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October 1, 2020
In This Issue: - Please Help Our Teachers
- Eco Action Team: Students, Apply Now
- Bingo Night is Oct 7
- Grade Level Shirt Day is Oct 9
- Community Partnerships Committee Needs Vols
- Calling all Photographers
- Discovery-AFAC Food Donations
- Walktober: Walk/Bike/Roll to School
- Reflections 2020
- APS Return to School Guidelines and Selection
- APS Fall 2020 Boundary Review
Volunteer with the PTA! We have a lot of fun planned but we need your help! And we welcome new ideas, so bring those, too! To get started, click here or send an email to volunteer@discoverypta.org
Please Help Our Teachers Looking for an easy way to show support and lend a virtual hand to our teachers? Become a room parent! This role will look different than past years but it is helpful for our teachers to have some volunteers to call on when the need arises. Please consider helping out! Contact your child's teacher directly to volunteer.
Students: Join our Eco Action Team & Become a Green Leader
Calling all Sustainable Explorers, the Eco Action Team is now accepting applications. Please complete the registration information (found here) by Monday, October 5th. Students will participate in “at home green activities†found on Monday Choice Boards, and meet virtually once a month to continue our work in the broader community (tentative meeting date will be the first Monday of the month at 1:30pm, starting in November.) For more information email Mrs. Annamreddy (katherine.annamreddy@apsva.us) and/or Ms. Fisher (virginia.fisher@apsva.us). If you had issues last week we resolved the issues and the link should work now.
Save the Date: Wednesday, Oct 7 at 7pm for Bingo Night!
We’re doing things a little differently this year—Bingo Night will be hosted on Zoom! To give Explorers and their families a chance to connect, we are hosting several Bingo Nights throughout the year and limiting the participants so everyone can see and interact with each other on screen. You can sign up for the first one here. (Time doesn’t work for you? Not to worry—we’ll be changing up the times going forward in an effort to accommodate as many families as possible.) |
Spirit Day: Friday, Oct 9 is Grade Level Shirt Day! We encourage all students to wear their class t-shirts on Friday, October 9. It’s a tangible and visual way to foster a sense of community. Need a shirt? Please email grade level and size to discoverytshirts1@gmail.com. Orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Pick up instructions will be emailed to you once your order is ready. Shirts are all Gildan brand and available for Pre-K through 5th grade. The pick-up location will have a bin to donate shirts from previous years. Discovery yard signs will also be available at the pick-up location. $10 per shirt.
Volunteers Needed: Join the Community Partnerships Committee
Want to help Explorers and Discovery give back to our community? Join our community partnerships committee! We have some new and exciting partnership opportunities with Barcroft Elementary School on the horizon but since these initiatives are brand new, we need some help getting them off the ground. Email dimitry.beauchamp@gmail.com with questions or to get involved.
Calling All Photographers!
The Discovery PTA is looking for a few parents who have a talent for photography to help us take socially distant student portraits for this year’s yearbook. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in volunteering a couple of hours to help, please contact jesssmith.house@gmail.com. Hobbyists welcome!
Discovery-AFAC Food Donations
The AFAC food donation program has begun! To make it easier to participate, we will be putting an AFAC bin out next to the library book pickup on Wednesdays at 2:30-4:30pm. Bring your food donations when you pick up your library books! Piece of cake, easy as pie…you get the idea. More information, including AFAC’s food needs, can be found on the PTA website.
Walktober
In lieu of Walk and Bike to School Day this year, Arlington Public Schools Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is pivoting from a one-day celebration of walking, biking and rolling to school to a month-long celebration of walking, biking and rolling “any way and any where you can.†We’re calling this 2020 celebration “Walktober,†and we have big plans. Starting October 1 and every school day through Halloween on October 31, APS SRTS will be posting and tweeting out resources, activities, events, safety tips, and customized materials to inspire walking, biking and rolling together while staying apart. Get all the details and register to participate!
2020-2021 Reflections program Calling all Explorers! It’s time to create artwork in response to the I Matter Because… theme for the 2020-2021 Reflections program. You can virtually submit one piece in each of the arts categories (Dance, Film, Literature, Music, Photography and/or Visual Arts). And, new this year, students of all ages with disabilities who receive services under IDEA or ADA are invited to submit artwork in the Special Artist division. Entries and Student Entry Forms are due by Friday October 23. Learn more about how to submit on the Discovery PTA website.
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 APS Return to School Guidelines and Selections
At the September 24 School Board Meeting, APS Superintendent Dr. Durán announced the APS plan to begin having select groups of students return to school for hybrid, in-person learning in mid to late October and early November based on their student grouping level. Families of students potentially eligible to begin hybrid learning in October or November should have already received an email from APS regarding the selection process.
Families will be able to decide if they would prefer for their child to return to school to receive in-person hybrid learning, or if they would like to continue receiving full-time distance learning when school buildings reopen for students. Information on the plan is available at https://www.apsva.us/school-year-2020-21/transition-to-hybrid-in-person-model/ Affected Discovery families must make their selections via ParentVUE by October 13.
APS Fall 2020 Boundary Review
The School Board will adopt new boundaries on December 3, 2020 that will apply to all students at neighborhood elementary schools starting in the 2021-22 school year. Because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the original APS plan has been streamlined somewhat from the original plan and may impact fewer County schools. The Community engagement portion of the process is scheduled to begin on October 5, 2020. For more information go to https://www.apsva.us/engage/fall2020elementaryboundaries/ |
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
 We are currently offering sponsorship opportunities on the PTA website. Becoming a sponsor allows you to advertise your business at an event, on our website, or in our newsletter while supporting our PTA. If you know anyone that is looking to do a little more marketing of their business or may be interested in becoming a sponsor, please let us know at fundraising@discoverypta.org.
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Grocery Cards-one of our biggest fundraisers! Harris TeeterLink your Harris Teeter VIC Card to Discovery. Visit harristeeter.com/together-in-education to sign up. Please note that you need to link your account annually, and credit is given for purchases of Harris Teeter branded merchandise from August through May of each school year.
Giant Please register your Giant cards to benefit Discovery. Go to Giant's website, click on Savings & Rewards, then "A+ School Rewards." Discovery is school #40035. | | 
Amazon Smile Link your Amazon account to Amazon Smile, and Discovery will receive 0.5% cash back on all eligible purchases. NOW AVAILABLE ON THE AMAZON APP!
To access on App: Click on Menu (3 horizontal lines), scroll down to Settings, choose AmazonSmile, and search for Discovery Elementary School PTA. | | 
Box Tops Box Tops has gone completely mobile! The app allows you to photograph your receipt and immediately receive credit for Box Top labelled merchandise. If you have tangible Box Tops please contact
fundraising@discoverypta.org to arrange a pick up. |
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