Discovery Academy News!

Welcome back and happy new year! We ware so happy to see our students back with us. May this year bring growth, kindness, and a renewed sense of purpose!

Racial Justice Action Week will take place during the week of January 19. During this week, students will participate in short, grade-level mini-units designed to deepen their understanding of the richness of our diversity, as well as the challenges many people face due to the impacts of racism.

Instruction will be developmentally appropriate, and topics will vary by grade level.

The topics are different across the grade levels. Below are the outcomes toward which we will teach.

PK-2: Outcomes:

• I can name examples of how people are treated unfairly because of their race

• I can listen to and talk about race and differences but understand that being human makes us equal

• I can find a helper when I or another person is being treated unfairly based on who we are.

• I can use my voice to make my school community a better and more fair place

3-5: Outcomes:

• I can name and talk about recent and historical instances of racial injustices.

• I can listen to and share ideas around issues of racism.

• I can name and find a helper when I or another person is being treated unfairly based on who we are.

• I can use my voice to make my school community a better and more fair place.

Parent Session: Raising Children in the Digital Age

In our ongoing effort to keep children safe online and guide them in making positive choices, we are excited to welcome families to meet with Ratosha McBride Tuesday, January 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Please join us to learn more about Ms. McBride’s role in supporting students at Discovery and how you, as parents and caregivers, can help your children stay safe and make smart choices online.

This session will be held virtually. Here is the link.

We are so thankful for our amazing Discovery Academy families who truly showed the power of our hive coming together. During the SNAP freeze, your kindness helped provide groceries for five families, supported nearly 50 families with Thanksgiving gift cards, and brought Christmas joy to over 100 children through donated gifts.

We would also like to send a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers who generously gave their time to help run the Penguin Patch Holiday Store and the Scholastic Book Fair. Your support helped create joyful experiences and meaningful moments for our students, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

Your compassion and willingness to help truly reflects the heart of our school community. Thank you for showing our families that they are seen, supported, and never alone. Together, we continue to make Discovery Academy a place where kindness and care shines brightly. When our hive works together, we can accomplish truly beautiful things.

Our Executive Functioning Practitioners are offering a zoom session on Thursday, January 22, at 6:00 p.m. that will explore self-regulation, attention, and working memory with families. All are invited and will benefit from this orientation. Here is the zoom link. We hope to see you!

This month, Discovery students in K-5 are focusing on Planning. Otto the Octopus will be in our main office to remind us it is important to PLAN what needs to be done to reach our goal! Please check out our website to learn more about the great instruction your students are receiving.

The application window for Magnet Schools is now open. Please let any families you know who may be interested in Discovery Academy or any of our CREC Magnet Schools. Here is a link for more information and to apply. The application window closes on February 6.

It's Writing Contest season, once again! Discovery Academy supports student writing, oral expression and artistic talent by encouraging students to submit original writing and art in regional contests! Our school has had previous winners at the Platinum, Gold and Silver levels in the CT Student Writer's Magazine Contest, a finalist in the Write On, Black Girl contest, and many other notable honorable mentions. Please see the attached link for upcoming literary and artistic opportunities for students of all ages. Our monthly Literacy Challenge for December and January are writing-focused to further support our writers. Please contact your child's teacher or Mrs. Shannon at jshannon@crec.org for additional inquiries. Write On, Discovery!

2026 Writing and Oratorical Contests

Take Apart Lab Success

Thanks to our donations and volunteers, we will complete our annual Take-Apart Lab where every student participated. We need sixty electronic items each year to run the backwards engineering program. Please donate electronics before discarding and always recycle. We accept all electronics except (TVs, monitors, refrigerators and gas or kerosene powered items). Drop off items in the main lobby and Mrs. Neseralla will store everything until December.

Pi Day is in two Months

Our annual Pi Day will be celebrated on Friday, March 13th. Students in every classroom can compete to share how many digits of Pi they can recite.

Did you know our teachers have received training in the Science of Reading, an evidence-based approach to literacy that shows how children learn to read through explicit instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension? This year, a group of teachers from Discovery is continuing this work through ReadConn 2.0, a two-year professional learning program designed to deepen and strengthen reading instruction across classrooms.

Our hope is that this ongoing investment ensures every student develops the strong reading skills and confidence needed for long-term success.

• January 13- Parent session w/ Ratosha McBride 5:30 (raising children in the digital age)
• January 14- early dismissal (Staff professional development)
• January 19- No School (MLK Jr. Day)
• January 22- Virtual Executive Functioning Night 5:30
• January 27-29- Dental Van at Discovery
• January 28- Spirit Day- Crazy Hat/Hair Day
• January 28- Prospective family Open House 5:30
• February 9- School Climate Survey window opens
• February 16-18- No School (Presidents' Day weekend and staff professional learning))
• February 25- Spirit Day- Super Hero Day

We strongly encourage you to check out/follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Here are the links:

Discovery Academy on Facebook

Discovery Instagram

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If you need support with PowerSchool Parent Portal, please email: powerschoolsupport@crec.org. Please include your name, address, and your student's name and school. Thank you!