DISCOVERY SCHOOL - Alexandria, Minnesota School District 206

Connections
Discovery Middle School Newsletter February, 2013
DMS Points of Pride
Geography Bee Finalists
Front row - Sam Kuennen, Josie Nelson and Onna
O’Connor. Back row – Will Kopp, Logan Koehn, Micah
Christenson, Aaron Telander and Sam Gunvalson (not
pictured: Ryan Swanberg)
Congratulations to all our Geography Bee Finalists! On
January 7 th they competed by answering a variety of
geography questions to see who
would move on to the next round.
DMS winner, Will Kopp, took a
qualifying test and if he gets one of
the top 100 scores in the state, he
will go to St. Cloud for the state bee
in May. Congratulations and good
luck to Will!
The Minnesota Band Directors
Association selected students to
participate in their North West Region
Honor Bands. The concert was held
January 19th at the Fergus Falls High
School Auditorium.
The 8 th grade students participating:
Alayna Gray – clarinet, Emily Berger – alto saxophone,
Jack Anderson – tenor saxophone, Claire Wilmesmeier
and Megan Ferguson – French horn, Eric Welle –
trumpet, Ted Nohl – trombone, Ryan Maier – tuba
9 th grade students participating:
Matt Bittmann – baritone sax, Isabelle Hartokolis –
French horn, Dylan Larson – tuba, Elisabeth Thorson –
French horn, Geoffrey Griepentrog – percussion, Dan
Roers – tuba, Molly Maudal – flute
Spring Activities
Start Dates
Activity Gr 7/8 Gr 9
Baseball April 8 March 18
Adaptive Bowling March 5 March 5
Golf – boys/girls April 8 March 18
Boys Tennis April 2 March 25
Track – boys/girls April 2 March 11
Softball April 8 March 11
You may pick up registration forms in the DMS front
office or may use the online registration. If you
register online, please stop in front office to pick up
your green card. Forms and payment are due before
the first day of practice.
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From the Principal,
Matt Aker
Students are settling in as we enter
into second semester and there are many routines and
daily schedules the students have figured out. It
should be getting easier, right? Well, let’s reflect on
what a middle-schooler typically works through on any
given day:
There is homework, fitting in, growing up,
looking good, friends, their abilities, their lack
of ability, making a mistake, and whether or not
they are wearing the right thing that day, plus
all the other unknowns. Add to these issues
anything (real or perceived) regarding their
family and friends, and your middle-schooler
might be more stressed out in January than at
the start of the year!
Parents who have gone through this with older siblings
might recognize that this is “normal”, but as quickly as
things change in an adolescent’s life, it can even catch
seasoned parents off guard. Some things we can do to
let our students know we want to help them be
successful might include:
1. Ensuring "down" time: A young adolescent is
involved in too many activities when there isn't
plenty of time to rest, "veg," occasionally sleep
in, daydream, reflect, or in other words...do
nothing!
2. Planning "together" time: Take time to just
listen without judgment or smothering their
thought processes with the "right" answer.
3. Engaging in family time: Have the courage to
turn off the TV, set aside other technologies,
and do something as a family (see #2)
4. Acknowledging the stress: Too often, parents
and guardians belittle the stresses of being a
young adolescent, especially when they
compare them to the strains of adulthood.
can’t seem to get a handle on regarding your student
and school, please call us at Discovery. We want to
know what is going on with your student, and together
we will plan on how to meet those ever-changing
needs of a middle-schooler!
From the 8 th Grade Dean,
Dave Peper
It certainly is hard to believe that, with
all of our efforts climbing through the
2012-13 school year, we have already
reached the mountain top of semester break. On the
calendar this should mean that it is all downhill from
here…right! The winter “dog days” that make the cold
weather and the redundancy of schedules seem to
drag on forever are now at hand. Sometimes it seems
as if spring will never come, but as always, it will. The
proof is in the hallways of Discovery Middle School
where there is perpetual sunshine beaming from the
faces of our students. Please help us celebrate the
diversity of seasons with your student and encourage
them to work hard in the classroom, play hard in their
activities, and love hard within your family.
Soon, the planning sessions for the transition from 8 th
grade to 9 th grade will also be upon us. Next year, your
8 th grader will be challenged academically to earn
credits towards their high school diploma. Often times
when our students have something measureable to
monitor, they find more motivational energy and their
academic efforts soar. The timeless question, “What’s
in it for me?” will now have an answer. Keep a
watchful eye out for information regarding registering
for 9 th grade classes. After all, this next step will be the
first towards planning a graduation party in 2017!
Finally, a friendly reminder regarding the commitment
we at Discovery have to you and your student: our
phone is yours to call (320-762-7900) and our doors
are always open to find success together in these
middle school years. May 29 th is NOT that far away!
Of course these are suggestions that work well with
most instances, but if there are other issues you just
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From the 7 th Grade Dean,
Sarah Reif
As we embark upon the third quarter of
the 7 th grade, I’d like to take the
opportunity to reflect on our amazing 1 st half of the
school year. I have had the opportunity to visit with
each and every 7 th grade student individually to see
how things are going at this new magical world of
Discovery Middle School. Each of them provided me
with a notecard of general information about
themselves to provide us some talking points. We
briefly talked a little history (which elementarysingular
or plural- they attended) and then we got right
into it. I asked how things are going and what they
enjoy about DMS? The answers ranged anywhere
from: science class to lunch time, passing time to the
swimming unit in PE. It’s fun to hear all that they are
enjoying about being middle school students. I asked
about any concerns they may have faced. Many times
they had none to share, but I expressed the
importance of knowing who they can go to if
something does come up (that would be myself or a
trusted adult they feel close to). We talked about
grades and how classes are going and then I asked
about friends. The reason I ask about friends is
because this tells me a lot about a student based on
who they feel they are connecting with and more
importantly, that they do feel connected to peers in
this place that can sometimes feel extra-large. At the
end of our discussion I made sure to ask them to share
some fun facts about themselves. This is where our
conversations got interesting! I heard a vast range of
replies: everything from unique double-jointedness to
the number of animals in their household. They are
truly a great group of individuals and I feel lucky to
have the opportunity to work with each and every one
of them!
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From the Assistant
Principal/Activities Director/
9 th Grade Dean, Bob Brakke
It’s cold outside so it must mean we are
at the end of the first semester. Right up until the end,
students were working on the final touches to raise
those grades. Now it’s time to celebrate a job well
done. Nice work DMS!
The start of spring semester means we need to begin
planning for next year. The registration process will
occur soon. We will work hard to help the students
plan out the rest of middle school on through their
high school careers. For 8 th graders the EXPLORE Test
results will aid in planning for coursework needed for
possible future careers.
Winter sports are nearing the end of their seasons
after showing great success. Our middle school
philosophy focuses on participation and skill
development. However, our teams are always among
the most competitive in the region. Make sure to stop
in and see one of the many games, matches, concerts
and other events coming up in the next few months.
Every Student…Everyday
to the following businesses for
their support of Discovery
Middle School. Their
contributions of time and
materials help us to celebrate and enrich the
experiences of our students and staff.
Burger King, Cherry Street Books,
Elden’s Food Fair, McDonald’s, Midway Mall
Cinema 9, Pizza Ranch, Prime West, 2 Guyz Pizza
-Thank you to Kevin Howie for videotaping the band,
orchestra and choir concerts. He allows the
community to view the talents of our students to
people near and far!
-Thanks to Ryan Carns from 3M who came in to talk to
Mrs. Kalina’s Principles of Engineering class about
Chemical Engineering!

Important Dates
7/8/9 Orchestras Concert 7:30 pm ...................... 2/4
7 th gr Honor Card Breakfast 7:10-7:40 am ........... 2/5
2-Hour Late Start .................................................. 2/6
8 th gr Honor Card Breakfast 7:10-7:40 am ........... 2/7
9 th gr Honor Card Breakfast 7:10-7:40 am ........... 2/8
6/7 Bands Concert 7:30 pm ............................... 2/11
K-12 NO SCHOOL ............................................ 2/18
DMS CONFERENCES 11:30 am-7:30 pm ........... 2/18
8/9 Bands, DMS Jazz Band Concert 7:30 pm ....... 3/4
PE Make-up day 7:00 am ..................................... 3/7
PE Make-up day 7:00 am ................................... 3/21
End of 3 rd Quarter .............................................. 3/28
K-12 NO SCHOOL Easter Break ........... 3/29 and 4/1
UMM Morris Jazz Festival – all day .................... 4/11
DMS/JHS Jazz Band Concert 7:30 pm .................. 4/8
2-Hour Late Start ................................................ 4/24
9 Band/DMS Jazz Band Concert 7:30 pm ........... 4/29
ATTN 9 th grade students and parents:
Plan to attend a Parent/Student
Registration Information Meeting (60-90
minutes) at Jefferson High School on one
of the following dates and times…
Tuesday, February 12, 5:00 pm,
JHS Cafeteria
Tuesday, February 12, 7:00 pm,
JHS Cafeteria
Thursday, February 14, 5:00 pm,
JHS Cafeteria
Thursday, February 14, 7:00 pm,
JHS Cafeteria
The Registration Information Meeting
will provide you with…
an overview of District 206
Graduation Requirements
your 2013-2014 Registration
Form, information, and
instructions (there will not be an
opportunity to get these
materials or this information any
other way)
an opportunity to plan ahead to
align your high school
experience with your post high
school goals and objectives
Included in this report card mailing
is a scheduled advisor meeting
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