Author Archives: Jamel Lawera

Friday, February 5

Young 5 and Kindergarten Students only – No school, Teacher professional development Day.

Dear Geer Park Families,

Please see the district message below:

“Please post this on school blogs so that our students and families are aware. 
UPDATE: Per our health officer at WCHD, “Upon return from international travel, an individual should self-quarantine for 7-days, and at the end of the 7-days have another COVID PCR test that needs to be negative before the individual/student returns to school.”

Thank you

Press Release #20 – Remaining late starts to be replaced by a half day

Press Release #20/Feb. 3, 2021

Dearborn Public Schools is canceling the four remaining late starts scheduled for this year and will replace them with one half day on a Friday still to be determined.

The late starts scheduled for Feb. 10, March 10, April 21 and May 5 are canceled, and students and staff will have a regular day of school those days in whatever format the district is conducting class at that time.

Instead of the late starts, students will have a half day of school on the Friday before the district restarts learning labs.  Teachers will use the afternoon to prepare for students returning to the classroom. The district does not yet know what day that will be.  

The Board of Education has set two measures for when the district will reopen schools.  Both are based on reports from the Wayne County Health Department. Dearborn has already improved to at least a D grade on the COVID risk matrix, which is the first requirement.  The second requirement is that Wayne County, outside of Detroit, falls to a 5 percent or lower positivity rate on the weekly report.  This week’s report showed the area down to a 6.2 percent.  The most recent reports are available on the district’s COVID page.

The district expects to tell staff on a Tuesday and the public on a Wednesday when both conditions have been met.  The half day would be that Friday to allow teachers to prepare to return to working in the school buildings.  The Monday after the announcement, learning labs would restart, including those for special education programs funded through Act 18.  Students would start returning to class in buildings for blended learning two weeks later.  The board-approved reopening timeline is posted on the district’s back-to-school website.

This year’s school calendar originally included seven late start dates.  Late starts are Wednesdays about once a month where students report to class an hour later to allow the staff time for professional development before school.  This year, the three late starts in the first semester were cancelled after the district opted to have a soft start to online school.  With this announcement, the district has eliminated all the late starts for this school year.

“In a typical year, late starts are a great tool to allow staff time to come together with their peers for teambuilding and professional development,” said Superintendent Glenn Maleyko. “However, this is not a typical year, and teachers and administrators feel the time would be better used to help make a smoother transition to restarting in-school learning.”

See the revised calendar or visit our district calendar page.

by Katie Hetrick on February 3, 2021

The 2021 Spring WIDA testing window opens tomorrow, January 27. The WIDA state assessment measures students’ academic English language in the domains of listening, reading, speaking and writing.

Students who will be assessed will be contacted with the dates and times of testing. Testing will take place IN PERSON. Please be assured that all safety measures will be in place so that all students and staff are safe at all times.

WIDA TEST PRACTICE is available on this link. Please take the time to practice a few days before your testing date.

“Tomorrow night (Jan. 27), Superintendent Maleyko will hold a virtual Chatting with the Superintendent for the community starting at 5:30.  The event will be held on Facebook and also streamed on YouTube.
Feel free to share this information with your families.
For more information, see our First Bell article.“

Press Release #19/Jan. 26, 2021

“Dearborn Public Schools families and community members are invited to hear updates on various school matters directly from Superintendent Glenn Maleyko on Wednesday, Jan. 27.  

Dr. Maleyko will hold a live, online Chatting with the Superintendent event starting at 5:30 p.m.  Viewers can tune in via the district’s Facebook page or the YouTube or cable channels.  

Chatting with the Superintendent events are informal gatherings that allow the public to hear the latest information about the district and ask questions directly of the superintendent.  The meetings are less structured than school board meetings, allowing Dr. Maleyko and other administrators to answer questions. Questions can be submitted during the event on the district’s Facebook page or starting at noon that day via a Google Form.

Dr. Maleyko started holding Chatting events four years ago, offering a few each year at different school buildings.  Typically, he uses the event to provide updates about current issues in the district and then opens the floor for questions from parents, community members and staff in attendance.  (Those who want to discuss an individual student or staff member should arrange to talk privately with the school principal or the child’s teacher.)

“Four years ago, we discovered this relaxed setting allows for good conversations, the sharing of ideas and a platform that encourages open dialog,” Dr. Maleyko said.  “While we will not be meeting in person for this event, I still hope to have a good conversation with our community members.”by Katie Hetrick on January 26, 2021″

Half Day of School for all students on:

Friday, January 22, 2021

and

Monday, January 25, 2021

Learn more about the meeting, and get a refresher on the current plans and criteria, in our latest First Bell article.

#Students1stDbnSchs Community Letter Regarding Potential In person instruction.

Click Here to view the letter.

by Glenn Maleyko on January 15, 2021

Reminder: No School on Monday, January 18th in observance of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.