NOVEMBER PTO MEETING

SHEPHERD PTO

16^TH NOVEMBER 2022

AGENDA

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Welcome

Agenda Review, Approval of October Minutes, Fall Fest Retrospective, PTO Survey, Upcoming Events, TAP

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PTO Treasurer Report

Approval of 2022-2023 Budget, October Financials Review

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Dr Brown Corner

Social-Emotional Learning

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PTO Committee Report-Out

Facilities Committee

Fundraising Committee

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Principal Russell Update

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OCTOBER MEETING MINUTES

• The following meeting minutes are up for membership approval at tonight’s meeting:
• 20^th October General Membership Meeting

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Fall Fest Retrospective

• Thank you to our core team
• Chair - Madeline Ramos
• Parent Room Network - Jodi Arellano
• Logistics - Taryn Losch-Beridon
• Social Media - Robyn Showanes

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• our gross revenue collected…….

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Fall Fest Appreciation!

Thank you to our Sponsors and Volunteers!

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PTO Survey Results- Highlights

• 84% preferred Hybrid Format for PTO Meetings�
• Focus of PTO Activities:
• Community-Building Events
• Diversity & Inclusivity
• Teacher & Staff Retention�
• Common Concerns
• Streamlining Communication
• Feeder Pattern
• Staff Retention and Principal Assignment

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UPCOMING INITIATIVES AND EVENTS

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• Friday, November 18^th at 9:00 am - All School Morning Meeting

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• Wednesday, November 30^th at 7 pm Virtual Staff Appreciation Holiday Event Planning Kick-off

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• Monday, November 28th at 12:00 pm Virtual Spring Gala and Auction Event Planning Kick-off

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• Saturday, December 10th - DC EdFEST

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• Tuesday, December 13th - Coffee & Conversation for 1st Grade Families

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• Tuesday, December 13th - December PTO Meeting (Date Changed for Winter Concert)

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• Wednesday December 14th - Winter Concert and Holiday Bazaar

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• Lynch Creek Farms holiday fundraising sale now through December

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TEACHER APPRECIATION PROGRAM (TAP)

• October Winner: Ms. Anna Marie Pereira
• Music
• Nomination: Kate Snyder
• “Ms Pereira always goes above and beyond to make the day fun. Pumpkin Bones wanted posters were all over my house and Woody couldn't stop singing the song. Ms. Pereira has built his confidence in music and it has really helped him in other classes as well.”
• Ms. Pereira will receive a wishlist fund bonus!

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Principal Russell Updates

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MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS MATTERS!�AN OVERVIEW FOR PARENTS��

Presented by

Dr. Persephone T. Brown,

Your School Psychologist

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SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) CURRICULUM

Shepherd Elementary School is a diverse and equitable school community that is dedicated to the social-emotional wellness of all Mustang scholars, faculty and staff. This specifically entails 3 primary domains:

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• The daily practice of mindfulness;

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• The promotion of mental health well-being; and

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• Meeting the social-emotional learning needs of each student, in collaboration with parents, families and the school community.

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As stipulated by the DCPS Trauma-Responsive School Model, Shepherd Elementary School is a trauma-responsive, healing-centered organization that acknowledges and effectively addresses the impact of trauma on students to ensure their psychological and physical safety, full participation in academic learning, as well as success within the school setting and beyond.

THE WHOLE-CHILD PURPOSE��(ADAPTED FOR DCPS FROM TURNAROUND FOR CHILDREN)

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST’S ROLE

As your school psychologist, I identify and provide the necessary support for students to benefit from their educational program by utilizing:

• Consultation with teachers, parents and administrators to address and provide effective solutions regarding learning, social-emotional and/or behavior problems
• A wide variety of assessment techniques at an individual, group and systemic level to evaluate academic skills, learning aptitudes, emotional development, social skills and eligibility for special education
• Intervention with children and families to help solve conflicts and problems in learning and adjustment
• Prevention by identifying potential learning difficulties
• Education and staff development

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MINDFULNESS AND SEL?

OUTSIDE-IN VS. INSIDE-OUT

What is social-emotional learning? The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as a process to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve goals, as well as cultivate empathy, supportive relationships and responsible decision-making. This “outside-in” approach usually involves instruction from an adult who utilizes a curriculum to help students build skills in recognizing emotions and navigating social interactions with care and compassion (www.mindfulschools.org).

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is defined as being present in the moment here and now, paying attention to our thoughts, bodily sensations and external environment with kindness, non-judgment and curiosity. Mindfulness can be seen as an “inside-out” approach that teaches strategies and techniques (e.g. noticing sounds, body sensations or the breath) to calm the nervous system and bring executive functioning back online. Through this process, students build a foundation for social-emotional and academic learning to take place (www.mindfulschools.org).

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https://www.mindfulschools.org/video/lets-create-mindful-schools/

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Outcome

MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS FOR OUR SHEPHERD COMMUNITY

• DCPS Schools have progressed from the utilization of Response to Intervention(RTI) to Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), which is a systemic, continuous-improvement framework whereby data-based problem solving and decision-making is practiced across all levels of the educational system for supporting students. This entails a more organic approach for MTSS (compared to our RTI process two years ago) that entails teachers’ (Pre-K thru 5^th grade) consistent participation from Tier 1 - Tier 3.
• All Mustangs (Pre-K thru 5^th grade) receive SEL resources and lessons from Dr. Brown every month.
• Resources specifically for parents/caregivers are provided in the PTO Bulletin (Dr. Brown’s Corner), monthly.
• If you need additional resources and/or support, contact your school psychologist, Dr. Brown at persephone.brown@k12.dc.gov.
• Also, https://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/parents-caregivers

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SEL LESSONS FOR OUR SHEPHERD MUSTANGS EXPLAINED

Once a month, every class (Pre-K thru 5th) will receive resources or an SEL Lesson from our school psychologist, Dr. Brown. The purpose of these interactive lessons is to help our Mustangs better understand their emotions, feel those emotions fully and demonstrate empathy for others. After every monthly lesson, each class will receive follow-up resources. Topics for the SEL Lessons are as follows:

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September → Caring & Friendship

October → Bullying

November → Emotional Self-Regulation

December → Impulse Control and Self-Management

January → Mindfulness & Balance

February → Character, Kindness & Respect

March → Empathy

April → Cooperation

May → Social Responsibility

June → Recap

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QUESTIONS

2022-2023 Budget Approval

• Review of 2022-2023 Shepherd Elementary PTO Budget

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TREASURER OCTOBER REPORT / FINANCIALS SUMMARY

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Fundraising Committee Update

Ongoing Committee Activities:

• Lynch Creek Farms Holiday Decor Sale
• Holiday Bazaar (December 14th, co-scheduled with Shepherd’s Winter Concert)
• 5th Annual Camp Expo (Date TBC - January 28th/29th)
• 18th Annual Spring Gala and Auction (April 1st - Venue TBD)

Committee to kick-off in early Jan:

• Scheduling restaurant/possible movie nights for winter/spring
• Grant writing

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CONTACT: tarynberidon@gmail.com to get involved!

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Facilities Committee Update

2022-2023 School Year Initiatives

• Library Refresh
• Multipurpose Room Improvements
• Half-Basketball Court
• Outdoor Learning Center
• Shepherd Beautification Day
• Ongoing Engagement

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Have additional ideas for the upcoming year? Or want to help out?

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Email amy.zettle@gmail.com

Library Refresh

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HUGE THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

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Stephanie Bingham

Angela Mokodean

Taryn Losch-Beridon

Simon Messing

Julia Marnon Lipton

Frank Rijmen

Penny Ngo

Harrison Kreisberg

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Library Refresh

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Outdoor Learning Center - Options

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Outdoor Learning Center Winners Were Seating and Boards

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“Strongly Prioritize” Votes

Also receiving at least 2 “Strongly prioritize” votes (and a written comment!) were the Pre-K spaces

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

NEXT PTO MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 13^TH!