Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! 

My name is David Eaton, also known as “Mr. E”. I have been a lifelong resident of Ottumwa and will be starting my 31st year with the Ottumwa Community School District.  Douma holds a special place in my heart since I was the first kindergarten class that attended there, and also having attended through my 6th grade year. After graduating OHS and obtaining my teaching degree, I came back to student teach and then began my 12 years as a Douma 2nd grade teacher. In my career I have also taught at Pickwick, Liberty, served as the Technology Instructional Coach and most recently the Curriculum Instructional Leader at Wilson Elementary.  I am married to Becky Eaton who is the district’s PTYC Director. We have four grown children. Our three oldest also attended Douma, so I guess I have also been a Douma parent. In a sense you can say that I am coming back home to now serve as the Douma principal. 

Douma has gone through some positive changes this summer. We said goodbye to our Kindergarten teachers and sent them to join PECC (Pickwick Early Childhood Center). We are now a building that houses the 1st and 2nd graders that are on the southside of town. Douma has always been known for the high quality staff who always have their students’ learning and safety as a top priority. We are looking forward to the addition to Douma that will house our 3rd-5th grade students. Plans are to have construction completed and students ready to start in August 2024.  

We are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the home and the school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a meaningful difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our children’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that each student:

1. Attend school daily and arrive on time, ready for the day’s learning experience
2. Complete all assignments given by teachers
3. Read daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills
4. Share what he/she learned at school each day
5. Know that you expect him/her to be respectful and to succeed in school

You can also help by checking your child’s backpack each day for notes and homework.  We do our best to communicate regularly with Remind messages, newsletters, OCSD website, texts, and emails as we want you to be well informed. You are also welcome to call 641-684-4668 with any questions. 

The safety of our students during arrival and dismissal is a high priority. Procedures have been developed and it is the expectation that parents will follow and model them for all our children. The better we as adults do at following the procedures, the safer it will be for our children.  Please understand that peak arrival and dismissal times can be chaotic. We have worked with the city to develop traffic flow solutions. While these will not be perfect and will, almost certainly, cause delays, we ask for your patience and compliance to ensure everyone’s safety. Please click this link to see our pick up and drop off procedures.

On behalf of our staff, we appreciate you being an integral part of your child’s educational journey and working as a team to provide the BEST for each student. Frequent, open lines of communication are important throughout the school year.  Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher with comments, questions or concerns.  It is a pleasure to serve you and your family.

Sincerely,

Mr. David Eaton

David Eaton, Principal