Glossary

DCS has a culture and a language that is unique to itself. Here is a glossary of terms that may give you the context to better understand much of what you’ll hear.

Community and Classrooms

Staff member and students working on an art project

Community Member
Includes staff, students, and parents of Discovery Community School.

Youngers
Kindergarten and 1st grade DCS students.

Middles
2nd and 3rd grade DCS students.

Olders
4th and 5th grade DCS students.

Safe Arrival
425.936.2701 - Number to call between 4:00 pm and 9:00 am if your child will be absent or late. You may also want to send an e-mail to your child's teacher and the DCS secretary.

Sandburg Office
425.936.2700. -Call if you have an urgent issue and are unable to reach our DCS secretary. Sign in here when volunteering in the classroom.

Terminology

Buildings
Consists of two main buildings. The northeastern building houses DCS, The other, houses administrative offices, gym, library, music room and Sandburg classrooms. The library is where the DCS community Meetings are generally held.

DCS/Carl Sandburg Shared Campus
DCS students enjoy all the benefits of sharing a campus with Carl Sandburg Elementary School. These include library, music and physical education, in addition to special education, after-school programs, and special events.

Field Trips
Learning Journeys
Friday Specials
Three (Fall, Winter and Spring) 3 to 4 weeks in duration, Friday afternoon parent led multi-age enrichment activities.
LWSD Lake Washington School District.
Org Chart / Volunteer Roster
Organization Chart of DCS community including staff, elected officers, committee Chairs, and committee members.
PTSA
Parent, Teachers, Student Association - A DCS / Sandburg organization planning, discussing, implementing, and supporting school sponsored events, activities, and facilities. Volunteering for PTSA sponsored events or attending their meetings count toward DCS parent volunteer hours.
Sandburg
Carl Sandburg Elementary.
Steering
Refers both to the monthly Steering Meetings and the Steering committee made up of elected officers, committee chairs, Principal, and Head Teacher.
Volunteer Badges
To be worn while volunteering at DCS/Sandburg. Found in our secretary's office. For safety and security reasons, you must sign in at Sandburg's front office anytime you are volunteering or visiting DCS or Sandburg.

Volunteer Hours
Each DCS family is required to contribute 65 hours per year (per family—not per student). All volunteer hours should be logged in to the volunteer database via the "Our Community" link in the navigation area on the top left of this page. Use the Volunteer button and "Record your Hours" link then login. Contact the webmasters using the link at the bottom of this page for login information. Hours can be entered at any time but should be logged on a monthly basis.

Wednesday Early Release
All LWSD Elementary Schools release early on Wednesdays. DCS / Sandburg Elementary dismiss at 2:20 pm on Wednesdays.

Winter Event
Traditionally the DCS art and talent show. Art created by children displayed in a gallery setting along with stage performances, often including work from Friday Specials.

Communication

Kid Mail
A folder system of relaying daily paper notices to parents/staff.

E-mail Group Lists E-mail Group Lists are a series of mailing lists used for communication from staff and between DCS families. At a minimum, you'll need to subscribe to the "DCS_Business" list and your child(ren)'s class list.

Staff E-mail
LWSD e-mail format is firstinitiallastname@lwsd.org (ex. jdoe@lwsd.org). E-mails should be brief and concise (15 lines max). Teachers are happy to schedule conferences as needed to discuss more complex issues.

Student & Family Resources School and Bus Finder Skyward Family Access

What Parent's Say About DCS

DCS is important to me as it creates a strong sense and knowledge of being part of a community that seems to have been lost in large urban areas. The children and parents get to experience being part of a very tight community, appreciating and learning about their differences and helping those in need.

Anonymous