March 2025

Dear District 7 Families,

In this month’s newsletter, I would like to highlight three areas of focus:  District Safety, March is Reading Month, and Calendar events. We will also be featuring Bedford Elementary in this newsletter edition.

District Safety

First, I am proud to share the measures we take to ensure safety, district-wide. The safety and security of our students and staff remain our highest priority. We are committed to ensuring that our schools provide a secure learning environment while maintaining an open and welcoming atmosphere for education. With this in mind, we have implemented the Smart Boot System from LockOut USA across all classrooms in our district. This state-of-the-art security system includes multiple layers of protection designed to strengthen our emergency response capabilities and enhance overall school safety:

• Boot System for Door Barricades – Every classroom is equipped with a barricade device that can be engaged to prevent unauthorized entry during an emergency.
• Pull Stations for Large Open Areas – In spaces without direct access to the Smart Boot System, designated pull stations allow staff to initiate lockdown measures quickly.
• Critical Incident Mapping & Color-Coded Zoning – Our buildings are now mapped with color-coded placards for classrooms, offices, and exterior doors, ensuring rapid response and coordination for law enforcement.
• Smart Tablets for Staff Communication – All staff members have access to smart tablets, allowing them to initiate emergency alerts from anywhere in the building. These tablets also facilitate real-time communication between teachers, administrators, and law enforcement.
• Ballistic Shields at Entry Points – Exterior doorways are reinforced with ballistic shields to provide an additional layer of protection and slow down potential threats.
• Smart Light System for Visual Alerts – This system activates visual warnings throughout the school when triggered by smart tablets, pull stations, or smart boxes, ensuring immediate awareness of any security threat.

By implementing these advanced safety measures, we are taking proactive steps to protect our students and staff in the event of an emergency. While we hope never to need these systems, we are committed to being prepared for any situation. Regular drills are executed to reinforce these skills. 

I also want to reassure the community that the Dearborn Heights Police Department and D7 School District have established new protocols for regular communication, especially during times of critical incidents. 

We appreciate your continued trust and support in keeping our schools safe. Remember to always encourage your children to connect with an adult if they hear or see anything of concern. 

Bedford Elementary

The Bedford Bears have been very busy learning! We kicked off February with Black History and Kindness Month! Bedford hosted our first ever Black History Gallery Walk. Families were invited to come after school and leisurely walk the halls and take a look at all the projects, art work, fun facts, and displays that our Bedford Bears have been working on. At the end of the evening, families were invited to join us in our cafeteria for a special performance. The first presentation was by our own Annapolis High School Step Team. They performed two acts that were phenomenal! The second presentation was by a former Bedford Bear, Ka’Mia Riggins, now a 7th grader, who did a very motivational interpretive dance. It was totally inspirational! 

Kindness Month was also in full swing–from fun kindness acts throughout the month, classroom contests, dress up days, and a culminating escape room activity, to a food drive for families who are less fortunate. We collected nearly 900 non-perishable items for a local food pantry. And how could I forget….a special visit from Roary, from the Detroit Lions!

We also had our very first visit from our Annapolis High School Leap Frogs. The Leap Frogs are high schoolers who get to LEAP back in time to the elementary school and work with our students! We had 16 high school students visit every one of our classrooms to work with our Bedford Bears on various activities. Here is a quote from my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Vecchioni, “It just so happened that a former 4th grade student, now a senior at AHS, was helping my current 4th graders on the same project that she did when she was in my class. It brought tears to my eyes seeing how this project came full circle today. Here we are sharing her work from 2016, when she was a 4th grader. She said it was one of her fondest memories of elementary school!” Our Bedford Bears are still talking about how much fun they had with the big kids. We are looking forward to the AHS Leap Frogs' next visit! 

March is starting off with a bang or should I say….a book! March is Reading Month! Our theme is “Camp Read-A-Lot!” We have a book contest where the students choose a “Book of the Year” and every classroom will receive a copy of that book. Of course the winner is announced during a highly anticipated, nail-biting assembly by our very own Mrs. Moccio, Reading Interventionist. Oh, and she doesn’t stop there! We have an after school event called, “The Happy Camper Family Night.” There will be “camp sites” throughout Bedford with crafts, games, reading under the stars, drawing lessons, books, make-and-take s’mores kits, Tango the therapy dog, and much more!  Throughout the month there are dress up days, bring in a stuffed animal and read days, charades, jokes daily, and a raffle that is out of this world! To top it off, we are having a very special visitor, Mr. Jonathan Rand, the author of Michigan Chillers! Mrs. Moccio always goes the extra mile to make reading FUN!  

Our Bedford classrooms are always bustling with fun activities and learning opportunities! It is a pleasure sharing a glimpse into our school with you all! 

District Calendar and Events

Spring Break

The District will be closed for Spring Break from March 24th through March 28th. Students will not be in session on March 31st; however, teachers will return on this day to engage in rich professional development. All students return from Spring Break on April 1st. 

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr

We are proud to share the ways that we are honoring and supporting our Middle Eastern students and their families, particularly in observance of Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan. Understanding the significance of Ramadan, we are implementing measures to support students who observe fasting. During lunch, each school will provide designated quiet areas where fasting students can spend their lunch period comfortably, away from the cafeteria. This initiative ensures that students have a peaceful environment during this sacred time.

Starting this year, we will observe Eid al-Fitr as an official school holiday. This decision reflects our commitment to inclusivity and allows students and families to celebrate this significant occasion without academic obligations. On March 31st, there will be no school for all students, providing an opportunity for the entire community to acknowledge and respect the importance of Eid al-Fitr. While students will be at home on this day, our teachers will be engaged in rich, professional development.

We believe these steps will create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all students. We value the rich diversity within our district and are committed to honoring and celebrating it.

It is my pleasure to serve as your Superintendent. Together, we create a strong, safe, and successful learning community.

Sincerely,

Mark Kleinhans, 

Superintendent 

Dearborn Heights School District # 7