You Are Welcome Here: Supporting Newcomer Students in Dearborn, MI
You Are Welcome Here (#DearbornWelcome) is an award-winning 20-minute film from Colorín Colorado highlighting how the Dearborn, MI public school district is helping its immigrant students succeed. The film features Salina Elementary School and Salina Intermediate School in the South End of Dearborn which serve large populations of families from Yemen.
Extended interviews are available along with other videos and articles from Dearborn below. The film is also available with Arabic subtitles.
Awards and features
- Michigan Emmy Award: Special Program About Societal Concerns, 2020
- Telly Silver Award for Education, 2020
This project is also featured in the AFT's American Educator Spring 2020 edition.
Viewer note: The film includes references to traumatic topics such as violence and family separation.
Acknowledgements
This film was produced with the generous support of our founding partner, the AFT.
Multilingual Tip Sheets
Being Bilingual Is a Superpower!: Tip Sheet in 16 Languages
Learn how you can to read by celebrating your language, culture, and special time together at home. Related resources include:
- A tip sheet in 16 languages, including Arabic
- An animated video available in 8 languages (featured above)
- An outreach guide with ideas for using the tip sheets and video series in family engagement
How to Support Your Child's Social-Emotional Health
Learn how families can support their children's social-emotional health and find support resources in their home languages. This tip sheet is also available in 16 languages, including Arabic.
More from Dearborn, MI
Getting to Know Our Families' Cultural and Social Assets: The View from Dearborn, MI
Nadra Shami currently serves as a Language and Literacy SIOP Trainer in Dearborn, MI. The daughter of immigrants, Nadra grew up in Dearborn and her first job was at the school she attended as a child. In this article written for Colorín Colorado, Nadra explains how Dearborn is supporting its English language learners and immigrant students by developing staff capacity to serve a diverse student population.
How Salina Elementary School Is Helping ELLs Succeed During COVID-19
In this series, learn how school leaders and staff at Salina Elementary, featured in our documentary above, have been supporting students, families, and each other through the COVID-19 pandemic.
- "Grow As You Go": 10 Strategies for Supporting SEL for ELLs
- "Mental health comes first": A Principal Shares Her Priorities for This Year
- Supporting ELL Success with STEAM and Hands-On Learning
- Supporting Young ELLs' Success During COVID-19
- Prioritizing Social and Emotional Support for ELLs, School Staff and Families (Share My Lesson Webinar)