Discovery Middle School
Newsletter - October 2021
Building a Foundation for Success!
Discovery Administration
This Month's Newsletter Features the Following:
- Monthly Highlights Discovery Administration with Frequently Asked Questions
- Canvas and PowerSchool and Mastery Connect...oh my!
- Important Resources for Canvas for Parents/Guardians
- SRO Corner with Officer Kjonaas: Social Mediat Trends to Be Aware Of
- Nursing Nuggest from Nurse Amanda
- What if my student has to quarentine or is gone for an extended period due to other illness or vacation?
- Counseling Corner
- Welcome to the Haunted House Production
- Band Students - music opportunities
- Art Club
- PTA
- Canvas Learning Management System
- What if my student has to quarantine?
- Attendance Information
- Upcoming Events
- October Letter Day Calendar
- Yearbooks
Hello Discovery Families!
Happy October!
Here are some important highlights for the month of October!
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Mark your calendars! Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held at all three middle schools on the following dates:
- Tuesday, October 12th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Thursday, October 14th from 4:00-8:00 p.m. via Zoom.
Link for parents/guardians to register
https://ptcfast.com/schools/Discovery_Middle_School_2
Video on how it works for parents/guardians
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wWFAkYHO3jp3doVEHFBw2j1mxZ6QsXw1/view?usp=sharing
Screenshots on how to register for parents/guardians
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10Fxbjn1Po-lUoU90pUCRFwokG7febp4c/view?usp=sharing
Canvas, PowerSchool and Mastery Connect
Please see the section below for resources for our parents/guardians regarding Canvas, PowerSchool and Mastery Connect.
Cell phones/electronic devices:
Please remind your students about appropriate usage of their electronic devices and cellular phones at school. Officer Kjonaas has an article this month regarding current TikTok trends that parents/guardians should be aware of.
FPS COVID-19 Testing Program starts October 4th at South High School location
As a reminder, our FPS COVID-19 testing program starts today.
We will be at South High School in room C11 until we are more fully staffed. Students and staff should park on the North side of the building and enter through door 4.
You can send your students and staff here for the close contact testing or for people who want to test on a regular basis. This is not for symptomatic individuals. Symptomatic individuals should get a PCR test from their healthcare provider or Fargo Cass Public Health.
Please ask parents and staff to register using the QR code before coming to testing. This is a different registration link than the Fargo Cass testing.
Additional information and QR code is located below in the newsletter under COVID-19 Testing.
Restorative Conferences:
This video provides an overview of the Restorative Conference process and how we at FPS hope it can support students, staff, and families to build empathy and serve as an alternative to traditional discipline.
Questions can be directed to:
Jen Sahr, MTSS Coordinator
Kat Field, Restorative Practices District Facilitator
Jim Corbid, Restorative Conference Facilitator, CBE
Frequently Asked Questions Document
Click link here for access to document with questions/answers from Discovery Admin Team
Canvas and PowerSchool and Mastery Connect...oh my!
Parents and Guardians have the ability to log in and check on their child's attendance, grades, and assignments (homework). The system used depends on the type of information they are looking for and the student's grade level.
Important Resources for Canvas for Parents/Guardians
SRO Corner with Officer Kjonaas
At Discovery, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our priority. We follow the guidelines for success of being responsible, being safe, being respectful and having a growth mindset. The guidelines for success also helps to ensure that behavior is in line with state statutes and city ordinances.
As you may be aware, school property has been vandalized or stolen in several Fargo Public Schools and across the nation due to a TikTok trend called “Devious Licks”. The administration and School Resource Officer would like to let parents know that student participation in current or upcoming Social Media trends or challenges that involve inappropriate, dangerous or criminal acts will be handled with appropriate consequences at Discovery. The consequences for this behavior could include a student being referred to juvenile court for criminal offenses including criminal mischief (vandalism) and theft of property.
Please encourage student to immediately report any dangerous or criminal acts to any adult in the building so they can let administration know. Please feel free to contact School Resource Officer Nick Kjonaas with information related to criminal acts occurring at Discovery. In cases of emergencies, please call 911.
Nursing Nuggets from Nurse Amanda
What if my student has to quarantine or is gone for extended illness/etc?
Regarding quarantine, this is taken from the FPS COVID-19 webpage on quarantine guidelines/procedures:
- COVID-19 post-exposure guidelines of:
- Mask to mask exposure: exemption to quarantine
- Fully vaccinated contacts: if no symptoms, no quarantine but should monitor for symptoms.
- If one or both individuals are unmasked: 14-day quarantine. Contacts may release from quarantine after day 10 if no symptoms or after day 7 with a negative test collected on day 5 or later.
- COVID-19 Close Contact Procedure
For our students who are quarantined, or absent for any extended illness/hospitalization (COVID or non-COVID-related), etc. our procedures are as follows:
- Students and families have access to the Discovery announcements on our website so they can stay abreast of the happenings in the school while they are not in the building.
- Parents/guardians should call the Discovery attendance clerk to notify school of child’s absence at 701. 446.3310.
- Student should always reach out to their teachers via e-mail with any questions and include parent/guardian in the e-mail addresses so everyone can stay in the loop.
- Student should check their class Canvas course and their school e-mail account daily if they are feeling well enough to do so for updates and correspondence. Assignments will be posted on Canvas and teacher work with our students on being flexible with assignments such as in-person labs, etc.
- Counselors are happy to set up Zoom appointments with students who are out of the building to provide additional support if needed or do check-ins when the student is out. Students or parents/guardians should let the counselor know if this is something they would like to do.
- Our administrative intern, Mr. Jystad-Spar and our student success advisor are another point of contact for our students who need any type of academic support during the school year-this person may connect with students while they are out to provide additional academic support and goal-setting and assist with the transition back to school.
Counseling Corner
Minute Meetings at Discovery are a way to ensure each student has a chance to meet with their counselor at least once per year. It’s been a proactive approach to identify students that may need additional support and to reinforce that counselors are accessible resources to every student. Additionally, we are able to look at data (most questions are scaled or yes/no) that can help inform and improve our programming and/or access to schoolwide initiatives. For example, we ask students if they know where the counseling office is. If students don’t know, we can quickly show them during the Minute Meeting and/or make a point to explain the steps of how to visit a counselor.
As far as how we conduct Minute Meetings, we partner with a core teacher from teams, and introduce ourselves to the class and explain what Minute Meetings are. Each student individually comes out to the team center to briefly meet with their counselor and answer important questions we feel are integral to feeling safe, happy, and successful at school.
Here is a sample of some of the questions we ask:
- Scale of 1 to 4: How are you doing overall?
- Scale of 1 to 4: How likely are you to ask for help when you need it?
- Scale of 1 to 4: How safe do you feel when you’re at school?
- Scale of 1 to 4: To what extent has COVID impacted your life?
- Y/N: Do you know where the counseling office is?
- Y/N: Do you know where the principals’ offices are?
- Y/N: Do you have the supplies you need to be successful in school?
- Y/N: Is there anything you want to talk with your counselor about?
- What is your biggest worry right now?
- What is something you do for fun/to relieve stress?
Attendance Information
If you are planning on picking up your student during the school day, please call the Attendance Office as early as possible so that we can get your student a pass and have them ready in the office.
Important Information about Attendance
Regular and consistent attendance at school is critically important as demonstrated through numerous studies on student's academic, social emotional and future successes. However, there are a variety of reasons why a student may need to miss school.
We strive to ensure that all students regularly attend school, which means that we desire to have all students miss less than 5% of the total days in a school year. This would equate to missing 9 or less total days per school year (which essentially means 1 day or less per month of school during the school year).
North Dakota Century Code 15.1-20-01 states that "Any person having responsibility for a child between the ages of seven and sixteen years shall ensure the child attends a public school for the duration of each school year". Therefore, regular attendance at school is state law.
Attendance Tiers
In Fargo Public Schools, we regularly monitor student attendance patterns/trends. There are attendance tiers that have been put into place to assist students and their families in ensuring that students are at school regularly. The goal of school officials is to assist students and their families in regularly attending school and breaking down barriers that may be preventing them from doing so.
Tier 1
Once a student misses 9 days of school, a letter will be sent to those families alerting them that their student has entered into a Tier 1 Attendance violation. The school may reach out to discuss plans to improve school attendance.
Tier 2
Then, once a student misses 13 days of school, another letter will be sent to those families alerting them that their student has entered into a Tier 2 Attendance violation. The school may reach out to discuss plans for improvement at this time, which could include a meeting with the student, their family and school officials.
Tier 3
If a student misses 18 days or more of school, another letter will be sent to those families alerting them that their student has entered into a Tier 3 Attendance violation. At that time, School Attendance Review Board or SARB paperwork may be submitted by the school. This information/paperwork then gets sent onto Juvenile Court for further considerations.
In Fargo Public Schools, the following reasons do NOT count against a student's attendance record within a given school year (possible subject to change if new guidance is provided):
- School Activity
- Early Exit
- Homebound
- Hospital with Education
- In School Suspension
- Nurse's Office
- Principal's Office
- Student Services
- Tardy
- Unexcused Tardy
At this time, ILV (i.e. COVID leave) is counted towards a student's school attendance records.
Discovery MS is currently working alongside Emilio Lamba, FPS Attendance Specialist, to assist in supporting our students and their families re: attendance at school. He can be reached at 701-446-3641.
If you have questions about your student's attendance per the FPS policies, please contact Dr. Amanda Quintus at 701-446-3305
Welcome to the Haunted House!
No, not a real haunted house! But, the Drama Department at Discovery Middle School is performing their FALL ONE ACT on Friday evening October 15th at 7:00 PM in the Discovery Theatre (Auditorium). We would love it if you would join us!
Admission is free, but we will have concessions available to sell provided by the Drama Club! (No food or drink in the Theatre but please enjoy before or after the show!)
Welcome to the Haunted House is about a teacher, Miss Crandall, and her junior high students. They are returning home late one night from a field trip when their bus breaks down and they are forced to seek shelter in an old abandoned house that legend says is haunted. While Miss Crandall goes for help, the kids keep up their spirits by telling spooky stories. A teacher who is really a vampire, a rude girl who is turned into a doll, a mummy that is sent as a gift and two other stories raise lots of goose bumps and lots of laughs.
There are over 60 students in grades 6, 7, and 8 who are involved in this production! We hope you will come and join us and get into the spirit of the Spooky Season!
Produced through arrangement with:
Eldridge Plays & Musicals
PO Box 4904
Lancaster, PA 17604
ATTENTION 6TH GRADE BAND STUDENTS
PRIMO! will begin on October 26, 2021. We will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3:30 – 4:00. Come join your friends and learn fun music for a December performance at West Acres and Courts Plus. Hope to see you for our first rehearsal! More information will be available during 6th grade large group rehearsal. If you have any questions, please contact one of the band directors at 446-3405 or salzerm@fargo.k12.nd.us, stottsv@fargo.k12.nd.us , or luchtj@fargo.k12.nd.us.
ATTENTION 7TH and 8TH GRADE BAND STUDENTS
Jazz Band and Honor Band rehearsals have begun! However, the groups are continuing to welcome anyone interested in experiencing another opportunity to make music with your friends. Jazz Band meets on Wednesday from 7:45 – 8:35 AM and Honor Band meets on Thursday from 7:45 – 8:35 AM. Please enter through the Auditorium doors (door number 28) for these morning rehearsals. If you have any questions, please contact one of the band directors at 446-3405 or salzerm@fargo.k12.nd.us, stottsv@fargo.k12.nd.us , or luchtj@fargo.k12.nd.us.
6th, 7th, and 8th GRADE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN ART CLUB
PTA MEETINGS
NEXT MEETING WILL BE MONDAY, OCTOBER 25TH, 6:30 P.M., ZOOM FORMAT
Monday, November 29, 2021
Monday, December 20, 2021
Monday, January 31, 2022
Monday, February 28, 2022
Monday, March 28, 2022
Monday, April 25, 2022
Join Discovery Middle School PTA
Upcoming Events
- October 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Face to Face)
- October 14 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Zoom Meetings)
- October 21 & 22 - No School - NDCEL Conference
OCTOBER LETTER DAY CALENDAR
Please see below for the October Letter Day Calendar or check out our Discovery website.
Our bell schedules and calendars are always posted on our Discovery website.
YEARBOOKS
Yearbook orders will be taken online .The cost is $20.00. To ensure that your child will receive a yearbook at the end of the year, it must be ordered and paid for in advance. The deadline for ordering a yearbook is Friday, February 11, 2022.
Discovery Middle School
Amanda Quintus, Assistant Principal
Brandon Larson, Assistant Principal/Activities Coordinator
Ben Jystad-Spar, Administrative Intern
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/discovery
Location: 1717 40th Avenue South, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701-446-3300