DRE Weekly News December 1, 2025

December is a festive time of year. What began as a staff-only dress-up event has grown to include students. Please be assured, this is optional and intended to be fun! We appreciate the work of our Student Lighthouse Team in creating a month of fun to look forward to!

Our Texas Roadhouse Gift Card sales come to a close this week. Please return all orders by Tuesday, December 2. Discovery Ridge earns 10% of all sales.

Each student who sells two $30 gift cards earns a Free Kids Meal voucher and is entered to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card.

Gift cards and Kids Meal vouchers will be sent home the week of December 15.

At Discovery Ridge Elementary, we take pride in our students' excellent attendance! Sharing our weekly attendance is important to us, and it will be a regular feature in our Weekly News. We invite you to join us in celebrating the hard work of our students and their families, ensuring that DRE Stars have the opportunity to attend school every day, all day!

Perfect Attendance (Zero Absence)

209 Students

90/90 Data (Percentage of Students w/90%+ Attendance) (11/1-11/25)

Kdg 91.56%

1st Grade 87.5%

2nd Grade 92.01%

3rd Grade 94.74%

4th Grade 93.97%

5th Grade 91.58%

DRE 90/90 Data 91.41%

DRE SIP 25-26 Goal: DRE will improve the proportional attendance rate

from 93.4% to 94.3% by the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

The growth will be 1% per school year, as measured by the Annual Performance Report.

We are growing our Noon Duty team! This role supervises students during lunch and recess. This position allows for a flexible schedule with hours 10:30-1:30. For more information, don't hesitate to get in touch with Mr. Tracy: benjamintracy@wsdr4.org

December 1

WSD Late Start Day, 10:35 am

No PreK Classes

DRE December Student Dress Up Days begin

December 2

Texas Roadhouse Gift Card Sales Close

December 3

DRE Fine Arts Night, 6:30 pm (DRE Choir and 3rd Grade)

December 6

DRE Choir Christmas Traditions Parade, Main Street St. Charles

December 12

DRE PTO Pancakes With Principals, 6-8 pm

Book Fair Family Shopping Night

December 15

Book Fair Begins

DRE Mobile Dentist (see Nurse Rosemarie's information below)

Texas Roadhouse Gift Cards & Kids Meal Vouchers Delivered

December 18

Winter Parties, PreK-5th Grade, 2:20-3:20 pm

December 19

Early Release, 1:35 pm

No PreK Classes

January 5

Classes Resume

WSD Late Start Day, 10:35 am

No PreK Classes

Monday

Day 2

Tuesday

Day 3

Wednesday

Day 4

Thursday

Day 5

Friday

Day 1

Preschool-10:35 a.m.

Kindergarten-11:10 a.m.

First Grade-11:25 a.m.

Second Grade-10:50 a.m.

Third Grade-12:30 p.m.

Fourth Grade-12:10 p.m.

Fifth Grade-11:50 a.m.

We use the following information to determine the safety of outdoor activities during our cold-weather months.

Has your child's teacher made a significant impact on their education and life? Do you want to recognize a staff member who goes above and beyond? Let them know with a Wentzville Wow Factor Award; you can submit one at any time throughout the school year to show them that they are making a difference!

Each holiday season our Discovery Ridge community participates in a "Giving Tree" program, offering holiday assistance to families and children in our community. WSD is partnering with Morning Star Church Christmas Shoppe. Christmas Shoppe is an opportunity for WSD families to purchase gifts for their own children at deeply discounted prices. Each year, gifts are donated, and all proceeds from the Christmas Shoppe support the New Hope Resource Center, which assists local families in need year-round.

To support Christmas Shoppe, we have a "Giving Tree" in our main office at Discovery Ridge. Our tree is decorated with QR code gift tags that can be scanned to access gift registry information for Walmart, Target, and Amazon, including suggested donations. If your family would like to donate a gift, please return your Giving Tree form to the office, and we will assist your child in choosing a gift tag from the tree.

Please return purchased items, unwrapped with the original tag from the Giving Tree, by Monday, December 1.

Contact the Discovery Ridge Counselors with any questions at (636) 561-2354.

Stacy Browning ext. 48240

Jane Douglas ext. 48244

This is an optional service for students. If you don't sign up, your child will not be seen.

Forms are being sent home in backpacks this week or you may sign up here. Please reach out if you have any questions, rosemariehamilton@wsdr4.org.

https://www.myschooldentist.com/Default.aspx

Please consider partnering with our school by joining PTO! Our Parent Teacher Organization supports our school community in many ways, made possible by YOU! Each family membership is $10 annually.

Join us for Pancakes with Principals Friday, December 12, from 6-8 pm. Discovery Ridge Elementary Pancake Dinner, $5 Child and $6 for adults.

Visit with Santa, play games, enjoy holiday music, shop the book fair and make a holiday craft.

Families are welcome to visit with Santa and enjoy other activities free of charge. Come anytime between 6-8 pm.

Dear Discovery Ridge Elementary Families:

Throughout the duration of the academic year, the Wentzville School District partners with community agencies that specialize in providing students, families, and educators with preventative education. Agency presenters are credentialed, coordinated through the District, and under the supervision of building administrators. Presentation topics are targeted toward specific grade levels. All students will participate in each program unless you choose to opt your child out of the lesson(s). If you are interested in opting your student(s) out of the presentation(s), please click the appropriate link(s) below.

Kindergarten Opt-Out Form

First Grade Opt-Out Form

Second Grade Opt-Out Form

Third Grade Opt-Out Form

Fourth Grade Opt-Out Form

Fifth Grade Opt-Out Form

If you have additional questions, please reach out directly to your student’s guidance counselor.

Thank you,

Mrs. Kelly Stratman, Principal

Mr. Ben Tracy, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Stacy Browning, 1-3 Counselor

Mrs. Jane Douglas, K, 4-5 Counselor

Mrs. Sarah Holcomb, Education Support Counselor

Each new school year brings opportunities for academic growth and growth in all areas of development. Although children must be knowledgeable when they graduate, they must also be healthy, engaged, responsible, and caring people.

We’re grateful you’re here at our school and we’re excited to partner with you and your child. As a Leader in Me School, we believe that every member of your family has greatness and we can’t wait to learn and grow from you! Leader in Me (LiM) is an evidence-based, comprehensive school-improvement model—developed in partnership with educators and FranklinCovey—that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in a global community.

Our school has chosen to operate through a uniquely different lens. Leader in Me is about empowering your child to reach their full potential while ultimately finding their voice. As a school, the staff in this building have made five core commitments to your child. We call these our Core Paradigms. In these paradigms you will find the belief and way we view all students. At this school we see that:

• Everyone is a leader.
• Everyone has genius.
• Change starts with me.
• We empower students to lead their own learning.
• Educators and families partner to develop the whole person.

Not only do these paradigms apply to your student, they apply to all of us!

Leader in Me provides our school with the vision and language to lead the school in a way that addresses all areas of development. As each child discovers and develops their unique gifts and talents, they are given opportunities to lead.

As leaders, they become active, engaged partners in their own education, and their self-confidence, responsibility, and initiative grows. The children quickly understand the benefits of different gifts and talents; they learn to listen to new ideas, work together to achieve results, and motivate one another to be the best.

We hope your school enjoys sharing these new opportunities. Together, we will see each child grow throughout the year.

Mrs. Kelly J. Stratman, Principal

Mr. Ben Tracy, Assistant Principal