Dear Scott School Families,

Our first week back from break has been fabulous!  It's been enjoyable to watch students interact with one another and also with our staff after being apart for two weeks.  In addition to getting reacclimated to learning and school fun, we're getting ready to jump right into our winter NWEA benchmark testing next week so we can measure how much growth students have made, celebrate their learning progress, and set new goals.  Reading will be the focus of testing next week, and the following week, students will take the math assessment.  Students will also participate in DIBELS reading benchmark testing during the week they are completing NWEA math testing.  Just a friendly reminder, that all second graders need headphones or earbuds because the NWEA assessments they take have an audio component.  

We're thrilled to be back in session and to catch our school stride again.  I hope you and your family had a wonderful break and enjoyed time together participating in celebrations and traditions that are special to you.  Thank you for sharing your child/children with us every day.  We cherish our time with our students and are honored to collaborate with you.

All my best,

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 and Mrs. Schwarz, which was Panther Pride Bingo.

According to an article in the Lansing State Journal on December 16, 2025 titled, "4 Lansing area elementary schools rank among best in state", Scott School ranked 90th out of more than 2,600 elementary schools in Michigan according to The U.S. News and World Report's latest rankings of the best Elementary Schools in Michigan.  The excerpt below was extracted from the article:

DeWitt's David Scott Elementary School landed at spot 90 in the state. The school, which serves grades 2-3, earned a score of 93.96 out of 100.

The school had 473 students enrolled for the 2024-25 school year.

According to the new report, the students within the school are meeting expectations for reading performance and are "well above expectations" for mathematics, earning the school its spot in the top 100.

What an amazing honor this is for our school and district!  This is something that our students, staff, families, and community certainly can be proud of and have worked hard to earn.  Congratulations!

A School Climate Survey was emailed to families today (1/9), and we are hopeful that you take a few minutes to complete it so we can look closely at areas you feel are our powerful practices and ones that we may be able to improve.  Be sure to check your email to find the survey link and complete then submit your feedback by Thursday, January 22nd.  We care about your perception of our school.  It takes a partnership between staff, students, and families to build and maintain a positive culture.  Let's continue our collaborative work on enhancing Scott School so it is a magical place of learning, relationship building, and fun.

Below is a message from our DeWitt PTA.

Happy New Year! We have lots of fun planned for the rest of the school year, and we’d love for you to join us.

Family Skate Night
Friday, January 16 | 5-7 PM at Edru Skate, Holt

Join us for a fun night of roller skating! The rink will be closed to the public and open exclusively to DeWitt elementary families.
$10 per skater • $2 skate rentals

Sponsor a Teacher – PTA Membership Drive

We’re 80% of the way there—only 17 more teachers and staff members need to be sponsored! For just $7, you can sponsor a PTA membership for a teacher or staff member, giving them access to local, state, and national PTA resources.

Sponsor a Teacher: https://tinyurl.com/staffdrive2526

Please be sure to still have your child dress for the weather even when we experience unusual days of warmer temps.  When added up, students may spend up to approximately a hour or more of time outdoors, and even on warmer days, it's still not suitable weather to be outside in summer apparrel or without a coat for extended periods of time.  The ground is also pretty saturated and the air is damp, so these factors when combined with the wind make it apparent that it is still winter in Michigan even though the sun may be shining.  Thank you for supporting and reinforcing this with your student so at-home messaging matches at-school messaging regarding this.

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.