Email Sheila Lewis!
At Discover Academy, teachers and families work collaboratively to nurture and guide our students’ creativity, knowledge and sense of self. We support the needs of the whole child by pairing strong instruction with social emotional learning. Our classrooms are productive and filled with outrageous love for little KIPPsters. KIPPsters at Discover Academy leave with the foundational academic skills and mindsets that are necessary for success in rigorous and joyful elementary schools. Upon completion of Kindergarten, Discover Academy students move onto KIPP DC Heights Academy.
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Established
2009 -
Grades Served
PreK3- K -
Enrollment
250
"It's truly empowering to be surrounded by like-minded and talented individuals who believe Black and Brown students deserve a great education and the same qualities as others."
Sheila Lewis, Principal, KIPP DC Discover Academy
"I’m also teaching them how to be good people. I get so much joy out of seeing students’ master content, or parent’s celebrating their success. I honestly couldn’t see myself doing anything else."
Miata Smith-Bunai, Kindergarten Teacher, KIPP DC Discover Academy
"As parents, it’s important to be engaged throughout the entire educational journey and this is where it starts. It’s for my child, and it’s for my community. I want to ensure my child is developing well and I also want to create avenues for partnership between the school and my community."
Crystal Gray, KPO Lead Parent, KIPP DC Discover
Values
- Community
- Grow
- Honor
- Imagine
- Lead
Academics
Discover Academy uses the Tools of the Mind curriculum to develop executive function, promote social-emotional learning, and grow early literacy and math skills for PreK3 and PreK4 students. In Kindergarten, we use Eureka (squared), Really Great Reading, and a structured literacy approach to prepare our students for success in Elementary school and beyond.
Teachers and families partner to ensure each student’s individual needs are met—setting a strong foundation for their educational journey.
Play-based learning allows PreK3 and PreK4 students to express themselves, explore new concepts, and work together with their classmates. We build on this foundation in Kindergarten with effective, high-quality, and rigorous instruction that produces academic results and student growth.
Extracurriculars
Discover Academy values the student and family experience. We believe that strong academics should be complimented with robust interest-building activities and opportunities to give our students a well-rounded education.
Discover hosts a number of teacher-planned events to engage students and families throughout the year. Past experiences and events have included: literacy and math night, various themed spirit days, movie nights, “sip” & paint, sneaker ball, Black History Month Student Showcase, Donuts with Dad, Muffins with Mom, Granola with Grandparents & more!
Extracurriculars and partnerships have included: Dance DC through the Washington Ballet, Mad Science, Breathing Space Yoga, iCook Culinary, Soccer, Basketball, Scholastic Book Fair, Joyful Food Market with Martha’s Table & more! We also partner with the YMCA for before and aftercare.
