With the change of seasons, please dress your student(s) accordingly. Below are the guidelines that we follow. Please keep in mind, the playground does not have any coverage from the wind.
If you were here for conferences, did you see the hot air balloons flying the hallway and classrooms of K01, K02, and K04? Every student made a hot air balloon by choosing his or her own tissue paper colors and glitter. The project is based off Joanna Gaines’s book, “The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be.” The book beautifully illustrates diversity. The hot air balloons will be flying in the hallway and classrooms all school year!
Discovery’s student council is participating in Socktober! What is Socktober? Each night in the United States an estimated 600,000 people live on the streets and nearly 1300 of those people are in South Dakota. Socktober’s goal is to have people show that even a small act of love - such as donating a pair of socks - can make a big difference in the lives of the homeless.
Discovery’s goal is to collect 1,000 pairs of new socks for the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House in Sioux Falls. Today, Jennie Palmer with the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House visited with student council. The greatest need is adult socks.
We will be collecting socks until October 31. There will be donation bins around the school. Let’s make this the best Socktober yet!
For more information about Socktober, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1YIK5UOnOM
We need your help! Discovery PTO's annual Fall Dance is only a week away, and we still need volunteers to help with setting up games, running games, handing out candy, and with concession sales. If we do not have enough volunteers, we will have to cancel the event. If you can help, please sign-up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44ADAD2CA3FF2-44779527-2023#/
School pictures are here and will be sent home with students today! Please check your child’s backpack. School picture retakes are on Tuesday, October 24, at 8:10 am. Students that are having their picture retaken must bring the original pictures that they ordered and return them to the photographer.
The office does not have access to what you ordered or how it was ordered (online vs. cash/check). If you have questions, please contact Scherling Photography directly at 605-221-1086 or kori@scherlingphotography.com. Thank you!
Discovery’s PTO needs candy donations to give as prizes for the games during the upcoming Fall Dance on October 20. Bags of candy can be dropped off in the office or during conferences - there will also be a bin at the Book Fair. Thank you for helping make this a successful event and for supporting our PTO!
Last week, classroom 204 had a special visitor, Mrs. Varcoe, for their science lesson. Students have been learning about forests, plants, and different animals. They expanded their knowledge of another type of habitat - the ocean! Students learned about different fish, animals, and ocean plants. With the help of Mrs. Varcoe, students made their own ocean and took them home to further explore!
In case you missed it, Keloland did a story on our kindergarten field trip yesterday: https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/sioux-falls-students-take-a-field-trip-to-our-farm/. Classrooms K03, K05, and K06 took a field trip to “Our Farm” in Parker, SD. The other three kindergarten classrooms are going today. Looks like a great time, kindergarten!
Here is the link to PTO's October newsletter https://www.smore.com/0ubq2w. Enjoy!
A huge shoutout and thank you to our PTO! Last Friday, they provided snacks, treats, and a Discovery sticker for all staff. What a great, unexpected surprise!
PBIS is a school-wide approach to promote a safer and more positive learning culture. PBIS stands for positive behavior interventions and support. Consistency between staff and families to support positive behavior among students provides effective instructional time, greater relationships, and an emphasis of self-regulation. To coincide with PBIS, we have implemented "The Explorer Way", which is:
- Take care of yourself: Body to self. Know your zone – self-regulation. Be prepared.
- Take care of others: Be kind. Use manners. Use problem solving strategies.
- Take care of this place: Leave no trace. Respect property. Follow expectations of the area.
By following "The Explorer Way", students can earn compass coins. Every month, we have a school-wide goal to earn 10,000 compass coins. When we hit our goal, students celebrate!
Yesterday, we achieved our September goal so today students celebrated with an assembly magic show by Magician Travis Nye!
Way to go, Explorers!
Did you know that you can check the balance of your student’s lunch money account, by going to https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home. You will need your student’s ID number, which can be found in your Parent Portal (Infinite Campus).
In addition to checking your student’s balance, you will have access to:
-view purchases.
-make payments.
-set-up automatic notifications for low balance.
-set-up recurring payments.
Office staff does not have access to students' lunch accounts or balances.
Students in classroom 201 are plant scientists! They observed and studied roots and leaves from Mrs.Teer’s yard. So many interesting and different roots and leaves! Do we have a future botanist or horticulturist on our hands?
What’s for dinner tonight? Dairy Queen!
Come out to Dairy Queen at 2200 S Marion Rd. between 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm and 10% of your purchase will be donated to Discovery’s PTO.
Students had a great time participating in our dress-up days for JHS Homecoming: https://youtu.be/gXEpPCmRoUc . Enjoy!
Parent Teacher Conferences are right around the corner and with that comes the Scholastic Book Fair. All funds raised are dedicated to teachers and to the library to build not only classroom libraries, but also the Discovery library. We know your time is valuable; however, please consider helping. You can sign-up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44ADAD2CA3FF2-44583296-fall?useFullSite=true#/ . Thank you!
This week, students in the ULE (Unique Learning Experiences) program used GPS receivers to understand latitude and longitude. They learned that Discovery is located at N 43 31.960 (latitude) and W096 49.266 (longitude). Great job, students!
Last week, the Dakota Academy of Performing Arts at the Washington Pavilion had a play for our 4th grade students. The play was titled, “What’s the Difference” and focused on differences and bullying. Students watched with intent and took away some valuable lessons!
Mark your calendar for Tuesday at 6pm! SFSD and experts from Avera are teaming up for the second year of the Family Forum Series. It's 30-minutes of online learning that includes practical advice to strengthen families. September 19 Topic :Benefits of Setting Limits.
Reminder: Gizmos, smart watches, cell phones, and similar devices should be turned off and placed in a student’s backpack before entering the school. Students may turn on their device when they are outside after dismissal. If a student is found with their device - or the device is on and is distracting - it will be taken to an administrator. The first offense is considered a warning and the device will be returned to the student at the end of the school day. Subsequent offenses will constitute an office referral and parents will be contacted.
