Discovery Elementary School -

Future kindergartner? If you have a child starting kindergarten in the fall, please add him or her to our list at https://forms.gle/8CxNdWDZwhzrnbXx5. You will also need to provide: address verification, birth certificate, and immunizations.

On Monday, February 2, complete the SFSD’s official online registration. The online registration does not "open" until Monday. Also, there are two registration options. Please submit the correct online registration, otherwise you may have to start over.
- Existing Families: Log into your Parent Portal to complete the registration.
- New Families: Go to https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/school-registration

Former Discovery student, Julia Shanks, visited classrooms 301 and 303. Julia currently attends Jefferson High School, participates in the Miss America program, and started her own small business. Julia shared her pageant and small business experiences with students, along with encouraging students to follow the Explorer Way: Take care of yourself, take care of others, and take care of this place.

Last week, Jefferson High School Music Tour performed for grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Students watched with excitement the performances by show choir, steel pan, orchestra, and band. What an inspiration to our future musicians!

Starting Friday, January 30, through Friday, February 6, Discovery Student Council is doing a “Super Bowl Food Drive” to help stock the food pantry at Feeding South Dakota and to have some fun before the NFL Super Bowl! Students are encouraged to bring non-perishable items such as:
- peanut butter and jelly
- canned chicken and tuna
- cereal, oatmeal, and pancake mix
- canned fruits and vegetables
- rice and pasta
- kid-friendly snacks and granola bars

There will be large bins available for students to drop off donations.

Every classroom will get a tracking sheet to compete for prizes. For every 25 yards (donations), classrooms can earn a:
- classroom shout-out
- pajama day
- visit from Astro

This is a great service-learning activity for students to help give back to the community!

Check-out remote learning in action! Last Friday, school buildings were closed due to the extremely cold temperatures but that didn’t stop the learning. This kindergarten student and these 1st grade students student stayed safe, warm, and engaged in learning!

Friday, January 23, 2026, will be a Remote Learning Day in the Sioux Falls School District!

iPads and Chromebooks were sent home with each student earlier today. We will not have in-person learning in the schools, but students are expected to connect to their Canvas account from home for assignments and learning resources. They have practiced this at school and know what is expected of them.

Additional information for Students and Families can be found here: https://app.smore.com/n/wgz62

Do you have a child starting kindergarten in the fall? If so, please:
1. Put your child on our list of incoming kindergartners at https://forms.gle/8CxNdWDZwhzrnbXx5.
2. Submit required documents: address verification, birth certificate, and immunizations.
3. On February 1, complete the SFSD’s official online registration.

Yesterday morning, 4th grade students enjoyed inside recess. Even though they couldn’t go outside, students stayed active, creative, and smiling!

This week’s forecast screams cold! Please make sure your student is dressed appropriately for the weather: winter coat, snow pants, hat, gloves, and snow boots. We may not have outside recess this week; however, we want to make sure students are dressed for the elements while going to and from school. Please monitor the weather. Attached are two forecasts provided by the US National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, SD, for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Stay warm!

Classroom 101 students have set their goals for 2026. From drinking more water to getting more sleep to spending more time outdoors!

Classroom 205 is enjoying inside recess today!

Classrooms 101 and 106 are working hard in PE class. You can see the determination in every jump, climb, and toss!

In Music class, classroom 102 is learning about the symphonic tale, “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev. In this programmatic work, a narrator tells a Russian folk story while the orchestra brings the characters to life through musical themes played by different instruments.

Reminder! There is NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 12, for a teacher work day.

School bus 8252 is not running today, so it will be replaced with school bus 8200. The school bus will run on time.

“And Classroom 506’s stockings were hung by the chimney with care. . .”

A shout-out to our specials teachers for providing fun, engaging activities for the entire student body to celebrate reaching our December PBIS compass coin goal - thank you, teachers!

Students had Christmas dress-up days last week: Grinch Day, Evergreen Day, and favorite holiday character day. Check out the fun at: https://youtu.be/lhC1P07xqig.

Reminder! Students are dismissed at 12:45 pm tomorrow, Tuesday, December 23. School busses will run. All students must be picked up by 1:00 pm.

In science class, classroom 506 students taste-tested different ingredients to create a salad dressing. Some of the flavors were so good, while others caused a few noses to turn up!