Dear Families and Caregivers,
I hope this newsletter finds you well, enjoying today however that brings you joy with your family.
It was a beautiful week back from spring break with the sun shining bright each day! Students took advantage of the warm weather during recess and we conducted a school-wide fire drill. Throughout the week on the morning announcements, we taught students why we practice emergency drills, expectations, and specific procedures to follow. While we hope there will never be a true emergency, by informing students and practicing, we are helping them feel more confident and comfortable. During Friday's fire drill, our entire school exited the building and was accounted for in just 6 minutes. Way to go, rockets!
In May we will begin class placement conversations for the 2025-2026 school year. At Discovery Primary, we follow a systematic process to thoughtfully place every child where they will experience a positive, successful school year. Creating balanced, equitable classes for all is our top priority. Families are welcome to make environment requests by completing the Family Input Form. This is optional. Forms will be accepted through May 2nd. While we value your input and will take it into consideration, we cannot guarantee requests. Thank you for trusting our staff and process in keeping the needs of every child at the forefront. Through our work as a Professional Learning Community, teachers collaborate closely in grade level teams. Grade level teachers follow common pacing, analyze academic data, and often share students during the intervention block. We truly believe all kids are our kids no matter who the assigned teacher might be.
As we approach the final stretch of the school year, we appreciate your continued partnership and support. Our staff is committed to moving forward with a sense of urgency, increased intentionality, and continued collaboration—always keeping our mission of high levels of learning for all students at the forefront. With less than eight weeks to go, it is more imperative than ever that your child arrives at school on time everyday, ready to engage in learning. We're encouraging students to pick up a great book and practice reading at home as well, as we make the final push toward achieving our school-wide goal of 75% of students (or greater) meeting or exceeding grade level reading targets:
- Kindergarten: 31 letter sounds per minute
- 1st grade: 39 words per minute
- 2nd grade: 96 words per minute
Thank you for being part of our Discovery family. Let's make it another great week!
Warmly,
Alisha Maulding, Principal
Danielle Waters, Assistant Principal
Mark your calendars
- April 22 Bus Driver Appreciation Day
- April 22 PTO Earth Day Bingo Event CANCELLED
- April 25 AIM Assembly, K-2 @ 9:40am
- April 28 School Board Meeting @6pm
- May 2 No School; Staff Enrichment Day
- May 5-9 Certificated Staff Appreciation Week
- May 13 PTO Meeting @ 4:30pm in the Sunroom
- May 15 PTO Spring Fest @ Hedden
- May 20 1st Grade Music Concert @ Discovery
- May 21 2nd Grade Music Concert @ Discovery
- May 23 and 26 No School; Memorial Day break
- May 30 Tacoma Rainiers Game (see flyer below)
- June 5 Early Release, Elementary Report Card Prep
Bus Driver Appreciation
Our fabulous PTO is excited to partner with SLMS, Fife Elementary, and Hedden to recognize our amazing bus drivers for Bus Driver Appreciation Day on Tuesday, April 22!
Each day, these dedicated drivers safely transport our students with care and commitment. To show our gratitude, we’re putting together a special breakfast and lunch at the Bus Barn—and we’d love your help!
Discovery will be providing the lunch portion, including pizza and sides like salad and snack trays. If you’d like to contribute, please sign up using the link below.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848A8AF2EA5F8C70-56365444-busdriver#/
Non-pizza lunch items (salad, sides, snacks, etc.) should be dropped off at the Discovery front office no later than 12:00 PM on Tuesday, April 22.
Pizza donations should be delivered directly to the Bus Barn between 12:00–12:30 PM on the 22nd.
Optional: If your child would like to write a thank you note or draw a picture for our bus drivers, feel free to drop it off at the Discovery front office before 12:00 PM on the 22nd. These heartfelt messages are always a highlight for our drivers!
Thank you for helping us show appreciation for the wonderful individuals who help get our kids to and from school each day. Your support means so much!
