The Explorer

There is something magical about this time of year. There is a sense of anticipation and excitement among students and staff! Students will be off from school for the holiday break from December 22 through January 2. Winter Holiday Parties are on December 21. Some classrooms are watching a movie, while others have special activities planned. For additional information, please contact your student(s) teacher.

In the event school is cancelled or has a late start due to the weather, families will be notified via a phone call. You can also check local television and radio stations.

• If school is one hour late, school busses will run and breakfast will be served.
• If school is two hours late, school busses will run and breakfast will NOT be served.

School officials use their best judgment about school closings and late starts. As a parent, you have the right to keep your student(s) home or to pick them up early from school if you feel weather conditions require this action.

Again, please remember to dress students appropriately for the weather and for outside recess. If students plan to play in the snow, they must be dressed in snow gear. Appropriate snow gear is: snow pants, boots, gloves/mittens, hat, and coat.

Enjoy the holiday break, and we look forward to seeing you in 2024!

Mr. Dan Fischer, Principal

• Dec. 4: 5th Grade Orchestra and Band concert at 7:00 pm.
• Dec. 14: 4th Grade Orchestra concert at 7:00 pm.
• Dec. 19: PTO meeting at 6:00 pm in the Discovery library.
• Dec. 21: Winter Holiday Classroom Parties at 2:00 pm.
• Dec. 22 - Jan 2: No school for the holiday break.
• Jan. 12: No school for teacher work day.
• Jan. 15: No school in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

There is a time and place for everything - fast food should be left for outside of school. Commercial fast food should not be brought in or delivered during the school day - including lunchtime. We appreciate your cooperation.

- Before school if the temperature and/or windchill is zero or below, recess doors will be open at 7:40 am for students to come directly inside the building.

- Safety Patrol students will not be outside on these mornings; they will help direct students inside.

- Students will have inside recess when the temperature and/or windchill is zero or below.

Running late? Please let the office know. If you call and get voicemail, please leave a message. You can also send an email to Jasmine.Iddings@k12.sd.us or Jennifer.Hogan@k12.sd.us.

The 36th annual Teacher of the Year nominations are open! Click here to nominate a teacher https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/teacher-of-the-year-program .

Here is the link to the free/reduced meal application: https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/page/free-reduced-meal-application . You can also scan the QR code below.

Discovery will start its Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP) testing in December. Kindergarten through 2nd grade will test December 4 - 8. Third through 5th grade will test December 11 - 15.

MAP tests determine your student’s instructional level and measure academic growth throughout the school year and from year to year in the areas of reading, math, and language usage. For more information about MAP testing, visit https://www.nwea.org/family-toolkit/.

Here are some things your student can do to prepare:

• Rest: Get a good night’s sleep before the test.
• Eat: A good breakfast on the morning of a test is important. Test taking uses a lot of energy!
• Listen: Listen carefully to the directions and follow them exactly. If the directions are not clear, ask the teacher to repeat them or to explain them again.
• Try: Do your best! Even if some parts of the test seem hard, keep trying and don’t give up.

Here are some things parents/guardians can do:

• Discuss: Help your child understand that a test provides a chance to show what a student knows about a subject and how the teacher can best help the child to learn.
• Support: See that your child maintains regular study habits, but do not ask for extra study time for this test.
• Relax: Reassure your child about the test-taking experience. Students who are calm and sure of themselves do better on a test.

In October, Discovery participated in Socktober by collecting socks for the Bishop Dudley House. Way to go, students! You collected 775 pairs of socks!

Students have been learning different ways to calm down from our 5th grade helpers by using fun ways to take deep breaths.

Third grade students have been working on steps to "talk it out" to solve small problems - a difficult skill for kids and adults.

Second grade students have been practicing the steps to apologize after they are calm. Once they are in the green zone, they can say:

1. I'm sorry for __________ .

2. Next time I will __________ .

3. How can I make it better? __________ .

Students brainstormed creative ways they can repair it with others when they apologize.

Kindergarten is learning about our brain and the Zones of Regulation.

Email: Daniel.Fischer@k12.sd.us

Dean of Students: Mrs. Kristina Becker

Email: Kristina.Becker@k12.sd.us

Location: 1506 South Discovery Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Phone: 605-362-3530 Fax: 605-362-3535