Herbison Woods News

December 12, 2025

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: 8:40 a.m. (First bell rings at 8:35 a.m.)
  - Students may be dropped of at 8:20 a.m. or later. Supervision is not available before 8:20 a.m.
- Dismissal Time: 3:30 p.m. (Half Day dismissal 11:52 a.m.)

UPCOMING DATES:

December 19: Last Day Before Winter Break

December 20 - January 4: No School - Winter Break

January 5: First Day Back From Winter Break

January 19: No School - MLK Day

A Message from Mrs. Ormsbee

Greetings Herbison Woods Families,

The energy and excitement in the building at this time of the year is always incredible. With winter break coming soon, I wanted to take the opportunity to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season! Take the time to relax, reset, and make memories with your loved ones.

We are grateful for a fantastic first few months of school. Our students have made growth in both their behavior and academics. Our students have had some great opportunities this fall, and we are looking forward to many more to come. Thanks to your generous donations during our Color Run fundraiser this fall (exceeding $24,000), our students will have exciting field trips, assemblies, and incentives for their positive behavior in the months to come. Thank you for your overwhelming support.

Please remember to take a moment and look at Infinite Campus for your child's first trimester grades. These were posted a couple of weeks ago, and are available through the Parent Portal. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Shortly after we return in January, we will be jumping into our NWEA and DIBELS benchmark assessments. We will notify you of the specific dates upon our return. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with your child. Thank you for your partnership in their education!

Have a wonderful winter break!

Alicia Ormsbee

Principal

Updates from Mr. Rogers

HWE Families,

Winter, with its corresponding weather, is officially here! Can you believe it is almost 2026?! Many great things are happening at HWE, including small groups, for students who benefit from developing skills in common areas of support, starting next week. As we prepare for Winter Break, please have a safe, meaningful, and refreshing holiday season. See you in January!

Thank you,

Mr. Rogers

Thank you Wey Insurance Group

A special thank you to Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan - Wey Insurance Group for their generous grant that will help provide healthy snacks to our students.

Paper and Personal Care Drive

A special thank you to everyone who donated items for our Paper and Personal Care Drive! Your donations will benefit families in our community this holiday season.

Cold Weather Reminders

With the winter weather upon us, please help your students to make good decisions about proper indoor and outdoor winter clothing. Students should wear a coat outside if the temperature is 50 degrees or colder. In the winter, students will go outdoors when the termperature is above zero degrees Farenheit. Please remind your child to bring the proper gear for this weather, and to wear it at recess. If you need support obtaining some of these items, please reach out to our front office. We are happy to help!

Spirit Week

Join us in a Spirit Week as we prepare for Winter Break!

2025 Spirit Week.pdf

Meet Our Staff at HWE

Mrs. Nowak

Dean of Students

Mrs. Nowak is the Dean of Students at HWE and DMS. This is her third year in this position after leaving the classroom after 20 years of teaching. She enjoys being active outside and watching her children, Lincoln (16) and Kara (14) compete in sports. Being by the lake, taking walks, dinking on the pickleball court and being with her family are some of her favorite things!

Mrs. Teeple

Building Substitute

Mrs. Teeple is the building sub. This is her first year being dedicated to Herbison Woods. She enjoys spending time with her family and watching them play sports here in DeWitt. In her free time, she enjoys reading.

Mrs. Kujansuu

4th Grade Teacher

Mrs. Kujansuu is the proud mom of three—Ava (senior), Ian (freshman), and Mia (5th grader). She loves adventures with her family, whether that means traveling, relaxing in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, or exploring new places. When she’s home, you can often find her out for a walk or playing a game of pickleball.

Mrs. Almy

5th Grade Teacher

Mrs. Almy is a 5th grade teacher and is celebrating her 26th year as a teacher in DeWitt! She’s married to Greg, and mom to Gianna, a sophomore and Aaron, a senior, at Grand Ledge HS. In her free time, Mrs. Almy loves having dirt in her nails, flower gardening, golfing, and enjoying time on the beaches of Lake Michigan.

Yearbook Sales

You can order your yearbook through Lifetouch today! Please remember that the price increases to $14 after December 31.

Yearbook Flyer.pdf

CLT and Professional Development Schedule

Below are our dates planned for staff professional learning time remaining for this year:

November 19 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
February 27 - Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)
March 18 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
March 26 - Half Day of School (11:52 Dismissal)
May 13 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
June 4 - Last Day of School and Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)

Breakfast and Lunch

School breakfast and lunch are available to all students this year. Students are allowed one free breakfast and one free lunch at this time, due to a State initiative. More detailed information about our food service program and menus can be found here.

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.
All medication must be dropped off by a parent/guardian. Students should not bring any medication to school.
Be sure all medications are brought to school by a parent/guardian 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.

Picking Students Up From School

Student safety is a top priority. As a reminder, you will need proper identification each time your child is picked up from school. Proper identification can include:

Physical ID (Driver's license)
Personal identification by our office staff
Other identificaiton proof AND answering personal information we have in Infinite Campus (ie: phone number, birthdate, etc.)

Thank you for understanding and helping to keep a safe environment for our students!

Report abuse