For Parents
Welcome to Dutton Elementary
Greetings Parents,
Let me introduce myself
I would like to take a minute and introduce myself to you. My name is Shawn Veitch, and I will be serving as the principal of Dutton Elementary. I have experienced so many great things about Dutton and look forward to continuing the same programs that have made Dutton Elementary such a great place to learn. I have been in the field of education for ten years. I taught 5th grade at West Elementary in Lakewood for one year before coming to Caledonia. I taught 7th grade math and science at Duncan Lake Middle School for six years, and was the head wrestling coach for five years. In 2012-2013, I was the assistant principal at Thornapple Kellogg Middle School which taught me a lot on how to be an administrator.
My family
I have been here at Dutton Elementary since 2014 and look forward to MANY more years! My wife, Lindsay, and I reside in Caledonia with our two sons, Evan and Ian. We also have two dogs, Ella and William. Lindsay teaches 8th grade Social Studies and Language Arts at Duncan Lake Middle School in Caledonia. In my free time, I love the outdoors. I enjoy hiking, hunting and fly fishing. But most importantly, my wife and I love watching and supporting the Michigan State Spartans and the Detroit Tigers!
My main goals
One of my main goals as principal is taking care of our staff at Dutton so that they, in turn, take good care of the children entrusted to us. We have an excellent staff at Dutton Elementary. You will not find a more caring and dedicated group of professional educators. We will take good care of your children.
The success of Dutton
The success of Dutton Elementary is a direct reflection of the support of you, the parents. We always need your help and will have various opportunities and needs for volunteers throughout the school year. Please contact the office or myself if you would like to lend a hand.
I look forward to a great school year. Please let me know if I can be of any help.
Shawn Veitch, Principal
Dutton Elementary
C.A.T.S. Behavior Matrix
Community Resources
Explore the Community page on our website to find a variety of opportunities and resources available for Caledonia families. Whether your child enjoys sports, STEM activities, or the arts, our community offers quality programs to enhance their interests and growth. Check out the wide range of enriching experiences available.
Dutton Library
Welcome! We are enjoying our beautiful new library. Come a take a look!
Use Our Library Program from Home
The Caledonia schools have begun using a new web-based library program called Destiny. This program can be accessed anywhere you have internet. You can see what books your student has checked out, their cost if they are lost, and see a history of all the books they have checked out from the Dutton library. Your student can also make a personal list of books they would like to check out to use when they come to library, hold a book if it is checked out, and they can recommend a book to others or write a review. To log onto this program, click the link found here and choose Dutton Elementary. Login in the upper right corner. The user name is your student's FirstNameLastName with no spaces. The password is their student ID number. Check out our exciting new program with them!
Birthday Book Club
Birthday Book Club is back in the library this year. Is your student's birthday coming up? You can donate a book in their honor to the Dutton library. The books are only $5. Your child will be the first one to check out the book they select, and will get a special label inside that says it is donated by them. Come check out the books that are available in the library, or see the list of them on Destiny. On the catalog tab, choose resource lists and then public lists to view the list of birthday book club books.
Dutton Music
School Health Program & Medications
For detailed information on medication administration and our School Health Program, please visit the School Health Program page on our website. Our dedicated Registered Nurses are here to assist with any health-related concerns. You'll find information on medication requirements, self-carry medications, and managing common health conditions such as severe allergies, asthma, seizures, diabetes, and G-Tube usage. Your child's health and safety are our top priorities.
School Safety
Pesticide Notice:
The district's annual pesticide notification to parents can be found on the district transparency page under annual notifications.
Spotlight on Specials
Student Handbook
Student Pick-up
Before / After School Drop off / Pick Up
SCHOOL STARTS AT 8:45 a.m.
(Students are expected to be in their classrooms and ready to learn at 8:45 a.m.)
*Please note- Lower El is kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade
Upper El is 3rd and 4th grade
Before School:
Drop off...Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for students who eat breakfast and 8:35 a.m for all students.- When you bring your child to school, there are two ways you can drop your kids off.
Option 1 is driving through our car line (this is the preferred option). As soon as your car reaches the sidewalk beginning at the greenhouse and comes to a complete stop, please have your child exit on the passenger side of your car and walk down the sidewalk. Your child/ren will enter our school at the lobby entryway wearing a mask and maintaining social distance. Once your child/ren enter the building, there are hand sanitizers mounted on the wall. Please let your child/ren know they must sanitize every time they enter the building.
Option 2 is if you choose to park in the parking lot and walk your child to the door. If you have a child in grades 1-4, please walk them to the lobby entryway door (Adults must remain outside). If you have a Kindergarten student, please walk with them on the sidewalk by the gymnasium. Right outside the gymnasium entry will be our “Hug Zone” for parents to give their new Kindergarten student one final hug before entering the building. Again, once your child has entered the building, they are expected to sanitize. If you choose to walk your child to the doors, please hold your child’s hand and use our crosswalk in the parking lot.. YOU MAY NOT USE THE MAIN OFFICE ENTRYWAY BETWEEN 8:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m. AND 3:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.. We have to keep that entryway open for ONLY students that ride the bus.
Once in the school, our students are expected to go either directly to the cafeteria if they are eating breakfast or to their classroom. Lower El students will eat breakfast in the cafeteria, while Upper El students will pick up their breakfast from the cafeteria and take it to their classroom to eat. Students need to be in their classrooms ready to learn by 8:45 a.m.
SCHOOL ENDS AT 3:40 p.m.
(Kindergarten students start preparing to leave at approximately 3:30 p.m., 1st and 2nd 3:35 p.m., and 3rd and 4th at 3:40 p.m.)
After School:
Parent pick up...If you use our drive up number system and you only have a child in grades Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade, you may arrive at 3:30 p.m. If you have a child that you pick up in 3rd or 4th grade, please arrive at 3:35 p.m. to pick your kids up. If you have multiple students in both Lower El and Upper El, please arrive at 3:35 p.m. This will help to keep everyone safe and avoid back ups on 68th street. If you had a number from previous years at Dutton, you may continue to use that number. For families who would like to be considered to have a drive up number, the criteria would be:
If you have any type of disability where getting out of the car is difficult for you
If you have kids under the age of 5 in your car with you while picking up your Dutton Elementary child
If you are School of Choice student
These three bullets are our top criteria. If you meet any of these bullets for criteria, please email Haley Pickard at pickardh@calschools.org and we will get a number for you. If you simply would like to ask for a number and be put on a wait list (you do not meet the criteria required but would really like this option), you may also email Haley and if we have open numbers, we will assign them based first come, first served.
If you park in our parking lot and historically would have come inside to pick up your child/ren, this process has changed for this year. You will walk up our sidewalk by the gymnasium. Once you get to the door, you will need to hold up your ID/or parent pick up number (these will be given out to you during the first two weeks of school) to the glass door. Please let us know who you are picking up (student/s name/s). We will have an adult inside that verifies your ID/PPU number and get your child for you inside the gymnasium. Your child will walk out the door and have direct contact with you. Please make sure while you are waiting in line to pick up your child that you maintain social distance (wear a mask if you willing) and wait on the right side of the sidewalk tight to the gymnasium wall. If you have a child in just lower el, you may begin lining up at 3:30 p.m. If you have either a combination of lower el and upper el or just an upper el student, you may begin lining up at 3:35 p.m. Please make sure to be patient, wait in line and make sure our support staff checks your child/ren off the list for parent pick up. This is important so we can make sure to keep all our kids accounted for.
Unplanned or Random Pick Up of your child/ren:
If you are picking up your child but do NOT have a parent pick up number, you will need to call the office before 3:00 p.m. to let us know. Our office staff will verify that you are on the approved contact list on Power School and then relay that information to our Parent Pick Up staff member/s. Once you have called the office and been approved, please follow our instructions for picking up your child by the gymnasium entry.
The safety of our students is always my number one concern. I appreciate everyone working together following a system so everyone is safe and exits our school with a smile :)
Supply Lists
Parent Resources:
Medicaid Information
Clever/Google Classroom Parent Guide
Reading Resources:
Reading Connection September
Reading Connection January - May
Skills to Become a Better Reader
