Central DeWitt School District -

We are incredibly grateful to Arndt Custom Curbing for their generous support of Ekstrand Elementary! Most recently, they donated their time, materials, and expertise to paint the lines for our brand-new basketball court! This isn't the first time the Arndt family has stepped up to help. They previously installed the beautiful landscaping border around our school sign at the front of Ekstrand, enhancing the look of our school grounds. We truly appreciate and value these donations and the Arndt family's ongoing commitment to education in our community. Thank you for your continued support! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #ekstrandelementary #donation #gratitude #saberpride #sabersupporters #CommunitySupport #WeLoveOurCommunity #ThankYouArndtCustomCurbing

A huge congratulations to Central DeWitt Saber Cross Country for an outstanding season and earning a trip to STATE! You've pushed through every challenge, shown amazing dedication, and represented our school with pride! We can’t wait to cheer you on next week at the state meet! Individual Qualifiers: Ashlyn Appleby - 9th place Caleb Olson - 5th place Kyle Olson - 10th place Adam Wilke - 14th place Team Qualifier: Saber Boys Team - 2nd #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #sabercrosscountry #centraldewittcrosscountry #statebound #sabersatstate #saberpride #saberssucceeding

💜💛 We proudly recognize Sarah Johnston as the September Employee of the Month for her exceptional dedication and contributions as the district’s Chief Financial Officer. Since stepping into this vital role last December, Sarah has put in countless hours to understand the intricacies of the district’s financial position, ensuring that everything is in order and aligned with the district's goals. Her love for math and strong ability to problem solve has helped her navigate the complexities of the district’s financials with precision and confidence. “Her role is incredibly challenging and often goes unnoticed, yet she has stepped up in a big way to master a new position,” Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Mishler said. “The district is stronger because of her expertise, dedication, and willingness to grow. We are truly fortunate to have her on our team!” Sarah’s most recent accomplishment includes completing the annual CAR report, which she submitted on time and with meticulous accuracy—a major milestone for the district. Sarah's efforts don’t stop there. She consistently goes above and beyond her job description, and her enthusiasm and commitment extend beyond the administration center reflecting her dedication to the overall success of the district. Outside of work, Sarah is an avid volunteer in her community, driven by a passion to give back to organizations that have impacted her life. She currently serves as a University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Council member, is on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing State Advisory Board, teaches religious education at St. Joseph Catholic Church, helps lead the Christ in Others Retreat (COR) for high school students, is on the DeWitt Zoning Board of Adjustment and is the CDCSD school board secretary. Her ambition, humanitarianism, and positive presence not only make her a joy to work with, but a true inspiration. Congratulations, Sarah, on this well-deserved recognition! Your hard work, passion, and commitment to Central DeWitt and your community are truly appreciated.

Three Saber teams of FBLA members represented us at the 2nd Annual JA Stock Market Challenge, competing against 68 teams from 22 schools on Tuesday. We had a senior team of Dolan Theisen, Ryan Watters, Ryan McGarry, and Jacob VanderHeiden place 10th, a sophomore team of Jacob VanDerMerwe, Kyle Olson, Dawson Petsche, and Beckham Maricle place 11th and another team of Parker Petsche, Caleb Olson, and Noah Ericksen place 31st. Way to go, Sabers! Our teams even had some Saber alumni cheering them on! What a great experience for our Sabers! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #JuniorAchievement #JA #FBLA #JAStockMarketChallenge #saberpride #saberssucceeding

Get your exclusive Addams Family apparel to support this fall's musical! Show your Saber pride with t-shirts, hoodies, and more. Hurry, the store closes on Oct. 29th—don’t miss out! Online store: https://adcraftwebstores.com/cdtaf24/ Thank you for supporting Saber Drama and our talented cast and crew! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #cdhsfallmusical #SaberDrama #TheAddamsFamily #SupportTheArts #SaberPride #saberssuceeding #thankyouforsupportingoursabers

While our students enjoyed sleeping in this Monday, our dedicated teachers were up early and hard at work! They participated in professional learning sessions on three important topics: • Standards-Based Grading • Building Stronger Relationships • Providing Enrichment and Extension Opportunities We’re proud of our teachers and their commitment to continued learning and discovering new ways support and inspire our students! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #cdms #cdis #ekstrandelementary #professionaldevelopment #weloveourteachers #saberpride #saberssucceeding

Attention CDHS Sabers! The 2024-2025 yearbooks are officially on sale! Get yours now at yearbookforever.com! Don’t miss your chance to preserve all the amazing moments from this school year! Got questions? Reach out to jon.fisher@cd-csd.org or pubs.staff@cd-csd.org for assistance. #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #saberyearbook #yearbook2025 #saberpublications #saberpride #sabermemories

Last week, these juniors had the opportunity to explore Hawkeye Community College and Wartburg College! So far this year, our students have visited UNI, Millwrights & Carpenters Union, and St. Ambrose University. Up next are visits to Capri College, University of Iowa, Kirkwood Community College, and University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Career and college visits are open to both juniors and seniors. If any student or parent has a recommendation for additional career and college visits, we'd love to hear from you! Students and parents can email our College & Career Counselor at holly.hansen@cd-csd.org. #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #collegevisits #careerandcollegeready #futureready #exploringoptions #saberpride #saberssucceeding

🏴‍☠️ In celebration of National School Lunch Week and this year's theme, “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure,” several special guests jumped aboard to help serve up lunch! A hearty thank ye to our Nutrition Department and everyone else who made NSLW a swashbuckling success! Your teamwork and dedication made this event a treasure for all of our school lunch pirates! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #nslw #nationalschoollunchweek #cdhs #cdms #cdis #ekstrandelementary #NSLW2024 #ThankYou #Teamwork #PurpleAndGoldPride #saberpride #schoollunchpirates #findyourtreasure

Cheer on our Saber Volleyball team tomorrow night at 7 p.m. as they face Clinton in regional play at home! Remember you must purchase a ticket through Bound for postseason play. Let’s go, Sabers! TICKETS: https://tickets.gobound.com/tickets/events/h2024100909490828987a1ffd15c8c48/checkout #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #sabervolleyball #regionalplay #saberpride

Our CDMS STEM 7 students have been hard at work creating their very own arcade games! On Thursday, our intermediate students had a blast trying out these fun, interactive creations at the “Saber Arcade.” A huge shoutout to STEM 7 students for their creativity and execution —your games were a hit! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdms #saberarcade #STEM7 #Innovation #StudentCreativity #FutureEngineers #HandsOnLearning #IntermediateFun #ArcadeDay #saberpride #saberssucceeding

We are incredibly grateful to Clinton County Public Health for their generous donation of 54 Stop the Bleed kits! ❤️ Stop the Bleed is a nationwide initiative designed to improve survival rates during emergencies by empowering the public with life-saving skills. Thanks to these kits, our school is even better equipped to respond swiftly and effectively in the event of an emergency. Each of our schools has a dedicated team of employees trained in CPR, First Aid, and Stop the Bleed, who are ready to act when every second counts. Thank you, Clinton County Public Health, for supporting the safety and well-being of our students and staff! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #StopTheBleed #weloveourcommunity #keepingsaberssafe #clintoncountypublichealth #thankyou #cdhs #cdms #cdis #ekstrandelementary

Congratulations to CDHS students Hannah Grantz, Delaney Barber and Kalli Barber who have been selected to present their innovative food insecurity solutions at the World Food Prize Conference in Des Moines later this month! Delaney will be presenting on milk production and distribution in Algeria, a country which is currently one of the top powdered milk importers. Hannah’s presentation will focus on eliminating “slash-and-burn” agriculture in Madagascar and bringing in agroforestry and using livestock as a nutrient for the soil. Kalli will be presenting on how Venezuela can shift their agriculture to reduce the need to import over half of their food. This is the first time Central DeWitt had multiple students chosen in a single year for this prestigious event. Our three students will be among just a few hundred from around the world who will be presenting. Outstanding work, Sabers! They were featured in the Quad City Times, read the article here: https://qctimes.com/news/local/education/central-dewitt-agriculture-food-sustainability-conference-global-youth-institute/article_13043e84-8a82-11ef-94ae-d3290d808b73.html #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #globalyouthinstitute #worldfoodprizeconference #foodinsecurity #innovativesolutions #saberpride #saberssucceeding

🏆 Congratulations to our September 2024 #SaberSpotlight students! #SaberSpotlight recognizes Central DeWitt students who stand out in the classroom and represent what it means to be a SABER! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #SaberSpotlight #studentssucceeding #cdhs #cdms #cdis #ekstrandelementary

Here are a few important reminders about the upcoming school schedule: • There is no school this Friday, Oct. 18th and Monday, Oct. 21st. • Additionally, there will be no early out on Wednesday, Oct. 23rd. This will be a FULL day of school. The district school calendar can be accessed anytime on our website www.cd-csd.org under the“Calendars” section. #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #cdms #cdis #ekstrandelementary #districtschoolcalendar

Following the recent resignation of Board Member Geoff Blandin, the Central DeWitt Community School District School Board will be appointing a new member to fill the vacancy. We encourage you to review the official notice for further details. The notice can also be viewed at https://www.cd-csd.org/page/board-of-education-members. Letters of Interest must be emailed to the School Board Secretary, Sarah Johnston, at sarah.johnston@cd-csd.org. Alternatively they may be mailed or dropped off at the CDCSD Administration Center, 331 E 8th St, DeWitt, IA 52742. All submissions must be received by 8 a.m. on October 31, 2024.

We are proud to share that one of our own, CDHS Language Arts Teacher Colleen Flathers, presented at the recent Iowa Council of Teachers of English conference on the topic, “Grammar Instruction.” In her presentation, she outlined the benefits of teaching grammar, discussed why students need consistent grammar lessons, and reviewed several online and hard copy programs designed to teach, practice, and reinforce grammar skills. These tools are vital for helping students apply their knowledge to their writing. She is an advocate for a return to more-structured and repetitive grammar lessons, drawing from her experiences in the classroom over the past several years. Interestingly, the keynote speaker, Matthew Johnson, reinforced this message during his breakout session, emphasizing the importance of going back to direct grammar instruction. Flathers has been an active member of ICTE for several years, and since 2019 she has served as the and Awards and Recognition Chair on the governing board. She encourages all language arts teachers to get involved in ICTE. The organization offers something for everyone and is a fantastic way to grow your professional learning community and network with fellow educators. Great job, Mrs. Flathers! We’re proud to have you represent Central DeWitt! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #centraldewittteachers #centraldewittstaff #cdhs #icte #IowaCouncilofTeachersofEnglish #languagearts #languageartsteacher #grammarinstruction #saberpride #saberssucceeding

National Honor Society is hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, Oct. 16th in the CDHS cafeteria from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Scan the QR code to make an appointment or visit www.bloodcenter.org or email leann.depue@cd-csd.org. Thank you for supporting NHS and saving lives by donating! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #nhs #cdhsnationalhonorsociety #nhsblooddrive #saberpride

CDHS senior Katlin Truelsen recently hosted an engaging event for the Ladies in Livestock Mentorship Program, an initiative she created to connect high school girls involved in raising livestock with women working in livestock-based careers. During the event, participants learned how to dress for interviews, enjoyed personalized color consultations, browsed The Baden Baldy Boutique mobile shop, and had professional headshots taken. The event concluded with a presentation from local IVF Technician Brena Smith, who shared her expertise on livestock in vitro fertilization. This mentorship program is part of Katlin’s project for the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award, which she received earlier this year. She will present her project in November for the opportunity to earn a $10,000 scholarship. Best of luck, Katlin! #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #cdhs #HerbertHooverUncommonStudentAward #LadiesInLivestock #saberssucceeding #saberpride

🏴‍☠️ It’s National School Lunch Week! We’re celebrating the vital role that healthy school lunches play in supporting student success, both academically and beyond the classroom. Get ready to explore the tasty treasures that are awaiting you in the cafeteria. See what’s for lunch in the Central DeWitt CSD app or at https://cd-csd.nutrislice.com/menu. #gosabers #centraldewittcsd #ekstrandelementary #cdis #cdms #cdhs #nurtitionservices #schoollunch #SchoolLunchPirates #NationalSchoolLunchWeek #NSLW24 #saberpride