New Start/ End Times for 2021-2022 School Year

Press Release #43/June 22, 2021

As Dearborn Public Schools plans to return students to full time in-school learning in the fall, start and end times for students at all grade levels will change to our new normal.

Classes at Fordson, Dearborn High and Edsel Ford high schools and STEM Middle School will start at 7:50 a.m. and run until 2:45 p.m., with half days ending at 10:55 a.m. First bell allowing students into the building will be at 7:40 a.m.  

Middle schools and kindergarten to 8th grade schools will start at 8:25 a.m. and go until 3:20 p.m., with half days ending at 11:30 a.m. This includes Lowrey School, McCollough Elementary, Salina Elementary and Salina Intermediate. The first bell allowing middle school students into the building will be at 8:15 a.m.

Elementary schools will start at 9 a.m. and end at 3:55 p.m., with half days ending at 12:05 p.m. The first bell allowing students into the building will be at 8:55 a.m.

The other high schools and high school programs – Henry Ford Early College (all programs); Michael Berry Career Center; Magnet High School; and the Dearborn Center for Math, Science and Technology will run from 8:05 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. each day with half days ending at 10:45 a.m. 

Tentative plans for our new Dearborn Public Schools Virtual K-12 call for each grade to follow the schedule for that building level – kindergarten to fifth at elementary times, sixth to eighth grade at middle school times, and ninth grade and higher at high school times.  Staffing for the program is still being worked out, which could impact the schedule.

For the 2020-21 school year, the district adopted shorter school days while students continued learning at least partially online. The shorter days also meant later start times for middle and high school students. 

Next year’s new start and end times are 20 to 30 minutes later at each grade level compared to the schedule before the pandemic. High school is 30 minutes later, middle school 25 minutes and elementary school 20 minutes.

“For years, we have been looking at ways to move high school start times later because research shows teens learn better later in the day,” said Superintendent Glenn Maleyko. “Returning from the hybrid schedule gave us a perfect opportunity to reset class times to hopefully better meet the needs of all students and families.”

Many factors go into setting the school schedules, including state requirements, family logistics, sports schedules and much more. For example, the district knows many families rely on middle and high school students to care for their younger siblings after school.

Busing also is an important issue in setting the district’s start and end times.  Each of the district’s buses typically run three routes in the morning – one each for elementary, middle and high school. Start times at the buildings then need to be separated enough to complete bus runs for each grade level. Overlapping bus route times would add significant costs for the district by requiring more buses and drivers. The district already struggles to hire enough bus drivers.  Parents who take or pick up their children from different schools also need separated schedules.

Dearborn Public Schools is announcing the new schedule now to give parents time to plan for fall.

“We are truly looking forward to having our students back in our classrooms every day for the coming school year,” Dr. Maleyko said.

by Katie Hetrick on June 22, 2021

Summer School News

Summer school information

June 18, 2021 by Mohammad Abdelfattah

Parents of Summer school students please expect a phone call from summer school teachers on Tuesday June 22nd with more information. 

Entry and Exit Procedures

The first day of Summer school will be Wednesday June 23rd. 

All students should be lined up with their classes at the proper doors by 9:00 am.  Teachers will greet students promptly at 9:00 am. 

All students will line up with their class at 9:00 am (first bell). At 9:00 am teachers will walk their classes into the school.  

Kindergarteners AND 1st GradersLine up on blacktop on Culver Street, Door #1 area
Mrs. Grizzell and Ms. Guadiana and Mrs. El-Alami ClassesLine up on sidewalk on Culver Street, Door #2
Mr. Wurtz, Mrs. Srour, Ms. Reslan, Ms. Sandakli’sLine up on blacktop on Houston Street, Door #12

Older Siblings may line up with kindergartners if needed.  

Bus Riders (All grades): Line up with class.  Students in grades 3-5 may enter Door 1 and proceed to their class lineup area on the Houston Street side.  

Breakfast: 

Breakfast will begin in the cafe at 8:30.

If parents/guardians need to pick up their child before their scheduled dismissal time, please make an appointment with the office.  

Dismissal: Students will be escorted by their teacher to their exit doors (same as entry doors). Kindergarten and 1st Grade Bus riders will be escorted to the bus. 

DUE TO COVID PARENTS are not allowed in the building.  (If you need to speak with the office please call for an appointment)

Summer School

Good morning! If you signed up your child for summer school, a note was sent home yesterday for group A students and a note will be sent home today for group B students. The note states who your child’s teacher will be and which side of the building to report to for drop off and pick up. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

Class News

Good morning!

We’ve made it to the last week of school! HOORAY! What a year it has been, but I couldn’t be more proud of how much the students have grown and learned! They are by far the smallest technology experts!

Parent NWEA reports will be sent home this week! A special congratulations to the following students who reached their goal in reading and/ or math:

Hashem, Ayah, Caden, Issa, Evelyn, Rasmia and Vivienne

Field Day will take place this week:

Group B – Tuesday AM

Group A – Thursday AM

Please have your child dress in gym clothes and shoes. We will not be having any water events this year, however please send an extra drink for your child and apply sunscreen before school if desired. Unfortunately, no parents are allowed to volunteer this year because of covid and social distancing. Thank you to Mr. Moyer for organizing this fun event for us!

Friday will be a half day. Group B will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. (Not 12:45 p.m. as it was early posted by the district.)

I will be absent on Wednesday. There will not be any zoom sessions on Wednesday. I will sign asynchronous work on Schoology.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me. (313)827-7572 or grizzed@dearbornschools.org

Summer Reading – Mrs. Wilcox

Hi Students! 

If you need easy access to reading this summer, please remember that the SORA ebook reader is available 24/7! The free app can be downloaded onto any phone, tablet, or PC, although googling “sora” and choosing “soraapp.com” will take you there as well. You can read thousands of books and audiobooks and add the Dearborn Public Library to add even more choices. There’s always something new to read on SORA! (click on link  for a how-to video on SORA: https://youtu.be/FwrFgQxquZU)

Happy Summer Reading!

Janine Wilcox
Teacher-Librarian