Dear Discovery Families,

Happy November! During this Thanksgiving season I want to thank each of you for your support of our students, staff and school. It's been a great first two months of school and we look forward to continuing to build our partnership with each of you. As a reminder, as we move into the wet and cold winter months, please be sure your children are dressed appropriately for the weather (i.e. coats for rain, long pants, no shorts, close-toed shoes, hats and gloves). The weather changes rapidly, warmer weather in the morning may turn into a cold, brisk or rainy afternoon. When dressing children for winter, remember their hands, feet and heads are especially susceptible to the cold.

November Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences are quickly approaching. Conferences are an important time to meet with your child's teacher to discuss their progress in school. Just like you, our goal is to ensure each student is successful and thrives in school and in life. This success is best accomplished when families and schools work together collaboratively. This year conferences will be held on November 21, 22, and 23. Please be sure to mark these dates on your calendar as it is important parents and families attend each child’s conference. Working together, we can make a positive difference for your student. Please remember there is NO SCHOOL for students during Conference week, which includes Thanksgiving Break (November 21 – 25).

To prepare for your parent-teacher conference, please consider the following tips:

• Ask Your Child for Input: Many teachers will ask that you include your child in the meeting. If your child won’t be participating in the conference, be sure to talk to your child about how he or she feels school is going so far. What do they enjoy? Where does they feel most successful? Are there any areas where they are struggling? Is your child making special connections with any friends in their classroom? These questions will give you a better idea about how your child is adjusting to school and can provide you with an idea of topics you may want to discuss the teacher.

• Honor Your Scheduled Time: Spending one-on-one time with families discussing students is very important to teachers. However, meeting with all families makes for a busy schedule. We ask that families arrive on time for their conference so we can ensure all parents receive their full conference time. If you are unable to attend your scheduled time or need an interpreter and one has not been assigned, please call ahead so arrangements can be made.

• Take Notes: If you have specific questions write them down prior to the meeting. Remember a lot of information is covered in a conference as both you and the teacher have an opportunity to discuss your child. Trying to remember everything can be a challenge, so take notes on the teacher’s thoughts or suggestions that will help you to better support your child at home.

• Provide Important Information about What’s Going on at Home: If there is information you think may be important for the teacher to know, please share it. Sometimes things that occur at home have an impact on your child’s learning at school. For example, if children are not sleeping well they may be having a hard time focusing.

• Stay Positive & Keep an Open Mind: At Discovery we believe in the importance of connecting with families. Like you, we want the best for your child. Sometimes discussions regarding academic or behavior concerns need to take place, but we want to work with you to help your child to be successful.

First Trimester Report Card:

Report cards will be shared with you during parent/family-teacher conferences and the information will be used to help guide the conversation during your child’s conference. Rather than evaluating many separate areas for behavior and academics, teachers will report an overall progress grade for each area. The report card you will receive at the end of second trimester (in April) and third trimester (in June) will include more detailed grades and written comments.

The safety of all Discovery students and staff is very important. For this reason, it is important all visitors sign in and out at the main office. In addition, we remind everyone that middle school and high school students are not allowed on campus, unless accompanied by an adult, until the final bell rings at 3:25 p.m. We ask for your continued support in reminding older students to wait off campus until the bell rings. Thank you for your continued support of our Discovery students and staff. As we approach the Thanksgiving Break, I wish you and your families a restful holiday.

In partnership,

Shannon Koehnen

PLEASE KEEP TOYS AT HOME! This is a timely reminder that no toys from home are allowed at Discovery. This includes trading cards, athletic equipment, fidget tools, figurines, toy cars, dolls or games. Toys are expensive for families and the school is not responsible for personal items if they get lost or broken. We have many fun things and equipment at school for students to play with, so students do not need to bring any personal items to school!

If toys are found at school they will be collected by the teacher for safe keeping and returned after school. Please talk with your child about keeping their toys and personal items at home.