Welcome Back Discovery Families!
#TRAILBLAZEON
RECHARGED! This word sums up how I feel as I enter in this new school year at Discovery Elementary. Even though this will be my 7th year at Discovery School, I get the same feeling of gratitude and excitement with the start of each school year.
Throughout the past month, Discovery staff has been working with our district office to coordinate plans for a safe and successful start to our school year. Class assignments have been finalized and families will receive an email on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 that identifies each student's teacher assignment. With new students enrolling and an effort to balance all classrooms with various factors, I ask that families do not request a change of teacher assignment. Thank you for recognizing the complexities of creating class lists for 500+ students and trusting our school team as we choose a classroom placement for all students.
Discovery's Back to School Open House will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm. This is a time for student's to visit their child's classroom, bring their school supplies to school and purchase items such as bus tickets, Chromebook cases and/or Discovery water bottles. Open House is typically is one of our busiest events being that it's the only time of the school year where all students and guardians are at the school together at the same time. For this event, parking is allowing "curbside" in the south drive thru lane, as well as in our east parking lot and our newly expanded south parking lot.
Our first day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Our cafeteria door #7 opens at 7:40 am each day for all students choosing to eat breakfast. School starts at 8:20 am, with the tardy bell ringing at 8:25 am. Outdoor staff supervision starts at 8:10 am for all students who arrive and are waiting for the 8:20 am entry time. Please take a moment to review the information included in this newsletter that outlines the arrival/dismissal doors that students in each grade should use when arriving and dismissing each day.
As we head into this new school year together, I hope that you feel the optimism and positive energy that our Discovery team feels about the upcoming school year. I look forward to partnering with you!
With Appreciation,
Mrs. Parkinson - Principal
Welcome Back!
Greetings Discovery Elementary Families,
I would love to welcome you all to school this year and I, Chad Kurtyka, am thrilled to serve as the associate principal here at Discovery! I am a familiar face to some of you, as I have previously served at Discovery as a 5th and 4th-grade teacher. In fact, I was lucky enough to be a part of the team that opened this school in 2015. I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you a little bit about myself.
I was born and raised in Grand Forks and was a Grand Forks Central Graduate in 1997. I love this community and really feel that it is a great place to raise a family. My wife, Jennifer, is a personal life coach and handbag designer. Together we have three children ranging from first grade to freshman. My daughter, Luna, is a first grader and my daughter, Pippi, is a 4th-grade student at Lewis and Clark Elementary. Luna loves to cheer and play Barbies, and Pippi likes to create art and ride bike. Eli, a freshman at Grand Forks Central, plays football, curling, and golf. Together we love to take family vacations, family bike rides and skate on our backyard rink in the winter.
My heart truly lies in education and in creating a great school atmosphere! I am so excited to serve the students, families, and staff at Discovery. This school is an amazing place and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be back.
Trailblaze On,
Chad Kurtyka
Associate Principal
Learners. Teachers. Trailblazers.
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We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Chad Kurtyka - Associate Principal
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Tuesday, August 24th 4:00-6:00pm
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Door Assignments For Arrival & Dismissal
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COMMUNICATION
Mass Communication:
Discovery will use ConnectEd for mass communication. This phone system is part of a ConnectEd calling system that allows principals or the Grand Forks School District to relay information to families in a timely manner. If you see a call from the GFPS on your caller ID, please pick it up and listen to the message. This is especially important if you don’t have voice mail or an answering machine. We then review the phone information to ensure that our numbers are current and that you received the message.
Seesaw:
Calls do not ring into the classroom during school hours to minimize interruptions. Messages for students can be left on the teacher’s voicemail. However, Seesaw will be the best form of communication with classroom teachers. Seesaw sign up communication will be provided by your student's teacher.
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POWERSCHOOL INFORMATION
It is important to update your PowerSchool account registration information each year! To update, please log in and click on the 2021-2022 Registration link on the left-hand side. This will lead you to the online registration portal where you will complete your child’s registration online.
PS link - https://grand-forks.ps.state.nd.us/public/home.html
If you have any questions or need your child's information to create your PowerSchool account, please email Shawna at sbrown040@mygfschools.org or Katie at klofgren040
@mygfschools.org
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An A+ way to help parents pay!
MySchoolBucks makes it easy to stay connected to students and parents for any of your school payments.
Create yourself an account at myschoolbucks.com to pay for a variety of school related items such as, bus tickets, after school program fees, chromebook cases, and much more!
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2021-2022 Application for K-12 Benefits
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ENCORE (after-school program)
Registration is required, including re-registration if enrolled last year. Please email Jolene Kvamme, jkvamme230@mygfschools.org for registration information.
Pricing:
Free Meals Qualified:
1 Student $50
2 Students $60
3 Students $70
Reduced Price Meals Qualified:
1 Student $80
2 Students $90
3 Students $100
Full Pay Meals:
1 Student $150
2 Students $180
3 Students $210
Please note:
- This is an academic-based program,
- We are mandated to provide two hours a day of academics, regardless of grade level,
- Not all spots are guaranteed,
- Some locations may have a waiting list due to space and staffing,
- ENCORE is not offered on the 11:20 a.m. dismissal days or non-school days.
Daily Schedule (each school does change):
- 3-4 p.m.: Homework assistance (Monday-Thursday)
- 3-4 p.m.: Academic clubs (Friday)
- 4-4:15 p.m.: Snack/Socialization
- 4:15-5:15 p.m: Theme-based enrichment activities aligned to standards
- 5:15-5:45 p.m.: Organized large muscle activities
- 5:45-6 p.m.: Unstructured free play
ENCORE Early Dismissal Program
The ENCORE Early Dismissal Program operates from 1:30-3 p.m. on 1:30 p.m. early dismissal days for the 2021-2022 school year. This program is free and is being offered in cooperation with Grand Forks Public Schools.
Registration is required, including re-registration if enrolled last year. Registration is open NOW through August 25th, 2021. Registration can be completed by filling out the online form, or completing the online application on your MySchoolBucks account.
- Early Out Club provides participants with organized and active after-school activities, arts and crafts, computers, and various STEM activities.
- All students enrolled in ENCORE will report to ENCORE at 3 p.m. All other students not registered for ENCORE will need to be picked up no later than 3 p.m.
For more information, please email Jolene Kvamme at jkvamme230@mygfschools.org
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Arrival, Dismissal & Checking out your child(ren) during the school day.
School Day:
Arrival Bell: 8:20 am
Tardy Bell: 8:25 am
Dismissal Bell: 3:00 pm
Arrival:
Students that are utilizing the breakfast program can enter in door #7 beginning at 7:40am. Students not eating breakfast at Discovery will go to their designated location outside to wait for the 8:20 am bell. Staff will provide supervision at the drop-off locations from 8:10 to 8:25. Anyone arriving after the tardy bell at 8:25 will need to use door #1 and check-in with the office staff before going to their classroom. Contingency plans will be shared with your children in the event of inclement weather. Please see the arrival/dismissal graphic for specific grade level drop off and pick up locations.
Dismissal:
The safety of our students and staff is a top priority for us at Discovery Elementary Schools. As per district policy, schools will have parents meet their child(ren) at a designated location outside the school at dismissal time. Teachers will bring students to an assigned location outside the school. Students will meet their pick-up person at a prearranged meeting place near the assigned dismissal door. Older siblings will go to the youngest sibling’s assigned door so parents can pick up all children in the same location. Contingency plans will be shared with your children in the event of inclement weather. Please see the arrival/dismissal graphic for specific grade level drop off and pick up locations.
Checking out your child(ren) during the day:
If you are taking your child out of school early for any reason, please call the school office and let the secretaries know the time you plan to pick up. Please pick up your child(ren) at Door #1. Please walk up to the door and push the doorbell to communicate with the school secretaries. Once the secretary has confirmed who you are and who you are picking up, they will send the child(ren) out to you.
Absences & Tardies:
If your child is absent or late, call the attendance line by 8:30 am to leave a message. Communication between home and school ensures students safety.
Attendance Line: 701-787-4361
School Office: 701-787-4359
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NOTES FROM THE OFFICE:
Attendance Line:
Add this number into your phone contacts!
701-787-4361
Please utilize our attendance line to leave us messages about your children being out of school.
Early Dismissal Wednesdays:
Once again we will have 1:30 dismissal on select Wednesdays. Please refer to the district calendar for these Wednesdays.
Snacks:
When sending a snack or packing a lunch, please remember to check labels to make sure it does not contain or have traces of peanuts/nuts.
Birthday Treats:
Due to the increase in students who have severe food allergies and the higher levels of severity, we no longer celebrate student birthdays with a “birthday snack” in our schools. Parents are welcome to find other non-food items to send to school if they wish. Please discuss with your child’s classroom teacher for ideas or preferences.
Emergency & Crisis Procedures:
In order to ensure the safety of our students, all schools in the Grand Forks Public School District hold lockdown drills. In the event of a crisis situation, please be assured that our school has an emergency management plan in place and that school, district, and emergency staff will respond accordingly. We need your support and ask that you rely on media outlets and automated calling systems for information during an incident, rather than calling the school. It is very important that you understand in a crisis situation, school phones are needed to manage the situation and lines must remain open. You must also know you need to wait for instructions on student release rather than coming to the school. Emergency personnel responding to the situation need the area clear to do their job. After emergency responders determine that a safe student release is possible, arrangements will be made to reunite children with their families. In the aftermath of a crisis, it is important to remain calm as children are greatly influenced by their family’s sense of well-being, and anything that families can do to reassure students will be helpful. At the same time, families need to be compassionate listeners when their children speak of the crisis.
PTO:
Do you want to help make decisions about how to support your children and their teachers? Well, then our PTO is just the group for you! The PTO organizes and sponsors many events and activities throughout the school year. Please follow the Discovery Parent Teacher Organization on social media (Facebook & Twitter).
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Breakfast & Lunch
Breakfast is available at 7:40 – 8:20 am to all students. Students arriving for breakfast should be dropped off in the east parking lot and enter through the cafeteria doors (door #7). Please note that our cafeteria supervision starts at 7:40 am, so we ask that you do not drop your child earlier, as the doors will not be unlocked.
Students will be allowed one free breakfast and lunch meal which includes the main entree, applicable sides, fruits, vegetables, and milk. Extra entrees, a la carte snacks, and beverages will be available for purchase at the secondary level. Milk alone is considered an a la carte item and will be charged accordingly.
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Bus Information
During Powerschool registration, you were asked if you would like your student(s) to ride a regular route bus to/from school during this school year. For those families who indicated they would like to utilize regular route busing, Dietrich bus is now creating their routes/stops and will notify your family directly with route information.
For those families who are interested in busing but did not complete the request form in Powerschool, please complete your request through this Google Form (LINK: https://forms.gle/fPf6ZsG7rNuc9brY9). As these requests are being submitted after the deadline, there is no guarantee of ridership. Dietrich Bus Service will contact you directly with further information.
Please note: this is for general route busing only. For special education or EL busing, please speak with the main office at your student's school.
Bus Tickets:
Bus Tickets are $10.00 for a strip of 10. Your child can purchase them at the school office. If you are writing a check, make it payable to GFPS. If paying in cash, please bring the exact amount due. The district also utilizes the option of purchasing bus tickets via myschoolbucks.com (we highly recommend this option). This can be done online at your convenience, and we can deliver the tickets to your student.
Here is the link to the transportation page on the district website where you can find AM/PM routes - https://www.gfschools.org/Page/7894 .
We require all elementary students who ride a regular route bus to have a Backpack ID tag. If you have a student new to riding the bus, or you don't have the ID tag, please have your student visit the main office at their school.
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COVID-19
Be sure to get in the habit of checking your child's temperature at home each morning.
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Medications
- If your student needs any medication given at school, a Medication Authorization Form must be filled out and signed by the health care provider and the parent/guardian. This is required for all medications including inhalers and over the counter medications.
- Parents or guardians may drop off student medications along with the corresponding Medication Authorization Form in the main office starting on Aug. 16th.
- Medications must be in their original containers.
- Additional GFPS Medical Information and Forms: https://www.gfschools.org/Page/903
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Family Services
Family Services:
We’re here to assist all families! If you have needs for your child, please visit with AJ Lester (alester260@mygfschools.org), Discovery’s Social Worker. She is here to help make school a successful place for your child.
CONTACT US
Attendance Line: 701-787-4361
Fax: 701-787-5053
Main Office Hours: 7:45am - 3:45pm
Location: 3300 43rd Ave. S
Grand Forks, ND 58201