DEEC Staff have developed procedures and policies for arrival and dismissal that are designed to keep students safe (always our number one priority!) and support efficient traffic flow. Staff are on hand at arrival and dismissal to provide direction and support students, but it takes the whole team to make this process run smoothly. Please read the specific guidelines for drop-off, pick up, and bus transportation so you can be part of the solution.
THE BASICS: Students should be in their classroom by the start of school at 8:14am. Students can enter the school starting at 7:50am. However, they will be lined up in the main entry hallways prior to the bell. When students arrive by walking or car, proceed directly to the main hallway if before 8:06 am. Between 8:06am and 8:14am students will walk directly to their classrooms. At this time, families can walk their child up to the front door of the school and the student will then walk in on their own. Families will not be allowed in the building for the start of the day drop-off.
THE PROCESS:
Families who wish to drop-off children in the morning must drop them off by pulling into EITHER the Anchor or Beacon parking lots off Dan Hoey Road. If you have students in both the Anchor and Beacon sides, please use whichever lot you’d prefer. Students can enter the building from any main entrance.
Drop-off may occur between 7:50-8:14am (Doors are locked until 7:50am and there is no adult supervision until this time.
Please have your student on the right side of the vehicle, if possible. Students must exit on the sidewalk side of the car for their safety.
Traffic in the front loop will be reduced to one lane so cars will not be able to pass. Please stay in the lane closest to the building and pull down as far as possible.
Students can be unloaded between the marked signs indicating the drop off loops. Please see maps below. Yellow arrows indicate the appropriate drop off areas.
After you have dropped off your student, please safely exit the parking lot
Staff are unable to assist students out of the vehicle. (If you need to assist your student with their car seat, please be sure to park your vehicle in the lot and walk your child to the entrance. Parents/guardians trying to assist children in the drop off loop creates a backlog of cars and therefore blocks Dan Hoey.)
If you would like to park in the parking lot and walk your student up to the building, please remember you MUST use the crosswalk. After the first day of school, families are not allowed to walk students into the building. You can walk your child up to the front door and then they will walk in on their own and meet their classmates in a designated area.
Bus transportation is available for all children who live in the district. If your child has not ridden the bus yet, we are happy to facilitate this transition. You must sign up for busing in advance with the Transportation Department; students may not switch routes to ride home with friends. Bus transportation schedules are here: Bus Routes
Items to note:
Our staff will be outside and inside the building to help students get to their classrooms. If you would like to preview with your child what their morning arrival routine looks like prior to the bell, please share these slides with them: Arrival Expectations 23/24
Community Education Staff will connect with After Care students to show them their meeting place (in the Marketplace). Community Ed Staff will walk students to the After Care program located at Bates. For more information or to register, please visit their website here: DCS Community Education
If your child is planning on walking home, please contact the office to make arrangements.
THE BASICS: Let us know your dismissal pans by completing this form: DEEC Dismissal Form 23/24. Please remember to communicate with your child’s teacher or the Main Office if there is ever a change of dismissal plans.
Families who pick up children should pull into the main DEEC lots on Dan Hoey Road. Families can park in a parking space ineither the Anchor or Beacon parking lots OR the circular loops, and meet their child at the waiting area. Vehicle engines should be turned off. You will note that for dismissal, we will fill two lanes of the circular drives keeping the crosswalk clear. The outdoor concrete area in front of the marketplace, and the grassy areas in front of the Anchor and Beacon buildings will be the student waiting area. They are indicated by colored stars on the map below, and you will notice cones denoting the grade levels outside.
All students will exit the building when the bell rings at 3:07 pm.
All families will walk up to get their children. Please drive slowly and safely in the parking lots.
Families will promptly escort their children to their vehicle.
Families in parking spaces may safely exit the parking lot once they have loaded their vehicle.
Families parked in the circular drive can exit when safe from pedestrians. When exiting from this area DO NOT make a third/center row of traffic. Please wait patiently for the cars ahead of you to exit and drive safely in the designated path. DO NOT cut through the parking lot. This backs up traffic flow and is dangerous for families walking to their vehicles parked in the lots.
If you have students in both Anchor and Beacon, OR multiple grade levels at the DEEC, your older child may walk to meet the younger sibling in their designated area.
If you are waiting for a child to arrive from another school you MUST park in the parking lot. Please do not park in the circular loop and wait, as it blocks traffic flow waiting for other students to arrive.
Families are not encouraged to park on Dan Hoey and walk their children out to the road for pick up. This is unsafe for children and families.
Student Expectations for Dismissal can be found here: Dismissal Expectations 23/24. Teachers will share these routines with their students, but we know that these “Social Stories” are often helpful to review with parents as well.
THREE MUSTS FOR STUDENT SAFETY:
1. EVERYONE PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT MUST USE THE CROSSWALK IN FRONT OF THE MAIN ENTRANCES.
2. CHILDREN MUST BE ESCORTED TO THEIR FAMILY VEHICLE.
3. CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER THE PARKING LOT WITHOUT AN ADULT.
Will your child be late, need to leave early, or be absent?
Call the Anchor Attendance Line at 734-424-4120 or the Beacon Attendance Line at 734-424-4130, select the attendance option, and leave a detailed message. You may also submit absences electronically this year! *DEEC Attendance Submission: “Click To Report an Absence”
Breakfast is available to all students for FREE for 2023-2024!
Students will eat in the Anchor cafeteria. Breakfast is served from 7:50 am to 8:14 am.
Snacks
Classroom teachers will share details of when and what snacks are permissible (due to allergies and other concerns). We always encourage fruits and vegetables!
Snacks are also available to purchase from Dexter Food & Nutrition. Information on the program can be found on the website HERE.
If you would like support with the cost of snacks, please contact our school social workers.
Weather permitting, all snacks will be eaten outdoors.
Lunch
LUNCH OPTIONS: Students may bring their own lunch from home (please label the bag with your child’s name) or take the free school lunch.
If your child has an allergy, complete a Special Diet Statement, and we will work with you to build a menu to suit your child’s needs. Students with allergy plans will also have a supportive seating arrangement in the cafeteria.
Lunch is available to all students for FREE for 2023-2024!
Lunch will take place in the cafeteria. Students will have assigned lunch tables by their classroom. Students with allergy plans will have special seating to keep them safe.
Every student will wash their hands (or sanitize when hand washing is not feasible) before and after lunch. Tables will be wiped down before and after lunch.
If you want to apply for Free and Reduced Breakfast or Lunch, please complete the easy online application or print and complete this form: Free and Reduced Meals Printable Application. Here is a FAQ about the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. Although breakfast and lunch is FREE to all students, qualifying for this benefit helps school funding and offers other discounts for your family. Please contact the office if you have questions regarding this program.
October 2023: We have updated and streamlined our mobile app!
The Dexter Schools Mobile App (Search "Dexter CSD" in Google Play or the App Store) is a great way to stay informed about goings-on at school:
Receive notifications regarding weather-related school closures, scheduled days off, and other urgent news;
Access the following functions: deposit lunch money, pay athletics fees, pay yearbook and other school fees through Eleyo;
Search the Dexter Schools phone and email directory quickly;
Quickly view lunch menus, bus routes, etc.
In addition to district news, you can subscribe to updates from individual buildings. Go to Events, then click the word FILTER in the right top corner of the screen to select the news you want to be notified about. All your news updates are in one place.
This app is available for anyone who wants to follow Dexter goings-on! Student information is only accessible by parents. Find the DCSD Blackboard app in the App Store or on Google Play.
To change your address, complete the change of address form (R2 Student Address Update) in PowerSchool. You can upload your proof of residence into PowerSchool or email it to your building secretary. Please note: address changes cannot be processed without proof of residence.
To change your phone number and/or email, complete the contacts form (R3 Student Contacts Update) in PowerSchool.
What is my student's PowerSchool ID?
As of Fall 2023, parents and guardians can see their students' Student Number (PowerSchool ID) by logging into the desktop version of PowerSchool. (Sorry, this isn't available in the PS mobile app yet). Here is where you will find it once you log in:
The student's PowerSchool ID number is used for lunch accounts and other registrations.
If you haven't yet set up parent access to PowerSchool, contact your school office for assistance.
How do I sign up for emails from my student's teacher/the principal/the district?
Dexter Community Schools uses a mass-messaging platform that draws information from our PowerSchool database to reach families via phone, text, email, and our mobile app. At the beginning of the school year, all families are required to review their student information, including phone numbers and emails, in the Back-to-School Annual Forms. If you have a change mid-year, contact your school office as noted above. The mailing lists for classes, buildings, and the District are automated. Staff create groups each year or semester for specials and extracurricular groups, so contact the specials teacher or program coordinator if you aren't receiving those a few weeks after school starts (it takes a while to set them up). Effective October-November 2023, we are switching to a provider that will allow parents to unsubscribe from selected message lists. We will send out a notification and directions when this is in place.
CAN GRANDPARENTS, ETC. SIGN UP FOR EMAILS?
We recommend that interested non-family parties use the Dexter Schools Mobile App to keep upon school goings-on.
What SHOULD I do if I am not receiving messages?
First, check your email spam folder, and add noreply@dexterschools.org to your address book. Second, check your student's contact information in PowerSchool. A school secretary can make the appropriate adjustments to your student's record. Changing your account email in the PS parent portal does not update your student's record. Last, you may have accidentally blocked us by clicking on the unsubscribe link in any email. That currently removes you from all lists. Your building secretary can determine if this is the case and unblock you. Send a note requesting assistance to the appropriate email below:
deec@dexterschools.org
wylie@dexterschools.org
creekside@dexterschools.org
millcreek@dexterschools.org
dhs@dexterschools.org
From July 1-August 15, contact DCS central offices: info@dexterschools.org or 734-424-4100.
PowerSchool is the student information system software used by Dexter Community Schools. Starting in 5th grade and through high school, teachers post grades in PowerSchool. Parents and guardians of students in all grades use PowerSchool to enroll students and submit updates to student information.
PowerSchool
Dexter Community Schools use PowerSchool to manage student records. Parents and students can login and view class assignments, grades, etc. by going to this link: PowerSchool Login. You will need your student's ID, which you can obtain from the school office. Parents are also assigned a login by the school; the building secretary can help you with those numbers.
Please note: PowerSchool is not available year-round for parent access. During the summer, we have a maintenance period and in August, it is unavailable until the new school year has been activated.
Parents can set up notifications for grades, missing assignments, etc. by making those selections when logged in to PowerSchool.
Parents can now submit updates to contact information in their student's PowerSchool record, including change of address, contact information, emergency contacts, health updates, and more. Directions for using PowerSchool forms are here.
PLEASE NOTE: The PowerSchool Parent Portal is a WINDOW into your child's record, but is not the student's official record. For your convenience, parents can submit updates using the Update Student Information Forms, but these must be processed by staff. Changing the email associated with your parent portal account does not update the email attached to your student.
PowerSchool Mobile App
The PowerSchool Mobile app gives parents and students access to real-time information on grades, attendance, assignments, scores, and comments. With a clean, easy-to-use interface and intuitive design, the app allows parents to monitor their child's proficiency on standards and register to receive immediate alerts specific to their child. The Dexter Schools district code is FZWJ. Keep reading for more help getting set up, if needed.
In an effort to boost reading achievement, Michigan lawmakers passed Public Act 306 in October 2016. On the 2015 NAEP, Michigan was 41st in the nation for 4th grade reading achievement. To help more students be proficient by the end of 3rd grade, the law requires extra support for K-3 students who are not at grade level in reading. The law also states that a child may be retained in 3rd grade if he/she is one or more grade levels behind in reading at the end of 3rd grade.
Parents and guardians of a child who isn't feeling well should consult the following Washtenaw County Health Department Guidance -When Should a Child Stay Home?
Please reach out with any changes in your child’s health to DCS District nurse Rachel Piersol (piersolr@dexterschools.org) or Julie Liskiewicz (liskiewiczj@dexterschools.org). We need current information on health conditions for your child such as food allergies, seizure management, diabetes, asthma, or any other condition that requires school intervention for care. If your child requires medication at school, please let our nurses know. When medication is dropped off at school by a parent, medications must be in the original packages.
Students will use school-issued supplies in the classrooms. All necessary supplies will be provided. Teachers may also have a suggested “wish list” of extra items (i.e. tissues, hHeadphones, disinfecting wipes, sheet protectors, special markers/pens, etc.) that will be shared in their Welcome Letters. Here is a Generic “Wish List” for grade levels.
Classroom teachers will coordinate where students store and organize personal items like coats, hats, backpacks etc. within the classroom and/or lockers.
It is also a good idea to include a change of clothes in your child’s backpack. We understand that accidents could still occur at school and will help your children as needed.
Please label your child's clothing and belongings with their initials to aid us in reuniting them with their owners!
LOST ITEMS
The Anchor lost and found is located by the bathrooms by the front entrance.
The Beacon lost and found is located in the Beacon cafeteria.
We recommend parents check both locations because students from both sides travel throughout the DEEC and can misplace items on either side.
ALL VOLUNTEERS must complete a Volunteer Form. All information you provide is treated confidentially and used only for the purpose of securing background check information. Typically volunteers start after the first month of school. Your classroom teachers and/or PTO will share more information about volunteer opportunities.
Visitors are allowed in the building, but it must be a pre-scheduled appointment with the teacher or the office.
It is always a good time to start gathering yearbook photos! If you have photos from volunteering, class celebrations, school-wide events, etc, please consider sending them to our yearbook coordinator: hunts@dexterschools.org
Yearbook Orders:
Yearbooks will go on sale in late March to early April. More info will be posted here when it is ready.
