Your child's education, safety, and social-emotional health is important, especially during times like this where uncertainly can create many emotional responses.  You and your family matter to us, and we want to partner with you for a successful school year.  Now that we are further into the school year, remote instruction may look differently for students based on their needs.  The time and frequency that teachers are meeting with students may change too due to the addition of small group instruction in addition to whole group instruction.  If necessary, a phone call from our social worker or the principal may occur to help support remote learning at home if we are noticing online absences and/or incomplete/missing work from students.  Please know that we are here to continue to support your child and your family no matter if we provide in person or remote instruction.  We want your child to have school success!  Below are some important guidelines to help families support their child.

Guidelines for Parents/Guardians/Adults at Home:

• Help students to log into live sessions every day.  Try to ensure that your child is in a good learning routine with reduced distractions.

• Ensure that students turn in completed work during the regular school day as much as possible.  Work turned in late or in the evening is difficult for teachers to assess and provide immediate feedback to students.

• Allow for your child to complete work independently.  Adults at home are not to complete work for students.  Do not give answers to your child.  We understand that you must support your child's work at home, however, when something is to be completed by your child independently, please allow them to do so without your help.  It's important that we know what students can and cannot do so instruction can be provided to support their needs and enhance their strengths.

• Teachers are getting a high volume of questions about things that have already been communicated via email and/or newsletters.  Therefore, we request that you read all teacher communication carefully.  If you have a question, please refer back to teacher communication that was previously sent before contacting the teacher with a question that may have already been addressed.

Just a friendly reminder that students will receive standards based grades for specials.  Grades reflect proficiency based on completion of assignments in Google Classroom and/or in person instruction.  Also, live specials times for remote learners is optional and purely an opportunity for students to connect with each of their specials teachers.  Attending live specials times for remote learners is not an obligation for students.  Attendance at these live meets is not taken and counted for or against student performance in specials.

DeWitt Public Schools is in need of instructional assistants.  Please consider applying if you think you would enjoy working in a school with students, or pass this information along to anyone you know who you think this would be a perfect match for.  Thank you!

https://www.applitrack.com/ccresa/onlineapp/1BrowseFile.aspx?id=52766

School pictures have been scheduled for Friday, January 22nd with hopes that we are moved from Phase 4 to Phase 5 at that time.  This date may be adjusted if necessary to ensure we can follow safety measures and reduce the potential of virus exposure.

As we transition back to in person instruction, it is important that students and families follow our start and end of the day routines and procedures. 

• Students riding a bus will be supervised and guided by school staff to enter and exit a bus in a safe fashion.  All bused students will enter the building through the doors by the bus loop.

• All breakfast students must enter the school at the front of the building which opens at 8:00 a.m. and go directly to the cafeteria to eat before school starts at 8:15 a.m.

• Students dropped off and walking to school will be expected to maintain social distancing from others and only be able to enter the building at the front of the school by the office.  Doors will open at 8:00 a.m.  There will be school staff outside to supervise and guide students to safely enter the building, and please do NOT have your child vacate your vehicle until 8:00 a.m.  Supervision is not available until then, and it's important students are social distancing at all times.  Once drop off students and walkers are inside the vestibule, they will go straight to the cafeteria and sit at designated seats until the first bell rings.  They will then be dismissed individually to their classrooms.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Student dropped off after bused students have entered the building but before 8:15 a.m., will be directed to use the bus loop doors to enter the building.

• Parents wishing to drop off and/or pick up their child must use the loop to do so.  Parking in front of the building is dangerous for our students and discouraged.  This also prevents our staff from being on time to work since there are limited parking spots at Scott School.  Thanks for your help with this.

• Drop off and/or pick up in the street is never acceptable and local law enforcement help keep our students safe by patrolling Wilson Street before and after school.  Also, drop off and pick up at other locations other than our parent loop is discouraged.  We care about the safety of our students and appreciate families following our procedures and guidelines.

• If your child is going to be picked up after school in the loop, please be sure to post a large sign on your passenger side dash with your child's first and last name (large and legible font please).  This is necessary for staff to efficiently identify vehicles for students to keep our loop moving.  We will be using a microphone and speaker to call student names to also help run a smooth pick up.  Please don't forget to make your dash sign and keep in in your vehicle for use throughout the school year.

Our DPS Transportation Department has made many changes to bus stops and pick up/drop off times.  If you have questions about transportation for your child, please contact George Gibson or Lisa Smith at 668-3020. 

If your child is going to be "absent" and miss school, even if they are a online learner, please be sure to call our attendance line at 517-668-3458.  We are required to take attendance even when students are learning remotely, so we want to be sure to account for our students and excuse absences in Infinite Campus.  If your child is learning remotely, you should also communicate absences to your child's teacher.  We care about our students and worry about them when they aren't in class or online on days they are supposed to be.