Herbison Woods News
September 6, 2024
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: 8:45 a.m. (First bell rings at 8:40 a.m.)
Students may be dropped off at 8:25 a.m. or later. Supervision is not available before 8:25 a.m.
Dismissal Time: 3:35 p.m. (Half Day dismissal 11:57 a.m.)
UPCOMING DATES:
September 9 - 20: NWEA Testing Window
September 27: No School for Students - CLT Day
A Message from Mrs. Ormsbee
Greetings Herbison Woods Families!
We have had a fantastic start to the school year! On the first full day of school, we ended the day with a whole school assembly, where we introduced all of our staff members to the students. It was a great way to kick off the new school year! Students have been busy learning classroom routines, procedures, and reviewing our school-wide expectations these first two weeks:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
We will continue to review these with students throughout the school year.
With the beginning of the school year comes our fall benchmark assessments. Students have already taken the DIBELS 8 reading assessment this past week. In the coming two weeks, students will take the NWEA reading and math assessments. These assessments allow us to monitor academic progress and determine how we can best support students academically. We only ask that students try hard and do their best. On testing days, it's always helpful for students to be at school, come having had a good night's sleep, and having eaten breakfast. As a reminder, breakfast is free for all students. Please encourage them to eat, especially on these days.
We have an amazing staff here at Herbison Woods! We will be introducing them to you in our regular newsletter this year. Take the opportunity to read about our first two featured staff members below!
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with your child. I truly feel fortunate to be a part of this staff, district and community! Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. Our staff is here to help! We are off to a great start and I'm looking forward to the months to come!
Sincerely,
Alicia Ormsbee
Principal
A Note from Mrs. Nowak
HWE Families,
Our warmest welcome to our HWE families! It has been wonderful to interact with you at Open House, at our self-guided tours, and at the car loop at the end of the day. If I haven't formally introduced myself to you yet, my name is Rachel Nowak and I am the Dean of Students for grades 4-8. I started this role mid-year last year, after 20 years of classroom teaching experience. I am very excited to start the year off in this role and get our HWE students off to a fantastic start.
One of my main responsibilities as Dean is to help all students reach their best potential when it comes to meeting our school expectations: being respectful, responsible and safe in all areas of the school. So far, the adults have been very impressed with how the school year has started! I encourage you to ask your HWE student if they have earned any Herbie Bucks yet, or if their class has earned any Panther Paws. Those are two of the positive behavior incentives that all students and classes can earn. Students will be able to "cash" in Herbie Bucks at our Herbie Buck store later in September, and are also working toward a class goal with Panther Paws.
Please look for notes from me that will help you be aware of other positive behavior incentives as well as tid-bits on how to support your child this year. Reach out by phone or email if you have any questions on how our positive systems work!
Warmest Regards,
Rachel Nowak
nowakr@dewittschools.net
668-3336
PTA Updates
Join the DeWitt Elementary PTA! Memberships are now open, and this is your chance to make a real impact at our school. By joining the PTA, you'll help support exciting programs, enhance educational resources, and build a stronger community. Your involvement ensures that every student benefits from enriched learning experiences and fun activities. Don't miss out on the opportunity to be a part of something great—sign up today and be a voice for our children’s success!
Volunteering - IChat
If you plan on volunteering this year in the DeWitt Public Schools, please fill out the following background check form: IChat link.
Go Gold Day
Wednesday, September 25th is Go Gold Day! Join us in wearing gold to raise awareness and support for children facing cancer.
Meet Our Staff at Herbison Woods
Mrs. Barton - Secretary
Mrs. Barton is a secretary in our front office. This is her third year working at Herbison Woods. Mrs. Barton has served in roles in the building including secretary and paraprofessional. She has two sons who also attend DeWitt Public Schools. Mrs. Barton is from Port Huron and has spent time also living in California.
Mr. Rogers - Social Worker
Mr. Rogers is our Social Worker at Herbison Woods. He meets with students, runs student groups, and assists with lessons on social emotional learning. Mr. Rogers attended Indiana Wesleyan University, and is a father of two, soon to be three in the next few months.
5th Grade Book Tasting
Several of our fifth grade classes hosted a book tasting this past week. Students had the opportunity to try various genres of books and decide what books may be of interest to them this year.
Be the I in Kind
If your student took a picture at our "Be the I in Kind" wall at Open House, please take the opportunity to upload their picture to the following form. We would like to use the pictures to decorate areas of our school!
Recess and Paraprofessional Positions
If you are interested in being a paraprofessional, or supervising lunch or recess, we would love to have you join our team!
Please contact us at 517-668-3300. http://jobs.dewittschools.net
Infinite Campus Tasks Requested
Dear Parents/Guardians:
It is of utmost importance that you complete an annual update of your student’s emergency contact information through your parent portal. In the event of a school emergency, the District wants to be sure to have the most up-to-date contact information to communicate with parents/guardians.
With this update, you will also complete the annual Release Agreements and acknowledge that you have read the following District documents (found on the District website at dewittschools.net):
1. District K-12 Student Handbook
2. District Code of Conduct
3. Concussion Info
4. Athletic Handbook, if applicable
Use your parent portal to complete these required tasks to ensure your student's access to the district network, apps, curriculum, etc.
DIRECTIONS:
NOTE: Your parent portal works best using Chrome or Firefox browsers.
1.Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
2. Click on the three lines (hamburger) in the upper left-hand corner to open the menu.
3. Select MORE.
4. Select ONLINE REGISTRATION.
5. Select 2024-2025 EXISTING STUDENT REGISTRATION.
6. Click BEGIN REGISTRATION.
7. Type your name and sign with your mouse.
8. 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.
9. SUBMIT once complete.
All changes will be reviewed by staff and they will reach out to you to confirm update and/or request additional documentation, depending on the change made.
Questions or assistance? contact the District Registrar at 517-668-3017.
CLT and Professional Development Dates
Below are the dates for Collaborative Learning Time (CLT) and professional development calendar. On early release days, Herbison Woods will dismiss at 11:57 a.m.
September 27 - No School for students - Full Day Professional Development
October 16 - Early Release for CLT
November 5 - No school for students - Full Day Professional Development
February 14 - Early Release for CLT
March 19 - Early Release for CLT
May 14 - Early Release for CLT
Car Loop Procedures
Safety is our #1 Priority.
Car loop begins at 8:25am; please do not drop off students before this time.
Please only drop off students in the car loop area; supervision is only provided in this area.
Please drop off and pick up students along the entire painted blue line along the curb.
Utilize the entire length of our “blue drop off line” by:
Pulling up behind the car in front of you (please refrain from leaving large spaces between vehicles)
Dropping off along the whole blue line (Please refrain from dropping off your child only in front of the area where their class waits. The entire blue line should be utilized for efficiency. )
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.
For the beginning of the school year, signs will be posted with teacher names in the front of the school. At parent drop off, students should stand by their teacher's sign.
Dismissal Procedures
Car loop:
Students will be escorted out to the car loop and will stand in their classroom’s designated area.
Students will remain in their area and wait for their car to pull up.
Cars will use the painted blue line as the area to pick up their children.
Please pull all the way forward, as to allow the maximum number of cars to pick up their students at one time.
Please post a sign with your child’s first and last name in a visual area of your vehicle for the first couple of weeks of school.
When students see their car, they will walk toward it and quickly get in.
Students will enter their car on the sidewalk side.
Adults should not get out of the car at any point in the car loop.
To exit the car loop, please follow the signs and exit to the right only.
Bussers:
Students will be escorted outside and will stand in their classroom’s designated area.
Once their bus arrives, they will walk to their bus.
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.