Important Dates
8/27-9/10 NWEA Testing
8/31 First Day of Friday Explorer Clubs
9/3 No School-Labor Day
9/6 Fall Picture Day
9/10 Motivational Monday: Kindness w/ Arizona Humane Society
9/17 Dental Presentation for 2nd & 6th Grade
9/17 First PTO Meeting 5pm-6pm
10/8-10/12 Spirit Week
10/10 Reading Under the Stars 4pm-6pm
10/10-10/12 Parent Teacher Conference & Scholastic Book Fair
10/15-10/19 Fall Break-NO SCHOOL
Please Join Our Parent Teacher Organization
Our PTO works extremely hard to raise money that directly benefits our students and families. Last year we raised funds to complete our outdoor learning space next to the school garden and to supply books for our school. This year our PTO will set a new goal for fundraising and will take an active role in our school as we nurture, inspire and empower our students.
Our PTO President, Shawntel House is excited to build a strong team of parents and start planning our goal for this year and we will get there together. Please join us on Monday, September 17th from 5pm-6pm in the school Learning Lounge. Everyone is welcome! If you have any questions please feel free to email Shawntel at dupto@discoverulearning.com or Ms. Makowski at makowski@discoverulearning.com
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Games and Puzzles Want to play games at school? In this club, you will explore a variety of puzzles, board games and card games. We will learn to collaborate (work together) to follow instructions, take turns, how to win and lose respectfully and just to have fun with other explorers. At the end of the club we will work together to create a new board game that others can play. | Garden Club Join Mr. Rick and Mrs. Waples out in our school garden. Explorers will learn about gardening, conservation, recognition of plants, trees and shrubs, basic flower arrangements, and a love and appreciation of nature.The fruits and vegetables that are grown will be donated to a local food bank. | No Bake Cooking Explore cooking with no bake cooking recipes each week. Together, you will be building a recipe book. At the end of the club we will invite your family in to try your food. |
Games and Puzzles
Want to play games at school? In this club, you will explore a variety of puzzles, board games and card games. We will learn to collaborate (work together) to follow instructions, take turns, how to win and lose respectfully and just to have fun with other explorers. At the end of the club we will work together to create a new board game that others can play.
Garden Club
Join Mr. Rick and Mrs. Waples out in our school garden. Explorers will learn about gardening, conservation, recognition of plants, trees and shrubs, basic flower arrangements, and a love and appreciation of nature.The fruits and vegetables that are grown will be donated to a local food bank.
No Bake Cooking
Explore cooking with no bake cooking recipes each week. Together, you will be building a recipe book. At the end of the club we will invite your family in to try your food.
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Makerspace Explorers, do you enjoy making, building, exploring, taking things apart and experimenting? If so, join makerspace! Together we will create! By the end of the class we may be making stop motion lego! | Yoga with Ignite Yoga Studio Ignite Yoga Studio will be hosting a yoga class to learn yoga, to meditate and how to have a strong body and mind. | Artists at Work Explore your creativity in a calm and inviting atmosphere. At the end of our club we will create an art gallery showcasing your work! |
Makerspace
Explorers, do you enjoy making, building, exploring, taking things apart and experimenting? If so, join makerspace! Together we will create! By the end of the class we may be making stop motion lego!
Yoga with Ignite Yoga Studio
Ignite Yoga Studio will be hosting a yoga class to learn yoga, to meditate and how to have a strong body and mind.
Artists at Work
Explore your creativity in a calm and inviting atmosphere. At the end of our club we will create an art gallery showcasing your work!
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STEM Challenge STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Explorers will work through STEM challenges using their problem solving skills. A record will be kept of all challenges in this club. At the end you will get to see all of your hard work come together. | Soccer and Basketball Explorers will learn the basic motor skills to perform soccer/basketball skills as well as basic imrpovement on running, skipping, and walking. Also we will be focusing on teamwork, following directions and good sportsmanship. At the end of the club we will have a game and invite others to come and see us play. | DU Green Team (Recycling) Do you love recycling? Join a club where explorers will create and implement a recycling system for the whole school! We will use those recyclable to make art or gadgets to exhibit. At the end we will present what we have created to the school! |
STEM Challenge
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Explorers will work through STEM challenges using their problem solving skills. A record will be kept of all challenges in this club. At the end you will get to see all of your hard work come together.
Soccer and Basketball
Explorers will learn the basic motor skills to perform soccer/basketball skills as well as basic imrpovement on running, skipping, and walking. Also we will be focusing on teamwork, following directions and good sportsmanship. At the end of the club we will have a game and invite others to come and see us play.
DU Green Team (Recycling)
Do you love recycling? Join a club where explorers will create and implement a recycling system for the whole school! We will use those recyclable to make art or gadgets to exhibit. At the end we will present what we have created to the school!
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Multimedia Club Do you want to help make video announcements? In this club explorers will be using their creativity to make video and audio recordings to share with the school. You will also get to publish school news and event reminders. Throughout the club you will create and publish your work through school announcements, flyers and possibly the yearbook. | Fun with Fitness Do you love exercising? If so, this club is for you. Explorers will rotate through exercise stations to build a healthy body. Explorers will track the progress of their workouts and at the end of the club you will get to reflect on your hard work. | Dance and Music Explorers will learn how to dance and sing to popular children songs. At the end of the class explorers will put on a performance for the school. |
Multimedia Club
Do you want to help make video announcements? In this club explorers will be using their creativity to make video and audio recordings to share with the school. You will also get to publish school news and event reminders. Throughout the club you will create and publish your work through school announcements, flyers and possibly the yearbook.
Fun with Fitness
Do you love exercising? If so, this club is for you. Explorers will rotate through exercise stations to build a healthy body. Explorers will track the progress of their workouts and at the end of the club you will get to reflect on your hard work.
Dance and Music
Explorers will learn how to dance and sing to popular children songs. At the end of the class explorers will put on a performance for the school.
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Youth Entrepreneurs Want to design your own business? If so, join Youth Entrepreneurs and learn the mindset and tools to design your own business and open it at Market Day! **2nd Grade and Up** | Acting Troupe Have you always wanted to learn how to act? Act in short skits and make movies. Skits will showcase ways to "Explore Excellence" and will be shared with the school! |
Youth Entrepreneurs
Want to design your own business? If so, join Youth Entrepreneurs and learn the mindset and tools to design your own business and open it at Market Day! **2nd Grade and Up**
Acting Troupe
Have you always wanted to learn how to act? Act in short skits and make movies. Skits will showcase ways to "Explore Excellence" and will be shared with the school!
What is NWEA Testing?
Your child learns better-and faster- when teachers and students have a clear picture of what they know and what they are ready to learn next. The NWEA assessment is an "adaptive" assessment which reacts to each child's answers and gets more challenging when they are getting answers correct and becomes easier when they are getting answers incorrect.
At Discover U kindergarten through sixth grade have started taking this assessment for reading and math. You will be receiving a print out showing how your child did on this assessment. During parent teacher conferences in October your child's teacher will be able to show you the results and discuss in detail how they are using this information to personalize instruction for your child.
Our students will take this assessment three times a school year to focus on personalizing instruction and measuring student growth.
Please click here if you'd like to read the Parent Toolkit to learn more.
Parent Pickup
Our number one priority during parent pickup is safety and efficiency. We want to make sure that all of our explorers make it safely to you. Therefore, we have a few reminders to all of our parents and guardians.
- We recommend waiting in line to drive to the pick up area after school. This is a quick process and we pride ourselves on taking under 15 minutes for all students to make it to their car. As you drive through the pick up area please be sure to pull all the way forward.
- Please do not park in the surrounding businesses parking lots. Please do not park in the fire lane in front of the office or stop and wait behind parked cars. You will need to park your vehicle in either the front or back parking lot and walk up to pick up your child from their teacher or simply wait in line to drive up to the pick up area.
- During dismissal our teachers number one priority is child safety. Therefore, it is not time to discuss serious matters. Please ask if you can speak after dismissal or follow up to schedule a meeting.
- If your child is in aftercare, you will need to park and walk in to sign them out. If you are picking up your child at 3:15pm and do not want them to go to Explorer Zone, you are welcome to call the front office prior to dismissal and we can relay the message to your child's teacher to have them outside at dismissal.
- If you need extra time buckling in your children, we ask that you pull all the way to the front of the line before your children get in. This will allow you the time needed to ensure your child is buckled without feeling rushed.
Angela Makowski, Principal
Angela Makowski is honored to lead Discover U. She earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership and her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the Arizona State University. Her work has been devoted to creating a positive, safe, caring environment where students are nurtured, inspired, and empowered as learners.
See what's going on at Discover U by following our hashtag #DUexplorers