DeWitt-Lavaca Special Education Cooperative

Today we had two very special visitors in Mrs. Cowan's class—Officer Sarah Mendoza and Officer Isaac Bridges, both of the Yoakum Police Department. As part of our Community Helpers unit of study, our Yoakum ISD School Resource Officer (Officer Mendoza) came to introduce herself to our class and brought along her colleague Officer Bridges. The students were able to see some of the important tools they use and had the chance to ask lots of great questions. Experiences like this help our students feel more comfortable with police officers when they encounter them both at school and out in the community. The class was so surprised and absolutely loved every second of the visit!

Good morning, DLSEC students & staff! The water line in Yoakum has been repaired, but the boil notice is still in effect until further notice. While at this time we plan to resume our normal schedule tomorrow (September 4, 2025) and we plan to have as much bottled water on hand as we can, we are requesting that students and staff bring bottled water for their own consumption if possible. Thank you!

Due to a City of Yoakum water main break and a mandatory water boil notice, Yoakum ISD will cancel all classes on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. School will resume at the normal time and schedule on Thursday, September 4, 2025. This will include RISE and GOALS classes. The DLSEC office will also be closed.

What do you do when a package gets delivered with dry ice? Turn it into a fun science exploration! That's what Mrs. Cowan's class did today. What fun making "smoke-filled" bubbles with dry ice, water, and dish soap to catch and pop!

Mrs. Carlson's class had lots of fun practicing fine motor, science, and math skills making bubble solution with water, dish soap and sugar. We watched a science video to learn that adding sugar makes bubbles last longer.

Back-to-School packets for the 2025-2026 school year are making their way to a mailbox near you! These include a quick message from the principal, supply lists, Meet-the-Teacher information, a 2025-2026 school calendar, and an enrollment packet.

Classroom rosters will be finalized in August, and teachers will notify parents whose classroom their child will join closer to the start of school.

Our Meet-the-Teacher event will be held on August 11 from 4:30-5:30 P.M. Enrollment packets and school supplies may be brought at this time. Have a schedule conflict? No problem! When teachers reach out to parents with their rosters, an alternate time can be arranged at that time.

If you have any questions, please send Mrs. Sanchez an email at tsanchez@DLSEC.org at your convenience. Enjoy your summer!

As our school year is drawing to a close, we would like to remind you that students have an early release on Thursday, May 22, 2025, according to the following schedule: RISE YPS will release at 2:20 PM. RISE/GOALS YIS will release at 2:20 PM. RISE/GOALS YHS will release at 2:30 PM. Students return to school on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. We hope you have a safe and happy summer break!

Congratulations, Mrs. Carlson! During Teacher Appreciation Week, Yoakum's Grand Theater recognized ECSE teacher, Elizabeth Carlson, for all of her hard work, compassion, and dedication to our students. Mrs. Carlson received a framed letter from Samantha Solis where she nominated Mrs. Carlson in the theater's recent contest to recognize awesome educators. We're so fortunate to have you on our team, Mrs. Carlson! Thank you, Tammy Steinmann and Grand Theater, for recognizing and rewarding Mrs. Carlson! Thank you, Mrs. Solis, for taking the time to share your appreciation for Mrs. Carlson and for submitting your letter to the theater's contest!

Reminder: No school for DLSEC RISE/GOALS students on Friday, April 18, & Monday, April 21, 2025. The DLSEC offices will be closed on Friday, April 18, 2025. Happy Easter!

Mrs. Cowan's class has been up to some springtime fun this week! Today they planted 3 tomato plants, a hibiscus plant, and lavender. The students got to see firsthand the different parts of the plant and get their hands dirty. Earlier in the week, they went on a spring scavenger hunt. 

Mrs. Welch's class has been commemorating Black History month while researching notable persons including Muhammad Ali, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Jackie Robinson. Students utilized their technology time to look up facts and print out pictures of the person they chose to research. Then they worked together to create a poster about their research subject and presented to the class. Mrs. Welch reports, "It really was a fantastic project for them that they seemed to enjoy!"

Mrs. Carlson's class conducted a Plaque Attack experiment as part of their Dental Health unit last week. They filled two cups with warm water and yeast. Then they added sugar to one of the cups. The cup with sugar in them grew and grew until they overflowed! This demonstrated how sugar left on teeth causes a plaque attack and can lead to cavities.

Please note upcoming early release and student holiday: Students in the RISE and GOALS multi-district programs will be released early on Friday, February 14, 2025. --Yoakum Primary School RISE at 12:30 PM --Yoakum Intermediate School RISE at 12:30 PM --Yoakum High School RISE/GOALS at 12:40 PM Students in the RISE and GOALS multi-district programs will have no school on Monday, February 17, 2025. The DLSEC office will also be closed on Monday, February 17, 2025.

All schools in Yoakum I.S.D. will release early on Thursday, January 30 for UIL Academic Contests. Our DLSEC multi-district classrooms will release early according to the following schedule: ECSE-3 (YPS) at 12:40 PM RISE/Elementary GOALS/InVEST (YIS) at 12:40 PM RISE/GOALS (YHS) at 12:50 PM Classrooms will resume their regular schedule on Friday, January 31 Thank you!

Mrs. Cowan reports that her class has been learning about ice and snow. Students got to observe an ice block with their 5 senses and watch it melt. Mrs. Cowan noted that this experience also improved everyone's ability to be patient as they waited for the block to melt and free the encapsulated toys, so they could play with them again. 

DLSEC will have a 2-hour delayed start tomorrow, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, due to freezing weather conditions and the possibility of snow and ice remaining on the roadways. Stay warm and be safe! Thank you!

Due to inclement weather, all DLSEC classes and offices will be closed on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Updates will continue to be posted on the DLSEC Facebook page and at www.DLSEC.org. We hope you all stay safe and warm!

Monday, January 20, 2025, will be a holiday for DLSEC students and staff in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Mrs. Welch's class made a community-based instruction trip to the Yoakum post office last week. Students each bought stamps and mailed a letter to their home. Students wrote their letters, addressed their own envelopes, counted their change for a stamp, kept track of their money as they went other places first and arrived at the post office where they asked for and bought their own stamps.