I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow! Please be sure to sign up for a time if you have not already. Here’s the link: Sign Up for Time Link

We will be stationed in the front of Snow School, off of Culver Street on the walkway leading up to school.

Also, please remember to wear a mask and respect the 6ft social distancing guidelines. Bringing a back pack or some type of large bag for getting your items home is encouraged.

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing everyone!!

So much respect,

Mr. D

😁

Our first zoom call today was a HUGE success! Thank you so much for your patience with trying to log in, and helping your student at home…this helps US so much as a TEAM! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Today’s session was so awesome! I got to meet the students, we listened to each other’s introductions, and heard about all the fun things they did over the summer! We went over some items in Schoology and our assignments for today. I feel like I already know them so much more!! The entire class was very respectful and eager to learn…what an AWESOME TEAM!

We will start our school day off every day at 8:55 am with a Zoom Session. 8:55 am is when school starts, and when students will be expected to be up, logged in, dressed for school, and ready to learn.

If you need anything, please feel free to reach out to me at any time. I am here to help, and I WANT to help you make this the most successful, and productive experience possible! My main office hours are from 8:55-3:50 M-F.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: We will NOT have our morning Zoom call tomorrow (Thursday, September 3rd) because I will be in the front of the school having our Meet and Greet, and passing out materials to students and families. Don’t forget to wear a mask, and please respect the 6 ft social distancing guidelines. I really look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Go TEAM 5th Grade!!

With so much respect,

Mr. D

Good evening Team 5th Grade!!

We will have our first live learning session on Zoom on Wednesday, September 2nd at 8:55 am! I will take attendance when you arrive in the call. I am SO excited!!

Since this is our first call together, as always, let’s be patient if any of the technology isn’t working the way we would like it to. We’re all in this together!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GETTING IN TO ZOOM:

1. Go to our Schoology Course.
2. Click the Zoom link on our Materials Page.
3. If prompted, enter the Meeting ID and Passcode given to you.

Here are a few things to remember for tomorrow’s live session:

• Be Respectful. 
• Be aware of your location. Review what is in the background of your camera. 
• Stay on Mute unless it is your turn to talk.
• Speak toward a microphone when talking. If you are using a Chromebook, just talk naturally “at the screen” from around 18 inches away (normal distance of using a Chromebook).
• Your camera is turned on.
• Dress appropriately. Remember, you are “attending” school during this time. 
• Don’t be afraid to share out! I love it when students respectfully take turns and share!

See you all tomorrow morning at 8:55 am!

Respectfully,

Mr. D

I just wanted to say great job to all the students who already completed their Schoology assignment titled, Teamwork! Almost everyone has submitted their assignment! The comments posted in our discussion are fantastic! Well done Team 5th grade!

If you haven’t completed the assignment yet, please do so. It is due by 5 pm today.

If you have any questions please reach out to me to let me know.

I look forward to getting the rest of the responses!

With so much respect,

Mr. D

I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for taking the time to talk with me today! It was such a pleasure to get to know you and to also get to talk with several of the students! I am SO excited for this year!

Also, thank you to those of you that have already signed up for a time for this Thursday’s Meet and Greet/Materials Pick Up! If you haven’t signed up yet please do so as soon as you can. Here;s the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050f4ea8ae29a2f58-meet

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to have your student log in to Schoology tomorrow (Tuesday 9-1-20) morning at 8:55 am. Use this to help you with logging in to Schoology:

There will be an assignment posted under Week 1 in the TUESDAY folder. This assignment will be due tomorrow. Logging in to Schoology will count as your attendance for tomorrow as well. (The assignment won’t post until tomorrow morning). The course they will get the assignment from has an icon that looks like this:

Finally, right now I am looking to schedule our first LIVE VIDEO ZOOM SESSION on Wednesday morning at 8:55 am. I’ll send out instructions on how to log in tomorrow. We’ll use this time to get to know the team, and take attendance…I can’t wait!!

Have a wonderful evening! Go TEAM 5th Grade!

With so much respect,

Mr. D

Happy first day of the 2020/2021 School Year! It’s a beautiful day with so much hope in the air…hope for an amazing school year and new beginnings! I am SO EXCITED to meet ALL of you!!

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be calling sometime this morning, before noon, to introduce myself and help you better understand what this week will look like. I look forward to talking with you!

We will not be having a LIVE Zoom call today, as I will be on the phone most of the morning with families. As for your school work today, here’s what I would like you to do:

1. Explore Schoology by logging in with the instructions provided from yesterday. Again, our “classroom” is still being created, so much of it is not built out yet. However, this is a good time to get familiar with what it all looks like.
2. Write a short paragraph explaining your favorite MOMENT this summer! It could be about anything you did, or even wished you could have done! You can write this on paper, or type it. Don’t worry about how you will turn it in. What I would like is for many of you to read your writing once we meet on Zoom for the first time! I can’t wait to hear ALL about it!! Have fun with it!
3. Read for 30 minutes today and then tell someone in your family a summary of what you read.

Enjoy this first day back!

With so much respect,

Mr. D

Welcome to Team 5th Grade!

I hope everyone had a restful and joyous summer, and is ready for an amazing year of learning!  I’m really excited, and honored, to be your child’s teacher this year!!  While this school year launch will be like none other we’ve ever had, I especially want you to know that we will all be learning together.  As always, your student’s safety and well being, is my top priority.

I’m sure everyone has many questions and wonderings, just like me, but I do want you to know that this is something that thousands of families across the state are experiencing.  So, to reiterate, we are not alone, and I see this as a grand opportunity to not only pull together as a class, but to truly pull together as a community.  You have my commitment, as your child’s teacher, that I will work diligently to launch this school year in the most successful way possible, and continue in that same direction all year long.  

You’re probably wondering what your child should be doing on the first official day of school, Monday, August 31, 2020.  We will be starting the school year as a “soft start” with the first week being all half days.  This means that the first week of school, Monday, August 31 through Thursday,  September 3rd, the school day is 8:55-12:00. Additionally, tomorrow, and the week ahead will be filled with individual calls to families from me, learning more about Schoology, and connecting with students virtually to begin building our team—TEAM 5th Grade!  We’ll take it one step at a time, together!

Please utilize the time tomorrow morning to get familiar with Schoology and checking in for blog and email updates. To check out parent resources for Schoology click on this link: Schoology Resources.  We will also be helping students and parents navigate the new platform in the days to come.

• Schoology will be available for students on Monday morning (8-31-20). Attached is a step-by-step guide on how students login.

• Please be aware that the classroom Schoology course is still under construction as teachers will still be receiving training this week on how to build out this new learning platform, Schoology.  Thank you for your patience!

• To sign into a Chromebook, students use their district credentials:

User Name = Student Number

Password = whatever they set it as last year, we did NOT change any passwords. New students will have their passwords set to their birthday (MMDDYYYY) as per MiStar.

• Students can access Schoology from the Student Portal on the district web site.

• Students using district issued Chromebooks will have two tabs open upon start up, the district student portal page AND the Schoology page.

I will also be sending out more information on our Schoology launch as I receive it. Please do not stress about these new tools as we will practice them together and I will be working with the students in our live meetings on how to use our new tools. Let me know how I can make this transition as smooth as possible for you and your student.

SIGN UP FOR THURSDAY’S MEET AND GREET!

Below is a link for you to sign up for a meet and greet/material pick-up on THURSDAY September 3rd. We will be scheduling staggered times for families to pick up items and say a quick hello.  For everyone’s safety, please respect the social distancing guidelines (6ft) and please wear a mask as teachers will be wearing masks as well.  Please meet on the Culver side on the walkway leading up to Snow School during your scheduled time slot.  Also, PLEASE BRING BACK ANY SCHOOL BOOKS YOU HAVE TO RETURN FROM LAST SCHOOL YEAR.  You may want to bring your book bag for the supplies/materials. I can’t wait to meet everyone, and to see those of you who I have worked with in the past!

LINK TO SIGN UP:

Sign Up Link for Materials Pick Up with Mr. D

Once Schoology is fully up and running I will coordinate a time that I will host a Zoom call to meet the team later this week.  Please keep a close eye on the blog, and email, as I may post directions to small tasks throughout this first week.  I will also be sending out more information on our Schoology launch as I receive it. Please do not stress about these new tools as we will practice them together and I will be working with the students in our live meetings on how to use our new tools. Let me know how I can make this transition as smooth as possible for you and your student.  We are ALL in this TOGETHER!  Go TEAM 5th Grade!

Respectfully, 

Mr. DeSantis

Greetings to ALL!!

I am SO excited to be teaching 5th grade at Snow School this year, and working with you and your student!

I’m sure you have a LOT of questions! Please be sure to subscribe to this blog to receive IMPORTANT updates later this this weekend regarding the first week of school and beyond!

As for now, just remember, we’re all in this TOGETHER, as a TEAM!

Go TEAM 5TH GRADE!!

Respectfully,

Mr. DeSantis

Greetings Parents/Guardians,

On Monday, August 10 the Board of Education approved a plan for all Dearborn Public School students to return to school on-line. Students K-12 will take classes online at least until October 1.  At this time the board will reevaluate conditions to see if it is possible for some or all students to begin returning to their classrooms perhaps in a blended model of in-class and on-line learning.

The District understands there are parents who want their children in a 100% virtual learning program no matter what phase the State is in or how other students in the District are attending school.  For the parents who want a 100% on-line option for the entire school year, the school district has created the Dearborn Virtual Learning Program for students K-12.  Parents selecting this option are opting their children into the program for a one-year commitment. 

In order to meet staffing, transportation, and several other components of our new school environment, it is vitally important to know how many students will join the Virtual Program. Parents seeking more information and/or are interested in opting their child/children in this program are highly encouraged to visit Snow Elementary School on the Culver side on Friday, August 14 from 9am-2pm. School administration and staff will be on hand for enrollment/questions. (This will take place outside with social distancing and masks will be enforced).  If you have children at different grade levels and buildings, you do not need to attend meetings at multiple schools.  Opt-in forms will be available and parents can opt-in all their children at one location.

If you are not comfortable meeting in a safe environment at the school or are unable to attend on one of the scheduled days, please call or email the school so we may discuss this option and begin the opt-in process for your children.

We understand there are many questions, concerns, and uncertainties as we approach the start of the school year.  Our Back to School Reopen Committee has spent many hours considering all of the health, safety, logistical, and educational concerns before making their recommendations. Our Board spent many hours reviewing those recommendations including a six hour Study Session to hear from the various sub-committees and stakeholders.  We are now ready to move forward, together, to ensure what will be an interesting, but great, start to the 2020-21 school year.

Thank you.

Thank you,

Amal Alcodray

Principal

Snow School

Hi there!

The 5th grade signs are being delivered! Be looking for them to be placed in your yard some time this weekend.

😀