Herbison Woods News
October 6, 2023
Principal: Alicia Ormsbee
School Address: Pride Dr, DeWitt, MI 48820
Office Phone Number: 517-668-3300
Attendance Phone Number: 517-668-3347
Website: https://hw.dewittschools.net/
Start Time: 8:45 a.m. (First bell rings at 8:40 a.m.)
Students may be dropped of at 8:25 a.m. or later. Supervision is not available before 8:25 a.m.
Dismissal Time: 3:35 p.m.
Upcoming Events:
October 18: 1/2 Day of School for Students - CLT Day
A Message from Mrs. Ormsbee
Greetings Herbison Woods Families!
Fall is a busy season! We have many events coming up this month. Be looking out for information from your classroom teacher on all of our exciting activities!
We had our first Herbie Buck Store this past week. Students had the opportunity to spend their Herbie Bucks that they have earned for being Respectful, Responsible and Safe over the past month. The store is full of prizes listed at various amounts. If you are interested in donating to our store, please see below for more details. We are always looking for donations for our students.
If you are going through your children's clothes and have some gently worn bottoms that do not fit any more, we would greatly appreciate donations for students in the front office. We are especially in need of pants if you have any available. Thank you for considering.
Fall benchmarking is complete. Be looking for NWEA parent reports, as they will be coming home with students next week Friday, October 13.
Thank you for your continued partnership!
Sincerely,
Alicia Ormsbee
Principal
A Note from Mrs. Nowak
Greetings, Herbison Woods families! My name is Rachel Nowak and I will be filling the position of Dean of Students for grades 4 through 8. This position will help me put my 20 years of classroom teaching experience to work for the greater good; helping students solve conflicts and working to foster a school where students work to be their best selves through consistent behavior choices. Look for emails from me if I have met with your child, or have the pleasure of supporting them in these areas. I look forward to helping every HWE student have a successful school year!
Updates from Mr. Rogers
It is great to be a Herbison Woods Panther! There have been many exciting things happening around our school. Last week was Spirit Week; we saw LOTS of engagement and enthusiasm from students and staff alike. This week we are starting Second Step classroom lessons, helping students in building social and emotional skills. I am thankful each day for the opportunity to serve the students and staff in our building!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: mattrogers@dewittschools.net
Herbie Buck Store
Our first Herbie buck store was a complete success. The students continue to be very excited and motivated by our Herbie Buck Store! We are always accepting donations such as small candies, school supplies, small toys, etc. In addition, we have also put together an Amazon Wish List of items that we feel our students may enjoy. As Halloween approaches, if you have any wrapped candy that your family is wishing to part with, we would gladly use it at our next store. We appreciate your generosity and are grateful for your support!
PTA News
We are excited for another amazing Denim and Diamonds fundraiser event on 11/11! This is our only planned fundraiser for the PTA this year and we hope you can join us. You can purchase your tickets for only $10 at https://dewittelempta.memberhub.com/store/items/933889.
If you are interested in helping before or during the event, please contact Kaela Humm at auctionchair@ptadewitt.org or 989-621-2353. Volunteers are crucial to being sure we can make events happen and raise funds to support our schools!
Upcoming Events:
10/13: Monster Mash Dance
10/17&10/19: Y5&Kinder Conference Cuisine
11/7: Meeting @ HW Media Center 7pm
Want more information on getting involved, Contact Us: Info@ptadewitt.org
Halloween, Celebrations and Parties
To promote a safe and secure indoor school environment, create an inclusive atmosphere for all students, and to reduce distractions for the duration of the school day, the following school celebration guidelines will be followed:
Classroom celebrations will be kept to one hour.
We encourage healthy snacks and alternatives to food to support allergies and our wellness policy. Some classrooms may have a “no food” policy due to allergies.
Only volunteers and party classroom coordinators may be allowed in the classroom to help support classroom celebration activities per individual teacher request/classroom needs. There will be 3-5 parent volunteers per classroom.
Volunteers and party classroom coordinators may not bring any additional guests including siblings (of any age), relatives, etc.
Volunteers and classroom coordinators must complete the I-Chat Form and be cleared if they at any time are going to work with students independent of where the classroom teacher is.
Halloween/Fall Celebration Specific:
All students will have an opportunity to wear a costume at school.
Simple costumes may be worn, but please be mindful of your child's ability to participate in regular school activities throughout the day including PE and recess.
Costumes should be tasteful, modest and appropriate for a school environment.
Costumes shall have no representation of violence, horror characters or be scary; no blood or weapons.
Wearing costumes is an opportunity but not an obligation. Families may choose whether or not their child participates.
If your child or you are questioning if a costume is school appropriate, it is recommended to err on the side of caution and choose something else.
Book Fair is coming to HWE
Mark your calendars! The book fair is coming to Herbison Woods Elementary School October 30 - November 3 in our media center.
Music Notes from Ms. Broughton
Recorder playing begins this coming week in music class! If your child needs a recorder, please remember they can be purchased with a $5 donation (cash, check made out to Herbison Woods elementary, or credit card through Rev Track https://dewittschools.revtrak.net/herbison-woods-elementary/#/list). If your child has a recorder at home, please remind them to bring them to school starting on Monday.
Recess and Lunch Positions
If you are interested in supervising recess, lunch or being a paraprofessional, we would love to have you join our team at Herbison Woods!
Please contact us at 517-668-3300. http://jobs.dewittschools.net
Picture Retake Day
Picture Retake Day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7 at Herbison Woods.
Carloop Reminders
Reminders :
Supervision begins at 8:25 am outside; please do not drop off students prior to this time.
If your student would like to eat breakfast, they may enter the building at 8:25 am, and eat in the cafeteria.
Please leave the handicap parking spaces open for those that need them. These should not be utilized as a drop off area for students.
Please only drop off students in the car loop area; supervision is only provided in this area.
The back lot area is designated for the bus loop in the morning. Please do not drop students off or pick students up in the back lot.
Please drop off and pick up students along the painted blue line along the curb.
Please utilize the entire length of our blue drop off line by:
Pulling up behind the car in front of you (please refrain from leaving large spaces between vehicles)
Dropping off along the whole blue line (Please refrain from dropping off your child only in front of the area where their class waits. The entire blue line should be utilized for efficiency. )
Students will wait outside unless it meets the temperature threshold and/or it is a downpour. Please have students dress appropriately.
Breakfast and Lunch
Lunch Menus can be found here: https://dewittschools.nutrislice.com/
Breakfast and lunch is free this year for students. All students can have one complete breakfast and one complete lunch per day. The guidelines to receive free breakfast and/or lunch require a students to take items that meet the guidelines for a complete meal.
Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria at Herbison Woods.
Option to Purchase Ala Carte Items: In addition to free complete meals, extra entrees and ala carte items such as milk will be available for purchase if your student brings a meal from home. Students will need money in their accounts to do this. There is a charge of $1.95 fee per $100, and .50 fee for multiple students with no transaction amt. cap to families who choose to use the online payment system. Also, you can pay by E-Check for $1 fee per transaction with a $750 transaction cap. Also, there are deposit boxes located in all school buildings.
Federal & State Funding Help: DeWitt Public School District is excited to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students starting this new school year thanks to the Michigan Healthy School Meals Program! Even though meals will be provided for free, it's important for families to continue sharing household income information in order for our schools to receive full access to federal and state funding for educational programs that our students are entitled to. Paper applications are available upon request. Please contact Sandy Leach at leachsand@dewittschools.net or Marcy Updike at updikemar@dewittschools.net. Online applications can be completed at: https://dewitt.familyportal.cloud.
Volunteering at DPS
If you are interested in volunteering, you must complete the DPS Volunteer I-CHAT Form.
Volunteers need to be cleared every year before being an approved volunteer.
Medication Information
In order for Herbison Woods Staff to administer medication to your child, you must:
Submit a completed district medication form to our office.
Be sure all medications are brought to and stored in our office.
Be sure prescription medication is in its original container accompanied with a physician’s signature.
Be sure non-prescription medication is in its original container accompanied by a parent’s signature.
Please communicate with your child's teacher if he/she takes medication daily at school.
If your child has a medical condition, please be sure to complete a Medical Management Plan for your child and turn it in at the office.
Medication and other medical forms can be found on our DeWitt Public Schools website.
Attendance
If your child will be absent from school, please call the Herbison Woods attendance line at:
517-668-3347.