DEARBORN STEM ACADEMY NEWS & NOTES
Week of April 20, 2020, Volume 2, No. 31
SPECIAL EDITION #6...SCHOOL CLOSURE UPDATE
SCHOOL VACATION WEEK, APRIL 20-24
DETERMINED
I set and meet challenging goals. I hold high expectations for myself and my future. I never give up.
SELF-C0NFIDENT
ACCEPTING
DSA PARENT..."Thank you and your staff so much for not just the chromebook but all of your support. We are all grateful. Stay safe and healthy."
DEAR Dearborn Community,
WHY DO WE NEED A VACATION? Ha! LET ME TELL YOU JUST A FEW REASONS:
Here is what we have been doing:
LEARNING HOW TO USE NEW APPS
STUDYING ONLINE
TEACHING ONLINE
ATTENDING MEETINGS ONLINE
STAYING CONNECTED TO FRIENDS, RELATIVES, CO-WORKERS
TAKING CARE OF SIBLINGS, CHILDREN, ELDERLY PARENTS
CLEANING
LAUNDRY
COOKING
LEAVING THE HOUSE TO GO TO A JOB
MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY EXHAUSTING WORK...WE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN...I HOPE YOU CAN ENJOY THE VACATION, EVEN IN SMALL DOSES. YOU'VE EARNED IT!
Dana Brown, 781-953-4642, dbrown8@bostonpublicschools.org
Darlene Marcano, 857-205-0223, dmarcano@bostonpublicschools.org
on behalf of the entire DSA Community
Spring Break Enrichment Options
BROUGHT TO YOU BY MEMBERS OF OUR AMAZING DSA STAFF!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16ijW6jPHioFhAB5ye2TprAA95TLoKDmsbR7T0tyHeNE/edit
WHAT: Yoga Workout Class -No materials needed- Just need a space to move.. May be offered other days too- please contact Ms. Mindick directly. mmindick@bostonpublicschools.org
WHEN: Monday 10am April 20, 2020
WHO: Open to all MS & HS students and any DSA Staff
WHERE: Ms. Mindick's Class Found in her Zoom Classroom... here:
WHAT: Adulting 101- Answering Questions about how to navigate the real world This session will deal with everything from Managing money, Credit cards, Overcoming adult mistakes, Adult challenges living in the city... What does it mean to balance work and family life? Please bring Questions you have about how to deal with the real world!
WHEN: Wednesday 10 am April 22, 2020
WHO: Open to HS students and any Staff who would like to share
WHERE: Mr. Dixon's Classes found in his Zoom Classroom... here
WHAT: General Workout class -No materials needed--- just need a space to move in (approx 3ftx10ft at least?),
WHEN: Wednesday 10am April 22, 2020
WHO: Open to all MS & HS students and any DSA Staff
WHERE: Ms. Cordaro's Classes Found in her Zoom Classroom... here.
WHAT: PSAT MATH Review- Dealing with everything you need to know for the PSAT Math sections... Please contact Mr. Dixon if you plan to come so I can address the numbers for the PSAT. mdixon@bostonpublicschools.org
WHEN: Wednesday 10:00 am April 22, 2020
WHO: open to any motivated HS students
WHERE: Mr. Dixon's Classes found in his Zoom Classroom... here
WHAT: Workout class basketball/vertical jump workout -No materials needed-- no materials needed- but if you have a ball or workout bands that would be OK. This would best be done via phone if possible so they could be outside, if not, there are modifications
WHEN: Thursday 11am April 23, 2020
WHO: Open to all MS & HS students and any DSA Staff
WHERE: Ms. Cordaro's Classes Found in her Zoom Classroom... here.
WHAT: Cooking challenge - 10 items that are in your kitchen.... we'll figure out something to make with it?? May be limited to first 8-10 people. We may have breakout rooms.. Or even a competition.. Please Contact Ms. Cordoro to let her know you are coming. ccordaro@bostonpublicschools.org
WHEN: Thursday 12:30am April 23, 2020
WHO: Open to all MS & HS students and any DSA Staff
WHERE: Ms. Cordaro's Classes Found in her Zoom Classroom... here.
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS...VACATION AND BEYOND...
The BPS Office of English Language Learners has created a site with multilingual read-alouds! You can watch stories read in your language or access books to read together. Share also with families and on social media - a great way to pass some time over next week’s break!
Julia is nationally recognized as an award-winning children’s book author and parenting expert. She will do read-alouds every Monday and Friday morning at 9:00 am on Facebook Live.
A repeat tip, but one worth repeating. Audible is making a large collection of stories available for free throughout school closure. Give your eyes a break from the screen, and listen to stories
More resources for students and families...
RESOURCES DURING COVID 19
Call 311 or contact @BOSfoodaccess for food insecurity issues.
Mental Health Resources; found online by visiting https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/coronavirus and clicking on "Mental Health Resources."
Here is the link to the City of Boston page with information about free wifi: https://www.boston.gov/news/internet-connectivity-and-technology-supports-during-covid-19-response
Students can report broken or malfunctioning Chromebooks here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5Nm19e-xW4Pqy-QTxR61jjfBs31W6Nj-5-NPcjsI8HnnyoQ/viewform
Rental relief fund:
boston.gov/rental-relief
Can also call 3-1-1
Mass 211 United Way Program: Families may call 2-1-1 for support
Comprehensive list of resources immediately available: https://www.boston.com/culture/local- news/2020/03/17/how-to-find-help-access-resources-impacted-by-coronavirus
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
BUILD IS A GREAT PARTNER TO DSA AND OTHERS!
APPRENTICE LEARNING HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER!
Apprentice Learning is showcasing DSA's 8th Grade Apprentices on our Instagram page: @apprentice_learning. Add us to see your students career choices and fantastic photographs.
We have also signed 12 DSA rising 9th graders to our City Summer Internship. City Summer Internship is a paid 5-week career exploration program for girls. Interns earn a weekly stipend of $100.
The BPSWeDreamTogether.org website has been updated with immigration resources during the COVID-19. Please check out the website and share the resources with teachers, staff and families that you work with!
WHAT WE HAVE DONE...ARE TRYING TO DO...
- Over 500 chromebooks have been distributed to our students and we continue to search for any student who may still need one.
- We provided students and families 6 opportunities to pick up chromebooks after the school closure and at least five of our staff have delivered chromebooks to a student's home during this time.
- We created a DSA Learning Platform online. https://www.bpe.org/dearborn-stem-academy/; "Classes" began on March 23rd. Staff also hold "office hours" outside of their classroom time for student check-in.
- We created a plan to outreach to every student on a regular basis. This has been challenging as some families struggle with health, internet access, financial worries, family issues etc. We will continue to work to make sure we are still reaching out.
- We created a system to track student concerns and issues and track any follow-up action plans.
- We have made 6 robo-calls in English and CV Creole to our students and families.
- Members of the administrative team have made YouTube videos to say hello to students and families.
- Community partners we had while traditional school was in session continue to be our partners during these extraordinary times. Wow!
- We continue to send out this newsletter to our students and community members.
- We hold weekly grade level team meetings, content team meetings, all-staff meetings, instructional leadership team meetings, administrative team meetings, and student support team meetings. We do these all virtually.
- We met with members of our senior class online to discuss the end of year and graduation.
We have had lots of inquiries from students and parents about the work that is being done during this National Emergency. Here is our stance on the work that is being done by students:
The work we are doing online and offline during this period of time while we are not in school really matters, and though we may not be grading right now per se, YOUR WORK MATTERS. We are logging completion in Google Classroom and giving feedback to students. It can only help your grades and your GPA to stay engaged every day, ask for help when you need it, and stay connected to your classmates, teachers, and school leaders.
We hope this helps.
OUR ATTENDANCE WILL LOOK DIFFERENT NOW. BE ONLINE. STAY IN TOUCH.
Let's communicate!
We will communicate by newsletter with you each week. It will be distributed at the beginning of each school week. The purpose of the newsletter is to inform Dearborn STEM Academy students, staff, and families as well as the greater Dearborn community.
If you would like to add something please submit the contents to the appropriate principal; Co-Principal Dana F. Brown, dbrown8@bostonpublicschools.org or Co-Principal Darlene Marcano, dmarcano@bostonpublicschools.org.
Stories, pictures, calendar reminders, club, activity, and classroom notes are all welcome.
Dana Brown
Darlene Marcano
STEM Fun!
Call, visit, message
Dana Brown, Co-Principal, dbrown8@bostonpublicschools.org
Website: www.dearbornstemacademy.org
Location: 36 Winthrop Street, Roxbury MA 02119
Phone: 617-635-8412
Twitter: @brownprincipal