DEARBORN STEM ACADEMY NEWS & NOTES
Week of May 11, 2020, Volume 2, No. 35
DETERMINED
I set and meet challenging goals. I hold high expectations for myself and my future. I never give up.
SELF-C0NFIDENT
ACCEPTING
Dear Dearborn Community,
Our school community has been hit hard by the coronavirus as we have seen the death of stepparents, grandparents, and other relatives of our students. Some of our students have been sick as well, with at least one needing to be hospitalized. Others have needed to take a break from schooling because the student is sick or because a parent is sick and the student needs to pick up the slack at home or at their job.
Some of our older students and their parents are the front line workers that everyone hears about; our juniors and seniors and many of their parents are working at Stop & Shop, Market Basket or at any of the area hospitals as cleaners, maintenance, or food service staff. They are in the thick of the virus and are often bringing it home. It’s not a good situation.
Housing insecurity is a big issue for some of our students with some living in Weymouth, Brockton, and Chelsea, making the coordination of the delivery of essential items a challenge. But we have managed to do it.
As a school we have focused on three buckets of priorities:
1. We want to make sure we account for every student by any means available:
- We use phone calls, texting, email, and social media like Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, and the use of emergency numbers if necessary.
- We use friends and classmates and any staff to make sure we know where every student is.
- We’ll go to the house if necessary.
2. When we check in with students we want to know how they are doing and if they need anything?
- Food
- Mental Health Services
- Medical Services
- Technology, Chromebooks and Hotspots-which provide internet access
- Clothing
- Referrals to agencies around rental assistance or other payments
3. Finally, if we have satisfied 1 and 2 we try to engage our students in school work online:
- Meet them where they are at.
- Could be 1 course/subject or all of them.
- Get them to login or at least turn in work via computer regularly.
- Feedback and followthrough loops.
Our school staff members have been amazing with their hard work, commitment and grace. Many will go to any length to support a student and their family.
It’s important to understand that the virus did not cause many of the issues we are seeing, it has just exacerbated them and shone a bright light on them. Many of our students and their families are living day to day, week to week, in the shadows and on the margins. It is the issue of our times.
Contact us with any needs...
Dana Brown, 781-953-4642, dbrown8@bostonpublicschools.org
Darlene Marcano, 857-205-0223, dmarcano@bostonpublicschools.org
on behalf of the entire DSA Community
https://www.bpe.org/dearborn-stem-academy/
EXPLORE THE SITE!
Class of 2020 Graduation
Our students want to experience the thrill of walking across a stage and receiving their diploma in front of family members and classmates. We want that for them.
We know It won't happen on June 10, the original graduation date, but we are hoping it can occur sometime in August. We will keep the entire Dearborn community informed as we learn more.
In the meantime we are supporting our seniors with their college and work plans for the future!
Ps...we'll recognize the 8th graders "Moving Up" to high school with some type of celebration as well.
Dearborn STEM Academy - Roxbury
Dearborn STEM Academy is launching a Innovation Pathway in Manufacturing that will serve 90 students when fully enrolled. The school is collaborating with the MassHire Boston Workforce Board, Gillette as its employer partner to offer internship experiences, and Wentworth Institute of Technology to offer dual enrollment college courses.
Amidst the pandemic there is good news for the Dearborn!
For Immediate Release: April 29, 2020
Contact: Colleen Quinn
Executive Office of Education
Baker-Polito Administration Awards Designations to High Schools with New Programs that Help Students Gain College and Career Experience
BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today awarded designations to 19 high schools for launching new programs, known as Innovation Pathways, that will connect students’ learning to a career pathway by providing work-based learning experiences with rigorous technical coursework. These early career programs provide high school students with a coherent course of study focused on a particular field, while also offering them access to college-level courses and internship opportunities to gain work experience and insight about whether the field is something they would like to pursue in college or a career after high school.
The Baker-Polito Administration launched these early career programs in 2017 to help students develop knowledge and skills related to a chosen field of study before they graduate high school. Many of the early career programs at high schools are in STEM-related fields, including advanced manufacturing, information technology, environmental and life sciences, health care and social assistance and business and finance.
“These early career programs engage students through valuable work experiences and career-oriented coursework that gives them a head-start on their futures,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Innovation Pathway programs provide students tremendous opportunities for future success in and out of the classroom.”
“Innovation Pathway programs build strong partnerships with local employers to give students exposure and experience in their chosen field of study,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Not only do students benefit from this experience, but Massachusetts employers also gain skilled workers who are ready to hit the ground running when they are hired.”
With these new designations, there are now 42 high schools with Innovation Pathway programs, with a total of 99 different pathways. More than 4,000 students are projected to be enrolled in an Innovation Pathway program next year.
“Students who gain skills and knowledge in a particular field of study they have chosen become more engaged in their studies and excited about their potential career options,” Education Secretary James Peyser said. “These early career pathways open doors for many students who may not have thought about careers in biotech, information technology, or environmental science.”
“I’m happy to see so many high schools embracing these early career programs as a way to make learning more relevant and engaging for students,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said. “Students in Innovation Pathways have a better idea of what a career in a given field might look like and how they can prepare themselves.”
Last October, Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito announced the availability of $1.8 million in grants, over three years, from American Student Assistance (ASA), a national nonprofit based in Massachusetts. The grants will help high schools across the Commonwealth develop programs that prepare students for college and careers. Today’s 19 schools receiving designations were awarded a total of $284,675 from the first round of grant funding.
The ASA grants were awarded to the Governor’s Workforce Skills Cabinet to help fund Innovation Pathway programs at high schools across the Commonwealth, and marked the first time that ASA awarded a major grant to a state to support college and career pathways in high schools.
“ASA is extremely proud to support the Innovation Pathways program, which provides critical work-based learning experiences to high school students across the Commonwealth. Right now, this type of exploration and career exposure can play a role in our immediate and long-term workforce recovery, as well as to individual student success, said American Student Assistance CEO Jean Eddy. “Tying real-world experience to classroom learning motivates students, and it helps build the skills and social capital needed to transition into the working world or higher education. We applaud the Baker-Polito Administration for their continue commitment to this program.”
Schools that apply for designation for an Innovation Pathways are required to follow five design principles:
- Equitable access for all students
- Guided academic pathway relating to one of five specified broad industry sectors
- Enhanced student supports
- Relevant connections to career
- Deep partnerships between high schools, employers, and workforce development boards
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
A message from Jaedyn, a Dearborn senior:
I wake up, realizing everyday that not only am I not in school but thousands of other students are in the same shoes as me, thinking of where life is going to take us. I crack open the curtains to let the sun creep in for reassurance that each day we will be okay and we will get through this.It’s been a hard few weeks in quarantine, especially regarding to school work. The energy to get up and recognize that we all have work to do to get somewhere in life each day is the encouragement. College tours, phone calls, emails, each day and every other hour of our senior lives. Sitting in our living room dining table or even on our beds, we’re getting work done for the benefit of showing our parents and family that this quarantine hasn’t stopped us from working hard. Class of 2020, this may be your view now, but September will be a completely different thing. We have to stay strong, everyone! This is our class and even though we might not get the same experience ending our High School years, you did your part regardless & we’re proud of you!”