DEARBORN STEM ACADEMY
PRINCIPAL NEWS AND NOTES, Vol. 1, No. 2
Week of September 10, 2018
We got off to a great start last week. Thank you. We saw lots of familiar faces and some new ones too! We are excited to build a community of learners.
As we get ready to start our first full week here are a couple of quick reminders for students and families.
- Breakfast is served each day starting at 7:00 am.
- Our first class starts promptly at 7:30 am. Students are expected to be in their first period class at 7:30 ready to start the day.
- Regular and consistent attendance is a key factor in determining academic achievement. Please support our students by making sure they get to school every day and on time.
On Wednesday, September 12th all Dearborn STEM Academy students will have our first 2:00 dismissal for students.
We wish our Jewish friends within and out of the Dearborn community a joyous Rosh Hashanah.
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.
L&M Bargain Store carries the DSA shirts and sweatshirts. They have two locations, one at 745 Dudley Street in Upham's Corner and one in the Plaza at 640 American Legion Highway in Roslindale.
Here is a link our Student-Family Handbook!
Daily Bell Schedule
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.
Dana Brown
Shelley Olsen
Visit us!
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!
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