Message from the Principal
Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! I'm so excited to have our halls filled with energy again—and by "energy," I mean the kind that only a few hundred kids can produce after a summer of no school. Seriously, it's a special kind of chaotic bliss, and we love it!
Our staff has been working hard to make sure your students had a fantastic first week. It’s been wonderful seeing them learn new routines and review expectations. I'm especially impressed with how quickly everyone has adapted. The drop-off and pick-up lines have even started to resemble a functional traffic pattern, which honestly feels like a miracle.
The start of a new school year always brings fresh opportunities for discovery, curiosity, and connection. This year, all four Dowagiac elementary schools are implementing a new reading curriculum to help our students become even more successful. We're on a mission to turn every student into a bookworm, one page at a time.
As always, collaboration and kindness are strongly encouraged. Open communication between school and home is key to student success. Remember, we're all in this together—and we've got the coffee to prove it. Every student has the potential for great achievements, and we are here to support them every step of the way. Let's make this the best year yet!
Mr. Zietlow
Attendance Policy:
Good attendance is vital to student success. Studies show that students who are frequently absent have lower grades, lower self-esteem, and increased behavior problems. We want to help all of our students to be successful and have set up guidelines for attendance. Students are expected to be in school every day possible, but we realize that there are some reasons for absences. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to call by 9:30 am on the day of an absence when a student is absent letting us know the reason for the absence, or you will receive a call. If no call was received, the student must bring a written note from his parent or guardian stating the reason for the absence. Automatic calls will begin at 10:30. If you receive a call in error, please call the school in order for us to figure out the situation.
Please remember to keep us updated with all phone number changes.
PTO:
We encourage all of our parents to be involved with our PTO. Our meetings are held once a month at 4:00pm in our media center. Mrs. Charles has agreed to be the president this year.
Volunteers:
We welcome any and all suggestions and volunteers. You will need to have a volunteer form on file.
Link to volunteer form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEiiL7yRZKrmB0POGTLdqnSQJ2biGsk75HHrMNbsbUSDdyKA/viewform
