Accessibility for all students is a priority at DES. In preparation for the upcoming 3rd Grade Fishing Unit, Mrs. Lindsay reached out to the Outdoor Tomorrow Foundation for more information about adapted fishing equipment and was put in contact with Michael Scherer, the program director for the non-profit organization, Fishing's Future.
Michael created and donated an adapted fishing pole just for our DES student! We are so thankful for his ingenuity and generosity! For more information about Fishing's Future visit their website at www.fishingsfuture.org !
Michael created and donated an adapted fishing pole just for our DES student! We are so thankful for his ingenuity and generosity! For more information about Fishing's Future visit their website at www.fishingsfuture.org !
DES Individual Picture Day has been rescheduled for THIS Friday, March 20th, 2026.
Students in Mrs. Rachel's 5th Grade Math class have been learning and practicing multi-digit multiplication and division while applying these skills to real-world situations. As part of this unit, students collaborated with partners to create and manage a donut shop scenario. They worked together to calculate sales and develop a budget, strengthening both their math skills and teamwork.
At DES, the safety of our students is of highest importance. Please review the following car line safety guidelines to ensure the safety of ALL students at DES.
No cell phones while driving in the car line - this is the law
Slow down and stop at crosswalks. The crosswalks are located at the end of the front carline by the preschool and in the back car line between DHS & DES.
No PASSING in the car line. This puts students at risk for getting hit and cars at risk for colliding. Please be patient as we load the students and follow the car line to the end. Please, do not break the line early.
Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe at DES!
No cell phones while driving in the car line - this is the law
Slow down and stop at crosswalks. The crosswalks are located at the end of the front carline by the preschool and in the back car line between DHS & DES.
No PASSING in the car line. This puts students at risk for getting hit and cars at risk for colliding. Please be patient as we load the students and follow the car line to the end. Please, do not break the line early.
Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe at DES!
Come Rock with the 3rd Graders at their Musical, Friday March 20th at 1:30 in the DES cafeteria!
Kindergarten registration is from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm tomorrow, March 17, 2026. We can't wait to meet our new Dragons!
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify and manipulate the individual sounds (called phonemes) in spoken words.
Phonemic awareness is a foundational skill for learning to read and spell. It is one of the strongest predictors of early reading success. In Take Flight the phonemes and lip pictures are displayed on a sound ship as the phoneme is taught. During the phonemic awareness portion of our lesson the students will manipulate the lip pictures to build words by adding, taking away, switching or repeating phonemes. The same lip pictures are used to build the spelling word before they write the word.
Phonemic awareness is a foundational skill for learning to read and spell. It is one of the strongest predictors of early reading success. In Take Flight the phonemes and lip pictures are displayed on a sound ship as the phoneme is taught. During the phonemic awareness portion of our lesson the students will manipulate the lip pictures to build words by adding, taking away, switching or repeating phonemes. The same lip pictures are used to build the spelling word before they write the word.
Reminder: DES WILL now be in session on Friday March 13th, 2026, as a makeup day, from missing days during the inclement weather, we experienced earlier this semester.
DES Parent Teacher Conferences are tomorrow, March 12th, 2026 from 2:30-6:30.
We will have early release:
Car Riders - 2:07
Bus Riders - 2:22
Due to the students reporting to the safe room for the weather this morning, and the whole school routine being delayed, Spring Individual pictures will be rescheduled.
A new date and time will be announced once it has been scheduled.
DES Spring individual pictures are tomorrow, March 11th, 2026.
In Mrs. Madison’s 4th grade classes, they don’t just talk about suspense, they feel it! What better way to learn how to build suspense in narrative writing than with a mystery box sitting in the middle of the classroom?
Clue by clue, the guesses got louder. Eyes got wider. Whispers turned into, “WAIT… what if it’s…?!” Every new hint stretched the moment just a little longer. The anticipation kept building until the final reveal… Slinky Dog.
Not a monster. Not something spooky. Just Slinky Dog in all his stretched-out glory. The dramatic gasp quickly turned into laughter, which honestly made it even better.
After actually feeling suspense themselves, students were able to take that experience straight into their own writing. Working in teams, they created suspense for their narrative stories, practicing how to stretch out a moment, show realistic reactions, delay the reveal, and keep their reader wondering what will happen next.
Sometimes the best way to learn how to build suspense is to sit on the edge of your seat waiting on Slinky Dog.
Clue by clue, the guesses got louder. Eyes got wider. Whispers turned into, “WAIT… what if it’s…?!” Every new hint stretched the moment just a little longer. The anticipation kept building until the final reveal… Slinky Dog.
Not a monster. Not something spooky. Just Slinky Dog in all his stretched-out glory. The dramatic gasp quickly turned into laughter, which honestly made it even better.
After actually feeling suspense themselves, students were able to take that experience straight into their own writing. Working in teams, they created suspense for their narrative stories, practicing how to stretch out a moment, show realistic reactions, delay the reveal, and keep their reader wondering what will happen next.
Sometimes the best way to learn how to build suspense is to sit on the edge of your seat waiting on Slinky Dog.
Reading at home is a premier indicator of reading development, with children read to at least three times a week being twice as likely to score in the top 25% for reading proficiency. Regular home reading builds essential vocabulary, fosters language skills, strengthens emotional bonds, and boosts school readiness by improving comprehension and cognitive development.
These are some of the MANY reasons we have created the monthly AT HOME reading challenges! Reading is such an important aspect of not just school, but life!
Here are the statistics from our February reading challenge. We hope to see these numbers doubled for the month of March!
These are some of the MANY reasons we have created the monthly AT HOME reading challenges! Reading is such an important aspect of not just school, but life!
Here are the statistics from our February reading challenge. We hope to see these numbers doubled for the month of March!
Congratulations to our February Reading Challenge Basket Winner - Ruth!
Our top 3 classes who won a popcorn party this month are:
Mrs. Jennifer's 4th Grade Class
Mrs. Amy's 2nd Grade Class
Mrs. Traci's 1sr Grade Class
We can't wait to see our March Challenge Winners!
DES March Reading Challenge!
It's March and we are SPRINGING into reading at DES!
Once again this month, you can either log all of your entries online by following the reading log link, or you can download and print the reading challenge log that will also be attached below.
This month ALL STUDENTS who read at home 12 DAYS OR MORE will be treated to a snow cone party! (You may enter a total of 31 entries which is equal to one per day. Since we just published the form you can enter any time you have read at home since March 1st, through today, March 6th).
Reminder: If you enter a day online, please don't enter that same date on a paper log. You can use both online and paper, but a date cannot count twice.
The three classes with THE MOST PARTICIPATION will receive a popcorn and coke party for the whole class!
ONE student name will be drawn to win the monthly prize basket.
The online log can easily be accessed by phone or computer - follow this link for the online tracking log:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-RDK7B10-VSnweQEq0Axs_KttlFqkEdGP1g2SEgtSCdnGhQ/viewform?usp=header
If you like to have a paper log, follow this link to access the Printable PDF:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HQcX-WFHk58gThSpOpKB6ovCfM41AfNT/view?usp=sharing
If you have any questions or need help accessing the reading log, you may call the DES Office at 870-946-4651 or come and visit the DES Office in person.
Happy March Reading!
It's March and we are SPRINGING into reading at DES!
Once again this month, you can either log all of your entries online by following the reading log link, or you can download and print the reading challenge log that will also be attached below.
This month ALL STUDENTS who read at home 12 DAYS OR MORE will be treated to a snow cone party! (You may enter a total of 31 entries which is equal to one per day. Since we just published the form you can enter any time you have read at home since March 1st, through today, March 6th).
Reminder: If you enter a day online, please don't enter that same date on a paper log. You can use both online and paper, but a date cannot count twice.
The three classes with THE MOST PARTICIPATION will receive a popcorn and coke party for the whole class!
ONE student name will be drawn to win the monthly prize basket.
The online log can easily be accessed by phone or computer - follow this link for the online tracking log:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-RDK7B10-VSnweQEq0Axs_KttlFqkEdGP1g2SEgtSCdnGhQ/viewform?usp=header
If you like to have a paper log, follow this link to access the Printable PDF:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HQcX-WFHk58gThSpOpKB6ovCfM41AfNT/view?usp=sharing
If you have any questions or need help accessing the reading log, you may call the DES Office at 870-946-4651 or come and visit the DES Office in person.
Happy March Reading!
In the context of SoR (Science of Reading), specific strategies are taught to unlock the mystery of words by applying not only letter-sound strategies, but also morphological knowledge. Our students study words and determine the meaning of words based on the meaningful PARTS of that word.
Comprehension is the final piece of the Take Flight puzzle. We use what we call “Word Attack” strategies in our classrooms to discover the pronunciation and meaning of unknown words. As the following chart shows, students use their knowledge of suffixes/prefixes and roots/bases, along with the text around the word, to “ATTACK” unknown words to help determine the pronunciation and meaning.
Comprehension is the final piece of the Take Flight puzzle. We use what we call “Word Attack” strategies in our classrooms to discover the pronunciation and meaning of unknown words. As the following chart shows, students use their knowledge of suffixes/prefixes and roots/bases, along with the text around the word, to “ATTACK” unknown words to help determine the pronunciation and meaning.
Congratulations to our February 2026 Dragons of Greatness at DES! The students selected each month for Dragons of Greatness exhibit these characteristics:
D - Dependable
R - Responsible
A - Acts of Kindness
G - Good Friend
O - Outstanding Work
N - Nice to Others
S - Star Student
Congratulations to our February Dragons of Greatness!
D - Dependable
R - Responsible
A - Acts of Kindness
G - Good Friend
O - Outstanding Work
N - Nice to Others
S - Star Student
Congratulations to our February Dragons of Greatness!
March Events at DeWitt Elementary School
March 11th - Spring Individual Pictures
March 12th - Early Dismissal
2:07 pm - Car Riders
2:22 pm - Bus Riders
March 12th - Parent Teacher Conferences - 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm
March 16th - Kindergarten Registration - 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
March 17th - Kindergarten Registration - 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
March 20th - 3rd Grade Musical - 1:30 pm
March 23rd - March 27th - SPRING BREAK
March 11th - Spring Individual Pictures
March 12th - Early Dismissal
2:07 pm - Car Riders
2:22 pm - Bus Riders
March 12th - Parent Teacher Conferences - 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm
March 16th - Kindergarten Registration - 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
March 17th - Kindergarten Registration - 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
March 20th - 3rd Grade Musical - 1:30 pm
March 23rd - March 27th - SPRING BREAK
Do you have an up and coming kindergarten student? If so, it is time for Kindergarten registration!
Join us one one of the following days to register your student:
March 16th, 2026 from 2:00pm - 6:00pm
March 17th, 2026 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
For more information contact the DES Office at 870-946-4651
Mrs. Amy’s second-grade class has spent the past several weeks exploring stories about aviation. Students read about the Wright brothers, Amelia Earhart, Bessie Coleman, and Jamail Larkin. Throughout the unit, we focused on understanding informational texts by identifying main ideas and key details.
In addition to building literacy skills, students learned valuable life lessons about perseverance and determination. We discussed how achieving our dreams requires persistence and hard work, and that setbacks are opportunities to try new strategies rather than reasons to give up. We also explored how we can learn important lessons from history.
To conclude our unit, students applied their learning in a hands-on activity by designing and creating paper airplanes. Using measurement tools and skills, they tested how far their planes could fly and analyzed which design performed the best.
In addition to building literacy skills, students learned valuable life lessons about perseverance and determination. We discussed how achieving our dreams requires persistence and hard work, and that setbacks are opportunities to try new strategies rather than reasons to give up. We also explored how we can learn important lessons from history.
To conclude our unit, students applied their learning in a hands-on activity by designing and creating paper airplanes. Using measurement tools and skills, they tested how far their planes could fly and analyzed which design performed the best.
