Online learning in Dearborn will continue until at least mid October after the Board of Education approved the extension during its regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 14.

Dearborn Public Schools started the new school year on Aug. 31 all online until at least Oct. 1.  The Board’s vote on Monday night extends online learning at least until their next meeting on Oct. 12.

The district is also delaying the small group in-school learning labs it had planned to start next week.

The Dearborn community has had a high number of COVID-19 cases per resident in recent weeks, and the board felt it was not yet safe for the community to return students to in-school learning.  Besides the total number of COVID cases, the district considers the number of cases per resident and metrics like the percent of COVID tests that come back positive in the county, called the positivity rate.  The Wayne County positivity rate has risen to its highest point in months at more than 6 percent. 

Dearborn Public Schools has almost 21,000 students. About one-fifth of the students signed up to attend an online only Virtual Learning Program for this school year.  The rest will return to in-building learning once the board approves the reopening of schools.  At Monday’s meeting, the board heard different options for possibly reopening with blended learning where half of the students will attend school at one time while the other half works online from home.

The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education will take up the issue of reopening schools again at its next meeting on Oct. 12.  The public meeting will start at 7 p.m. in the Administrative Services Center, 18700 Audette, Dearborn.  It will also be broadcast live on the district’s YouTube and cable channels, and community members will be able to submit comments online.  State law requires the Board of Education to reevaluate local COVID-19 conditions and reconsider in-school learning every month this year.

The extension of online learning also means that the weekly free student meal distributions will continue on Fridays through at least Oct. 9.  Food is available for any district student or any child under 18 in the household.  Pickups are from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bryant Middle School, Dearborn High School, Edsel Ford High School, Fordson High School, Henry Ford Elementary, the Dearborn Heights Campus (Howe/STEM/Berry Center), Lowrey School, Maples Elementary, McCollough-Unis, McDonald Elementary, Miller Elementary, Salina Intermediate, Smith Middle School, Stout Middle School and Woodworth Middle School. 

For more details on food distribution or for the latest information about online schooling, please visit the district website at www.dearbornschools.org.

Drive Through Book Bag Give Away: Saturday, Sept. 5

Event Date: Sat, 09/05/2020 at 2:00 pm

Location: HFC main campus

To our Dearborn-area community:

If your students need school supplies to start the school year, join us on Saturday, Sept. 5, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for our Back to School Book Bag Giveaway.

• FREE backpacks
• School supplies
• PPE (face masks and hand sanitizer)

Details for Saturday

Arrive on campus through the North entrance on Evergreen. Follow the campus drive to the circle drive at Building L near the South entrance. Remain in your car to receive up to two (2) book bags for your students. Leave campus through the same route you arrived, the North entrance.

Thank You, Event Sponsors!

Henry Ford College Support Staff Association Henry Ford College Foundation HCE South

Contact Information

Leslie Windless
lwindless@hfcc.edu
313-695-7054

Please see the schedule for the first week of school:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L2PTNzsCMX-ZjXWGTLyPJm33IlhNXnfVdLd88T9Skms/edit?usp=sharing

How to access Schoology:

1. Go to Dearborn schools website-student portal:  https://dearbornschools.org/student-portal/
2. Click on Schoology
3. Students use their district credentials (same as last year) to sign in. 

Username = Student Number

Password = Birthdate (mm/dd/yyyy)   For example, if the birth date is April 2, 2020 they would enter 04022020 .

How to access Zoom:

1. Once we start using Schoology, the Zoom link will be posted there.
2. For now, Zoom meeting links will be posted on both the teacher blog & Class Dojo/Remind for you to access. 

How to access Teacher iblog:

1. Go to Dearborn schools website-student portal:  https://dearbornschools.org/student-portal/
2. Click on Teacher sites (iblog classroom websites)
3. Type in teacher name in the search bar   
4. To subscribe to teachers iblog, type your email address & click create subscription.

Please use the link below for back to school information from Dearborn Public Schools

https://dearbornschools.org/backtoschool/

  August 25, 2020   

Dear Becker Families,

I would like to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! Although this is definitely an extraordinary start to a new school year, I am optimistic that we will get through this school year together and that it will be a successful one! I look forward to working with the entire Becker community to navigate our childrens’ social, emotional, and academic learning. As a parent of three children, I understand and can relate to feelings, thoughts and concerns of parents during this difficult time. I will do my best to answer some questions you may have based on common, trending questions in the key points of this letter. I appreciate and welcome all the two way communication! 

Becker Remote Start Learning

As you may know, we are implementing 100% online learning until the week of October 1st, at which point the Covid situation will be reassessed by the district. Keep in mind, traditional grading will be implemented and the students will be accountable for their learning. 

• Platforms: We will be using Schoology and Zoom for all remote learning. More information will be shared soon.
• Online Hours: Full days will now run from 8:55 am -3:50 pm and Half days 8:55 am-12:00 pm
• Schedule: A consistent & structured schedule will be shared during the first week of school. The schedule will include live instruction,breaks, and independent work times embedded throughout the school day. Your child will be expected to be online at 8:55 am on August 31st (your child’s teacher will be contacting you with instructions on Friday, August 28).
• Attendance: Students are expected to be online where they will be live with their classroom teacher at 8:55 am daily. Please communicate with your child’s teacher regarding potential absences.
• Home Routines: It is essential that you establish routines with your child that include consistent bedtime and morning practices, and inform them that they will need to be online daily at 8:55am for live instruction with their teacher. I also encourage you to identify and create quiet spaces or work stations for your child(ren) to support online learning. 
• Learning Labs: Learning labs will begin Sept. 21. They will be virtual and/or optional      in-person support, both 1-1 & small groups. Students will be selected based on academic 

need. Stay tuned for more information regarding logistics and protocols. All safety protocols will be in effect as children begin to attend learning labs.

First Week of School 

The 2020-2021 school year will begin on Monday, August 31, 2020. The entire first week of school will be a half-day beginning at 8:55 am and ending at 12:00 pm. Due to the pandemic, your children WILL NOT be physically reporting to school as they have in the past. Rather, by the end of the day on August 31st, your child’s teacher will be personally calling or sending out a text message on REMIND to set up an appointment for one parent and one student to come in for a brief orientation. During this orientation, the student and parent will be introduced to the teacher, receive log in information for Schoology and Zoom, and receive books and supplies that will be needed for all remote learning. It is essential that your email and cell phone number are accurate in Parent Connect to receive this phone call and other important communications. Directions to update your email and phone information are here: https://sisweb.resa.net/ParentPortal/

During the first week of school (beginning August 31), your child(ren) will work on some independent learning activities, or connect with their teacher online, while they wait for their appointment to come in for an orientation. These activities will be available on my school blog at  https://becker.dearbornschools.org/ This information will also be available on teacher blogs. 

School Supplies

A list of suggested school supplies will be made available on my blog this week. Please refer to this list to help you prepare your child with what they may need. https://becker.dearbornschools.org/

Registration 

If your child is still not registered, please be sure to complete this immediately. Here is the district link to registering. https://dearbornschools.org/services/enroll/ Please contact the Becker school office if you have any questions at 313-827-6950.   

School Year Calendar

Below is the link to the 2020-2021 school year calendar. Please refer to this for all half-days, late starts, and vacation days. https://dearbornschools.org/services/district-calendars/

Please know that our district and the Becker team are still working diligently and more answers will be forthcoming. Please be sure to subscribe to our school blog to stay connected and updated on important information https://becker.dearbornschools.org/. Thank you for your continued support, patience, and flexibility!  I look forward to meeting you all soon.

Thank You,

Zahra Zreik

Principal
Becker Elementary School

Free weekly meal distributions will continue after school starts online this month and will expand to more school locations.  However, the program will have some changes, including requiring proof that the recipients are Dearborn Public School students.

Thursday, Sept. 3, will be the first day for the new school-year program.  Parents or other adults still will be able to pick up a week’s worth of lunch and breakfast items for students.  The adult, though, will need to provide the name, school, and student ID or student number for each student receiving a meal pack. Parents are encouraged to pre-order meal pickup through the Nutrislice website or app.  This will allow them to enter the student information once for the year.  The software will remember the information the next time the adult goes to pre-order.  If they don’t pre-order online, the adult will have to provide the information at pickup.

The meals will continue to be free to Dearborn Public School students.  After the first week, weekly meal packs will be distributed on Fridays, starting with Friday, Sept. 11.   

With the restart of school online, the district is also doubling the number of locations where student meals will be distributed.  Meals will be available for pickup from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. each week at Bryant Middle School, Dearborn High School, Edsel Ford High School, Fordson High School, Henry Ford Elementary, the Dearborn Heights Campus (Howe/STEM/Berry Center), Lowrey School, McDonald Elementary, Maples Elementary, McCollough-Unis, Miller Elementary, Salina Intermediate, Smith Middle School, Stout Middle School and Woodworth Middle School. 

At most locations, adults will be able to stay in their vehicles and pull up to have food loaded in their car. Families that pre-order will be able to use a special designated line. Student meals can be collected from any building, even if the child attends a different school.

Dearborn Public Schools began offering free food distribution in March just days after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered schools to close to slow the spread of COVID-19.  Food distribution was initially funded under emergency provisions of the School Lunch Program.  Food distribution continued over the summer through a separate federal summer nutrition program, which will end in Dearborn with the distribution on Aug. 27.  Neither of those programs required the district to collect student information.  With the restart of school, though, Dearborn Public Schools now is required to link each meal to a district student in order to be reimbursed through the National School Lunch Program.  Each meal pack will contain a breakfast and a lunch for each day of school that week.  Most packs will have 10 meals (five each of breakfast and lunch), but some weeks may be smaller due to days off school.

The district has been distributing more than 60,000 meals a week and has handed out more than 1.25 million meals since the shut down in March.

“We are glad Dearborn Public Schools is able to continue to distribute free nutritional meals to our students,” said Jeff Murphy, director of food services.  “We know this service is important to many of the families who participate.”

Dear Parents,

Your feedback is required and valued. Please respond to the district’s survey link below by June 12, 2020. Please keep an eye out for additional parent surveys in the near future. Wishing you and your family a wonderful and safe summer!

https://forms.gle/DNx3eN8hcRpXsfSs5