Herbison Woods News

Welcome Back to School Issue

August 8, 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:

August 12: Class Placements Viewable in Infinite Campus

August 19: Open House 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

August 21 : Family Self-Guided Building Tour Opportunity 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

August 22: Family Self-Guided Building Tour Opportunity 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

August 26: First day of school - Half day (Dismissal 11:52 a.m.)

August 29 and September 1: No School—Labor Day Weekend

September 4: Picture Day

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 2025-2026 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 Tuesday, August 26. Below are a few things to get our school year started.

Class placements will be available for viewing on Tuesday, August 12. 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.
Click on the "Schedule" tab OR you can click on the "Reports tab and dowload a PDF of your child's schedule.

A considerable 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. 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!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our open house on Tuesday, August 19 from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.! Self-guided tour opportunities will also be available on Thursday, August 21 from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Friday, August 22 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 Tuesday, August 12 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m, with the exception of August 19, 20 and 25 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 19th.

Please note that there is a slight change to our start and end of school day this year. Our first bell will ring at 8:35, and our tardy bell will ring at 8:40. We will dismiss for the day at 3:30 on a full day, and 11:52 on half days.

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 19

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Self-guided Building Tours

Thursday, August 21

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

Friday, August 22

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 19, 20 and 25 - Full Days of Professional Development (prior to the start of the school year for students)
August 26 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
September 26 - Full Day Professional Development (no school for students)
October 15 - Early Release CLT (11:52 Dismissal)
November 14 - Early Release Records Day (11:52 Dismissal)
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 due to a State initiative. More detailed information about our food service program and menus can be found here.

PTA Updates

A message from our PTA:
We’re excited to kick off the 2025-2026 school year and hope you’ll join us!

Become a PTA Member
Memberships are $10 for individuals, $18 for dual memberships, and $7 for staff. Members can vote on funding and grant requests, help guide decisions, and hold chair positions. Everyone is welcome at our general meetings - membership is encouraged but not required.
Join Here: https://tinyurl.com/dewittpta2025

First PTA Meeting
Wednesday, September 4 at 7:00 PM
Herbison Woods Media Center

Sponsor a Teacher – Membership Drive
For just $7, you can sponsor a teacher or staff member’s PTA membership for the year. Your support gives them access to local, state, and national PTA resources.
Sponsor a Teacher: https://tinyurl.com/staffdrive2526

Upcoming Events
Popsicles on the Playground
Monday, August 18 | 5:30–7:00 PM
Incoming Young 5s and Kindergarten families are invited to meet new friends and get excited for the school year ahead.

Chalk the Walk
Monday, August 25 | Drop in anytime from 9:00 AM–8:00 PM
Come decorate the sidewalks at any of our three elementary schools with chalk art and welcome messages for students and staff.

Recess and Lunchroom Aide Positions

If you are interested in supervising our students during lunch or recess, we would love to have you join our team!

Please contact us at 517-668-3300. http://jobs.dewittschools.net

Fall Picture Day

Picture Day is scheduled for Thursday, September 4th. More information to come soon!

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.

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 19.

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