DEARBORN — Students in the Dearborn Public Schools system are expected to start school Sep. 7. The district, made up of about 18,500 students at 31 schools, will begin classes for high school students at 7:20 a.m., middle school students at 8:00 a.m. and elementary school students at 8:40 a.m.

Superintendent Brian Whiston is looking forward to a great school year which will incorporate some new programs, including a new framework for teaching literacy.

“This year we will be implementing the ‘Daily 5 + CAFÉ’ literacy framework,” said Whiston. “In the past we had three frameworks for teaching reading, writing and comprehension and we took the best of all three.” While the district had the same three models for teaching literacy, the format for teaching was different at each school, and sometimes in each classroom. The new framework will establish a new method across the district.

The “Daily 5 + CAFÉ” is a framework for elementary school students. The daily five are five activities that the children can choose from that will help them improve in their literacy skills. The choices are reading-to-self, work-for-writing, read-to-someone, word work and listen-to-reading.

“These five activities allow the teacher to meet with other students 1-on-1,” said Norma Jean Sass, associate superintendent of elementary education.  “The purpose is to provide time and direction for students so they can work on their reading and writing, while the teacher can meet with smaller groups or 1-on-1 for assessment and conferencing, talking to students about strategies for improving their skills.”

The CAFÉ are the strategies the teacher will be discussing. CAFÉ stands for Comprehension of what the student is reading, Accuracy in reading, Fluency in reading and Expanding their vocabulary.  When working in small groups or 1-on-1, the teacher will focus on one of these areas, teaching a ‘mini-lesson’ and setting a standard for the student to reach.

Megdieh Jawad, principal of McDonald Elementary School in Dearborn, is looking forward to implementing the framework, and encouraging parents to prepare for it.

“We are going to need a lot of literature available to the children at home. The parents can help the children select material to read at their level and provide a quiet area for them to study,” she said. “The parents in our community offer great support to our school. We cannot do it alone.”

Sass agrees. “Read with the students, ask what they are reading, ask about what they would like to read,” she said. While the school will provide books, the students will have the option to bring material from home, and both Sass and Jawad encourage the parents to help in that selection.

The new classroom setup for the Daily 5 + Cafe initiative offers relaxing areas for kids to improve reading skills at DPS elemenary schools. Photo courtesy of Megdieh Jawad, principal of McDonald Elementary School in Dearborn.

Of course the preparing for school involves more than studying at home. A good sleep pattern is essential, as lack of sleep can lead to attention and behavioral problems.

“The number one thing I stress is that students have to get to bed early,” said Nawal Hamadeh, founder, superintendent and CEO of  Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights. “They also have to get appropriate nutrition. It’s difficult during Ramadan, but you can get them up early and make sure they have a good breakfast before they go.”

Khaled Bittar, M.D., Pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, stressed that sleep, nutrition and good hand hygiene are basic steps that parents can take to ensure the child’s well-being at school.

“It’s very important that kids get enough sleep in general. Those younger than six need about 10 to 12 hours a night. Those over the age of six need about nine,” he said. “Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of diseases.”

Elementary age children are not the only ones who have to go to bed early and make sure they get the recommended amount of sleep.

“Adolescents need 8 to 9 ½  hours, teens and young adults are at risk for poor grades, depressed moods, trouble and problems with friends and fellow students if they do not get enough rest.” Bittar said.

Hassane Jaafar, principal at Edsel Ford High School, included going to bed early among the essential preparations for getting ready to start school again.

“They should start going to bed early, especially the week before school and encourage them to have a positive mindset,” he said.

Bittar recommends a routine to reinstitute bedtimes.

“Begin 30 minutes before bedtime. Start getting them ready. Have a bath and then brush their teeth.  Have them get into their pajamas. If the child is younger you can include reading a story,” he said.  “Have the child have a routine they are familiar with.”

Also new are the graduation requirements for students in Michigan. New requirements have been added for students graduating in and after 2011.

“Parent should also take a look at their schedule, and have a conversation about classes they are taking to be sure they are meeting their needs,” said Jaafar.

“In 2011, the new Michigan curriculum requirements kick in. These will be required of all students who will be receiving their diploma next year. They will need four years of math, four years of language arts, science and social studies,” Jaafar said. “We have had to adapt our course offerings to meet this new curriculum format.”

Hamadeh also made changes to their curriculum to meet the new requirements.

“We have transitioned into trimesters. In this way, students who are having problems will have the chance to finish on time, and students who are advanced will have more of a challenge,” she said.  “Our schedule and counselors ensure that the students are meeting the requirements and admission into higher school. 100% of our graduates enter college.”

Whiston, Jawad, Hamadeh and Jaafar hope that the current support from parents will continue this school year.

“We admire our parents and we are so proud of solid partnership between schools and parents.” Jaafar said.

 “Our parents can play a major role as they have in the past by following up on their children’s progress through parent connect and meetings with teachers and counselors.”

“Parents should set a goal for [their children] to accomplish through the year.” Hamadeh said. “Kids have to have the attitude they will have support from their parents, administration and the teachers. Parents can also visit school before it starts, so that they are familiar with class.  That way they and the children aren’t lost and don’t feel like strangers on the first day. Become familiar with the staff in classroom before school begins and address any issues you can before the first day of classes.”

 “This is a group effort,” Jaafar said. “The school can’t be successful without parental support and we appreciate that support.”