This Week's News!

Dear DKES Families,

What an incredible first week of school! We are so excited for the 2026–2027 school year and could not have asked for a better start. It has been wonderful to see our students settling into their new routines, getting acclimated to school schedules, and confidently finding their classrooms and teachers. Even after just one week, we are already seeing so many smiles, friendships forming, and students becoming more comfortable in their new surroundings. A huge shoutout to our amazing staff for welcoming every student with open arms and creating such a warm, positive environment. Their dedication and excitement for our students truly make DKES a special place to be! Thank you, families, for helping make this first week such a success. We are looking forward to an amazing year filled with learning, growing, and making memories together!

Here’s to a fantastic 2026–2027 school year!

Office phones turn on at 7:30 am

Front office doors open at 7:55 am for late arrivals.

Office closes at 3:30pm

Phone: (269) 623-1530

Laci.Watson@dkschools.org

Kristin.Liceaga@dkschools.org

There have been changes that have been made to the student handbook.

The complete 2026/2027 DKES Student Handbook can be found on our district website: https://www.dkschools.org/page/board-of-education-bylaws-and-policies under HANDBOOKS.

Please reach out to our elementary school office at (269) 623-1530 during office hours (7:30 am to 3:30 pm) or to me via email at bobby.tillman@dkschools.org if you have further questions.

I would like to thank our students, staff, families, and community in advance for all of their hard work and support in helping our students have a successful 2026-2027 school year!

Arrival : 7:30am -7:55am

After 7:55am your student is late and will need to be signed in at the front office

School dismissed: 2:50pm (full day) 11:30am (half day)

Student safety is our top priority. In order to assure we get your student(s) to the correct spot at the end of each school day please CLICK HERE to complete a short survey. If you have more than one student please complete a new survey for each student.

Please note:

• If your student has varying end of the day plans, please specify the day and mode of transportation. Ex, Mon/Tues - Parent Pick Up; Wed/Th/Fri - Bus.

• If your student will be riding the bus, going to Panther Clubhouse daycare, or being picked up, please note that on the survey.

During the school year, if you need to change your students end of the day transportation plans contact the elementary office at 269-623-1530 or email Laci Watson - laci.watson@dkschools.org or Kristin Liceaga - kristin.liceaga@dkschools.org.

Please make sure to contact the office staff no later than 2 PM on full days or 10 AM on half days.

• The elementary doors will open for students at 7:30 a.m and drop off will be staffed from 7:30am-7:55am. After 7:55 am your student is late and will need to be signed in at the front office, the office doors open to students/parents at 7:55am daily.
• All drop offs must take place in the drop off line located in between the elementary and middle school. You can enter the drop off line from Delton road, or M-43. Please see the diagram below.

• DK Staff will be in place at our student entrance to ensure the safety of all students. Staff will also be available to make sure students get to their classrooms safely.

• Parents will utilize the drop off line if students are not riding the bus to school.

• Do NOT drop off students without staff present

• Parents will stay in their vehicle, forming a single line

• Staff will be stationed on the curb to open the vehicle doors for students to exit their cars.

• Once students have exited the vehicle, parents will continue through the loop to exit onto Delton road.

• Staff will be at the bus drop off to greet students upon exiting the bus and usher them to the student entrance.

Each family will receive two dashboard pickup identification tags for those who are pick up, more will be available upon request. These tags can be shared with family members or others who parents designate as being able to pick up their child.

These tags will have a number that coordinates to your student(s). The person making the pick up should place the tag in a visible area on the passenger side when picking up the child. A staff member will check the number on the tag with the identification on the child’s backpack. This process is being used to ensure the safety of all students. You MUST have a proper tag to pick up any student. We CANNOT release any student to a parent without this proper identification.

Numbers will be given out to families at the open house Wednesday, August 26th if the form was filled out. If you cannot make it to the open house, please contact our main office for assistance.

We ask you to PLEASE comply with the times you are picking students up. If everyone tries to get here early, it’s only going to cause more congestion, frustration and potentially dangerous situations. We must work together to make this work as smoothly as possible for everyone.

• Parents should NOT park in the lot, but stay in the pickup line. The traffic flow should continue around the parking lot as children are brought to the vehicles

• Parents do NOT use the bus loop to pick up students.

Families picking up multiple students in different buildings should use the elementary pick up line, older students can meet up with the younger siblings. If your older students are not there when you pick up your younger student, please park in the parking lot for your other students to meet you.

Please Be Patient, the safety of all our students is the most important part of our plans. We want everyone to remain safe getting to and from school and we are asking all drivers to be extremely vigilant and watchful as they enter and leave the parking lots.

During the first couple of weeks, we know it will take a bit longer until everyone understands how the system works. We will make adjustments as needed, but we are asking for an abundance of patience from everyone.

All students K-12 attending Delton Kellogg Schools are eligible for free breakfasts and lunches during the 2026-2027 school year. This is due to a “Free Meals for All” legislation passed by the state. Although all meals are FREE any student who would like to purchase milk to add with a cold lunch would need to have funds loaded on their accounts. Parents have on-line access to view student balances, histories, and make bankcard deposits. Even though breakfasts and lunches are free, families are required to complete the EBF (Educational Benefit Forms) since other funding and grant eligibility for the district are tied to these applications. This application also applies to pay-to-participate for student-athletes for qualifying families and chromebooks to be able to take home for after-school enrichment opportunities. A new Educational Benefit form IS REQUIRED each school year (one application per family, not per student). So even if you applied a year ago, a new application must be submitted for the 2026-2027 school year.

We are asking families to please head to the following site to complete the EBF application deltonkellogg.familyportal.cloud or scan the QR code below

You will need your students ID# that will be emailed to each family.

If your student requires dietary accommodations, please fill this form out and return to the elementary office. If you have any questions please contact the Food Service Director, Tiffany Haines at Tiffany.Haines@dkschools.org or call 269-623-1223 for additional assistance.

• Classroom volunteers are at the discretion of the teacher

• Our PTO is always looking for volunteers for special events.

• We are looking forward to having visitors for many special events (field trips, classroom parties, field day, etc) this year, we will communicate procedures as these come up.