staff contact list: www.pisd.edu/domain/2020
Website: www.ShepardPTA.org
Location: 100 Wilson Drive, Plano, TX, United States
Phone: 469-752-3100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ShepardElementary/752234881534911