Discovery Charter School

Discovery Charter School offers parents and 100 students in the fourth through eighth grade a dynamic, community-centered public education alternative. In a unique learning environment, students develop and learn to apply skills that enable them to become lifelong learners, critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, and good citizens.

The mission of Discovery Charter School is to develop the whole person, respect the learning styles, interests, and abilities of each student, and help each to determine his or her role and responsibility within the learning community.

Teachers at Discovery collaborate on a daily basis and implement mixed-grade and cross-curricular instruction. Our curricular emphasis is on active learning, with project-based explorations and open-ended tasks.

A few examples of active learning in our school:

·     Students' questions about eggs led to an egg white beating contest, which helped us understand the interaction of salt, sugar, vinegar, and baking soda with egg proteins, and concluded with a baking session in the kitchen. 

·     Worried about the long-term effects of listening to loud music through headphones, students explored the anatomy of our ears, consulted a doctor, and created a pamphlet and a movie warning about the risk of hearing damage.

·     Students have written to the California state attorney about chemicals added to French fries, and have written advocacy letters about safety inequalities between boys’ and girls’ sports equipment.

·     Students have learned about basic principles of physics and engineering by designing and testing Lego machines of their own invention.

·     After reading an article about a bull that had escaped a rodeo and went running through the streets of Newark, students went on a trip to a nearby farm to visit the rescued bull. 

Students of all ages share ideas and analyze materials in an increasingly sophisticated manner, with older children having the opportunity to tutor younger students.

We place a high value on building close and constructive relationships with the families of all of our students, and parents/guardians are welcome in the school to observe and discuss the progress of their children.