Superintendent Newsletter » April 2025

April 2025

Dear D7 Families and Staff,


In this April edition of Leading D7: A Message from the Superintendent, I will highlight our Annapolis High School Top 10 Graduates, our AHS College Career Day, opportunities for some family activities, and the showcasing of Pardee Elementary.


Spring is a season of new beginnings, and here in D7, it is also a time of celebration! As the school year enters its final stretch, we take pride in honoring our seniors who are preparing to embark on their next chapter—whether it be college, career, military service, or another exciting path in the workforce. 


Their hard work, dedication, and resilience have brought them to this moment, and we could not be prouder. Behind each graduate is a network of support—our incredible parents, teachers, and staff—who have guided, encouraged, and nurtured these students along the way. Your commitment and tireless efforts have made a lasting impact, and we thank you for being part of their journey.


As we enjoy the warmer days ahead, let’s take time to celebrate these milestones, cherish the memories being made, and continue working together to ensure every student feels supported and prepared for success. 

AHS TOP 10: Congratulations to the Class of 2025 TOP 10! We’re excited to celebrate our Top 10 students at Annapolis High School! One of the many interesting facts about this group is that most have been with D7 since Kindergarten, and two joined us in 4th grade. This speaks to the talents and dedication of our staff and the impact and  importance of continuity in the life of students.
 
AHS TOP 10 STUDENTS:
1. Camryn Poisson
2. Hannah Slawnyk
3. Natalie Bott
4. Brooke Bianchi
5. Zoey Parys
6. Lauren Weaver
7. Yahya Al Husseinawi
8. Addison Jones
9. Zackary Rivas
10. Laney Wolak
College Career Day at AHS: A big “Thank You” goes out to AHS Counseling Staff for organizing this year's Career Fair at Annapolis High School! Many colleges, businesses and service industry representatives had booths for our students to visit!  This is such an exciting time for our students as they plan their next journey.
Construction Update: We are in the process finalizing plans for a very busy construction summer ahead of us! We have three major construction projects taking place in the District thanks to the support of our community through the Building and Site Sinking Fund Millage. The projects include:
 
  1. Classroom Air Conditioning Project at Polk Elementary 
  2. Classroom Air Conditioning Project at Pardee Elementary 
  3. Site Improvement Project at Bedford Elementary 
 
We want to thank the community for their support and truly believe these enhancements will greatly improve our facilities for years to come! 
Summer Fun Camp Registration: The D7 Summer Fun Camp Program runs from June 23rd through August 22nd, 2025. This program is for any student who is in preschool through 5th grade. This Summer Fun Camp is held at Madison Early Learning Center. Registration begins on Thursday, May 1st, 2025 at Madison Elementary School from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m or you can go online and complete the registration form on the District’s website at www.district7.net
 

Summer Lit Lab Registration:   District 7, in partnership with Wayne RESA, is offering a no-cost summer school program for grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade.  Classes will be held at Madison Early Learning Center. (Students must already be enrolled in D7)
 

Lit Lab Features: 
  • Hands-on Labs
    • STEM Kits to engage in active learning and building curiosity.
  • Books for Home
    • Students receive 6 new books, writing tools, Lit Lab bags and more!
  • Math and Literacy
    • Daily instructions in reading, writing and early math skills.
  • Time outside
    • Daily time outside to explore, observe nature, and play.
 
Registration forms can be found on the District website at www.district7.net
Schools of Choice Applications: D7 is accepting applications for School of Choice. Please visit our website for more information. Below are the options for the 2025-26 School Year. The application will be available May 15th, on our website. 
  • Elementary:  The open enrollment period will begin May 15th through June 15th, 2025, with limited openings at each grade level: Kindergarten 60 openings; 1st grade 7 openings; 2nd grade 17 openings; 3rd grade 20 openings; 4th grade 26 openings; 5th grade 30 openings. If the District receives more applications than openings, a lottery draw will be conducted for the open spots.  
  • Secondary: The open enrollment period will begin May 15th through September 12th, 2025, with unlimited openings at each grade level.
Family Fun Night Flyer: D7 is hosting a Family Fun Night for the community. Please see the  flyer below  for the upcoming special event at AHS! All are welcomed to attend:
D7 Family Fun Night
Ecorse Creek and Rain Garden Clean-Up: If you are interested in volunteering or sponsoring a neat community event, please see the information below:
Ecorse Creek and Rain Garden Clean-Up
Pardee Elementary: The Pardee Pandas have been very busy learning and growing! These last couple of months have been very busy. We celebrated Black History Month with various activities including a “Wax Museum”. Our STEP TEAM from Annapolis High School joined us for a performance as well. They put on a great show and even had the student body clapping along in rhythm!! February also included a visit from some AHS Mentor Students to read and mentor some of our students here at Pardee. This is a great addition to our calendar that we hope to continue for years to come.
Pardee Pandas
March had us take a “Dive Into Reading” for March is Reading Month. As usual, Mrs. Tass came up with a super fun calendar of events including contests, raffles, guest readers, and a chance for all students to select a book! Mrs.Tass always goes above and beyond to make reading FUN! The classroom doors were decorated and we had a fun Family Reading Night with various activities for our families to participate in. Another highlight of Reading Month was a visit from Mr. Jonathan Rand, the author of Michigan Chillers! He did a great assembly for the students and EVERY student received an autographed copy of one of his books! Our AHS Mentors also visited during this very busy month.

April is off to a busy start as well. We did a TIGERS DAY to celebrate Opening Day in Detroit (and they won!!), M STEP TESTING is in full swing, and we celebrated our AMAZING PARAS with a delicious breakfast for Paraprofessional Day. Our 3rd and 4th grade classes visited the Eton Center for a movie day with the seniors and we also had an amazing turnout for Kindergarten Round Up!!  Our 4th and 5th grade students battled it out to determine who would represent Pardee at the D7 Spelling Bee. There were some white knuckle moments, but eventually a champion was crowned.

Finally, as part of Autism Awareness Month, we had a special Neurodiversity Spirit Week. As we put a wrap on the 3rd quarter, we invite you to stop in anytime to see all of the great learning that is taking place on a daily basis. Our AMAZING TEACHERS AND STAFF make all of the above events and activities possible!  



Thank you for being part of the D7 community. Here’s to a strong finish to the school year!