DeWitt Elementary School

Happy Counselors Week Mrs. Alesha! Thank you for all you do for the students at DES!

DES Music has been super busy this month.
Kindergarten has been working with rhythm instruments. They are focused on beat and rhythm and copying simple patterns.
1st grade has been working on the musical
“We’ve Only Got One Planet”.
2nd grade has been working on xylophones and learning to play simple songs.
3rd grade has been working on the musical “I Love Rock and Roll”. It is going to be so much fun. You have to come watch it in March.
4th and 5th graders have been working on beginning piano skills. This includes counting, musical terms, and note names.
We are learning and having so much fun at the same time.

Recently the students in Mrs. Vanessa and Mrs. Krystal’s classes celebrated the 100th day of school. The students incorporated fine motor skills into their project of decorating 100 day glasses!

Mrs. Jennifer’s Fourth grade Math students are learning how to divide using an area model, and are subtracting whole numbers from fractions. Students are learning their are multiple ways to solve Math problems, and it doesn’t matter which strategy you use to solve the problem. The end result is what counts!

At DES we are 100 Days Smarter! Happy 100th Day of School!

DES Students have been participating in a bowling unit during Mrs. Lindsay’s Physical Education class since returning to school from Winter Break. Not only is bowling a sport our students may participate in when they get to high school, but it is also an excellent and accessible lifetime activity available to everyone! Teaching lifetime activities in elementary PE is crucial for fostering long-term health, developing physical literacy, promoting positive attitudes toward movement, and building confidence for activities beyond team sports, ensuring kids find enjoyable ways to stay active as adults, combating sedentary lifestyles, and preventing chronic diseases. It shifts focus from just competitive sports to skills in activities like hiking, dancing, yoga, or swimming, making fitness accessible and fun forever, not just during school years.

Who says math isn’t fun?! 🥄✖

Mrs. April’s 3rd grade mathematicians had a blast playing Spoons, a fast-paced multiplication facts game!

This high-energy game builds math fact fluency and quick recall while keeping students fully engaged. It’s played just like the classic card game Spoons, but with a math twist! Instead of finding four cards with the same number, students race to match math facts that have the same answer.

This is hands-on, high-engagement learning at its best—and the students absolutely love it! 💙📚

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education."

~ Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1947 - essay "The Purpose of Education"

DES will not be in session on Monday January 19th, 2026 in Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr Day

Ready to win the school morning routine? ✨
Good hygiene + a healthy breakfast + limited screen time + a clean backpack = calm mornings and confident kids. 🧼🍎📵🎒
Make it a ritual: prep everything the night before, do a quick backpack sweep, and set a routine to reduce morning meltdowns.

Ms. Terri's pink group started reading the book, “The Snow Day from the Black Lagoon.” Before they started reading, they discussed snow days and how snow is formed. Later, the children made snowflakes using toothpicks and marshmallows.

The students and staff at DES have been hard at work preparing for our End of Year ATLAS Testing in Grades K-5. The students take 3 different ATLAS Tests before they take their End of Year ATLAS Test.

The students take a beginning of the year screener. This test provides DES staff with data to help drive each student's instruction for the school year. Students then take an ATLAS Interim in November or December. This allows our staff to check the progress of each student. DES students will then take a second ATLAS Interim Test in February. This will be another data point to help monitor each student’s progress.

Starting in April, Kindergarten through Fifth-Grade will take the End of Year ATLAS Tests. The ATLAS Test comes from The Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

DeWitt Elementary School's End of Year ATLAS testing will run from April 13th - May 8th. During this time it is important for our students to be at school and do their very best on the ATLAS Test. We are looking forward to the challenge of this year’s ATLAS testing.

🎉✨ Ringing in the New Year, kindergarten style! ✨🎉
Our kinders traveled the world learning how different countries celebrate the New Year, talked about what a resolution is, and even made their own! 💭💛
We ended the lesson with some fizzy fun—mixing ingredients to create a bubbly chemical reaction that erupted with confetti and glitter! 🎊🧪
Learning + sparkle = the best way to start the year!

Don't forget to check your students backpack, report cards are being sent home today!

It is a New Year and time for the January Reading Challenge!

This month we are trying something new, 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 one entry per day for January 6 - 29 for a total of 23 entries)

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/1FAIpQLSf9v9L3BNEObPuWO-wPliva_h6xsrkn2JB6p2vxcHdjR1dibg/viewform


If you like to have a paper log, follow this link to access the Printable PDF:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MKcZumY4nYSUMn3v8M39QgHMNo3y-20g/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 January Reading!

Mrs. Jessica's First Grade students learned that a little kindness goes a long way! The class recently focused on spreading joy. They finished it off with a writing assignment that was used as part of their door decoration.

We can't wait to see everyone at school tomorrow! Welcome back to DES!

Tomorrow is a Staff Workday, no class for students in K-5.

Pre-K classes will be in session.

January Events at DeWitt Elementary School

Jan 5 - Staff Development - No school for K-5 Students
Jan 5 - Pre-K IS IN SESSION
Jan 6 - ALL STUDENTS RETURN to School
Jan 8 - Report cards sent home
Jan 19 - MLK Day - No School