Herbison Woods News

September 18, 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:

September 23: Early Release (11:52)

October 13: Picture Retakes

October 16: Color Run

A Message from Mrs. Ormsbee

Greetings Herbison Woods Families,

We are winding down on our fall benchmark testing. We will be wrapping up with our NWEA make up tests this coming week. Reports with DIBELS 8 and NWEA data will be coming home soon, along with information on the interventions that will be provided this fall. These are not graded assessments. Information from these benchmarks help us to guide our instruction and interventions that we provide for students.

We have had a great start to the year! Students have settled into their routine and are digging into curriculum. I'm proud of our students and their continuous efforts to demonstrate our school wide expectations on a daily basis. They are doing an amazing job! Thank you for sharing them with us, and allowing us to help them grow!

Sincerely,

Alicia Ormsbee

Principal

A Note from Mrs. Nowak

HWE Families,

Did you hear the news? It's time for our annual Color Run fundraiser! This week your child has been hearing information about the Color Run which will happen on Friday, October 16th. Students will get a chance to run a path around our school and neighbor woods, while getting colored powder thrown at them! This is a main fundraiser of the year, so we are hoping for the goal of every student raising $50 in donations. Collection notes and envelopes will be coming home today. You can also donate at the following link: Color Run. Funds will go towards all school incentives, enrichment opportunities, field trips and more! Thank you for your support of this event and our school!

In Partnership,

Rachel Nowak

PTA Updates

From the PTA

Sponsor a Teacher or Staff Member

Help us show our teachers and staff some PTA love! For just $7, you can sponsor a staff member’s PTA membership for the school year. Your sponsorship gives them access to valuable PTA resources at the local, state, and national levels and helps us work toward 100% staff membership.

Sponsor a Teacher or Staff Member: https://tinyurl.com/staffdrive2627

October PTA Meeting

Thursday, October 1 | 7:00 PM
Herbison Woods Media Center

Join us for our October PTA meeting! All families are welcome to attend, whether you're a PTA member or not.

Upcoming Events

Family Skate Night
Friday, October 2 | 5:00–7:00 PM
Edru Skate, Holt

Grab your skates and join fellow DeWitt elementary families for a night of fun on the rink! Edru will be closed to the public during our event, giving our families the whole rink to enjoy.

$10 per skater, including skate rental

Monster Mash
Saturday, October 24
Herbison Woods Elementary

Our annual Monster Mash is back! Bring the whole family for a free evening filled with dancing, games, a photo booth, and plenty of Halloween fun. Costumes are welcome, but dressing up is completely optional!

Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Admission is free, but families are encouraged to bring a donation of individually wrapped, nut-free snacks to help fill the school snack closets for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Please register ahead of time so we can plan for the evening:

Mileage Club at HWE

Mileage Club is off to an amazing start! So far, our fourth graders ran/walked 197 miles, and our fifth graders ran/walked 447 miles! Thank you to a all of our volunteers who have helped make our first week a success!

Class Spotlight - Mrs. Jones' Class

Students in Mrs. Jones' class worked together to design and build projects that made their classroom more welcoming. Working in small groups, they relied on strong communication, active listening, and collaboration to turn their ideas into an inviting space for everyone.

September Theme - Empathy

At Herbison Woods, we believe that learning starts with strong connections! Through our Capturing Kids' Hearts program, we focus on building positive relationships and creating a supportive environment where every person feels valued. Each month, we highlight a new character trait throughout our building. This month, our focus is Empathy— learning how to understand each other’s feelings, show kindness, and put ourselves in someone else's shoes.

September - Empathy

Meet Our Staff at HWE

Ms. Randall

Fourth Grade Teacher

Ms. Randall is a first year 4th grade teacher. She recently graduated from Hope College and played lacrosse there! She is a DeWitt alumni and is ready to give back to the place that gave her so many opportunities. Ms. Randall enjoys staying active, watching and playing sports, being outside, and playing board/card games.

Mrs. Leyrer

Fifth Grade Teacher

Mrs. Leyrer is entering her 8th year of teaching in DeWitt and her 11th year of teaching 5th grade. She spent the summer enjoying time with her 1 year old daughter, Lottie, and her Golden Retriever, Poochie.

Mrs. Brown

Reading Interventionist

Kelly is starting her 26th year in DeWitt and 28th year overall. She has a husband, Travis, and 2 kids, Kendra and Landon. She enjoys being outside walking, gardening, and playing soccer. Her weakness is Dr Pepper and chocolate.

Mr. Rogers

School Social Worker

This is Mr. Rogers’ 5th year as the School Social Worker at HWE. He has been married to his wife for 12 years and over the summer they welcomed their 4th baby! They have three other children, ages 5, 2, and 1. Mr. Rogers is a pro at changing diapers, opening lockers, and helping students process big emotions.

Attendance Matters

In Class is Where It’s At! Learning, growth, and connection happen best when we're together! DPS is excited to join a countywide effort to support strong school attendance. While we completely understand that rest and recovery come first when a child is sick, every day in class opens up wonderful opportunities for learning, friendship, and personal growth. By working together to keep attendance high—such as scheduling appointments after school and planning family trips during district breaks—we can make sure every student gets the most out of their school experience.

Intro to school calendar & attendance magnet.pdf

Attendance Tracker.pdf

Homecoming Spirit Week

Homecoming Week is just around the corner - October 5th - 9th. Attached are the Elementary Spirit Week theme days.

Music Class Updates

Students will be starting recorders soon in Music Class. See below for information from Mrs. Broughton on how to obtain a recorder for class.

4th grade recorder order form 2026-27.pdf

4th Grade

5th grade recorder order form 2026-27.pdf

5th Grade

Halloween, Celebrations and Class 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.

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.

CLT and Professional Development Schedule

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

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)

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!

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.

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