Herbison Woods News

April 17, 2026

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:

May 13: Half Day - CLT for Staff

A Message from Mrs. Ormsbee

Greetings Herbison Woods Families,

Students have done a great job beginning their M-STEP assessments over the past two weeks. We have several assemssments to come throughout April and May. Please see the testing schedule below for more information. Students need to bring headphones for all M-STEP assessments. NWEA and DIBELS assessments will be administered as well in the weeks to come.

As a reminder to our fourth grade families, a Parent Input Form for the 2026-2027 school year was sent out on Monday, April 13th. If you are interested in providing information about your child that you would like considered in the placement process for next school year, please fill out this form. As a reminder, our focus is to provide balanced classrooms at DPS, and teacher requests will not be honored. The window to complete the form will close on Monday, April 27 at 8:00am. Thank you for taking time to share information about your child that you think will be important in this process.

Sincerely,

Alicia Ormsbee

Principal

A Note from Mrs. Nowak

HWE Families,

Thank you for your continued support of your child as we enter spring, which in the educational world is known as the season of testing! Students are asked to do a lot during this time. Not only are our established routines disrupted, but students are asked to put in their best focus and stamina for long periods of time.

One way to best support your child is to focus on what they can control. No, we can't control how long the test is or how hard questions might be, but we can control how we go about doing our best. Teachers have gone over test taking strategies, as well as prepared them with engaging lessons. Feel free to ask your child about the test, but try to focus on their effort more than if they knew the answers. By focusing on what your child can control (their effort, attitude and time they take) we can foster healthy responses to adversity.

In Partnership,

Rachel Nowak

Spring Testing - MSTEP, NWEA and DIBELS 8

Our spring assessments have begun. Although these are not assessments that students can study for, there are ways to help them perform their best. Some helpful tips include:

Getting a good night sleep the night before testing day
Eating a healthy breakfast (remember, breakfast is available daily at school as well)
Attending school on time, on the day of an assessment (once a testing session has started in a classroom, a student arriving late will not be able to enter and test) Tests will begin promptly at 9:00 on testing days.
Giving their best effort during the test
Bringing headphones on testing day

4th Grade will test on:

Wednesday, April 22 - MSTEP Math
Friday, May 1 - DIBELS
Tuesday, May 5 - NWEA ELA
Tuesday, May 12 - NWEA Math

5th Grade will test on:

Tuesday, April 21 - MSTEP Math
Tuesday, April 28 - MSTEP Social Studies
Friday, May 1 - DIBELS
Thursday May 7 - NWEA ELA
Thursday, May 14 - NWEA Math

PTA Updates

From the PTA

Totally 90’s Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week – May 4–8

This year, we’re throwing it back with a Totally 90’s theme as we celebrate the incredible teachers and staff who make a difference in our schools every single day. From bright colors to fun throwbacks, we’re creating a week full of appreciation, nostalgia, and gratitude to show our staff just how much they mean to our community.

The 411 on how you and your kids can be involved:

Help us stock the staff lounges: https://tinyurl.com/tsawitems
Donate money: https://tinyurl.com/tsawmoney
Color a mixtape for a staff member and return it to your teacher anytime next week: https://tinyurl.com/tsawmixtape

Chalk the Walk – Sunday, May 3 (weather permitting)
Help us kick off Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week by decorating the sidewalks at all four elementary schools with encouraging messages and artwork. Supplies will be available throughout the day.

Spirit Week (May 4–8)
While we shower our staff with love, students can join in the fun by participating in our themed Spirit Days! Participate as much or as little as you’d like.

Family Skate Night
Friday, April 17 | 5–7 PM at Edru Skate (Holt)

Save the date for our final Skate Night of the year! Enjoy a fun evening of roller skating with DeWitt elementary families—the rink will be closed to the public just for us.

$10 per skater • $2 skate rentals

Living History

Fourth graders completed a living history simulation as part of their Human Movement unit. They pretended to be a Potowatomi person who lived in 1821 in the Michigan Territory. They were members of a council of Potowatomi who had to make an important decision about the fate of their people and the land they live on. They met characters along the way who helped them make their final decision, and then learned about what really happened in 1821.

Students sitting on the gym floor for a presentation

Students sitting on a gym floor listening to a presentation

Field Trip to Van Andel

This week our fifth graders went on a field trip to the Van Andel Institute for Education.

Students sitting around a giant tortoise

K-5 Universal Accommodations

DeWitt Public Schools has a lists of K-5 and 6-12 universal supports and accommodations that consists of best teaching practices we use with all students who need them. Here is the DPS K-5 Universal Supports and Accommodations list that is put into practice consistently at Herbison Woods.

UNIVERSAL ACCOMODATIONS FINALIZED ALL GRADES

CLT and Professional Development Schedule

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

May 13 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
June 4 - Last Day of School and Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)

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.

Yearbook Sales

As a reminder, you can order your yearbook through Lifetouch today! Please remember that the price is $14.

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.

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!

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