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    Dear Parents and Guardians,

    Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year.   Please review the following reminders for this school year.

    📚 Student Achievement Goals

    • Grades K-2: Our goal is for all students to be reading and working at grade level by the end of the year.
    • Grades 3-8: Students are expected to grow to at least 1.5 grade levels this year.
      We measure this growth using the i-Ready Diagnostic, which is given three times per year.

    🏫 Attendance Matters

    Your child’s success starts with being in school every day. Unless your child is sick or there's an emergency, we ask that they attend daily.

    Did you know? Over 75% of our students missed 18 or more days last year—that’s considered chronically absent.

    Important: If a student is absent 45 days or more, the district may retain them (they may not move to the next grade), and this information will be reported to the State of Michigan, which could impact state benefits for your household.

    ⏰ Be On Time

    • School starts at 7:30 AM sharp.
    • Students should be in their classrooms ready to learn by then.
    • Doors open at 7:10 AM for breakfast, which ends at 7:25 AM.
      If your child eats breakfast at school, please plan ahead so they don’t miss out.

    👕 Dress Code Reminder

    All students are expected to wear their school uniform daily. Uniforms help build school pride and equality. The uniform policy is printed on the back of this letter—please take a look and help your child come to school dressed for success.

     🚫 No Touch Zone

    Durfee is a “No Touch Zone” school. This means no pushing, play, fighting, or physical contact of any kind. We want every child to feel safe and respected at all times.

    📵 Cell Phones & Devices

    To help students stay focused, all cell phones are collected at the beginning of the day and returned at dismissal. This follows the DPSCD district policy and helps limit distractions, so students can stay engaged in learning.

    🙋🏽‍♂️ We Need You!

    We love having parents involved! If you'd like to volunteer, chaperone field trips, or help out, please complete the district’s volunteer clearance form. Your support makes a big difference.

    🚪 Visitor Policy

    For everyone’s safety:

    • All visitors must ring the bell, state their name and reason for visiting, and go directly to the main office for a visitor badge.
    • Early pickups must be made before 2:00 PM to avoid disruption during dismissal.

    💬 Questions or Concerns?

    If you have questions or need to talk, feel free to email me at latoyia.webb@detroitk12.org or leave a message with the main office. I return all calls and messages at the end of the school day.

    Thank you for your continued partnership.
    Let’s work together to help every child at Durfee Elementary Middle School have a safe, happy, and successful school year!

     

     

    Respectfully, 

    LaToyia Webb, Principal