HPS MLD News

March 🍀

Hello March👋

Dear HPS Families,

It is hard to believe that March is already here. Spring and spring break are right around the corner! If you are keeping track, the Spring equinox is Tuesday, March 20. It will not be long before the warm weather arrives. Our spring parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for March 13. This presents a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress in school. As you are aware, home-to-school communication is an important factor in your child’s success in school. This is a time of year that students make the most academic and social learning improvements. As such, please make school a priority.

Help Your Child Succeed:

Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Prepare clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Do not allow your child stay home unless they are truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, principals, or other parents/guardian for advice on how to make them feel comfortable and excited about learning.
Create backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent/guardian.
Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

Finally, know that you do not have to wait for parent-teacher conferences to call if you have questions, concerns, or needs. We are here to serve your children and your families. Please contact your child’s teacher, the office staff, or the school principal, to set up a meeting to discuss any issues that arise. As always, THANK YOU for being our partners in this important work helping your child enjoy learning and prepare for a bright future!

Sincerely,

Afrin F. Alavi/MLD Director

Mirjana Maros/MLD District Facilitator

Amela Kukic/MLD Admin Assistant

News From MLD District Facilitator

WIDA 2025 Update

As of today, February 19th, we have made impressive progress with WIDA testing. Our goal is to test as many students as possible before the start of Ramadan around March 1st. So far, we’ve tested over 60% of students across all schools, with some schools (such as Holbrook and ECE) nearly completed. The testing environment has been smooth, with only a few minor incident reports, mostly due to internet interruptions during the speaking portion of the test.

Seal of Biliteracy 2025 Update

Currently, 57 students have been recognized with the Seal of Biliteracy achievement. Additional STAMP and LTI assessments are scheduled for April, so we expect this number to grow. If you are the parent of a Junior or Senior, please encourage them to take the biliteracy assessment. The Michigan Seal of Biliteracy is a prestigious award, and students will receive a certificate, a foil seal on their diploma, and a medal during Senior Honors Night. This recognition will also give them an advantage in job and college applications. If interested, please complete the following form.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UquPKXj0c-cuWsWJAq_PkMl79ykmbCHlRolW5TZkcSY/edit

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 13th @ 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. We are looking forward to connecting with all of our families and providing an update on your child(ren)'s social and academic progress. We appreciate your partnership.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It begins and ends with the appearance of the new moon. This year, Ramadan starts around March 1 until March 30/31. For one month, from dawn until dusk, Muslims fast (refrain from eating and drinking) to develop self-discipline and increase awareness and empathy for the poor. Families eat a meal pre-dawn (“suhoor”) and break the fast after sunset each day with a meal (“iftar”). To those who celebrate Ramadan, wishing you and yours, a happy, healthy and meaningful holy month!

Holi is widely celebrated in India and Bangladesh and is also known as the “Festival of Spring” and “Festival of Love,” which typically falls in the month of March. This year, Holi will be celebrated on March 14, 2025. Please join us in wishing our Hindu families, students, and colleagues a “Happy Holi”!

💐🌷Have a safe and restful Spring Break!🌸🐇

ML Home-to-School Coordinating Specialist

We are pleased to announce our partnership with the ACCESS Community Health and Research Center. ACCESS will be hosting monthly educational presentations for parents covering a range of topics.

Join us for an informative session in the upcoming months. Light refreshments will be provided.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming Parent Presentations through ACCESS!

Don't miss out on these informative sessions designed to support you in navigating the challenges of parenting. Save the dates and we look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please feel free to contact me via email or by phone at 313-305-6897 (office) or 313-729-9764 (cell).

Afaf Abdo-Nagi Saleh: ML Home-to-School Coordinating Specialist

313-729-9764

aasaleh@hamtramckschools.org

Languages: Arabic and English

Early Childhool Elementary (ECE)

The shortest month of the year is also the most celebrated month in the year, not only with holidays, but also with our students’ achievements.

Little Cubs were rewarded for their hard and consistent work on I-Ready showing great improvement in Reading and Math. The I-Ready Stars names were displayed in the hallway, and everyone was proud during the ceremony, the principal, parents, teachers, paras, and of course the little Cubs.

i-Ready Stars

100th Day of School

Dickinson East Elementary (DE)

We're excited to announce that the DE ML team has joined the March is Reading Month committee! We're teaming up with classroom teachers, reading specialist and our amazing librarian to create engaging events and activities that will encourage reading, build vocabulary, and promote fun literacy games for our lower elementary students. We’re also focusing on expanding their cultural knowledge by exploring the diverse backgrounds of the 13 countries our students come from. To make this experience even more special, we’re inviting local community members, parents, and authors to read for our students. Stay tuned for all the exciting literacy adventures ahead!

Dickinson West Elementary (DW)

We have been WIDA testing ML students during the month of February and will continue into March.
Students have also been participating in different Black History month activities. This has included daily trivia questions with prizes and door decorating.
Black History Month Spirit Week included the following:

Monday (Jan 24th): Dress to Impress: Dress in your best attire.
Tuesday (Jan 25th): Sports Day: Wear gear or a jersey representing your favorite athlete or sports team.
Wednesday (Jan 26th): Pajama Day: Get cozy!
Thursday (Jan 27th): Culture Day: Celebrate diversity by wearing clothing that represents your cultural heritage.
Friday (Jan 28th): Blackout Day: Wear all black to symbolize unity and solidarity with the Black community.

Count day (Feb 12th) included an i-Ready "pie Assistant Principal Mr. Spayde in the face" celebration for students with the highest number of minutes.

Holbrook

Holbrook’s Restorative Practices

Coordinator, Ms. Sheila Flowers and the PBIS team would like to accomplish the following things:

Character Trait: Honorability February
Character Trait: Encouragement March
Sending Positive Postcards to Students
Culminating Activity each month for students showing Honorability features

Upcoming Field trip: Our Categorical Classroom is planning to visit the Detroit Natural Resources tentatively on March 24, 2025 or on April 7, 2025

https://www.michigan.gov/oac

On February 4, 2025 Author Ruth McNally-Barshaw visited Holbrook.

On Wednesday, February 26, 2025 Author Katy Klimczuk visited Holbrook. Also, on March 12, 2025 Author Denise Brennan-Nelson will visit Holbrook.

March is Reading Month. Activities for March at Holbrook will be announced soon. Stay tuned…

Tau Beta (TB)

2nd and 3rd grade ML students at Tau Beta are going to explore the fascinating world of sheep and wool in the hands-on program at Bowers School Farm. They will learn about the unique physical traits of sheep, the history of sheep farming, and how wool has been used throughout time. This program meets K-5 ELA, Science & Social Studies Standards.

Resources

Encourage your children in Grades 1-8 to work on Summit K-12 daily. This program is located in Clever and working on it consistently will help your child exit the English Language Learner Program/score proficient on the WIDA ACCESS.
Remind your child to complete: iReady Reading and 1 iReady Math Lesson a day.

Fun Learning Experiences

Tau Beta Middle School students successfully completed five skiing and snowboarding sessions at Mt. Brighton. They have acquired not only skiing and snowboarding skills, they learned some new vocabulary words related to winter sports as well as character traits words important for working as a team and supporting each other.

February Activities and Celebrations

WIDA ACCESS 2024-2025 is in the books. Great work everyone! We are looking forward to receiving your test results at the end of June.

Happy Ramadan to those who celebrate!

Kosciuszko Middle School (KMS)

It has been a quiet yet busy month at Kosciuszko Middle School! Students have been focusing on doing their absolute best on the WIDA assessment in all four domains: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Students are also focused on improving their English language skills and learning in all content area classes.

We have a few exciting educational field trips coming up in the next few weeks. Students will be going to the Charles H. Wright African American Museum, Detroit Science Center, and M-Tech. We love learning outside of school as well!

Hamtramck High School (HHS)

As usual, Hamtramck High School (HHS) is always bustling with different events, and this month is especially meaningful as we celebrate Black History Month.

On Friday, February 7, 2025, HHS hosted a FAFSA Workshop Night for students and community members. The event took place from 4:00 – 6:00 PM and included childcare, food, and assistance for students in completing their FAFSA applications. We were thrilled to offer this opportunity for our scholars and community to get help with FAFSA completion.

The WIDA test began on Monday, February 10th, at HHS. Despite some challenges, including severe cold weather and a school cancellation, the test went smoothly. There are 570 ML students at HHS who are required to take the WIDA test. At HHS, the students were tested according to their WIDA levels rather than grade levels to ensure everyone could finish at the same time.

Our senior ML students had the opportunity to participate in two Senior Outings, held on Tuesday, February 11th and Wednesday, February 12th (girls only). The students enjoyed ice skating at the Civic Ice Arena in St. Clair Shores, followed by lunch and bowling at the Garden Bowl in Detroit.

Friendly Reminder: Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 13th, at the Community Center. There will be two sessions: 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. We encourage families to take advantage of this event, as it provides an opportunity to speak with their child's teachers, ask questions, and address any concerns or issues.

We hope to see everyone there!

Horizon

WIDA started at Horizon, and I was able to test most of the students in the first two weeks. Students tested one domain on Tuesday and one on Thursday of the first week. The same thing happened the next week. Make-up is being done as students come to classes. Also, we have new students arriving in the district. First, I screen them, then I test them. It’s difficult but what needs to be done is done.

In February, we had our award ceremony for quarter 2 Shining Stars. Students like to be recognized for the good work that they do.

We are helping students enroll in FASFA, and making sure that everyone who want to enroll is enrolled. I am also checking through students’ CA60s and looking for foreign transcripts that could help students earn the Seal of Biliteracy. At the moment, we are up to 19 students.

We had a snow day and some colder days, and so we have more unanticipated absences. There is not a lot happening now. My biggest concern is finishing the WIDA and making sure that I don’t miss any of the students.