Welcome ToHicks Elementary

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) provides supplemental food assistance benefits to students who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wayne-Westland Community School District families can visit Food Service page to learn if their child is eligible for P-EBT assistance for September 2021, October 2021, November 2021, or December 2021.

Food Services
Pandemic EBT Information

Wayne-Westland Community Schools has over 25 FREE summer programs to keep your child engaged during the summer! Registration is now open. 

REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR ALL PROGRAMS IS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2022 

Please visit our Wayne-Westland Summer Programs 2022 page for program descriptions and registrations.

What is GEA all about?
The Girls in Engineering Academy (GEA) was created in 2017 to improve academic achievement and increase interest in engineering amongst girls. The overarching goal is to decrease the gender gap in engineering professions by helping girls to excel at science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and eventually pursue engineering careers.

Who can join GEA?
The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) selects 30 rising sixth grade girls every year to participate in a summer and academic year program that continues throughout high school. The program will provide math and science enrichment, engineering and computer science concepts, English/language arts comprehension, hands-on project-based STEM activities, mentoring, virtual field trips to industry, and engineering career exploration.

To register your daughter as a new 6th grade student, apply here: https://events.esd.org/gea-app/

• Summer Program: July 11, 2022 through August 5, 2022 - Mondays through Fridays
• Academic Program: October 2022 through May 2023 - (2) Saturdays a month
   

More information about GEA can be found at our website: www.esd.org/programs/gea/

For questions, please contact:
Dr. Gerald Thompkins, GEA Program Director
gthompkins@esd.org

Ms. Alexandra Lofton, GEA Program Coordinator
alofton@esd.org

Severe weather is expected in our area later this week so we want to share the process and factors the District uses when determining a weather-related school closing. The decision to close school due to inclement weather is not an easy one. We know that it is best for students to be in class, but we can’t control the weather. Our priority is the safety of our students and staff.

More details about our Inclement Weather Procedures

Dear Wayne-Westland Community School students & families,

We are officially halfway through the 2021-22 school year. While this year has certainly had its challenges, I am proud of our community for remaining resilient and working together toward one important goal: the academic success and well-being of our students. With six months of the school year in the books, we thought it a good time to provide our families with a “State of Our Schools” update.

ESSER Funding
As you likely know, our District is anticipating receiving approximately $47,801,861 in ESSER COVID-19 funding. This funding has allowed us to implement new policies and procedures designed to protect the health and wellness of students. This funding also allows us to plan for future improvements to our school buildings and programs, and to advance achievement. To date, we’ve used ESSER funding to provide building nurses, contracted services to support learning, technology purchases, HVAC upgrades, curriculum, virtual learning opportunities, staff costs for the prior year for summer learning as well as ongoing mental health support.

Staffing Shortages
Like many districts across Michigan and the nation, we are facing the challenge of staffing shortages, including teachers, substitutes, professional support staff, bus drivers and more. Wayne-Westland Community Schools is more than a school district—we are a community, and it takes all of us working together to support our students. To address staffing shortages, we have contracted with two staffing referral and workplace solution agencies to assist with our efforts of placing qualified individuals in positions that have been difficult to hire. Additionally, we have worked with our Communications Department to boost social media advertisements targeted for specific openings. We are also active in fostering pre-existing as well as new partnerships with local universities to create a direct line of access for potential teaching candidates. Through these efforts, we have been able to ensure our students are receiving the resources they need to grow academically, socially and emotionally. If you or someone you know is interested in working for the district, please visit our website.

Health and Safety
Our number one priority at Wayne-Westland Community Schools is to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment where students are positioned to thrive in our schools and beyond after graduation. It has been a joy having students and teachers back in the building this year for in-person learning. We’re seeing students participate in hands-on learning once again and building relationships with their peers and teachers through clubs and activities. When children attend school all day, every day, they are more likely to see a boost in their academic and mental well-being. Help your child, and school, achieve success by ensuring they attend school each and every day.

We understand the pandemic continues to be an issue in Wayne County.  I encourage families to monitor for signs of COVID-19 and keep your children home if they have a fever or are feeling ill. We have resources and support available to your student should they have to quarantine. Please continue to practice safe COVID-19 practices such as washing your hands, doing at-home symptom checks, social distancing, wearing masks and getting the vaccine.

Thank you for your continued commitment to Wayne-Westland Community Schools and for partnering with us on your child’s education.  By working together, we can ensure that the second half of the school year is one to remember for our students, our families and our school community.

Sincerely,

John Dignan, Ed.D.
Superintendent