DEARBORN STEM ACADEMY NEWS & NOTES
Week of May 4, 2020, Volume 2, No. 34
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,
Hi all,
Although BPS presented new guidelines for students and staff for the remainder of the school year we are not veering off our course too much.
At the Dearborn we have been focusing on three major points since the closure began more than seven weeks ago and these points align closely with the BPS plans.
1. Can we account for each and every one of our students? All staff members are involved in communicating with students regularly. We want to hear from our students and their families and we will continue to reach out.
2. When we communicate with our students we are asking our students about their immediate needs; their physical and emotional health needs, their food and technology needs, and any financial gaps that may exist. Over the last seven weeks we have secured food, chromebooks, internet hotspots, and referrals to agencies for deeper support for our students and families. We will continue that work. Many of our partners have stepped up and are right alongside us in working with us for you.
3. Finally, we have been teaching online classes since early on in the closure and we will continue to do so. Our staff members will be encouraging and prodding all of our students to join in the work. We want academic progress and success, whatever that looks like for each individual student.
We want to thank all of the families for your continued efforts. We have heard from so many of you who are going to work, working from home, trying to help your student with schoolwork. Some of you are fighting the illness or dealing with family members ravaged by the illness.
Thank you for everything you are doing. Please continue to reach out for anything.
Dana Brown, 781-953-4642, dbrown8@bostonpublicschools.org
Darlene Marcano, 857-205-0223, dmarcano@bostonpublicschools.org
on behalf of the entire DSA Community
Grocery Resource-this Wednesday; you have to register! Reach out to Mr. Fidalgo for assistance.
Amidst the pandemic there is good news for the Dearborn!
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.
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!”