Hello Oakman Community,

By now many of you have heard that our community has met the health criteria set by our Board of Education and we can start our plan to bring students back to in-person learning through a phased in approach. Please see the timeline below that shows when your child’s grade level will be coming back.   

We have worked very hard to develop a plan that will allow us to safely resume a hybrid model of face to face learning. When we start to bring students back, you will notice that we have added signage and other safety measures to our school, stockpiled PPE’s, and enhanced cleaning procedures.  Also, by the time students start coming back for instruction, all staff members who have chosen to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will have had the opportunity to get at least their first dose.  

The District plan is a phased in approach that will allow us to work through the process slowly and cautiously to ensure the safety of our students and staff.  Of course, each school will face their own unique challenges and we will be working with our staff, students, and parents to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.  

Moving to this next phase is exciting news and we look forward to seeing your children in our classrooms.  We also know that for some it may bring about uneasy feelings or even concern.  Please know that all of us here at Oakman are working to create the very best learning experience for your child while maintaining the safety of all students and staff. 

Be safe and continue to Mask UP! 

Principal

Mahmoud AbuRus 

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General Overview of the Safe Return To School Plan

Our plan will start with face-to-face learning labs on Thursday February 18 through Friday February 26. All students will be attending class through Zoom sessions in the morning. Selected students will attend learning labs. Stay tuned for more information from your students’ teacher.  

The second week after learning labs start, schools will start reopening to all students for blended learning.  With blended learning, students will be in school two days a week – either Monday and Thursday (group A) or Tuesday and Friday (group B) – and will work from home the other days.  Wednesdays will be live online classes for all students.  

The reopening schedule will go as follows:

Please note change of start and end times beginning March 1st

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade

Lunch will be provided in the cafeteria by grade levels

Click HERE for directions on how to get your books!

The 2021 Spring WIDA testing window opens tomorrow, January 27. The WIDA state assessment measures students’ academic English language in the domains of listening, reading, speaking and writing.

Students who will be assessed will be contacted with the dates and times of testing. Testing will take place IN PERSON. Please be assured that all safety measures will be in place so that all students and staff are safe at all times.

WIDA TEST PRACTICE is available on this link. Please take the time to practice a few days before your testing date.

Have a Great Afternoon and Weekend

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. He is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States.

Interesting Facts:

Occupation: Civil Rights Leader

Born: January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA

Died: April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN

Best known for: Advancing the Civil Rights Movement and his “I Have a Dream” speech

King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

There are over 730 streets in the United States named after Martin Luther King, Jr.

He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

He is often referred to by his initials MLK.

https://www.ducksters.com/biography/martin_luther_king_jr.php

PSA: Let’s Be Safe

Dearborn’s Covid-19 numbers continue to be the highest of any suburb in Wayne County on a daily basis, with 88 new cases on Dec. 15.
#MaskupDearborn and help protect yourselves, your family and our community from this deadly disease. This video from Wayne County offers a friendly and compelling message.

https://cdtv.viebit.com/player.php?hash=wXjyHYUHmtZx

Below are some direct links for library activities and services

Library Website: https://dearbornlibrary.org  This includes searching the library catalog to place requests and a tile to use Shelf Help.

Information about Curbside Service: https://dearbornlibrary.org/wordpress/curbside-pickup/

Shelf Help: https://dearbornlibrary.org/wordpress/new-shelf-help-service/  Shelf Help is a service that gives people who don’t know specifically what they want the ability to answer a few questions and have a librarian select and reserve books for Curbside Pickup.

Library Virtual Classroom Visits:  https://dearbornlibrary.org/wordpress/library-visit/   While this link talks about physical visits, it can be used to request Virtual Visits.

BookLetters Signup: http://library.booksite.com/5469/signup/?list=NLSGN  This will let you sign up for all of the library newsletters.<https://d>

Library Events Calendar: http://dearbornlibrarymi.evanced.info/signup/calendar?ag=&et=&dt=mo&mo=&df=calendar&cn=0&private=0&ln=ALL   This will have links to all of the storytimes and announcements and signups for other library events.

Today The Michigan Learning Channel Went on the Air!

Teachers, parents and all caregivers now have a new partner in the education of our children

This statewide learning service provides instructional content through an array of available platforms

Watch the MLC on Channel 56.5 in Southeast Michigan or at MichiganLearning.org everywhere

It’s an historic day for Detroit Public TV and for every public television stations across our great state.

Today marks the official launch of the Michigan Learning Channel. In cooperation with the state’s other public television stations, for the first time we will be making instructional content available to every home and school in Michigan, to enrich the lives and education of all our children.

In Southeast Michigan, the MLC will be broadcast starting today on Channel 56.5.  Public television stations across Michigan are expected to broadcast the Michigan Learning Channel within a few days.

At the same time, the channel – as well as a wealth of other education resources – is available at MichiganLearning.org. We have purposefully made the MLC accessible on an array of platforms, understanding the diverse needs and individual situations of educators, parents and students.

We are grateful to all the public officials, educators and parents who have helped make the MLC a reality. It was a truly remarkable team effort to conceptualize and create an entire new educational service in a matter of months to deal with the challenges posed by the pandemic. But we believe that the type of support the MLC provides teachers, parents and students will be needed and welcome for years to come.

At launch, the Michigan Learning Channel will provide curriculum-aligned instructional lessons and resources, beginning with Pre-K to 3^rd grade programming Monday through Friday.  

The Michigan Learning Channel has commissioned new lessons in math, social-emotional learning and health and fitness, all of which are available now. A team of literacy education professionals selected the English Language Arts (ELA) and English Language Learner (ELL) content being broadcast at launch and is hard at work on a series of new literacy programs featuring Michigan teachers, which will arrive by mid-March.

Sample some upcoming program for Pre-K to 3rd grade at MichiganLearning.org:

• Ages 3-8 (Let’s Learn from WNET)
• Kindergarten Math (from Math Mights)
• First Grade ELA (from Colorado Classroom)
• Second Grade ELL (from Colorado Classroom)
• Third Grade Math (From Math Mights)

In addition to the initial Pre-K to 3rd grade schedule, supplemental content will be available at launch for grades 4-12. Evening and overnight programming also will be available for older students in grades 6-12. Weekends will feature a variety of programming from Michigan sources in social studies and science, as well as documentaries with educational resources.

For all the details and to help you plan, check out the MLC’s January schedule.

Welcome Back Oakman students. We look forward to seeing you all bright and early on Zoom!