Welcome back to school, we are ready for a great year!

School Day Hours:

Beginning of the Day:

• Students should enter through the front doors beginning at 7:35am and go through to the school playground area or directly to the cafeteria for breakfast. The front doors are open until 7:59am, at that time the front doors will be secured and students need to ring the bell to enter and they need to report to the office for a late pass to enter their classroom and will need to let the office staff know if they are having breakfast and if they are hot or cold for lunch. Students must be in class by 8:00 or they will be counted tardy to school. After 7 tardies, the school must file a report with the county. If you as the adult feel their late arrival should be excused, please walk your child into school and check them in at the office on the Main Floor.
• If students are eating breakfast, they should arrive by at least 7:55 and go straight to the cafeteria (gym), not to the their lockers first. They will put their items along the wall of the gym and gather them when they are dismissed. All other students should go straight outside. Students begin coming inside at 7:50, will go to their lockers and then directly to their classroom. Thank you!   
• We ask for parents to drop students at the main door. This helps children with transition and independence as well as cuts down on distractions and traffic through the school. The first week we do allow Children's House parents to bring their students into the building so they are more comfortable and to help with the separation.

End of the Day:

• All students will stay in their classrooms/gym area until they are called. The end of the day will conclude at 2:50pm. Bus students will be dismissed between 2:50-3:00pm. Pickup students will be dismissed between 2:55-3:10pm.
• For pick up please pull as far forward along the curb as possible before stopping your vehicle. There should be very little room between your car and the car in front of you. Please continue to pull up whenever there is a gap.
• Parents are to remain in their vehicles, your child will come to you - do not leave vehicles unattended in the pick-up line.
• Please follow the directions of staff members on duty.
• Provide the staff member with your child’s name for pick-up when prompted
• Staff member will call your child's name and your child will be sent to the staff member at the end of the sidewalk.
• As soon as all cars have come to a complete stop, staff will let your child(ren) go to their vehicle. This is especially important in the winter since the sidewalks are slippery.
• Please be mindful that the entire pick-up procedure begins at 2:55 and usually is done by 3:05. This allows many children to be picked up by parents in a timely, efficient and safe manner. All students who have not been picked up by 3:10 will be brought to after care and charged the aftercare rate.
• We ask that you respectfully follow the directions of the staff outside as the safety of each DWS child at pick-up is their priority. 

**Please note there have been a few changes in staffing.

IMPORTANT DATES:

September 27th- Picture Day

October 6th- NO SCHOOL (Teacher Inservice)

October 9th-13th - Book Fair and Parent/Teacher /Student Conferences

October 18th - Butter Braid Fundraiser begins!! (Ends Nov 2, Delivery Nov 16)

October 19th-20th - NO SCHOOL

November 1st - Picture Retakes

November 23rd-24th - NO SCHOOL

November 27th - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Inservice)

December 22nd-Janury 2 - NO SCHOOL

After School Care



⭐After care registration is currently full. We are looking into options as we know how difficult it is for parents but at this time we do not have the staff available to accommodate more students. We also suggest Fun-N-Friends or the YMCA as alternative after school programs at this time, both programs have transportation available after school. 

⭐After Care Families - Hours are after school until 5:30pm.

Please include a check for the first month of school (September) to hold a slot

for your choice of schedule. Payments will be due by the 5th of each month (Oct. 5th for October’s After-Care) otherwise you will be charged $11 per day at the end of the month. Payment is considered late if payment arrangements have not been made within two weeks of invoice due date. If payment has not been arranged or paid by the end of that month, the child will not be able to attend the following month and there may be a late fee added.

If your child is not picked up by 3:10pm they will be sent to after care and payment of $9/student/day will be expected to be paid.  

You will be charged $1/minute/child for every minute past 5:30pm.

All doors will be locked during after care hours, in order to ensure safety at our school. After care parents can use the south door (Holly Street) or playground during nice days in the fall and spring. You can call the aftercare cell phone at 218-820-6958 and after care staff will come bring your child to you.

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS

Discovery Woods tries to follows these strategies and tips for students and encourages parents/guardians to help as well. Be sure your student gets enough sleep, activity and healthy foods especially around assessment dates, see MDE assessment calendar below.

10 tips to help support students of all ages:

1. Use upcoming testing windows as a springboard to talk about the importance of eating well, sufficient sleep, and regular exercise. Build into the conversation that these practices are always important, but especially critical when feeling stressed or anxious. Encourage students to make a plan for how they will build these healthy habits into their routines. 
2. On testing days, share personalized notes of encouragement with students. Compliment their effort and reinforce that they just need to try their best. No matter the age, a personalized, uplifting note can calm worries and add joy. 
3. Though testing can be a stressful experience for counselors and teachers, too, it is important not to share these feelings with students. Students pick up on even subtle cues from those around them. Aim to be a supportive, calming presence through words and actions.
4. Routines are calming for students. At the beginning of each day, talk with students about the schedule so that they know what to expect throughout the day. For younger students, consider making a visual schedule so they can keep track of what is ahead. 
5. Build in down time to the testing day, and let students know ahead of time when they can expect a break. By letting students know when they will be able to relax or go outdoors, they are more likely to have the energy to persevere through long testing sessions.
6. Practice mindful breathing. This can be a great strategy to help students feel present in the moment and slow down feelings of worry. Share different strategies for helping students to focus on their breath. (Here are some tips for doing so with younger students and tweens and teens.) Consider taking a few moments before a testing session to have all students practice breathing exercises and encourage them to use these techniques during a test. 
7. Because testing requires a very controlled environment, some students may feel they don’t have any agency. Before or after testing windows, empower students with choices when possible. For example, students might choose what activity they would like to do during down time. Beyond making kids feel like they have some control, this also helps to meet the unique needs of different learners as some students prefer quiet time to decompress after testing while others benefit from more active interactions with peers.
8. Find ways to infuse opportunities for movement into the day. Testing requires a lot of sitting with sustained focus. Quick movement or stretching breaks can help to keep students engaged, and longer, planned breaks are highly restorative.
9. Laughter really can be the best medicine. Find ways to infuse a moment of laughter and levity when students are stressed through age-appropriate silly jokes, funny memes, or playful videos.

When testing is finished, pause with your students to celebrate and applaud their effort and focus. And, remember that most students require time to recover from the intensity of the testing experience.