Shepton eNews - Remote Learning
May 18 - May 22
This Week
Stallion Families,
This will serve as your final 'Remote Learning' eNews. Your next eNews will be our Summer Edition and it will be sent by Tuesday (5/26).
As our teachers work to finalize grades for students, I wanted to bring your attention to a few items. First, as we communicated weeks ago, when we transitioned to Phase 3 of Remote Learning, the majority of our core classes (Science, English, Math, and Social Studies) transitioned to the Edgenuity platform. As a reminder, all other classes (Foreign Language, Fine Arts, and Electives) remained on Google Classroom. Please make sure your Stallion is completing assignments for ALL of their classes!
Secondly, all assignments are to be completed and submitted by the end of the day Wednesday (5/20). This allows our teachers time to assess progress, process grades, and finalize our end of year procedures.
One final reminder, if you have a specific question about a grade or assignment, reach out to that individual teacher.
As always, we appreciate your support, and especially over the course of the past couple of months!
Take care,
Jeff Banner
Principal
NEWER UPDATES:
Student End-of-Year Item Pick-up / Drop-off
Hope Squad - For Next Year!
Plano ISD is pleased to introduce Hope Squads to Shepton and Plano West for the 20-21 school year. Hope Squads are proven to decrease suicidal ideation and attempts in teens as it provides a path for students to reach out to peers if they are experiencing struggles. In the coming days, we will be asking your student to nominate peers that they believe possess the following characteristics:
Concerned about others
Easy to talk with
A good listener
Someone you could turn to if you needed a friend
Someone who does not bully others
The goal is to identify students that are trusted by their peers and to select a group that represents a cross-section of their class. Every student on a campus should be able to identify someone that they are familiar with and that they trust if they need help. Hope Squad members will be enrolled in a dedicated class period and will be trained to listen effectively and take appropriate action if a peer needs help. The emphasis is on reporting and is not designed to cause a Hope Squad member to feel that they must take personal responsibility for a person that is in crisis. Please feel free to reach out to your campus counselor if you have questions. Thank you for your continued support as we work to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students!
Want to find out more?
Shepton Yearbook Staff - for next year
Click this link (https://tinyurl.com/ycjxy6dd) to access the 2020-2021 application. You should make a copy, fill it out, and submit it online by 5/26. It is a Google Doc so you can type in it like normal to answer the questions. When the application is complete you should share it with me, Ms. Dieter, at caroline.dieter@pisd.edu.
Please email if you encounter any problems or questions. I am happy to help! I can’t wait to meet my newest group of Journalists.
Note: To make the online application run more smoothly, I removed the page requiring students to collect a teacher recommendation. However, I will be collecting teacher input for each student that applies.
Summer School 2020
Plans for August 2020
Verification of Enrollment (VOE)
PROCESS UPDATE:
The district has developed an online process for students who wish to request a Verification of Enrollment (VOE) form. While we understand that the Department of Public Safety has temporarily suspended the VOE requirement for students seeking their driver's license, this process will be available for students to request a VOE form beginning Monday, May 18. Students may make a request for VOE form. The form will be completed and returned to the student via email.
Counselors Corner
2020-2021 Schedules:
In order to insure that schedules are correct for the 2020- 21 school year, course request are available on Parent Portal for students to peruse. Please check the requests and if any changes need to be made, please email your student's counselor now.
C.H.O.I.C.E. Mentoring info:
AP Exams
College Board has announced that AP exams will not be administered as usual. Here is the latest communication, updated as of dated April 3rd.
Key Changes to AP Exams:
· Exams will be given on a modified schedule from May 11 - 22
· Each exam is 45 minutes in length
· Students may take the exam on any electronic device
· Exams will cover material learned in their AP classes prior to March 1
· Exams will have Free Response Questions only - no multiple choice
Link to Exam Formats and Features
Dual Credit - Deadline Set for June 1, 2020
Current Sophomores:
Dual credit provides students with an opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! The dual credit enrollment deadline originally set for early May has been extended. The deadline is now set for the end of the day June 1, 2020, for any course with Collin College. This includes academic dual credit courses taught on our Plano ISD campuses, as well as the new opportunities at the Collin Technical Campus. Students must complete the process in order to be enrolled in dual credit courses for the 2020-2021 school year in Plano ISD.
Because of COVID 19, Collin College has waived the initial testing requirement to be enrolled in dual credit courses. Students will still need to take an entrance exam prior to October 16, 2020, but can enroll in courses with Collin College without a qualifying Texas Success Initiative-Assessment (TSI-A) score. This is a great opportunity to get head start on college credits at a great rate.
Please reach out to your current high school or senior high school counselor for information or assistance in completing enrollment.
National Honors Society
Information about National Honors Society and the transition to Plano West is still being communicated through the NHS Google Classroom that students signed up in. In that classroom there is a letter explaining the end of the year process and the list of members in good standing. The students that have completed their service hours, paid the NHS dues, and met requirements have are listed and their named have been sent over to the sponsor at Plano West.
If you have questions, please contact do not hesitate to contact Ms. Havins @ linda.havins@pisd.edu
Not returning to PISD next year?
If your Shepton student is not planning to return to any Plano ISD campus in August for the 2020-21 school year, please fill out the attached form (20-21 Next School Year Notification Form).
Please sign and email the completed form to the Shepton registrar at jane.bingham@pisd.edu
PISD Updates
As a reminder, PISD is posting daily announcements for communicating important information with families. We encourage you to check in frequently to get the latest information.
Plano West Athletics Info
Anyone interested in trying out for the Plano West Tennis Team for next year needs to contact Coach Walker at Plano West as soon as possible to get needed information and forms.
REMINDERS (from previous communications):
Campus Support & Contacts
Science - Jeff Banner
- Counseling - Jeff Banner
- Front office - Jeff Banner
- Math - Athanasios Icossipentarhos
- Career Ed - Athanasios Icossipentarhos
- Special Education - Athanasios Icossipentarhos & David Jones
- Health & PE - David Jones
- English - David Jones
- LOTE (Foreign Languages) - Nataushe Jordan
- Music - Nataushe Jordan
- AVID - Nataushe Jordan
- ESL - Kisha Mize
- Fine Arts - Kisha Mize
- Social Studies - Kisha Mize
Shepton Admin Team Student Support Alpha (by your student's last name):
- A - E: Nataushe Jordan
- F - Lee: Kisha Mize
- Lef - Rob: Athanasios Icossipentarhos
- Roc - Z: David Jones
Shepton Counselors Student Support Alpha (by your student's last name):
- A - Co: Jane Clanahan
- Cp - Ji: Angie Novak
- Jj - Mo: Amber Gist
- Mp - Sa: Elizabeth Negoslawski
- Sb - Z: Kristin Decker
Virtual Office Hours & Teacher Communication
Each teacher should have already communicated how they are conducting such. They may be hosting a virtual chat, available for immediate response via email, etc.
If at any time you have additional questions, please continue to reach out to our staff. Aside from the virtual office hours, we expect our teachers to respond to emails within 24 hours. If you have a specific concern with a response time and/or subject area, please utilize the aforementioned support admin list.
For a quick reference, click below to see a complete list of when our teachers are available daily.
Free Meals
This district-wide program serves children 18 and younger. Families can pick up meals for students curbside at select campuses. Click here for details: https://www.pisd.edu/Page/22497
SAT / ACT Prep
Students will begin Virtual Tutor courses by taking pretests to determine their strengths and weaknesses and create an individualized content review program. Students then work through the course content, completing frequent assessments so they can monitor their own performance.
Students may “self-enroll” in these courses when they log in to Edgenuity beginning April 22nd. The content of these courses is completely optional, will not be monitored by a teacher, and will not count towards the 3rd Nine Weeks grades.
Remote Learning Resources
Edgenuity:
You can check on how your students are progressing by asking to see their Edgenuity class tiles. Click here for additional tips / resources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ux8oMNclBRItQtIHyMXrus2N-TuSgjNViR-pP7xKDxs/edit?usp=sharing
Grading:
Grading Guidelines for Remote Learning
Content Specific items:
If you have have any curriculum / instrucional questions, please reach out directly to that teacher. Most of our teachers have an updated informational page here: https://www.pisd.edu/site/Default.aspxPageType=1&SiteID=69&ChannelID=2353&DirectoryType=6
PISD Remote Learning Resources:
www.pisd.edu/homelearningphases
Questions / Contacts
Shepton Nurse - Need your student's medication from the nurse: jan.farmer@pisd.edu
- Note - This will be a curb-side pickup & there will be a form for you to sign.
Shepton Special Education questions / information: shelby.chesnut@pisd.edu
Shepton Section 504 questions / information: mandy.reeves@pisd.edu
Click here for additional information / resources: https://www.pisd.edu/healthupdate