I am here to support you during the school closure. Please reach me by email at: Adadowl@Dearbornschools.org.
Social Work Support
School year 2020-2021
Welcome. Please reach out to me for support for any reason, especially if you have any feelings or issues that are preventing you from doing your best school work, any concerns or any confusion about how to support your children. I am here to support you & partner with you to come up with solutions.
I look forward to speaking with you!
Email: Adadowl@dearbornschools.org
Phone: 313 827-8660
Hello All,
I hope you are staying safe and well. I wanted to reach out and let you know how social work services can continue while we are out of school. I will be available by email and can set up times for phone or Google Hangout appointments. Appointments would be Monday through Friday for 20- 30 minutes. You can schedule an appointment by emailing me or by calling my google voice number at adadowl@dearbornschools.org
Please remember the importance of taking care of yourself! Below are some tips and ideas:
- Use deep breathing and challenge your thoughts to reduce stress.
- Include relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery.
- Go for a walk, jog, dance, stretch, run up stairs.
- Pick up a journal or sketchbook where you can express your emotions through writing or drawing.
- Make a fidget ball by filling a balloon with rice or flour to reduce anxiety. Take a pipe cleaner and wrap around an unsharpened pencil or popsicle stick.
Here are some additional things you can do to support yourself:
- Avoid excessive exposure to media coverage of COVID-19.
- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories. It can be upsetting to hear and see images repeatedly. Try to do some other activities you enjoy to instill a sense of normalcy.
- Connect with others. Share your concerns and how you are feeling with a good friend or family member. Maintain healthy relationships and limit time on social media.
- Maintain a sense of hope and positive thinking. Try to stay in the present.
These free apps may be useful: Relax Melodies, What’s Up, Breathe, Shine, Simple Habit, Calm and Mindfulness.
Be in touch, Take Care of Yourselves, and let me know if you need anything at all. Feel free to share with friends as needed.
Sincerely,
Ms. Leslie A.
Social Work Support
I am here to support you during the school closure.
Please reach out by emailing me at Adadowl@Dearbornschools.org
Wayne County Regional Enhancement Education Millage Proposal
School districts in Wayne County have placed a proposal on the November 8th ballot to provide added funding for our schools. It is the “Regional Enhancement Millage Proposal.”
If approved by the entire county, the 2 mil proposal will generate approximately $6.2 million from Dearborn but the District will receive $7.8 million in additional funding for our schools. Money would go to local schools starting this year and the millage expires after six years. Continue reading
Wayne County Regional Enhancement Education Millage Proposal
School districts in Wayne County have placed a proposal on the November 8th ballot to provide added funding for our schools. It is the “Regional Enhancement Millage Proposal.”
If approved by the entire county, the 2 mil proposal will generate approximately $6.2 million from Dearborn but the District will receive $7.8 million in additional funding for our schools. Money would go to local schools starting this year and the millage expires after six years. Continue reading
Notice for AOL Email Accounts
Dear Parents,
If you are an AOL email user, please be aware that you may not receive email notifications due to AOL policies. We are working to resolve this issue with AOL.
Thank you for your patience while we work with AOL to make sure you get classroom notifications from your teacher.
Sincerely,
Technology Department
Useful Websites
Math Websites
Math Websites for Practice
Fun Brain
https://Funbrain.com
Find math games by topic or by grade at FunBrain. Students will enjoy playing a variety of math games that reinforce concepts and engage young learners.
Math Blaster
https://Mathblaster.com
The message to Math Blaster’s is clear: “Your success depends on your ability to use your brain and logic skills.” With a space/alien theme, Math Blaster’s lets your students become intergalactic heros based on their math operation and critical thinking skills. Registration is required, but the game itself is free. Be sure to check out the Teacher Section to find Math Blaster for the Classroom.
Multiplication.com
https://multiplication.com
From the Multiplication Grand Prix to the Knight and the Princess, students can practice their basic math skills in a fun and engaging way. There are additional resources available for parents and teachers to help reinforce and teach skills. Check out the Classroom Games section for off-line fun.
Learn Zillion
https://LearnZillion.com
Find lessons that complement what you are studying in the classroom based on the Common Core Standards for grades 3-9. While less of a “math game” site than some of the others on the list, Learn Zillion provides a strong, comprehensive approach to online math education. Take time to explore the free resources available to teachers and parents.
Hooda Math
https://HoodaMath.com
Logic and reasoning, math fact practice, and more make up the free educational games at Hooda Math. There are quite a few games that call for higher order thinking and ask students to problem solve to complete the activities.
Manga High
https://mangahigh.com
Mange High offers free and subscription packages to classroom and homeschool teachers. The free site allows students to play basic games to reinforce math skills and compete against the computer or others. The subscription version gives teachers the opportunity to track students’ progress and see where there are gaps in their basic skills.
Math Game Time
https://MathGameTime.com
Designed for students from Pre-K through 7th Grade, Math Game Time offers fun, educational games. From games like Integer War, Ratio Martian, and Jet Ski Addition, students quickly engage with games that are on-target for their grade and the Common Core Standards.
Math Playground
https://MathPlayground.com
“Play with Numbers and Give Your Brain a Workout” is the motto of Math Playground. Assign students games to play related to logic, number skills practice, geometry, algebra, probability, fractions and more. There are also math word problems and video instruction to help students remember how to solve them. Does your school use Singapore Math?
Math Playground has a section dedicated just to it.
CryptoKids
https://www.nsa.gov/kids/home.shtml
America’s CryptoKids website is sponsored by the NSA and focuses on codemaking and sodebreaking. Students can learn more about cryptology and create and break common codes. There are student resources, high school programs, and even college programs that can be explored. While the site may not focus on basic math skills, cryptology requires critical thinking that essential to student success.
BBC KS2 Bitesize
https://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/
Math practice with a bit of British humor is what Bitesize is all about. Based off of Britain’s standards, the site still
offers ample practice with decimals, factors and multiples,
addition and subtraction, and more. The games are
amusing, but the skill practice is substantial.
Cool Math Games
https://www.coolmath-games.com/
Coolmath-Games has exactly what the name implies – fun and unique math learning opportunities for students. One of the most interesting features is an online jigsaw puzzle section that features a variety of photos turned into puzzles. This is especially helpful for developing spatial relations in young learners. They have an extensive preview and review of Precalculus and Calculus in addition to their elementary and middle school games and reviews.
It is a comprehensive site worth examining.
https://www.khanacademy.org/- You can also sign up your child on this website.
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Reading Websites
https://www.storylineonline.net
Developed by The Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Storyline Online features accomplished actors and actresses reading some of their favorite children’s books. Each story comes with a free Activity Guide and can be viewed on YouTube or SchoolTube. Rainbow Fish, Wilfrid Gordon Macdonald Partridge, and To Be a Drum are just a few of the books available.
Read to Me
Similar to Storyline Online, Read to Me features popular children’s books being read by famous performers. There are activity guides with hands-on ideas, discussion questions, and lesson plans that can easily be adapted to the Common Core State Standards. Entirely free, the site is colorful and engaging.
We Give Books
A Pearson Foundation Initiative, We Give Books offers students a unique opportunity to read for social good. Each book that is read results in a book that is donated to a charity for children. While the books are not read aloud, they allow students to practice “Read to Self” with a good fit book during center time. There are books for children in preschool through fourth grade.
Starfall
While some areas of Starfall are part of their premium service, they have many early reader stories available for free. Students can follow along as the story is read to them and can, in some instances, help create their own story. The website is highly engaging and a favorite of young readers.
Online Storytime by Barnes and Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/online-storytime-books-toys/379003588/
From The Kissing Hand read by author Audrey Wood toPinkalicious read by Victoria Kann, Barnes and Noble’s Online Storytime has popular children’s books read out loud. While there are no supplemental materials to accompany the stories, this free site is perfect for “Listen to Reading” stations.
Note: The first story begins right away when the page opens so be sure that your volume is adjusted accordingly before clicking the link.
TumbleBooks
https://www.tcpclibrary.org/tumblebooks.htm
https://www.portlandlibrary.com/kidsplace/tumblebooks.htm
TumbleBooks is a pay-for-use site that traditionally sells licenses to libraries and schools. Many public libraries, such as the Tell City, IN Public Library, offer free access to their TumbleBooks account. Students can follow along as the text is read them to help improve comprehension and fluency. Choose from picture books to chapter books. Portland Public Library also has free access to TumbleBookCloud which gives access to Middle and High School level books. If your school decides to purchase a school license, there is also access to the Common Core Portal that includes lessons and quizzes to accompany the books.
International Children’s Digital Library
https://en.childrenslibrary.org/
Discover books from around the world at the International Children’s Digital Library. The free site does not read the books aloud, but students can read them independently during Read to Self or free time. This is a great site for extension activities when learning about different regions of the world and can be used effectively into the middle school grades.
ABCya!
Children can listen to short stories read aloud to them as they follow along with the highlighted text. ABCya! has a variety of educational games in addition to the featured stories. Free resources and materials are available for grades K through 5.
Storynory
Storynory features a collection of original, fairytale, and classic children’s audio stories. Students can follow along with the story as it is read to them, as the text is also included on the site. There are also some great features available that give you the option of downloading the audio to your computer, listening to “catch phrase” explanations, translating text into different languages (especially helpful for your ELL students!), and more.
National Geographic Young Explorers
https://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/index.html
National Geographic Young Explorers is a magazine designed specifically for kindergarten and first grade students. Children can listen to the magazine being read to them as they follow along with the highlighted text. It is a great way to bring interesting non-fiction stories into reading center time.
Oxford Owl
After registering for a free account, you have access to over 250 children’s audio books that can be used in the classroom. The book text is not part of the presentation, so students will not be able to follow along as it is read to them.
Fighting! Managing Anger & Handling other’s who are annoying.
It seems that a number of students are fascinated by fighting. Fighting is against school rules. It can endanger your self or others and it is against the law. We teach students to handle themselves by ‘talking it out’ or using other strategies to handle annoying or upsetting situations. Where can students fight freely? Students can sign up for a marshal arts class, or go out for the wrestling team in middle school or high school. At home, students can arm wrestle with each other (relatively safe, if following rules). Soccer, swimming, basketball, tennis and bike riding (sports) will work tension out of the body so that there isn’t a pent up need to ‘fight’.
Rule #1: STAY CALM: Use deep breathing; take a walk; get a drink of water; talk it out.
Rule #2: Ask the person to STOP. Use a friendly or firm voice; use an I statement.. . . I feel _______ when you _____.
Rule 3#: Ignore: Don’t look at the person; turn and give them your shoulder; don’t talk back (it will turn into an argument).
Rule#4: MOVE AWAY. Run away and stand next to an adult; change your seat; move to another place in line.
Rule#5: Tell and Adult. Once you have tried all the strategies and you are still annoyed.
**ANGER RULES
- It’s ok to feel Angry BUT
- *Don’t hurt others
- *Don’t hurt yourself
- *Don’t hurt property
- -DO talk about it.
- Anger is a feeling and feelings just are.
- Anger is Ok.
- Abuse and Violence are not OK.
- Taken from the book: A Volcano in My Tummy. Helping Children to Handle Anger.
- by: Eliane Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney, 1996.
Ways of Staying Calm and working through Angry Feelings:
Get enough sleep 8-10 hours; Eat Healthy Foods; Sports; Play outside 1+ hours a day; deep breathing; mediation; praying; Art: coloring, drawing, painting, making stuff; Music: play or listen, sing; dancing; movement; Talking with a trusted friend or adult; writing in a journal; hugs from the family.
All of these things allow us to express and move feelings through our body to process what has happened, so the feelings don’t get stuck in the body and cause headaches or stomachaches or other physical ailments. Teaching children coping skills is essential to a healthy lifestyle and may prevent future drug, alcohol or other harmful habits that cause damage to bodies and relationships.
What students report about ‘Not Enough Sleep’.
Third and fourth graders were interviewed, and this is what they had to say about not getting enough sleep.
~No Energy
~Grumpy Mood
~Can’t think
~Get into trouble
~Feel Mad
~Won’t want to go to school, causes us to be ‘late’ or not have enough time for breakfast
~Won’t want to wake up in the morning
Student require between 8 and 10 hours of sleep, to do their best in school. Lack of sleep can cause students to look like they have attention deficit disorder (unable to concentrate or focus and unable to sit still in class).