Herbison Woods News

Welcome Back to School Issue

August 7, 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:

August 14: Class Placements Viewable in Infinite Campus

August 18: Open House 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

August 20 : Family Self-Guided Building Tour Opportunity 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

August 21: Family Self-Guided Building Tour Opportunity 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

August 24: First day of school - Half day (Dismissal 11:52 a.m.)

September 1: Fall Picture Day

September 4 and 7: No School—Labor Day Weekend

A Message from Mrs. Ormsbee

Greetings Herbison Woods Families,

Welcome to Herbison Woods! I hope you have had a relaxing summer filled with making memories with family and friends. The 2026-2027 school year is right around the corner, and I am excited to have our students and staff back in the building for our first day of school on Monday, August 24. As a reminder, this will be a half day of school, with dismissal at 11:52am. Below are a few things to get our school year started.

Class placements will be available for viewing on Friday, August 14. You can access your child's class placement through Infinite Campus.

First, log into Infinite Campus:

If you need assistance with your login/password you can reach out to our technology department at: helpdesk@dewittschools.net or 517-668-3590.
If you have not accessed Infinite Campus in the past, you can check out this video that details how to utilize the features within IC.
Click on the "Schedule" tab OR you can click on the "Reports tab and dowload a PDF of your child's schedule.

A large amount of time and consideration went into creating balanced classrooms. We want students to be excited for the start of school and have a successful year. Please help your child to remain positive about forming new friendships with students and relationships with staff, even if they did not get placed where they had hoped. Unfortunately, requests for classroom changes will not be honored, but if you feel you have an extenuating circumstance that you would like to discuss, please reach out to me. Please also take a moment to discuss any concerns with your teacher. We appreciate your support in understanding that having balanced classrooms are essential to student success across our buildings!

You can expect to receive additional information from your child's teacher with items specific to their classroom after the class placement information is accessible to families in Infinite Campus. Please remember that teachers do not report back to work until Tuesday, August 18, even though many teachers often reach out before then. If you do not hear from them right away, they will be reaching out soon!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our open house on Tuesday, August 18 from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.! Self-guided tour opportunities will also be available on Thursday, August 20 from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Friday, August 21 from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. During this time, teachers and staff will not be available, but you will have the opportunity to familiarize your child with the building, locate their classroom, and practice their locker combinations if you wish. Locker numbers and combinations will be available from your child's teacher the evening of open house. If you are unable to attend open house, you can stop in at the office during the self-guided tours for your child's combination. Lockers will be new to our incoming fourth graders this year. While practicing combinations prior to school is helpful, teachers and staff will also be available to support students as they learn how to use them. Please reassure your child that we will be here to help!

Our front office will be open beginning Monday, August 10 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m, with the exception of August 13 and 18 for professional development. If your child will be taking medication at school, you will be able to drop it off during our open office times, as well as at Open House on August 18th.

Below you will find some important information about the start of the school year. The slideshow below will introduce some of our school staff, give an overview of the school, and outline some of our daily procedures. I am excited to have the opportunity to be a partner in your child's education. Please reach out if there is anything I can do to support your child! I am looking forward to an amazing school year!

Sincerely,

Alicia Ormsbee

Principal

Learn About Herbison Woods

Herbison Woods Welcome Slideshow 25-26

Open House and Building Tours

Open House

Tuesday, August 18

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Self-guided Building Tours

Thursday, August 20

8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Friday, August 21

8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

CLT and Professional Development Schedule

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

August 18 and 19 - Full Days of Professional Development (prior to the start of the school year for students)
August 24 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
September 23 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
October 28 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
November 13 - Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)
November 18 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
January 27 - Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)
February 16 - Full Day Professional Development (no school for students)
March 5 - Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)
April 21 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
May 19 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
June 4 - Last Day of School and Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)

Car Loop Procedures

Our car loop begins at 8:20am. Supervision does not begin until 8:20. Please do not drop students off prior to this time.
Please only drop off students in the carloop area. For their safety, please do not drop off at the road or crosswalk area.
Signs with classroom teachers names will be posted out front showing where students will stand.
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”. This will help keep our line moving efficiently.
During arrival, your students should be ready and prepared to get out of the car by having all their materials gathered and good-byes complete.
Students being picked up at the end of the day will be released out the front door. For the first couple of weeks, we encourage you to post a sign with your child's name in the window.
As you exit the loop, please follow the right turn only sign.

Breakfast and Lunch

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

PTA Updates

Join the PTA!

Whether you're a parent, guardian, grandparent, teacher, or community member, we'd love to have you join us! Your membership helps support students, staff, and school programs while giving you the opportunity to vote on funding and grant requests, help shape PTA initiatives, and serve in leadership roles. Everyone is welcome at our meetings - membership is encouraged but not required.

Join today: tinyurl.com/ptamember2627

First PTA Meeting

Tuesday, September 1 | 7:00 PM
Herbison Woods Media Center

Join us for our first meeting of the school year! Can't make it in person? We'll also offer a hybrid option so you can participate from home. Details on how to join virtually will be shared closer to the meeting in our Facebook event.

Sponsor a Teacher https://tinyurl.com/staffdrive2627

Help us reach 100% staff membership! For just $7, you can sponsor a teacher or staff member's PTA membership, giving them access to valuable local, state, and national PTA resources.

Upcoming Events

Popsicles on the Playground
Monday, August 17 | 6:00–7:30 PM
Schavey Road Elementary

Incoming Young 5s and Kindergarten families are invited to enjoy a popsicle, meet new friends, and get excited for the start of the school year!

Chalk the Walk
Sunday, August 23 | Drop in anytime from 9:00 AM–8:00 PM

Help us welcome students and staff back by decorating the sidewalks at any of our three elementary schools with colorful chalk art and encouraging messages!

Stay Connected: Follow the DeWitt Elementary PTA on Facebook for the latest news, event reminders, volunteer opportunities, and school-year updates: https://www.facebook.com/ptadewitt

Infinite Campus Task Request

Prior to each school year, it is important to confirm/update your student’s emergency contact information as well as provide permissions and acknowledgments of important District documents. This task is easily accomplished using your Infinite Campus parent portal.

Be sure to read the following PRIOR to completing the update (all can be found on the District website):

1. District K-12 Student Handbook

2. District Code of Conduct

3. Athletic Handbook & Code of Conduct, if applicable

Please complete by prior to the start of school to ensure your child has access to school computers/email, etc.

DIRECTIONS (application works best using Chrome or Firefox browsers):

1. Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

2. From the MENU, select MORE

3. Select ONLINE REGISTRATION

4. Select 2025-2026 EXISTING STUDENT REGISTRATION.

5. Click BEGIN REGISTRATION.

6. Type your name and sign with your mouse/track pad. Click BEGIN. At each prompt, review, confirm/update your student's data. Use the NEXT and SAVE/CONTINUE buttons to proceed through the Update. If any of your information is highlighted in yellow, you have missed a required field and must go back to edit/ update.

7. SUBMIT once complete.

All changes will be reviewed by staff and they will reach out to you to confirm updates and/or request additional documentation, depending on the change made.

If you need assistance with the Annual Update, please contact the District Registrar at 517.668.3017.

Fall Picture Day

Picture Day is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1. Pictures will be taken by Canfield Jenkins this year. More information will be coming soon!

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!

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.

Medication can be dropped off in the office during our office hours or during our Open House on August 18.

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