Dear Scott School Families,

In partnership with Clinton County RESA, DeWitt Public Schools and other local school districts are discussing ways to support consistent student attendance in school because local, county, and state data reflects that student absenteeism is significantly higher than pre-COVID.  The affects of missed instruction has lasting impacts on student learning and social/emotional connections and development.  Please review these Absenteeim & Academic Success Slides that contain facts about absenteeism, metric information, DPS K-5 attendance data, and a chart about academic performance from a NWEA study on chronic absenteeism.  

We understand there are times students miss school due to illness and other important matters.  Chronic absenteeism is what we are hoping to band together with families to prevent, reduce, and hopefully eliminate.  Family support and partnership is also a critical component in doing this.  Thank you for being mindful about scheduling appointments outside of school hours whenever possible, taking vacations during time school is on recess break, having your child attend school on days even when your student may not want to, and other variables that may impact your child's school attendance.  Also, thank you for recognizing when your child is ill and needs at-home time to recover and being responsive to mitigating the spread of contagious illnesses when your child has a fever and/or other significant symptoms that warrant time out of school.  There is certainly a delicate balance that we understand our families juggle.  Thank you for understanding that we share your child's educational success goals with you, and want to extinguish chronic absenteeism as a barrier to reaching them.

Sincerely,

Linda Reha

Scott School Principal

Our third graders last year performed really well on the spring 2024 MSTEP assessment.  We are so proud of our students and staff for their learning and teaching efforts all year long.  Check out our results below!  We ranked first out of 14 local peer districts in both ELA and math.  Peer districts are defined as districts with similar demongraphics to ours.  This is amazing news and something to celebrate!

A letter with an attached exemption form was sent home with students last week with details about our upcoming school-wide Personal Safety Lesson coming up the week of November 25th related to safe and unsafe touch.  Please be sure to read the letter, reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions, and return the exemption form by November 20th only if you prefer your child does not participate in this lesson.  We recognize this is a sensitive yet important topic, and want to support your child and family.

Tis the season to bust out all that winter weather wear so your child is equipped for cold elements while coming and going to school and also for recess outside on the playground.  Please help your child select proper winter indoor clothing on a daily basis to wear to school too.  Although shorts are comfortable and stylish, they are best suited for warm weather months, not for the blistery cold ones.  Outdoor apparel such as a winter coat, warm hat, and gloves or mittens are essential items.  When the snowy Michigan weather hits, snow pants and boots are also necessary.  A scarf is certainly another great accessory to keep warm, but isn't a must.  Thank you for helping your child be ready for Jack Frost weather temps and equipped for some fun in the snow.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please see the information below regarding information on programs available to you and your student(s).

The Weekend Kit Program will, again, be provided at Scott School this year. This program is supplemental to the free breakfast and lunch programs offered at school every day and is intended to meet the nutritional needs of children during non-school hours, specifically over weekends or longer breaks.  Weekend Kits are designed to slip discreetly into your child’s backpack and are available at no cost to your family. There are no eligibility requirements to participate in this program.  Each Weekend Kit includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack items and contains enough food to last each child two weekends. Foods included are kid-friendly items that are easy for your child to prepare or help prepare.  Food kits will be sent home from school with your student, typically on Fridays. Upon enrollment in this program you will begin receiving a food pack every 1-2 weeks. 

The Old Newsboys Association helps our community by providing children with either shoes or boots. If your child needs new shoes or boots and the purchase of them would be a financial burden, please contact me so that I may get you the necessary forms. It is not necessary to include your income information if your child qualifies for free or reduced lunch. We will forward your form to the Old Newsboys Association and they will send you a voucher for either shoes or boots. You may include all school age children on one family request form, even if they attend different buildings. Please do not send in duplicate requests if you included your child on another form.  

To enroll in either of these programs, please call or email me at 517-668-3446 or schwarzdea@dewittschools.net, and be sure to please reach out if you have any questions.  

Sincerely,

DeAnn Schwarz

Scott School Social Worker

I’m Sara Cochrane and I’m the Elementary Dean of Students. I am at Scott School on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  As I tell the students, my job is to help the principal, teachers, and students make our school the best it can be!

All of our students know our three school rules:

1. Be respectful

2. Be responsible

3. Be safe

But, have you ever wondered why these were selected? Part of the reason is it reflects characteristics we want to see in our students. A recent study by the Society for Research in Child Development finds that empathy, or the ability to feel and understand the feelings of others,  has a strong connection to 

• Better quality friendships

• Enhanced social skills

• More satisfied with life

The great news is that empathy is generational. The empathy you show your child can help your child to develop into an empathetic adult. Read more at Raising Empathetic Children: New research shows how empathy is passed down from one generation to the next by Dr. Cara Goodwin, PhD. 

Sincerely,

Sara Cochrane

Scott/Schavey Dean of Students

Thank you, PTA and families, for providing our team with Conference Cuisine meals last week before Parent-Teacher Conferences.  We are always grateful for your support, especially on conference nights, since we have such a short window to eat before meeting with families.  Thanks again for taking care of us!

Below is a message from our DeWitt PTA.

Denim and Diamonds

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, bid, donated, or helped spread the word about our recent Denim & Diamonds fundraiser! We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to the incredible support of our community, we raised essential funds that will go toward teacher and building grants, as well as hosting free, family-friendly events for the rest of the school year. We couldn’t do it without you—your support makes all the difference!

Conference Cuisine

Thank you for the incredible support for Conference Cuisine! Thanks to your generous donations, we exceeded our goal and were able to provide meals for the staff at all four of our elementary and preschools during conferences. It means so much to be able to show our appreciation in this way—thank you for helping make it possible!

Have you considered working in a school before?  Do you enjoy working on a team?  Does working with children interest you?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, please consider applying for our open non-instructional assistant postion, or pass this information along to others who may be interested.  We are looking to fill a 1.5 hour/day lunch assistant position and would love to have you join our amazing Scott School team!  Please contact our main office at 517-668-3400 during school hours to learn more about this position and how to apply.

Below are the dates for Collaborative Learning Time (CLT) and professional development this year.  Thank you in advance for supporting these days which allow our teachers to participate in training and be continuous lifelong learners to support student success.

• August 20 & 21 - Full Days for Professional Development (before school starts)

• August 26 - Early Release for CLT (dismissal at 11:42 a.m.)

• September 27 - Full Day Professional Development (no school)

• October 16 - Early Release for CLT (dismissal at 11:42 a.m.)

• November 5 - Full Day Professional Development (no school)

• February 14 - Early Release for CLT (dismissal at 11:42 a.m.)

• March 19 - Early Release for CLT (dismissal at 11:42 a.m.)

• May 14 - Early Release for CLT (dismissal at 11:42 a.m.)

Student safety is a priority.  Please bring proper identification each time your child is picked up from school.  Here are some ways adults picking up students can be identified:

• Physical ID (ie. driver's license)

• Personal ID by office staff

• Other identification proof such as utility bills or other statements, credit card, etc., AND answer personal information that we have in Infinite Campus (ie. phone number, child's birthdate, etc.)

There are some Scott students who have health-threatening nut allergies in our building.  Scott School is a 'No Nut' building.  Pack items that do not contain nuts for your child's lunch and snack.  It is critically important that we provide a safe learning environment for all students, and your help with this is needed and appreciated.  Please always contact your child's teacher if you have a concern about an allergy or other health condition related to your child that they should be aware of.  Also, if your child has a medical need, including food or other allergies, don't forget to update your child's Medical Management Plan by completing and submitting the district forms to the office before school starts so we can follow protocols to keep your child safe.

School breakfast and lunch are available and free to all students.  Additional information will be provided to families soon about how to sign up for this opportunity with additional information about our food service program.  Menus can be found here and will be updated soon.

In order for Scott School personnel to administer medication to your child when we return to in person instruction, you must:

• Submit a completed district medication form to our office. 

• Be sure all medications are brought to 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.

Our school social worker, Mrs. Schwarz, is always willing to assist students and families in any way possible.  In addition to working closely with your child's teacher, consider reaching out to her if you have questions or need support.  She is truly amazing at what she does!  She can be reached at 517-668-3446 or schwarzdea@dewittschools.net.