Hello! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and let you know how much I have enjoyed my first few days as Principal at Sheppard. What an amazing place! I have been an administrator with the Waterloo Region District School Board since 2009. For the past 6 years I was Principal at Hespeler P.S. Prior to that I was Principal at Meadowlane, and Vice-Principal at Sunnyside. I also had the privilege of being VP at Sheppard in 2016. It’s great to be back!

I began my career as a teacher with the Toronto District School Board where I taught in the primary grades and special education. When I moved back to my hometown of Waterloo, I began teaching with the Waterloo Region District School Board in both the primary and intermediate divisions.

I already feel very much at home in the Sheppard community, as I have enjoyed a very warm welcome from staff, students and parents. It has been a pleasure beginning to get to know our very friendly Sheppard students and meeting many parents. My philosophy of education is based on the fact that all students can learn and that we are here as a team (teachers, school staff and parents) to provide the best learning environment possible. We want to engage all students to develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime. I invite you to stop in and say hello when you visit the school and encourage you to attend upcoming School Council meetings.

We hope you will join us on Wednesday, September 11th from 6-7pm for our “Meet the Educator” evening.. This is a chance for you to see your child’s classroom and meet their teacher. As the evening is intended for short introductions, please call or schedule an appointment with your child’s teacher if you would like to discuss school progress. We will have pizza available at 5:30 (pre-ordered through Dominos) on the back tarmac, as well as an ice cream truck. Please stay tuned for more information about ordering your pizza for that evening.

Please check the website (www.she.ca) for regular updates, or you may choose to subscribe to the website and receive regular emails whenever the website is updated. We will also be using School Day as our main communication and engagement tool, sending out important information, events, and permission forms. We will be moving towards paperless communication through these methods.

I’m looking forward to an exciting year at Sheppard – learning alongside staff and students and developing a collaborative partnership between the school and its families.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Jutzi

Principal