Spartan Weekly
Shepard Middle School 1/7/2022
One Down...
Good Evening Spartan Families,
In spite of the challenges we faced as a school community this week, it was wonderful to welcome all of our students and staff back from the winter break. It's not always easy to jump back in when our minds and bodies have been in "break mode", but our classrooms, hallways and lunchrooms were bustling with energy and great stories from our two weeks apart.
As we get ready to head into our second week of 2022, we stand ready to do everything we can to provide a safe and welcoming school environment for all of our students. We are always better together!
Please see below for important district-wide updates related to extracurricular activities and guidelines for quarantining. If you have questions or need support, please do not hesitate to call our main office at 847-948-0620.
Stay warm and have a safe and relaxing weekend.
Mr.C, Mrs. Zlotnikov and Mrs. Logemann
SMS Musical: Oliver Jr.
The annual Shepard Musical has been announced! Whether it's singing, acting, set design, lighting or sound, there is a place for everyone in the musical. If your child is interested in learning more about getting involved in the production, please click on the link below.
Shepard StuCo Winter Weather Coat Drive
New Year...New Coats! SMS StuCo needs your help this winter season! We are collecting new and gently used coats to donate to West Deerfield Township. Adult and children coats are welcome! Please drop off all coats in the bins directly inside Shepard’s lobby. Coats will be collected until Friday, January 21st. Thank you!
Upcoming Dates
January 14 - End of Quarter 2
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, January 11, please click here.
If you have questions, please call our office at 847-948-0620
Important D109 Information
EXTRACURRICULARS TO RESUME NEXT WEEK WITH NO ATHLETIC COMPETITIONS
We are prepared to resume extracurricular activities starting on Monday. After consulting other schools in our conference, athletic teams will be allowed to practice, but any games or matches will be rescheduled or canceled. All participants must have a signed consent form and be signed up for SHIELD testing in order to take part. Please click below to find the consent form.
REVISED QUARANTINE GUIDANCE
The CDC has put out clarifying guidance specifically for K-12 schools reducing the recommended time for isolation and quarantine periods to five days. IDPH & ISBE have since endorsed this new guidance.We are working to adjust our quarantine and isolation periods based on these new regulations and will contact affected individuals directly. The question of who is supposed to quarantine comes up often. Please check out this helpful explainer from the CDC.
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.