Discovery Middle School
Newsletter - May 2022
Building a Foundation for Success!
NDSU Football Players
Nathan Harmon Student Assembly
The 463 Foundation in partnership with the Fargo Police Department and Fargo Cass Public Health is honored to announce that on Monday, May 2nd, Discovery 7th and 8th graders had the opportunity to listen to one of the most sought after youth speakers, Nathan Harmon. Nathan has spoken in over 800 schools, sharing a powerful message focused on the importance of our choices, mental health, substance/alcohol abuse, bullying, and valuing people, just to name a few.
Teachers Take Over the Main Office
Discovery Administration
This Month's Newsletter Features the Following:
- Monthly Highlights Discovery Administration
- New Discovery Assistant Principal Announcement
- New Discovery SRO Annoucement
- Last Day of School May 26th Information
- Bus Delay Notification Process
- Discovery Activities Update
- Middle School Summer School Registration Open!
- End of Year PLD Reminders
- Summer School And PLDs
- Summer Reading Ideas
- Special Education Parent Advisory Council
- Free School Meals Expiring June 2022
- Canvas and PowerSchool and Mastery Connect
- Pick Up and Drop Off Reminder
- Kindergarten Registration 2022
- PTA
- Attendance Information
- Upcoming Events
- May Letter Day Calendar
PTA Reflections
Math Counts Travels to Washington, D.C. For Nationals
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
New Discovery Assistant Principal Announcement
New Discovery Student Resource Officer Announcement
Last Day of School- May 26th Information
For Grades 6-7
- We will run a normal 8 period schedual all day
- Students who orderered yearbooks will get them in their advisory class
- Individual teams/teachers will plan to do activities throughout the day in their classrooms/team pods
- We will run a normal 8 period schedule all day
- Students who ordered yearbooks will get them in their period 1 classes
- Individual teams will plan to do activities throughout the day in their classrooms/team pods
- Individual teams have decided that they would like to order pizza for students who are interested (there is a small fee for pizza). However, we will be ordering bag lunches for students through our cafeteria for those who do not want pizza/unable to eat pizza on this day, too.
- Ice Cream Treats will be provided during lunchtime (Thanks to Discovery MS PTA!)
- There will be a Clap Out at 3:20 p.m. (This is where the entire school lines the hallways of Discovery and "claps out" the entire 8th grade class out of the school building)
Da Club!
Elvis (Mr.) Zimiga was spinning Just Dance in Da Club (the cardio/weightroom)!
Big Floody
Future Eagles Expo
Bus Route Adjustments if Valley Bus experiences a Bus Driver Shortage
In the rare event that Valley Bus does not have enough staff to cover all the school bus routes for Fargo Public Schools, Valley Bus would implement a “delayed bus route plan” rather than canceling routes. This plan could be used in either a morning route or an afternoon route.
Delayed Bus Route Plan– The “delayed bus route plan” would have the drivers cover for the missing driver after they have completed their assigned route. This would cause the identified route to be delayed by 15 to 30 minutes. Families would be notified the day of the delay by email, text, and voice messaging. Morning route delay notifications will occur between 5:30-6:30 am and after-school delay notifications will occur by 1:00 pm if a driver shortage occurs. This means students may be standing at their bus stop for additional time or they may be returning home up to 30 minutes later than normal. Each route affected would cause a delay for both the elementary and secondary students riding that bus.
The Bus Delay message will only be sent to the affected route and it will say the following:
“Attention FPS families of Bus Route ###. Today, [Monday, October 9, 2021], your morning route will be 15-30 minutes later than normal. Your principal has been notified of your late arrival. “
Or
“Attention FPS families of Bus Route ###: Today, [Monday, October 20, 2021], your after-school route will arrive home 15-30 minutes later than normal. Students will be supervised at their home building until the bus is available.”
Since communication with families is based on what was entered into the FPS PowerSchool System, we asked that each family review their listed emails and cell phone numbers in the Parent PowerSchool Portal. Please update if needed by calling your child’s main office. This type of communication may be used for other situations that cause significant bussing delays.
Students will be excused in the morning if they arrive late to school due to the delayed busing. The buildings will implement a supervision plan for students if the after-school bus is delayed.
Please remember if you decide to drop your student off at their building more than 15 minutes before school the students will wait outside. Please make sure they have dressed appropriately for the weather.
Parents can check their child’s pick-up time using the “bus route by address” options on the FPS Website at https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/Page/165.
Although the 2021-22 school year has been challenging, the transportation department and staff at Valley Bus are responding to these challenges and working hard to keep students safe. We thank families for their patience and trust as we navigate staffing challenges.
Please contact your child’s school if you have any questions.
Discovery Activities
Summer Camps
Many teams at Davies High School have camp opportunities this summer. To find out if a certain sport/team is offering a camp, and information on how to sign up, go the the Davies Activities Website, click on a team, and then click on "Official Team Website" on the left hand side.
7th & 8th Grade Track
There are only 2 meets left in the season: May 10th @ Davies High School - 4:30pm, and May 18th (All City) @ Sheyenne High School in West Fargo - 9:00 am. To sign up to receive text message updates about meets & practices, open a web browser on your phone and go to: rmd.at/cbgahb
Boys Track Coaches
Dave Lee: High Jump & Pole Vault
Parker Metz: Throws
John Watkin: Distance
Steve Paulik: Sprints
Jasmine Ercink: Long Jump & Sprints
Girls Track Coaches
Sean Napton: Hurdles
Tyler Otteson: Long Jump & Sprints
Shayna Wacha: Sprints
Todd Spellerberg: Throws
Jacob Leingang: Distance
6th Grade Track
There are two more 6th grade track meets: May 19th and May 24th. Both meets will be at Discovery at 4:30.
6th Track Coaches
Jeremy Nesvold
Carrie Spellerberg
Cori Thielges
Kyle Stegman
Amber Moomjian
MIDDLE SCHOOL SUMMER SCHOOL REGISTRATION OPEN WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
All students entering 7th and 8th Grades in the Fall of 2022 are eligible for MS Summer School classes. Middle School Summer School 2022 registration information can be found at the following link: Middle School Summer School 2022.
Registration is through Summer PowerSchool at www.fargosummerschool.com.
1. Middle School summer school is offered for one semester from June 6th —28th.
2. Students can choose to participate in classes on-campus at their middle schools OR through Virtual sessions
· Hybrid Course Option: M-Th on-campus + Virtual Fridays
· Virtual Course Option: M-F Synchronous Zoom
3. Students must enroll in 2 courses that take place each day in 2 period blocks.
· Period 1: 8:00-9:45 AM
· Period 2: 9:45-11:30 AM
4. All current 6th and 7th grade students are able to enroll in the middle school courses below:
· Targeted Reading
· Targeted Math
· Exploration Science
· Exploration Social Studies
· Exploration Reading
· Exploration Math
5. Current 8th grade students will attend and follow the high school schedule.
6. Students can register for sports and music camps through the Summer PowerSchool link as well.
For more information, please contact Darrin Roach at: roachd@fargo.k12.nd.us.
Friendly Reminder From Mrs. Donat:
All library books due Friday, May 20. Listed parent/guardian contact and student will receive overdue notices; please pay for any lost library items promptly. Thank you!
PLD, Power Cord, and Case Turn-In
PLD, Power Cord, and Case Turn-In: May 24-26
SUMMER SCHOOL AND PLD'S
Summer School and PLD’s
- 8th graders: Pick up PLD at summer school location (Davies or South High) on the first day of summer school
- 6th and 7th graders: Students will turn in their PLDs but then check them back out for summer school use.
Summer Reading Ideas
- Read aloud to younger kiddos! 6th grade FACS students once again enjoyed reading E for Everyone books in the library with Mrs. Donat after reviewing read-aloud techniques. The reader and listener benefit in this great summer activity!
Check out these summer reading programs!
- Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program - Students in grades 1-6 read 8 books from July 1- August 31 to receive a free book from a selected list. Barnes and Noble 2022 Summer Reading Journal (link)
- Fargo Public Library Summer Reading Program - Teens ages 11-18 are invited to participate in the 2022 Teen Summer Reading Program from June 1 through August 20, 2022. To participate, simply register on Beanstack and begin logging on June 1 to earn a collectable enamel pin and free book.
Check out Fargo Public Library Teen Programs for craft, reading, and other program information here.
Read a book from a “best-of-the-best” list.
Discovery Students’ 2020-2021 Favorite Book
Association for Library Service to Children Notable Books of 2021
goodreads Voted Best Middle School Books 2021
goodreads Voted Best Middle School Books 2022
Common Sense Media Best Books for Kids
Read a Sora eBook or listen to an audiobook.
Download the FREE Sora app OR go to Middle School Resources (link). Students can get to Middle School Resources in the home page of any Canvas course.
Login: student ID/lunch number (username) and locker combination (password)
Slide Presentation Instructions (link)
Once logged in, add the Fargo Public Library as one of your Sora libraries and check out books from there as well.
SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
Fargo Public Schools (FPS) is forming the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) and is currently accepting applications from parents of students who receive special education services.
General membership is open to any FPS parents/guardians of students currently attending FPS. FPS seeks the following four parent/guardian volunteers for membership of the FPS SEPAC, with the following requirements:
- A person who lives in the FPS District and who is a parent or legal guardian of a student directly receiving special education services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP), 504 Plan or is in the referral process within a FPS school, but not employed by the FPS district.
The role of SEPAC members is to provide insight and support to the SEPAC in the understanding of parent/ family issues and perspectives, and to attend all regular meetings and special meetings as requested.
Read more about the Special Education Parent Advisory Council.
FREE SCHOOL MEALS EXPIRING JUNE 2022
A waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has enabled schools across the nation, including Fargo Public Schools, to provide all students free meals since the COVID-19 pandemic first disrupted K – 12 education in March of 2020. The free school meal benefits will expire after the last school day of the 2021 – 2022 school year.
AMERICAN MATHMATICS COMPETITION
In mid-January, students in gifted math classes joined students across the country in taking the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) American Mathematics Competition 8 (AMC 8). This rigorous exam stretches students’ problem-solving skills. The following students placed in the Top 25 of the 76 Discovery students who participated in the computer-based exam.
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
Pick Up & Drop Off Reminder
Please review this slideshow for a reminder on pick up and drop off procedures. Starting on Monday, March 7th, we will be blocking off the short-term parking lot (Lot C in the picture below).
CANVAS
To check your student’s Canvas grades, directions are on the Fargo Public Schools website: https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/. Click on Departments and then click on Technology.
OR
Here is the direct link for Canvas directions from the Fargo Public Schools website:
PLD REMINDERS
PLD Reminders - It is that time of year already where we are starting to talk about the end of the year. In April, students will have a PLD check up to be sure PLD’s are still in good working order. The PLD will be checked to be sure it does not have damage and that the student has the PLD, power cord, and carrying bag. If your student is assessed a damage repair cost, please pay this promptly. PLD’s will have to be returned at the end of the school year in good condition.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION 2022
Kindergarten Registration for Fall 2022 is open online at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/registration on February 1, 2022. Your child must be age 5 by July 31, 2022 to attend school in the fall.
Registration is a two-step process:
STEP ONE: REGISTER ONLINE
Complete online registration forms at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/registration. For assistance, please contact your child’s school to schedule an appointment to complete in-person. Masks are required for all visitors.
STEP TWO: SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION
Upload or bring the following documents to your child’s school by August 25 to finalize registration.
- Child’s certified birth certificate
- Child’s immunization record with 5-year shots
- Document (i.e. current city utility bill or bank statement) that includes parent/guardian name and current address for verification
If you do not know which school your child will attend, call 701.446.1043 or check online at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/boundarymaps.
If you need help in PowerSchool (Fargo Public Schools online registration software), please call 701.446.1006
PTA Executive Board and Upcoming PTA Meetings
We wanted to let you know that the PTA is entirely new with a completely new executive board! Thank you to the Keri Lee for her numerous years of service.
President: Cori Thielges
V.P: Janelle Hanson
Secretary: Darla Bakko
Treasure: Sarah Smith
Membership: Jennifer Frueh
We are excited to start some new initiatives and get events on the calendar for students! Please join us at our next PTA Meeting April 25, more information to come.
NEXT MEETING WILL BE MONDAY, APRIL 25, 6:30 P.M., ZOOM FORMAT
Membership
There is still time for you to join the PTA and be a part of the Discovery Family!
Upcoming Events
- May 16 - School is in session - make up day from the storm on 1/14/22 - it will be a "D" Day on the letter day calendar
- May 26 - Last Day of Classes
MAY LETTER DAY CALENDAR
Please see below for the May Letter Day Calendar or check out our Discovery website.
Our bell schedules and calendars are always posted on our Discovery website.
Discovery Middle School
Dr. Amanda Quintus, Assistant Principal
Mr. Brandon Larson, Assistant Principal/Activities Coordinator
Mr. Ben Jystad-Spar, Administrative Intern
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/discovery
Location: 1717 40th Avenue South, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701-446-3300