DEARBORN STEM ACADEMY
PRINCIPAL NEWS AND NOTES
About the Dearborn...
Dana Brown
Shelley Olsen
Visit us!
What's happening at the Dearborn...
CALENDAR FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS:
Thursday, Sept. 6; full day, 7:30-2:57; see Day 1 and Day 2 info below
Friday, Sept. 7; full day, 7:30-2:57; see Day 1 and Day 2 info below
Monday, Sept.10, full day, 7:30-2:57
Tuesday, Sept. 11, full day, 7:30-2:57
Wednesday, Sept. 12, students are dismissed at 2:00
Thursday, Sept. 13, full day, 7:30-2:57
Friday, Sept. 14, full day, 7:30-2:57
A message from Mr. Brown, Principal, Grades 9-12
We are so excited to welcome you. This year is the year of high expectations for all of us; staff, students, families, and community partners. As high school students you will be expected to get the most out of your high school experience. Through great teaching, advising, internships, and special programs, you will have opportunities to grow and develop as high school students. As adults we are expected to support you, respect you, value you and work with you.
The expectations below are for high school students and give direction and meaning to the upcoming year. I hope you take some time to review them:
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I speak respectfully to all staff and all students within this building.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I show up to school and class on time and ready to learn.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I only use my cell phone in the cafeteria.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I wait until I leave school to use my earbuds or headphones.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I wear a DSA Polo shirt, DSA t-shirt, or DSA sweatshirt every day.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I self-report...if I need some type of DSA shirt I will see a student support person, administrator, or dean in the morning.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I take off my hat, hood, or bandana before I come into the building.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I wear slippers or pajama bottoms at home and not at school.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I believe that clothing depicting harassment, violence, drugs, or weapons is never cool in school.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I take care of my own trash at lunch.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I treat this crown jewel of a building with care and respect. It’s our school.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I really believe in myself and the staff.
I am living up to Dearborn STEM Academy expectations when I dream, plan, set goals, and take positive actions in and out of school in order to succeed.
With all of my support and best wishes,
Dana F. Brown, Principal, Grades 9-12
A message from Ms.Olsen, Middle School Principal
DSA Middle School Community,
WOW! It feels like we have been waiting forever for this day. I cannot wait for our students, staff, and families to get into our new building and start the year. Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time thinking about what we needed to do as a school community to ensure that the learning and the community that we create inside of this building is worthy of the incredible space that has been built and given to us. The city has passed the keys over to us and now, it is our opportunity, challenge, and responsibility to ensure that we think differently about learning, that we hold each other accountable to being safe and supportive community members, and that we all work as a team to ensure that our students are given an environment where learning is the priority, challenges are faced with conviction, and we think about each others as whole people - with more to each of us than meets the eye.
There will be a lot of changes this year - all with the intent of becoming an increasingly safe and supportive school. One of those changes at the middle school level is that we will be using YONDR pouches for student cell phones. Parents should have received information about this program in July, but I want to emphasize that the purpose of this system is to ensure that our students, our teachers, and our community can focus on learning throughout the day. We will support our students and families to communicate with each other when necessary and are encouraged by the outcomes of this system in many schools across the country.
The success of our school, the Dearborn STEM Academy, depends on how each and every one of us work together towards the common goal of creating a learning environment that values our students, our teachers, and our community. I truly cannot wait to see what the team that we have can accomplish this year and in many years to come. Go Wolverines!
Daily Bell Schedule
Thank you Bank of America and Microsoft!
A great turnout for the family barbecue!
Getting to know you...
Uniform...
A DSA t-shirt, polo shirt or sweatshirt. It must say DSA. We are not focused on the pants or the shoes; just look school appropriate.
The WHY of Dearborn STEM Academy
Dearborn STEM Academy students will graduate with the 21st century skills required for college and career success and will be prepared and motivated to serve as thoughtful, engaged citizens, who contribute to the health, vibrancy, and development of their community.
Who We Are
Dearborn Students:
Graduate on a path to rewarding STEM careers.
Have a strong foundational knowledge and skill base in science, technology, engineering and math
Think like STEM professionals. Dearborn students tackle real-world, trans-disciplinary problems by INQUIRING (posing questions, constructing and testing hypotheses, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and communicating their results) and DESIGNING (asking questions, brainstorming solutions, planning and creating solutions, improve upon their designs)
Practice and master professional skills: collaboration, written and verbal communication, problem-solving, organization, dependability, seeking and using feedback
Excited students and families...
Getting ready!
Greeting students!
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; High School Principal Dana F. Brown, dbrown8@bostonpublicschools.org or Middle School Principal Shelley Olsen, solsen@bostonpublicschools.org
Stories, pictures, calendar reminders, club, activity, and classroom notes are all welcome.
Call, visit, message
Dana Brown, Principal, Grades 9-12, dbrown8@bostonpublicschools.org
Location: 36 Winthrop Street, Roxbury MA 02119
Phone: 617-635-8412
Twitter: @brownprincipal
Days 1 and 2
Opening Days
Students come in and eat breakfast and then are directed to LOOK FOR THEIR NAME AND ADVISORY/ROOM NUMBER. THESE WILL BE POSTED PROMINENTLY ON FIRST FLOOR AND IN GYM (FOR HIGH SCHOOL).
HS Advisors should be in their rooms to receive students at 7:40 am. Before 7:40 am, HS advisors should be supporting students to find their advisories on lists posted in the gym or in hallways.
All Middle School Advisors should be in the cafeteria at a table with a sign with their names on it to receive students in their advisories once they find their advisory on the lists posted throughout the gym. MIDDLE SCHOOL ADVISORY TEACHERS ONLY; when the bell rings, you will take your students to your advisory location.
At 7:40 we will ring a bell and high school students will find their way to Advisory. Again, any staff without advisories are guiding students to appropriate location.
DAYS 1 AND DAY 2
It is really important that we start these days in as calm a manner as possible. Getting students into small and supportive advisory groups to start Days 1 and 2 will help us. Introducing DSA expectations immediately will pay dividends for us. On Monday, September 10th we will resume a regular bell schedule with the advisory block matched with the lunch block.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH AND FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH:
7:40-8:27, CHECK-IN/ADVISORY (For Thursday and Friday of this week we’ll open the day with the advisory block).
8:30-9:27, Period 1
9:30- 10:27, Period 2
10:30-11:27, Period 3
11:30-11:57, HIGH SCHOOL Lunch
11:30-12:27, MIDDLE SCHOOL Period 4
12:00-12:57, HIGH SCHOOL Period 4
12:30-12:57, MIDDLE SCHOOL Lunch
1:00-1:57, Period 5
2:00-2:57, Period 6
What am I doing during advisory at the beginning of the FIRST TWO dayS:
You are introducing yourself and welcoming students.
Every advisory teacher will be provided with a folder containing an academic schedule for each of their advisory students. Please distribute them.
Do some community building/DSA expectations intro lesson.
You are redirecting any student in the wrong place. IF ANY STUDENT NEEDS AN ADMINISTRATOR OR A STUDENT SUPPORT PERSON PLEASE SEND THE STUDENT TO THE ATRIUM.
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ONLY - will introduce YONDR (presentation and video to follow) to prepare students for locking their phones up during period 1.
On day 1 Coaches and Principals will be clustered in the Atrium to support students. Deans will be circulating to ensure that students get into advisories as quickly as possible.
What will Administrators and Coaches be doing?
SUPPORTING STUDENTS needing a schedule.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS coming for the first time or late.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS without schedules.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS in crisis, beyond the normal first day angst.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS not yet enrolled or at wrong school etc.