VISION: Students equipped to build a better tomorrow
MISSION: Through a culture of excellence, we provide the tools and environment for all learners to succeed.
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Dear Panther Families,
Last month we celebrated March is Reading Month. There were several other celebrations in the District as well. Students have excelled in winter sports, performances, and academics.
For March is Reading Month, we invited our local, state, and federal elected representatives to come and learn more about our District, meet with students, and read to our elementary students. Thanks to our City of DeWitt Mayor, Sue Leeming; Representative Emily Dievendorf; and State Senator Sam Singh for participating. There is value in our elected officials visiting our district and buildings, so they can better understand the daily operations and also learn about how the laws they pass impact teaching and learning. In our meetings with them, we discussed school funding and needs, especially around staffing shortages, safety, mental health, and more.
We also want to remind families of a few upcoming dates. The first is the next DeWitt Community Partnership for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Community Meeting on April 18th, which will include a series of book talks on books that focus on various marginalized populations. Register for the virtual meeting link.
May 8th commences staff appreciation week. This is a great time to recognize staff with a Pride Award. A Pride award is an excellent way to honor any of our school district's amazing team members who make your student’s education a special one.
Lastly, the 11th Annual DeWitt Community Showcase will be held on June 1st, and Touch a Truck is back. This is a wonderful opportunity to see area businesses, student work/performances, and connect with the community.
Check out additional Points of Pride for each building and department below.
Serving with gratitude,
Shanna Spickard, Superintendent
District leaders meet with Dievendorf and Leeming
District leaders meet with Singh
DeWitt High School
DeWitt High School
Our legislators were invited to learn more about DPS and participate in March is Reading Month. MI's 77th District State Rep. Emily Dievendorf spent the day with district and student leaders. At DHS she had lunch with the students, and recognized our DHS counselor, Kristin Kuczera.
DeWitt Middle School
DeWitt Middle School
Our 7th Grade students have been creating investigations through Planting Science. They work with classmates and adult mentors from around the country (through Zoom).
As part of our 8th Grade Health curriculum, our students create "impact" projects, which make a positive contribution to our school and local community. One of the groups created a Volleyball tournament for our students to help promote physical activity, fun, and teamwork during the Winter months.
Our legislators were invited to learn more about DPS and participate in March is Reading Month. MI's 77th District State Rep. Emily Dievendorf spent the day with district and student leaders. At the middle school, she did a Q&A session with 7th grade social studies classes and met with student leaders.
Herbison Woods Elementary
Herbison Woods Elementary
Students at Herbison Woods Elementary enjoyed March's Reading Month and all the special events that took place this month!
Road Trip to Reading
Road Trip to Reading
Students at Herbison Woods spent the month of March on a Road Trip to Reading! We celebrated by enjoying reading in tents in our library, having spirit days including Tropical Thursday, Tie Dye Tuesday, Wacky Hair Wednesday, and more! It was a month of excitement, lots of reading, and smiles.
Panther Paw Assembly
Panther Paw Assembly
Each grade level participated in a Panther Paw competition during January/February. Students were tasked with earning 20 Panther Paws for each piece of the snowman. Both grade levels were able to earn each part of the snowman and a few extra. We enjoyed grade level assemblies on March 23, 2023. Our kids participated in several fun competitions and the Panther even showed up to "Pie" Mrs. Knudson! Our students were thrilled with the opportunity to enjoy their first assembly in three school years. We wouldn't be surprised if you could hear the cheers from our gym throughout the community!
Representative Emily Dievendorf reading to HWE fourth graders.
Our legislators were invited to learn more about DPS and participate in March is Reading Month. MI's 77th District State Rep. Emily Dievendorf spent the day with district and student leaders. At Herbison Woods, she did some reading for students.
Scott Elementary School
Scott Elementary School
Students at Scott School celebrated the end of Trimester 2 with a “Board Game Day!”
Second graders traveled to the Michigan State Auditorium to watch a Charlotte’s Web play. What a “radiant” performance!
City of DeWitt Mayor Sue Leeming visited DPS district leaders and then traveled to Scott School to read to students for March is Reading Month!
Thank you Mayor Leeming for spending time with Scott students!
Schavey Road Elementary
Schavey Road Elementary
Young fives and kindergarten classrooms visited Impression Five Museum and learned many fun and exciting things. Students worked together and used team work to work through and solve fun activities and science outcomes.
March was a time to celebrate our love for reading! March is Reading Month was full of fun activities, guest readers and a guest author. Students read over 156,000 minutes to earn a dance party celebration at the end of the month. Reading rocks!
State Senator Sam Singh visited DPS to learn more about our district and read to students at Schavey Elementary for March is Reading Month.
Fuerstenau Early Childhood Center
Fuerstenau Early Childhood Center
Mrs. Gust's LPPS class was learning about teeth this month!
Mrs. Gust's LPPS class was learning about teeth this month!
Mrs. Samsons class learned about structure building this month!
Mrs. Samsons class learned about structure building this month!
Curriculum Department
Curriculum Department
K-5 ELA Curriculum Selection
K-5 ELA Curriculum Selection
We are excited to announce that our school is currently in the process of selecting a new K-5 English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum. Our teachers, specialists, and administrators have been meeting regularly and carefully evaluating different curriculums to ensure that we choose the best one for our students.
We have narrowed down our options and are now working on establishing details for pilots of the different programs at each K-5 building. We want to make sure that we select a curriculum that aligns with our school's goals and meets the needs of all of our students.
We understand that our families play a critical role in the education of our students, and we want to keep you informed throughout this process. We plan to hold at least one parent night in the fall where community stakeholders can preview both finalist curriculums and provide feedback.
We look forward to sharing more information about this exciting development in the near future. Thank you for your continued support of our school.
Sincerely,
Brian Doepker
Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Technology Department
Technology Department
Meet Jason Morden
Meet Jason Morden
Jason is our Application Support Specialist and provides coordination and support for Infinite Campus (student information system). He also helps to troubleshoot student chromebooks, resets student and staff passwords, supports data integrations and provides security support with our FOB systems.
Jason is a valuable part of our Technology team!
Did you know that Dewitt Public Schools provides access to many online digital resources?
Our Media Centers provide access to a wide range of digital resources, including e-books, online databases, and research search engines, to support student learning and reading.
Digital resources often offer features such as text-to-speech and adjustable font sizes that can help students with different learning needs.
Connect today with your
school's media website!
Scott School Media Center
Herbison Woods Media Center
Middle School Media Center
HS Media Center
Athletics Department
Athletics Department
Abby Frushour, one of 32 seniors recognized annually, is just the second DHS student-athlete to receive the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award. (The first was Nick Iacobellis in 2014.) She was announced as a Finalist in our February edition.
Senior Bryce Kurncz (pictured with Head Coach Bill Flannery) became the school's all-time leading scorer on Feb. 24. (The previous record of 1,181 points was held by Jason Kreider (1996).) Kurncz capped his stellar career with 1,266 points.
Girls' Basketball Head Coach Bill McCullen, in the midst of his 27th season, recorded win #500 on Feb. 16, becoming just the 15th girls' coach to reach that milestone in the state of Michigan. It places him 6th among active coaches. His Panther team finished their season at 23-3, which brings his career record to 506-109.
Girls Basketball
Girls Basketball
CAAC Blue Champions
Boys Swim & Dive
Boys Swim & Dive
CAAC Blue Champions
Boys Bowling
Boys Bowling
CAAC Blue Champions
Girls Basketball
Girls Basketball
MHSAA District Champions
Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey
MHSAA Regional Champions
Region 7 Athletic Director of the Year
Region 7 Athletic Director of the Year
Michael Brya was named Region 7 Athletic Director of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and was one of 14 ADs in the state recognized at the MIAAA's annual conference in Traverse City. This honor is a reflection of the DeWitt Athletic Department as a whole--Athletic Assistant Shawna Boyle, student-athletes, coaches, administration, event staff, and so many other who work tirelessly behind the scenes. "Strong, United, Loyal and True"
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