Discovery Update

Hello Discovery Families,

If we haven't met yet, let me introduce myself. My name is Julie Bartlett. This is the beginning of my 16th year as the Principal of Discovery Primary School and my 38th year working with primary aged students in public schools. Teaching young students is my passion and I LOVE Discovery. My own children attended Fife Schools and I have spent most of my 38 year teaching career here. My greatest wish is that your child's beginning years are filled with meaningful learning and great friendships. I want the children to love school and want to engage with their teachers and classmates everyday. You will see more growth in your child during the next two years than in any year of their academic times. We are committed to making this online experience meaningful and rigorous and can't wait until we are back to school in person.

I know you have been anxious to hear details about the upcoming school year. Our staffing was finalized last week and the teachers are preparing welcome letters. You should be receiving those letters electronically on or before August 21. Meanwhile I have included some information about recommended supplies, master school schedule, and systems you may need to know about below.

Most of our Discovery teachers and staff members will be returning for this school year, but we do have some staffing changes.

• Mrs. Janice Van Ravenswaay will be teaching 2nd grade at Hedden Intermediate.

• Mrs. Kim Theide will be stepping up from kindergarten to first grade

• Mrs. Rebecca Norman will also be moving up to first grade.

• Mrs. Katie Hall, previously a Kindergarten teacher at Discovery Primary will be moving to Endeavour Intermediate in fourth grade.

• Mrs. Mary McLauglin will be our new librarian. She applied for this position last spring when Mrs. Berg retired and can't wait to get started sharing literature with our students.

• Mr. Ryan Kauffman will not be returning this year. He has accepted a position teaching middle school in another school district.

• Mrs. Sarah Edwards - Sarah is our new Assistant Principal. She comes to us with wide experience in elementary.

I wish you well and know that you can contact myself or our Assistant Principal Sarah Edwards with questions you may have. Our contact information is at the bottom or this newsletter.

Sincerely,

Julie Bartlett, Principal

Discovery Primary School

Q. When do I get to meet my child's teacher?

A. Your Connections Meeting will be scheduled (via zoom) with your classroom teacher on 9/3, 9/4 or 9/8. (Individual invite from your classroom teacher coming soon.)

• Classroom teachers will share: The classroom schedule, where to find the schedule, where assignments & materials are located and provide an opportunity to learn about your child and individual needs.

Q. When does official Distance Learning begin?

A. On-line Distance Learning begins on 9/9/2020. The first 3 days of school will include connection meetings with your child's classroom teacher.

Q. How often will my child's teacher connect with him/her?

A. Your child's teacher will contact him/her daily.

Q. My child has an IEP, how does he/she receive services?

A. Your child's case manager will work with his/her classroom teacher and family to develop the appropriate individualized educational plan and supports with schedule.

Q. My child receives Title/LAP Intervention support in Math and/or Reading, how do they receive these services?

A. Your child's Intervention Teacher will be working with his/her classroom teacher and family to provide these intervention supports and schedule.

Q. My child receives English Language (EL) and/or Speech services. How does he/she receive these services?

A. Your child's EL and/or Speech teacher will be working with his/her classroom teacher and family to provide these supports and schedule.

Q. Is daily attendance required?

A. Daily attendance is required.

Q. Will my child receive Music, Art, PE & Library opportunities for learning?

A. Yes. Every (Tuesday - Friday), from 11:00-11:35, grade levels will receive opportunities for learning in Music, Art, PE & Library. The lessons will be available at alternative times, to accommodate individual needs.

Q. Will my child have opportunities to socialize with his/her peers?

A. Opportunities for (virtual) peer to peer interaction will occur.

Q. If my child has a question will there be opportunities to receive support?

A. Group and One-to-one support will be provided with frequent opportunities for teacher feedback and assessment.

Q. How will I be able to connect with my child's classroom teacher?

A. Teacher and Support Staff will provide a schedule of their office hours.

• Multiple points of contact with teacher/support staff will be provided throughout the school day. (Schedule coming soon from your teacher)
• Connections Meetings on September 3rd, 4th or 8th) - Look for invitation from your teacher.
• Email and other avenues of communication will be provided and communicated by the teacher to families.

Q. What if my child is in daycare or is not able to log-in at the assigned times?

A. We are required to take attendance daily. If you need assistance with this, please coordinate a plan with your classroom teacher.

We know the first day of school is an exciting time for our young students. To help celebrate and commemorate this big day we would like to invite you to send in a picture of your child on his/her first day. Please do not include student or teacher names. We would like to make a giant slide show of our Discovery family. Pictures should be sent to Tim Bayliss.

( tbayliss@fifeschools.com)

• August 31 & September 1st - Material Pick up - Technology and Classroom Supply hand out

• September 3 - K Connections Conferences; 1st Grade Connections Meeting/ Orientation

• September 4 - K Connections Conferences; 1st Grade Connections Meeting/ Orientation

• September 8 - K Connections Conferences; 1st Grade Connections Meeting/ Orientation

• September 9 - Full online classes begins

• September 14 - ILT meeting

Our master schedule is attached here. The school day begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 3:30. Teachers are working on schedules that will allow for whole group, small group and individualized instruction. They will be sending this out with their welcome letters soon. We will also be providing online as well as offline work for students. Our goal is to have some flexibility in the schedule to meet the needs of family schedules.

Other Information regarding schedules and online learning:

• Opportunities for peer to peer interaction will be provided daily.
• In person support and instruction will be provided
• Teacher Feedback and assessment will be provided
• Teacher and Support Staff will provide a schedule of their office hours
• Multiple points of contact with teacher/support staff will be provided throughout the school day.

WE have scheduled times for families to pick up materials that will be needed for the first month of online school. We will be sending home math manipulatives, reading books, workbooks, journals, Chromebooks (if requested) and other needed supplies. Each month we will schedule a time for returning books and picking up the needed supplies for that month. Very soon you will receive a letter from you classroom teacher. The schedule below will make more sense once you receive that letter and know the teacher's name. If you can't make the appointed time you will have the opportunity to pick up materials by appointment.

* If you were unable to pick up the supplies left at school for your preschool or kindergarten student last year, we will hand you those materials along with the materials for this year.

Dates for parent supply pick up/drop off:

August 31 (9:00 - 11:00) - (Tanabe, Sund, Chadwick, Theide, Kiel))
August 31 (12:00 - 2:00) - (Kittleson, Thomas, Jones, Frazier, Johnson)

August 31 (2:00 - 4:00) - (Wasell, Jung, Jean, Nolan, Humphreys, Pahlen,)

September 1 (9:00 - 11:00 ) - (Blaylock, Herpst, Schlumpf, Hart, Lundeen)

September 1 (12:00 - 2:00)- (Matson, Smerer, Hargraves, Buddle, Seymour)

September 1 (2:00 - 4:00) - ( Westlund, Ferguson, Ebbers, Pickel, Norman)

We have created recommended supply lists for use at home. These are materials we plan to use with online learning. If you need assistance purchasing these supplies, please let your classroom teacher know.

Kindergarten Supply List Here

First Grade Supply List Here

Mountain View Community Center Edgewood Backpack Giveaway

2224 104th Ave E, Edgewood, WA 98372

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22ND

10:00AM-12:00 PM

1.DISCOVERY (STUDENTS/FAMILIES) CHECKING OUT A CHROMEBOOK:

As we start the 2020-21 school year with fully online learning, elementary students have the opportunity to check out a district Chromebook to use at home until we return to in-person learning. Checking out a Chromebook is optional at the elementary level.

If you are interested and you are a legal guardian for an primary age student in the Fife School District, please follow the instructions below.

Instructions for Requesting and Agreeing to Check Out a Chromebook

1. Log into your Skyward Family Access account. The website is skyward.fifeschools.com. If you have never logged into your Family Access account, use the "Forgot your Login/Password" link on the login page. Enter your email address (what the school has for your contact information). You'll receive an email with your username and a link to reset your password. If you have trouble or need to update your contact information, please contact the school at 253-517-1200.

2. If you have more than one student in your family, go to the "All Students" drop down menu at the top of the home page and choose the elementary student you want the Chromebook checked out to.

3. Go to Online Forms on the left side and choose Chromebook Checkout or choose the link to the online form in the notification on the news feed on your home page.

4. Review the agreement and click the checkbox indicating that you agree to the conditions for checking out a Chromebook.

5. Submit the form on the second page of the form.

***IMPORTANT***

Complete this form by Tuesday, August 25th and a Chromebook will be prepared and ready for you at your Discovery's MATERIALS PICK UP DAY.

Click here for more information on tech assistance during Covid-19 distance learning.

Both new and returning students who wish to apply for free and/or reduced meals should click the link to the application below. Completed applications must be either scanned and emailed back to Toni Barnett at tbarnett@fifeschools.com or mailed or delivered to Fife School District office.

• The English & Spanish version of the Food Program application and the household letter can be found @ Fifeschools.com, Departments, Food Service, Free and Reduced Lunch Info

• Returning students maintain their prior year’s free or reduced eligibility for the first 30 school days, or until a new application is processed. If a returning student does not have a new application processed by October 15, 2020, they will automatically be transferred to a paid account on the next school day. Families are responsible for any charges incurred.

  Please notify Toni Barnett, Manager of Food Services (253.517.1000) if a returning student has a newly enrolled sibling so that we may extend the 30 school day eligibility to the new student. Families will still need to complete a new application to avoid any unnecessary charges.
  

Skyward is the system we use to keep contact and enrollment information for your child. We will use the current information on their info screen to send mailings home, email notifications regarding school events & information, or in the event of an emergency situation call parents or emergency contacts.

• If you do not have one already, families should sign up for their Skyward account to have access to school communication and student information: skyward.fifeschools.com

• Update your contact information (ie; home address, Email address, cell phone number, emergency contact numbers).

• To look at the information in Skyward log into your Skyward account, then go to Family Access, scroll down to the Student Info tab and look over ALL your information.

• Make sure your student's name is spelled correctly. The way your child's name appears on this screen should be their legal name as this is used to print their high school diploma. (The middle name will only appear as the first letter of the name so you'll want to make sure that the full middle name is spelled correctly before diplomas are printed.)

• Contact Vicky Franklin, Discovery Registrar, to request changes to your student's contact information. vfranklin@fifeschools.com or 253.517.1100 x24569

For more information click on the Family Access Toolkit link below or visit skyward.fifeschools.com

Email: jbartlett@fifeschools.com
Website: http://discovery.fifeschools.com/
Location: 1205 19th Avenue, Milton, WA, USA
Phone: (253) 517-1200
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Discovery Primary