October
Hi families,
We are looking forward to an outstanding year of learning. We are proud of the way our students are learning routines, making friends, and challenging themselves in the classroom. At Discovery we recognize the importance of connecting home and school. Each month, I will send this newsletter to let you know about upcoming events, school activities, and general informaiton from each grade level/department. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the year!
Welcome our new assistant principal:
We would like to welcome our new assistant principal, Stephanie Skaalerud, to Discovery. Stephanie will transition to Discovery as Interim Assistant Principal on September 30. Stephanie brings deep instructional experience at the elementary level and will be a strong asset to our team. Please help welcome AP Skaalerud to her new role.
Thank you for your understanding and support during this transition.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Watch for reminders on all of these events in your students' Seesaw account!
- Oct. 3 - No school for students (Professional development for teachers)
- Oct. 16 - Unity Day (Stand up to bullying) Wear Orange to school
- Oct. 16 - Kindergarten field trip to Nelson farm
- Oct. 17-18 - No School (MEA break)
- Oct. 24 - 4:00-6:00 p.m. - STEM night at Discovery - The Works Family Event
- Oct. 25 - Picture Day for students
Hello from Kindergarten!
Hi Kinder Families!
We have been hard at work practicing school routines and expectations in kindergarten! We have also been learning how to share and work with a partner, practicing our letters and counting, and identifying beginning sounds in the words. In math, we have started to learn about position words. In reading, we have been talking about how to properly use books, different ways to read a book, and the parts of a book.
You will start to see library books and PAKRAT books in their backpacks. These are for you to read at home with your kindergartener and return to school, so they will get new ones the following week!
We will be going on a field trip to the Nelson Farm on Wednesday, October 16th! Check Seesaw this coming week for more information and details about the trip!
A friendly reminder: As the weather starts to get colder, please be sure to send appropriate outdoor clothing. We play outside on the playground every day for recess!
The Kindergarten Team
1st GRADE
Happy October!
In math, we are focusing on adding and subtracting within 10 and learning many strategies like counting on, counting backwards, number recognition, number ordering, and skip counting. We have been mastering our routines and utilizing math manipulatives to help us show our work when building our number sense skills!
After being in school for a month, our stamina has been increasing and allowing us to explore our reading time together more and more! We have been exploring new books and reading strategies to read more independently at school and at home. Please practice the routine of reading with your student at home every day. It's a great way to connect school to home! Coming up in reading, we are learning new genres, using our visualizing skills, identifying the character and setting in a story, and so many phonics skills!
There are so many memories being made, and we can't wait to make more with your amazing students!
Mrs. Edwards, Ms. Klimpel, Ms. Karls, Mrs. McDonald, Ms. Aden
The Second Grade Scoop
MATH: In math, we have reviewed skills of counting on and making ten. Students are practicing using mental math strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. From here, our next lesson will be solving one-step word problems. You can practice these skills at home by asking your student, "What goes with ___ to make 10?" or giving them a single-digit fact (ex: 5+3) and seeing if they can solve it.
READING: Now that we have completed our reading launch to review good reading habits, we will begin Unit 1. In reading this month, our essential question is, "How do friends depend on each other?" Our stories will focus on this question and students will be working on identifying characters, setting, events and key details in stories through realistic fiction and fantasy texts. We are continually working on our letter sounds, reading sight words, and spelling. Remember to read at home EVERY day for at least 20 minutes.
We are finishing up our fall data collection and will use this information to create small groups for individual learning. This information will be shared with you at fall conferences in November.
3rd GRADE
We've had a wonderful start to the school year thus far. Students have been learning and practicing their new routines in all subjects along with getting to know their new classmates.
In reading, students have been building their stamina when it comes to reading independently. This is a skill you can have your student practice at home. Make sure they are in a quiet spot and focusing on the book they are reading for 10 or more minutes. Our goal is that every 3rd grade will be able to read independently for 20 minutes. This will help them in the classroom, as we have independent reading every day during the school year.
Teachers and students have been excited to use our new math program, IReady. Students are learning the try it, discuss it, and connect it routine which encourages collaboration in math class. The first unit focuses on place value. You can practice this at home by asking your child to name the value of the digits of the ones, tens, hundreds or thousands place.
Ms. Ewaysi, Ms. Kremer, Ms. Quimby, Ms. Rowell
4th GRADE
Hello! Hola! Salaan!
Can you believe we're already stepping into October? Fall is in full swing, and with that comes unpredictable weather. Please make sure your child is dressed in layers (like a t-shirt and sweatshirt), as we head outside for recess. The weather can change quickly, and we want to keep everyone comfortable!
Reading:
We are diving into phonics with a focus on reviewing short vowel sounds. Additionally, we are practicing CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) syllable patterns with both one-syllable words (like cat) and two-syllable words (like tab/let).
Language Arts:
We are reading, analyzing, and writing about expository, nonfiction texts. Our essential question is, "How do people respond to natural disasters?" Students are exploring this topic through various readings and discussions. This is helping them build critical thinking and writing skills.
Math:
We recently completed our IReady diagnostic assessments and have now begun exploring place value. Students are learning about the value of each digit in multi-digit numbers. This is setting a strong foundation for future math skills.
Reading at Home:
Please encourage your child to read for 20 minutes each night! Whether it's reading to you, a sibling or even the family pet. Every bit helps to build their skills. Also, to ensure they are well-rested and ready to learn each day, try having your child turn off devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
Your 4th grade team,
Ms. Burrows, Ms. Dingman, Ms. Junes, Ms, Walz, Ms. Lopez, Ms. Reyes, Ms. Janda
5th GRADE
Hello 5th Grade Families!
In reading, we dove into the world of narrative nonfiction, helping students learn how to convey real-life stories effectively. Our lessons included identifying cause and effect text structures and enhancing comprehension skills.
In Social Studies, we focused on map skills, allowing students to understand their surroundings better and develop important navigation skills.
In math, students have been exploring how to measure volume through hands-on activities.
At home, we encourage students to read for at least twenty minutes each night. This practice not only enhances their literacy skills, but also fosters a love for reading. Thank you for helping to create this important habit at home!
We are so proud of our 5th graders!
Thanks,
The 5th Grade Team
Physical Education
Hello Everyone!
It is October, and we are having a wonderful month of weather. The students in physical education have been outside learning soccer and football skills. Your students have been learning how to use hand-to-eye coordination to catch a thrown ball from a partner. This is a crucial skill for your child to develop, because catching is used every day at home and school. Catching will also help with confidence in sports, activities, and life. Your students have also worked on kicking soccer balls. Kicking involves foot-to-eye coordination. Catching, throwing, and kicking are great exercises and skills for students to develop. The best part about learning these skills is brain development. Properly learning and using these skills helps a person to use both sides of the brain, make connections, aid in memory retention and brain cell growth. Crossing the midline of the body helps with reading and writing.
October is also Fire Safety Month. The K, 1, and 2 students will be working on Stop, Drop and Roll skills along with driving fire trucks and putting out fires! The students love to push, drive and pretend to be firefighters! Make sure to talk to your students about exit plans and safe places to go if your home catches on fire.
Mr. Thoreson
Mr. Richmond
Discovery Community School
Physical Education
Counselor Corner
October 2024
Children ages 5-12:
What are safe and free apps for your children?
Free Apps
Cut the Rope ages 5-8 Innovative game demonstrating basic physics
Inventioneers ages 9-11 An outstanding tool for learning about real-time physics
Kodable ages 6-8 Introduction to programming concepts and problem solving.
MiniPiano ages 4-10 Two octaves, many instrument effects, learn standard tunes.
Pocket Zoo ages 3-12: Information on animals, live zoo cams, and educational videos.
Ripped Apart: A Civil War Mystery ages 8-12. Solve puzzles to unlock clues as a Smithsonian intern
Shadow Puppet ages 7+ Create custom videos
Toontastic ages 6-8 Teaches storytelling principles and animation
Note:
All of these apps fall under the following criteria:
Have high-quality, age-appropriate educational content
Do not have in-app purchases (or that feature can be turned off)
Do not have links outside the app
Do have age-appropriate content
Do have opportunities for creation and safe sharing
Do encourage or inspire activity beyond the device
Accommodate different languages and abilities
Available for both Android and Apple devices
Michigan Library Article on Apps for 5-12
The Apps that are not recommended for 5-12 years of age are:
Apps that require users to be 13.
Note: When I say stranger, someone can tell your child they are their age and sound believable to your child. They can claim they are a good friend and want to meet.
Fortnight: violence and strangers of any age can chat with a child.
TikTok: no control of the information or who can see posts.
YouTube: no control of the information or who can see posts.
Discord: no control of who they chat with.
Snapchat: no control of who they chat with or what content they see.
WeChat: no control of who they chat with.
Google Chat: no control of who they chat with.
Messenger: Facebook app. There is no control over who they chat with or who chats with them.
Important: If you want to let your children use these apps, supervise their use and talk to them about safety online. They should never share their real name, address, city, school, parents' names, or who they live with. Never post a picture of them by their school sign or other identifiable items.
“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” —John F. Kennedy
Joanie Hauck LSC
320-370-6256