Happy March!  Later this month, spring will arrive, and I am sure we are all ready for fresh air, warmer weather and budding trees and flowers.  Please enjoy this month’s newsletter (loaded with photos), and have a great week!

Hi, Downey Friends.

I am excited that Spring is right around the corner!  We have had some nicer than usual weather in February, and I hope it continues in March!  Don’t forget that our Spring Work Night is Thursday, March 9^th from 6-8:30pm.  This is a required event for all families.  We ask that at least one adult from each family be present.  Please no children.  See Bloomz for more information.

Downey’s Spring Break is also at the end of this month.  It will be two weeks long from March 20^th-31^st.  This is a great time to meet up with Downey friends for fun activities outside of school.  I like to check indywithkids.com and indyschild.com for fun family activities around the Indianapolis area.

Our next board meeting is on Monday March 6^th at 6:30pm at Downey.  Everyone is welcome to attend whether you have something to share with the board or are just curious about what goes on at our board meetings.

Finally, keep an eye out for more information and a volunteer sign-up for our Annual Spring Egg Hunt which is April 15^th this year.

Hope you all have a marvelous March!

Cassandra

The children have done such a nice job settling back into our routine after winter break. Their concentration and focus continue to grow, and we’ve been able to spend a bit more time in our groups.  Many of their journal entries are also including much more detail and depth versus what was entered at the beginning of the year.  Over the last few weeks the children have practiced rhyming, both AB and ABC patterns, matching numerals to quantities, graphing and one-to-one correspondence.  We’ve introduced several new letters, and it’s so fun to see the children using their knowledge independently while they work in the classroom.

 

**After our fun outside today, many of the children will need a new set of clothes in the extra clothes bin.  The inside of our boots may also need a little attention–if you have any ideas for this please let me know :-).

Mrs. Lovold

I hope everyone was able to take advantage of the beautiful weather we had over the last few weeks.  The Polliwogs were able to spend quite a bit of time outside, which will continue as long as the temperature doesn’t drop too low.  Please make sure your child has an adequate set of extra clothing and continue to send them in shoes you don’t mind getting a bit mucky.

We continued our baking fun during the month of February.  The children have spent some time enhancing their negotiation skills as they worked to divvy up different jobs in the bakery.  During our morning meeting we explored the concepts of patterns and opposites as we added to our calendar.  The children have also taken a greater interest in the various “jobs” involved in making our day run well, so we’ll be working on assigning some positions in the month of March.

Mrs. Lovold

Finally, the Tadpoles got to play outside!  They loved it!  The music wall is a favorite. 

They are actually starting to play together so we have a combination of parallel play and group play which they created on their own.  It has been a joy to see this natural progression in their development.  The favorite game is running back and forth between the play houses, and they have roles (mom, dad, or monster). 

We will play with wind during March and with the color green. We will look for the signs of Spring with our homemade binoculars.

 

Remember to restock you child’s extra clothes if they’ve been used.

Thank you for all your hard work and for choosing Downey.

Happy Spring,
Mrs. Egan

  

Hold the Sugar

Health experts recommend a goal of 0 sugary drinks per day—for children and adults alike.  That doesn’t mean you have to give up flavor.  

Get ideas for fruit-infused water recipes, strategies for cutting back on fruit juice, clues to hidden sugars in ingredient lists, and an eye-opening list of popular drinks and their sugar content: http://blog.jumpinforhealthykids.org/do-you-know-how-much-sugar-you-and-your-children-drink. 

Fundraiser Info

We have wrapped up our “Art to Remember” projects.  The Frogs made some adorable caterpillars.  Polliwogs and Tadpoles created some handprint art.

Parents should see the customized order forms in their mail pouches around March 7th.  All order forms will be collected on or before March 20th.

Keep in mind that grandparents also love these keepsakes.  These make wonderful birthday, mother’s/father’s day and holiday gifts.

Any questions about Art to Remember?  Contact Jen Kikendall-Wilkinson at 317.506.9566 or jenkikendall@gmail.com.

Thanks!
Jen

Spring Work Day

Thursday, March 9 from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Mark your calendars and plan to participate on SPRING CLEAN UP NIGHT!  It is a requirement that each family participate in this important annual event.  Come help with various cleaning and fix-up projects to keep our classrooms in great working order.  Like the clean up in the fall, please feel free to bring any hand or power tools that you think may be useful (screwdrivers, pliers, drills, etc.)  Cleaning supplies would also be welcome.  Please no children for this event.  

See Bloomz for more details, and see you there!