Dear Scott School Families,

I want to wish you all happiness and great health over the upcoming Winter Break which begins on Monday, December 22nd.  I have encouraged our staff to unplug from work to rejuvenate and enjoy people and activities that recharge them by waiting to respond to work email and phone calls untill we return to school on January 5th.  Thank you for supporting this valuable opportunity for a break.  This will help them renew their energy and focus for continued fun and learning the remainder of the school year.  As we close out 2025, it is my hope that 2026 brings joy and goodness to our students, staff, families, and community. 

The week we return from Winter Break, students will complete the mySAEBRS, social, academic, and emotional skills screener, for the second time this school year.  You can expect District communication soon about this, including exemption information.  The second week after we return from break, NWEA will begin the week of January 12th.   All second graders will need headphones/earbuds for this assessments, and eligible students with audio accommodations per an IEP or 504 Plan will also need them.  We have a limited supply of these that can be loaned to students, so we appreciate if you're able to send a pair in with your child.  It is also helpful if a set can stay at school because we test three times a year and may use them at other times as well.  DIBELS testing is also scheduled after break for January 20th and 21st.

Wishing you happiness & wellness,

Linda Reha

Scott School Principal

Each week every classroom at Scott School has a Panther Pride drawing from all Panther Pride slips earned by students for demonstrating respectful, responsible, safe, and bucketfilling behavior.  Lucky drawing winners are invited to a special Panther Pride event at the end of the month with Mrs. Reha, which was a Panther Pride Store where students were able to choose a prize to keep.

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 in our area with similar demographics to ours.  This is amazing news and something to celebrate!

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.  Now that the snowy Michigan weather has hit, 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 daily for Jack Frost weather temps and equipped for some fun in the snow.

Students are having a blast sledding at recess already this season.  Our Scott School playground has the benefit of being hilly in lots of places so we appreciate this feature and have sleds on hand for students to use and have a great time playing in the white, fluffy stuff outside.  Although we are grateful that students are interested in bringing sleds from home, we simply have no place to store them at school, and they are not allowed on the bus, so thank you for keeping personal sleds at home for fun use there.  Aside from sledding, students enjoy lots of fun snow activities this time of year.

Below is a communication from Kevin Robydek that will be going out to all DPS families this afternoon regarding free school meals for the current school year.  

Dear DPS Families,

We’re excited to share some wonderful news! The Michigan Legislature has approved the 2025–2026 state budget, which includes continued funding for the Michigan School Meals Program. This means that all DeWitt Public Schools students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch this school year, regardless of household income.

While this funding remains in place, the State of Michigan now requires every family to complete the Education Benefits Form each year. This form is quick and easy to fill out, and it plays a crucial role in helping our district qualify for important state and federal funding. These funds support classroom instruction, technology, student support services, staffing, and our school meal programs.

You can now easily complete the Education Benefits Form online at dewitt.familyportal.cloud simply click “Apply for Benefits” to get started. Please complete the form as soon as possible to help us secure essential funding that supports classroom instruction, technology, student services, and more. Even though all students receive free meals, submitting this form is important for maintaining these valuable programs.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to our Food Service Director, Megan Haase, at meganhaase@dewittschools.net.

Thank you for partnering with us to maintain these valuable programs and ensure that every student has access to healthy meals and strong educational support.

Sincerely,
Kevin Robydek, Ed.S., Superintendent

DeWitt Public Schools will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch to students this year.  Although this is a cut that legislators are considering within the education budget that has not yet been approved, DPS is committed to offering this important food program to students with hopes this continues to be funded by our state.  Menus can be found here and will be updated soon.

We are grateful to families and our community members who donate healthy, no nut snacks to classrooms and our snack pantry which also provides our students brain and body fuel throughout the day.  Your partnership in removing hunger as a barrier to learning and child development makes a lifelong impact.  Thank you!

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.

In order for Scott School personnel to administer medication (including cough drops) to your child, a parent guardian 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.