The Explorer

Happy new year, and welcome back! We hope you had time to relax and rest up. Discovery is ready to make 2026 a year filled with success through hard work and dedication by providing students with daily opportunities to grow. The hard work is the responsibility of all of us: administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, students, and other school staff.

Parent Teacher Conferences are next month on February 26 and March 2. Your child's teacher will send out a link for you to sign-up for a day and time. Conferences are a great opportunity for parents/guardians and teachers to discuss student progress, growth, and concerns. When parents/guardians and teachers work together, children do better in school and at home. Research shows that when a partnership approach between parents/guardians and teachers is evident, children's work habits, attitudes about school, and grades improve.

A few winter reminders:

Students will have inside recess when the temperature is 0° or below with wind chill.
Please dress your child appropriately for the weather (hat, gloves, winter coat, snow pants, and winter boots).
If we have a two hour late start, breakfast will NOT be served.

Thank you for your commitment to your child's education and for supporting Discovery Elementary.

Mr. Dan Fischer, Principal

Jan. 12 - No school (teacher work day).
Jan. 19 - No school in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Jan. 20 - PTO meeting in the Discovery library at 6:00 pm.
Feb. 5 - PTO's Discovery Skate Night from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at Skate City.
Feb. 16. - No school (Presidents' Day Break).
Feb. 17 - No school (Presidents' Day Break).

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It's time to start thinking about Kindergarten for the 2026-27 school year! Children who are five years old on or before September 1, 2026, can register for kindergarten for the 2026-27 school year. Below is step-by-step on how to register.

STEP 1: Get your child on our list of incoming kindergartners. Go to https://forms.gle/sexxsTswAxyfCW6z9 and enter your child’s information. This also gives you an opportunity to tell us about your child.

STEP 2: Below are the required documents that we must have before your child can start school.

Birth Certificate – we are required to see the original birth certificate. We cannot accept a copy from you. You can bring it to the office between 7:30 am – 4:00 pm or to the "Kindergarten Kick Off" in March.
Immunizations record – You can email them to Jasmine.Iddings@k12.sd.us or fax them to 605-362-3535.
Address Verification: The SFSD requires verification of your address. It must be in your parent/guardian) name, and it must be current. You can email it to Jennifer.Hogan@k12.sd.us or Jasmine.Iddings@k12.sd.us. You can bring it to the office between 7:30 am – 4:00 pm. We can only accept one of the following documents: Acceptable documents are:

Utility bill
Rental property lease/contract or payment receipts
Property tax payment or receipts
State/Government agency mail
Mortgage document
Homeowner’s insurance policy

STEP 3: Complete the Sioux Falls School District's (SFSD) official online registration, which will open on February 1 – you will NOT be able to register until then. We will send a reminder email on February 1, along with the registration link.

STEP 4: Save the date! Please plan on bringing your incoming kindergartner to "Kindergarten Kick Off" on Thursday, March 12. More details to come!

In the morning, drop off in the front circle drive should be a quick process. Your student should be ready to exit the vehicle properly dressed and with his/her belongings. Waiting for your student to get ready and gather his/her things holds up the flow of traffic. Parents should remain in their vehicle. If your child is not ready to exit the vehicle and needs your assistance, please park in the parking lot - do not park in the front circle drive.

Students should exit the vehicle so they are stepping onto the sidewalk – not into the flow of traffic. This is a huge safety concern especially if the parking lot is slippery.

Please do not wait to drop your student(s) off directly in front of the main door. We encourage you to have your student(s) exit the vehicle once you are in the circle drive. Waiting to pull up directly in front of the main door slows the flow of traffic.

Please make sure you share this information with anyone who is responsible for dropping off your student(s) in the morning.

This is a reminder that the door to the office is always locked. There is a doorbell to the right of the office door that has a camera and microphone on it. The doorbell is similar to a home security system (ex. Ring, Blink). Ring the doorbell, stand in front of the camera, and office staff will assist you. Once entering the office, you may or may not have to present a government issued ID, so please bring it with you. Please share this information with anyone who may come to the school on your behalf.

Mrs. Jacee Johnson

Email: Jacee.Johnson@k12.sd.us

Mrs. Karmyn Marchand

Email: Karmyn.Marchand@k12.sd.us

THIRD GRADE STUDENTS & PARTS OF THE BRAIN

Third grade students have worked hard on learning three main parts of their brain: prefrontal coretx, hippocampus, and amygdala. They are learning how to notice which part of the brain feels the most in control, along with coping skills to help get back into their upstairs brain - the prefrontal coretx and hippocampus.