Please click here to view a letter from Principal Jebril at Smith Middle School. I want to reassure everyone that appropriate action was taken by the staff and the Administration at Smith. The actions by the students involved are unacceptable and we have implemented appropriate disciplinary protocol in alignment with the Dearborn Student Code of Conduct. This isolated incident will not interfere with the educational rights of our students to attain a high quality education in Dearborn.

STEM INFORMATION:

There is no enrollment process for our new 6th grade class.  Instead, we will be sending out invitations to the top 120 5th grade students in the district and asking them to apply. If your student is in district, but not a DPS student, there will be an application posted on our blog (https://stem.dearbornschools.org/) mid-February .

We have set a minimum NWEA reading score of 222 and a minimum NWEA math score of 231 as our baseline (winter 2020 5th grade scores).  In addition, students will need to have earned a 3 or a 4 on their 4th grade math and reading M-STEP tests.  However, having these minimum scores does not mean that a student will receive an invitation.  The top 120 students may very well achieve beyond these minimum scores.  Invitations to apply will be mailed home sometime in March.

For a non-DPS student that applies, his/her application will be ranked with the 120 invitations that we send home to DPS students.  If s/he ranks in the top 120, s/he will be emailed an invitation letter and be asked to email his/her interest in attending in the Fall.  If s/he does not rank in the top 120, s/he will not receive a final invitation.  Again, meeting the minimum scores does not guarantee acceptance.

Once the 120 students have responded to their invitations, if we have more than 60 students “accept”, there will be a lottery.

#Students1stDbnSchs-Press Release #33-Dearborn holding Korematsu Day on January 30

Press Release #33/2019-20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 24, 2020
Contact: Danene Charles, Coordinator for Affective Education
(313) 827-8330 charled@dearbornschools.org
David Mustonen, Communications Director
(313) 827-3006 MustonD@dearbornschools.org

Dearborn planning ceremony for Korematsu Day

Dearborn Public Schools is again
remembering civil rights leader Fred Korematsu during a special ceremony, and
the public is invited to attend.  This
year’s event will be held at the Michael Berry Career Center on Jan. 30 from
12:15 to 1:15 p.m.

The ceremony is in partnership with the
Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, Dearborn Schools
Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, Michael Berry Career Center staff,
and School Board Trustee Mary Lane.

Speakers will include:

• Toshiki Masaki – Chair, Michigan Asian Pacific
  American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC)
• Roland Hwang, J.D. – Adjunct Instructor,
  Department of American Culture, University of Michigan and MAPAAC alumnus
• Mary Engelman – Interim Director, Michigan
  Department of Civil Rights
• Dr. Karen Korematsu – Founder and Executive
  Director, Fred T. Korematsu Institute
• Ron Aramaki – Adjunct Instructor, Department of
  American Culture, University of Michigan
• Mary Kamidoi – Former Internee, Rohwer Camp,
  Arkansas

Students from the advisory council will
join dignitaries as they remember the significant contributions that Korematsu
made fighting for civil rights in the United States.

Korematsu’s story is one of belated
triumph over the injustice endured by Japanese Americans during World War
II.  Born in the United States in 1919,
Korematsu defied the U.S. government’s order to report to internment camp after
the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.  He
was convicted for his refusal and appealed his case all the way to the U.S.
Supreme Court, which ruled against him in a 6-3 decision in 1944.

After World War II, Korematsu moved to
Michigan. His conviction was formally vacated in 1983 based on information that
the War Department had misled the Supreme Court with false allegations of
espionage and sabotage.  In 1998,
Korematsu’s courage and activism was honored with the Presidential Medal of
Freedom presented by President Bill Clinton. 
Korematsu continued to fight for civil rights until his death in 2005.

The Fred T. Korematsu Institute was
founded in 2009 to carry on Korematsu’s legacy as a civil rights advocate by
educating and advocating for civil liberties for all communities.  Today, events are held in his memory across
the country every year on or near Jan. 30.

###

#Students1stDbnSchs-Press Release #32-Dearborn mailing Read by 3 letters to 3rd Grade parents

Press Release #32/2019-20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan.27, 2020
Contact: Jill Chochol, Executive Director of Student Achievement – Edsel Ford Feeder Track
(313) 827-3026 chochoj@dearbornschools.org
David Mustonen, Communications Director
(313) 827-3006 MustonD@dearbornschools.org

Dearborn explaining Read by 3 process to parents

Dearborn Public Schools this week mailed letters to the families of all 1,500 third grade students in the District, providing them with information about the Read by Third Grade Law.

The Michigan Legislature passed Public Act 306 in 2016, but the law does not take full effect until this year.  Current third graders will be the first ones forced to repeat that grade if their state M-STEP scores show they are a year or more behind in reading.  Third graders will not start taking the test until late April.

“Dearborn Public Schools does not believe retention is an effective way to help students master a subject or to help them succeed at school,” Superintendent Glenn Maleyko wrote in the letter to parents of third graders. “Our philosophy is to provide your child with quality instruction from the time they become our students.”

The District letter explains that if a student scores below 1253 on the M-STEP, the state will send that child’s family a letter saying that the student should repeat third grade. State letters are expected to arrive by May 23 or 14 days after the Michigan Department of Education receives the assessment results.  Parents should be aware the state plans to send the notifications via certified mail, so someone in the household will need to sign for the letter.

Parents who receive a state letter have 30 days to request an exemption that would allow their student to go on to fourth grade.  The District’s letter stressed that parents have a right as a student’s legal guardian to request a good cause exemption.  In the days after the state notifications arrive, all Dearborn Public elementary schools will hold a meeting to explain the exemption process to parents or guardians and to assist parents who want to request an exemption for their child.  The law provides several reasons why a child would be allowed to continue to fourth grade.

Using last year’s scores as a benchmark, the vast majority of Dearborn Public Schools third graders would have met the reading requirement.  Of the few dozen Dearborn third graders who fell short of required score, all would have qualified for an exemption for other reasons, such as still learning English. How this year’s third grade class will do now that the law is in effect is yet to be seen.

Dearborn Public School’s letter is part of ongoing District efforts to help parents understand the Read by Third Grade Law and its potential impact on students.  Last school year, Dearborn formed a Read by Third Grade Community Task Force, inviting parents and others from the community to participate.  Internally, the District has worked since the law’s passage in 2016 to strengthen its already strong focus on helping struggling students learn to read.  That work included additional professional development for teachers, more intervention and assistance for struggling students, closer monitoring of student reading levels, and increased communications with parents.

“When a student is struggling in any subject area, we will support them with additional programs and early interventions to help that student be successful,” Maleyko wrote.

###

Press Release #31/2019-20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan.21, 2020
Contact: Thomas Wall, Executive Director of Business Services
(313) 827-3014 wallt@dearbornschools.org

Dearborn Schools recognized for budget presentation

For the second year in a row, Dearborn Public Schools has been recognized for excellence in how it presents its budget.

The Association of School Business Officials International recently awarded the district a Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for the current 2019-20 fiscal year.  The group’s MBA and Pathway to the MBA promote and recognize the best budget presentation practices in school districts. 

The budget is handled by Tom Wall, Executive Director of Business and Operations, and his staff.

“We are grateful to receive this recognition.  While financial information for such a large district is inherently complicated, we work to make our information and processes understandable and available to our community, including the Board of Education,” Wall said.

Dearborn Public Schools has a combined annual budget of more than $307 million and approximately 20,700 students.  An overview of the district’s financial records is available on the District website at https://dearbornschools.org under Transparency Reporting.

MBA participants submit their applications and budget documents to a panel of school financial professionals who review the materials for compliance with the MBA Criteria Checklist and other requirements and provide expert feedback that districts can use to improve their budget documents.  Dearborn’s submitted document was more than 370 pages long and included some overview information about the proposed BRICS Bond.

“Districts that apply to the MBA or Pathway to the MBA programs recognize the importance of presenting a quality, easy-to-understand budget internally and to the community,” ASBO International Executive Director David J. Lewis said. “Participating in the MBA or Pathway programs provides districts with important tools and resources they need to communicate the district’s goals and objectives clearly and illustrates their commitment to adhering to nationally recognized budget presentation standards.”

Founded in 1910, the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) is a nonprofit organization that, through its members and affiliates, represents approximately 30,000 school business professionals worldwide. ASBO International is committed to providing programs, services, and a global network that promote the highest standards in school business.

2020-21 Calendar

Press Release #29/2019-20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 15, 2020
Contact: David Mustonen, Communications Director
(313) 827-3006 MustonD@dearbornschools.org

2020-21 Dearborn Schools calendar now available

With winter break over, many families are starting to dream of warm weather and plan summer vacation.  Dearborn Public Schools is releasing next year’s school calendar to assist with that vacation planning.

Again next school year, class will resume in August on the Monday before Labor Day, and students and staff will have both Friday and Monday off for a long Labor Day weekend.  Schools will be closed for two weeks over the winter holidays, a four-day weekend in February 2021 for mid-winter break, six days for spring break over Easter in April 2021, and three days in May 2021 for Eid al-Fitr.

Many factors go into determining the school calendar including a state requirement for 180 days of school, a countywide common calendar, community needs, and professional development obligations.  The administration and the Dearborn Federation of Teachers spend many hours working together on the various details that need to be considered before a final calendar is approved.

The 2020-21 calendar is only the third time the Dearborn Public Schools has had to follow a change in state law requiring schools to provide 180 days of instruction.  That change added five days to the school year.  Another state law requires that school start after Labor Day, but districts are allowed to request a waiver to start earlier.  Next year will be the third year in a row that Dearborn Schools has started before Labor Day.

For Dearborn Public Schools, starting earlier allows schools to continue to get out in mid-June, hopefully before the weather turns too hot.  Many of the district’s buildings are not air-conditioned.  The last day of class next school year will be Friday, June 18, 2021.

The county common calendar sets the dates for winter break, spring break, Good Friday, and Presidents Day.  The school calendar also must reflect the needs of the local community, which for Dearborn means days off around the Eid holidays.  Districts lose some state funding if attendance falls below 75 percent at any building.

The 2020-21 district calendar once again includes late start dates that will be used for professional development and school improvement planning.  The late starts dates have been extremely helpful in providing teachers and principals with time to meet, collaborate with colleagues, work on school improvement goals, and improve student instruction.  The first of the seven late start dates will occur on Wednesday, September 23, and will continue on various Wednesdays throughout the year. 

The 2020-21 calendar is posted on the District’s website and can be accessed by visiting https://dearbornschools.org/district/district-calendars. Visitors will be able to download a PDF version or view an online calendar.  Parents are reminded to check with their child’s school for important events and activities unique to their school and not appearing on the District calendar.

Welcome back to school! January has the following important dates to remember:

Friday Jan. 17- Half Day

Monday Jan 20- NO SCHOOL

Tuesday Jan 21-Half Day

Wednesday Jan 22- Half Day Middle & High School