Welcome to this school year’s final edition of The Downey upBeat!  We have had a terrific school year, and while we will be sad to say goodbye to our teachers, classrooms and classmates, the call of summer will soon be beckoning.  Please enjoy the newsletter and also these final weeks together. 

Hi, Downey friends,

Happy May!  I can’t believe it’s the end of the year already.  I want to thank Megan Larson and Erin Morgan Smith for planning the Spring Egg Hunt this year.  It was a lot of fun! 

The Church Thank You Coffee is coming up on Sunday, May 7th from 11am-12pm in Century Hall.  If you are available, please come help us say thank you to Pastors Trey and Jay and the church members for all they do for our co-op community.

The end of the year picnic will be at Ellenberger Park on Thursday, May 25th from 6pm-8pm.  Keep an eye out for more information.  We hope to see you all there!

I will be sending out an end of the year survey this month on Bloomz.  Please take the time to fill it out so that we can see what works and what needs work.  We are always trying to improve the co-op experience for our families.

Over the summer, we will have weekly Downey play dates at Ellenberger Park.  I will post more info on dates and times to Bloomz soon.  This is a fun way to get together while school is out!

My family and I have had another great year at Downey, and I hope you and your families feel the same.  I know it’s hard work to be part of a co-op community, but I hope you feel the rewards of being a part of Downey are well worth it.  I also want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wonderful Moms!

-Cassandra

The Polliwogs and Frogs spent the month of April observing not only the changes in the weather but also how green the things around us are becoming.  We’ve spent some time noticing the differences in seeds from various vegetables and sorting them into piles, talking about the parts of plants and creating some of our own flowers.  The beautiful blooms around us inspired a couple of different color mixing activities as well as the art of flower arranging.  

In May, we will continue our focus on plants and gardens by observing the germination process and becoming guerilla gardeners by creating some “seed bombs”.  A trip to Urban Acres is also in the works so please be on the lookout for more information.

I can hardly believe we are so close to the end of the school year.  I’d like to thank each and every one of you for doing your part to make Downey such a wonderful place.

-Mrs. Lovold 

April flew by.  We only have one month of school left, and it will fly by, too.  Tadpoles will continue to explore Spring, things that go, and animals.

We will have our first class field trip.  Tadpoles will walk to the Irvington Library for our own special a story time.  I will need extra help that day so we have one adult per two Tadpoles.

I have really enjoyed my Tadpole classes this year.  Thank you to the parents.  You are great with the children and patient with me.  I hope you had a fun time learning with your kids.

 

 

Enjoy your summer and thank you for choosing Downey,

-Mrs. Egan

          

PARENT ED

**Two great parent ed opportunities left!**

Saturday, May 6th from 10-11:30 am, we have the Stewards of Children Darkeness to Light workshop.  This is a return presentation/workshop from the one we had in the fall.

Stewards of Children, an award-winning program, is a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention training program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.  It is the only child sexual abuse prevention program scientifically proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes and change child-protective behaviors.

As part of the Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) Initiative, Children’s Bureau is the proud facilitator of the national child sexual abuse prevention training program Stewards of Children in Marion County.

Sign up is available in Bloomz. This is an adult-only event.

Saturday, May 13th from 9:00-10:30 am, we have a “Day at the Farm” Parent Ed.  Join Downey dad, Chris Larson, at the Paramount School of Excellence where Chris serves as the Director of Environmental Education.  The focus will be on gardening and its applications to our kids.  Child development as well as gardening specifics will be discussed and then how these two concepts are a beautiful marriage.

Families are welcome to bring their children, and they will leave with a potted sunflower seed in hand, to be transplanted to their home garden/planter. 

The farm will be in full swing, so we take some time to have a tour of the different areas: goats, chickens, bees (observation hive inside – super safe), compost, etc.

This event is rain or shine!   Sign up is available in Bloomz.

EASTER PARTY PICS!

COMING EVENTS

May 1 – Downey Co-op Board Meeting – 6:30-8:30 pm – Quilter’s Room, Downey

May 6 – Parent Ed: Stewards of Children – 10:00-11:30 am – Downey

May 7 – Downey Church Thank You Coffee & Breakfast – 11am-Noon – Century Hall

May 13 – Parent Ed: Day at the Farm – Paramount School of Excellence

May 25 – End-of-Year Picnic – 6-8pm – Ellenberger Park

May 22-26 – Last Week of School

Summer – Weekly Downey Playdates – Ellenberger Park

THANK YOU

(Editor Taking a Liberty…) Because Downey Co-op is a preschool, our time at the school is a relatively short period of time.  Families come and go as our kids grow.  But while we are at Downey, we work so closely together and get to know each other’s children so well, that many friendships continue on past the preschool years.  For my family, this is our last year at Downey.  We’ve had three great years at the school, and I can not fully express how much I appreciate all that my son has learned and all the love he has received from Melissa, Staci and my fellow parents.  I’m sure like other families who are departing this year, we will always have sweet memories of our children’s days, learning through play, at Downey Co-op.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!