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Dear Families,

Happy early Valentine’s Day! The winter months are traditionally a time for district benchmark assessments. These tests let us collect data to see how the students are progressing against the end of the year standard or benchmark. We will use this data to tweak classroom reading groups and provide more support to our struggling or advanced readers. The classroom teacher uses District Assessments to determine what needs re-teaching and to evaluate curriculum pacing. In January, all grades took the DIBELS Next Assessment. This is a test to measure early literacy skills in grades K-1 and reading fluency/comprehension in grades 2-5. This information helps us to intervene to correct specific reading difficulties.

As the Spring DCAS approaches, we are beginning to intensify our instruction and preparation. Homework completion is even more essential. Attendance and coming to school on time are critical to your child’s success. We need every instructional moment possible to be the best that we can be. Based upon my conversations with the teachers and preliminary data, it is again within our reach to be the top performing school in the state of Delaware. If we maintain our focus and our commitment to working together, it will happen.

We are continuing our work with the Common Core State Standards. The teachers have had professional development on reading strategies and math practices to ensure students are learning what they need to learn. Our most recent training included working on the mathematical practice of reasoning and being able to explain that reasoning to others. Another very important part of the Common Core is perseverance or ‘productive struggle’. We need to allow our children time to try and think things through and to explore a variety of ways to solve a problem and not be too quick to tell them the answer. Of course, that means we also need to be mindful of the difference between productive struggle and total frustration.

(Continued on Page 6)

February at a Glance 4: PTA meeting 7: Healthy Heart Night 14: NO SCHOOL- Parent Conferences 17: NO SCHOOL- President’s Day 28: Shark of the Month lunch

Contact Information www.DownesES.org

Downes Elementary School Main Number .................. 454-2133 Principal Patricia Prettyman……………. ext. 12542

School Nurse ................. ext. 12543 Guidance Counselor ...... ext. 42836 Cafeteria ........................ ext. 42802

District Transportation Office .......... 454-2281

Christina District Office .... 552-2600

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Downes Elementary Lego League 2013 Season

– By Fred Borcherdt (fborcherdt@gmail.com) for more info just email me

This year I was the coach for two teams which represented Downes Elementary. We had a spectacular season this year with our JR. Lego League Teams. For those parents who do not know about the Lego League, here is brief description. Each year starting in September the Lego Group comes up with a challenge for kids around the world to solve using Lego’s. The challenge is run through the Lego Group’s non-profit organization, www.usfirst.org. The teams are broken up into several categories; the most common groups are the JR First Lego League (grades K-3) and the First Lego League (grades 4-8). This year 240,000 kids participated worldwide in the Lego League challenge, and here at Downes, we had 13 students which we split into 2 teams: Sharknados and Tsunami Ninjas.

The challenge for this year’s competition was called Nature’s Fury: Can FIRST® LEGO® League teams help us master natural disasters? In the 2013 NATURE’S FURY℠ Challenge, over 200,000 children ages 9 to 16* from over 70 countries will explore the awe-inspiring storms, quakes, waves and more that we call natural disasters. Teams will discover what can be done when intense natural events meet the places people live, work, and play. Brace yourself for NATURE’S FURY! - See more at: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2013naturesfury#sthash.4Knq9vZe.dpuf

Both Tsunami Ninjas and Sharknados chose a Tsunami as the natural disaster for the challenge. During the research phase the teams went on a fieldtrip to the UofD to study wave patterns at the Ocean Engineering lab. The students actually got to see a live demo of a wave pool, which simulated a tsunami. They also discovered that every beach around the world has different types of sand; they traveled as far as Egypt!!!!

Team Tsunami Ninjas decided to focus on building several rescue vehicles to aid in saving people and a buoy alert system which would communicate to local rescue teams and warn them about the oncoming tsunami. The Tsunami Ninjas won the “Best Research and Development” award for “Effort and Learning.”

Team Sharknados decided to focus building a laboratory around the volcano and built the entire city around the danger zone on top of tall piers so the waves would not destroy the city. They also built an early warning system with buoys and sensors off shore to warn the city. The Sharknados won the “Most Creative” award.

Sharknados – Logan Williamson, Luke Borcherdt, Jackson Folk, Zaden Lockwood , Bene Ritchie, Sophia Powell

Tsunami Ninjas – Grayson Pelletier, Jack MacKinnon, John Paul Klemas, Brady Thompson, Junaid Awan, Brandon Leonhard, Aaron Maniyatte

(Lego League Article Continues on Next Page)

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(Lego League Article Continued from Previous Page) In addition to the two official Downes Elementary Lego League teams, there was another team composed of Downes Elementary students, though not an official Downes team. They were coached by Margaret Walton. Their group was called the Bricktastic Builders and had Caroline Comparoto, grade 4, Nicolas Comparoto, grade 2, Zachary Walton, grade 2, Ami Plymyer, grade 2, Mikayla Plymyer, grade 4, and Joey Baranyai, grade 3.

The Bricktastic Builders chose Wildfires as their theme. After doing a lot of research about the causes and types of wildfires, the BB built a model featuring a fire tornado. The Bricktastic Builders won the "Most Explosive!" award.

For more pictures from the 2013 Lego League see http://technurse.smugmug.com/Downes-Elementary

Lego League is an annual event, so if you missed it this year, watch for flyers to come home next September. More information, resources for teams, and suggested summer activities are available on the website: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/

Lego Clubs are also available at New Castle

County Libraries right now!

Newark Free Library: Wed. 2/19, 3/19, 7pm. LEGO Club is fun for the

whole family! Participants work on a monthly project. Suggested for grades K-5. No registration required.

Kirkwood Library: Get creative with Legos, participate in challenges, play games, and more. Wed. evening at 6:15, Feb. 26. Saturday morning at 11:15, Feb.

8. Registration is required. Ages 6 and up.

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Ms. Hardy’s First Graders The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thank you again, to all those that donated to the Hardy’s

homeless drive, we were able to serve about 95

adults; more than last year!!! YAY YAY YAY!

Since the amount of children’s clothes donated this year

was so great, allowed for some beautiful young souls to

get some great items that they were very excited to

have, like matching sheets and blankets, cool little

jackets, shoes, hats, gloves, scarves, etc.! While drive is

Good Luck to Ricco Jackson!

Ricco is a 5th grader Mrs. Giobbe's class. He has entered his artwork titled 'Race Car Dreamer' in the PTA Reflections Arts Education Program. Great job, Ricco!

mainly for the homeless adults, we had so much children’s clothing, a large amount was given to a “homeless’ hotel

in New Castle where a great deal of homeless children live! Some stuffed animals were also donated, which is not

the norm, but the children were so happy to see them and couldn’t wait to grab one! The smiles were priceless! I

would like to thank a Downes parent, Reid Millius, along with her friends and family, for the support, help in

delivering, and handing out the items on a VERY cold, windy, down pouring of rain day!!!

In Ms. Hardy’s class, this month the student’s will be doing a “My First Research Project”! They will be sharing some

basic facts about famous African Americans, who have made amazing contributions to our society, but are often not

recognized as the original inventor of said product. We had great success with this last year!!! The students really

enjoyed sharing their newly learned information!

National Geography Bee 2014

All 4th and 5th graders participated in the

National Geography Bee this winter. After the

preliminary round, each class had 2 finalists:

Jasper Curro, Brynn Lintner, Neha Das, Aneysa

Joyner, Roseanne Furmato, Anniyah Parker,

Brooke Wilfong, Lucas Frantz, Ben Lee, and

Beyonce Hu. On January 9, 2014 the school

finalist competition was held. Mr. Bates, the

moderator, read 4 rounds of questions. In the

end, Brynn Lintner from Mrs. Giobbe’s class was

victorious. Brynn has since taken the qualifying

test to participate at the state level. We are

anxiously awaiting the results. Congratulations

to Brynn and all the finalists. Brynn with Mr. Bates and Mrs. Giobbe

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Dad’s Breakfast We had an awesome time at the annual Dad's Breakfast on January 10th. We had 350 attendees, and raised approximately $900 for the PTA budget! Special thanks to our vendors who donated generously, Panera Bread of Main Street, Starbucks of People's Plaza, Bagelmania of Suburban Plaza, Acme Markets of Suburban Plaza, Food Lion stores, and Wal-Mart of Elkton. Please consider them when shopping! All leftovers were sent to the Emmaus House to feed needy residents. Dads, Granddads and Uncles, don't forget to look in the hallway for photos of your handsome faces from the event!

Special thanks to the PTA committee and Dad's Breakfast committee for their support in running this wonderful event. A very BIG thank you to Mr. Tim who worked late and came in early to help design the layout! Committee members included, Mary Storm-Baranyai, Mary Britt, Jennifer Comporato, Bronwyn Millman, Eve Buckley, Heather Gill, Laurie Hanich, Jana Ambrose, Meghan Guest and Coordinator, Rachel Rodriguez. We look forward to doing it all again next year!

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FOCSD: Friends of Christina Schools The new Friends of Christina School District parent-

advocacy network met at Shue MS on Jan. 23 to learn

about how our state funds public schools. CSD financial

officer Bob Silber and board member Fred Polaski

presented the nuts and bolts of Delaware school funding

and took questions from those in attendance. The

parents, teachers, school board members, PTA

officers and legislators present (Rep. Kim Williams and

Sen. Bryan Townsend) then discussed possible legislative

proposals that would better align revenue with expenses

for large, diverse districts like Christina.

At our next meeting in March FOCSD plans to discuss

district marketing and PR with CSD staff and parents. All

are welcome. See www.focsd.org and "Friends of

Christina School District" on Facebook for further

information and meeting updates.

We hope you'll join us in this effort to support our

community schools!

Eve Buckley (Downes parent) and Calyce Magee (Shue

parent), FOCSD co-organizers

(Greetings… Continued from Page 1)

Downes continues to be a busy place socially also. Dad’s for Breakfast on January 10 was a tremendous success!! We were full to the gills. It was wonderful to see so many family members join us on what started out to be a slippery morning. Thank you so much for attending, and we hope to see you again next year for this popular event. We are now looking forward to Mom’s for Breakfast, and a date for that will be announced soon. To celebrate Chinese New Year, we have two events scheduled – our Chinese New Year Parade on January 31, which Mr. Ambrosino hosts every year in the morning. In addition, this year to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Confucius Institute at the University of Delaware is presenting a Chinese Festival Assembly. So while our Chinese Cultural Fair was cancelled for January due to planning for the assembly, our next one will be February 18 from 6:30-7:30, so mark your calendars. Also, in February, we have our Family Healthy Heart Night on February 7, and we hope to see you there!

In the meantime, keep warm, Trish Prettyman

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Roller Skating Social Saturday March 22nd 2014

5:15pm-7:15pm We’ve rented the rink for Downes families & friends only

at the Christiana Skating Center

Pre-order tickets for $3 per person (child and adult cost the same). Purchase tickets only for those skating!

No tickets will be sent home with the students. Names of those who pre-ordered tickets will be on a list at the entrance of the skating center.

Walk-ins welcome for $4 per person at the door

Skates can be rented the night of the event

for $3 per person

Pre-orders due by Monday March 17th Questions, please contact Bronwyn Millman at: bronwyn.millman@bankofamerica.com or call 302-598-3251

All children must be accompanied by an adult – NO DROP-OFFS

Roller Skating Social - Get your tickets now! Name:_____________________________ Phone#_______________ Teacher & room #: ________________________________________ # of Tickets __________ x $3 = _________________ Total = $____________ Cash or Check made out to Downes PTA (circle one)

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Christina School District 2015 Teacher of the Year It is that time of year to nominate the Downes Teacher of the Year. Wouldn’t it be great to have a Downes teacher

selected as District or even State Teacher of the Year (TOY), then progress to become National Teacher of the

Year? The selection of a District and State TOY is a highly competitive process. In order to truly compete on the state

and then national stage, we must be certain to identify candidates who inspire students to learn, are exceptionally

dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled, and who will be the best representative/spokesperson for our school. We

have many teachers who fit that description. Parents and students may nominate teachers for this honor. Just

complete the Nomination Form and return it to the Downes School office. We look forward to hearing from you!!

Christina School District 2015 Teacher of the Year

Nomination Form

1. I would like to nominate _________________________________ for the Christina

School District Teacher of the Year.

2. This person teaches at ____________________________School.

3. In 100 words or less, please state why you believe this person should be the Christina

School District Teacher of the Year.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Signature of Person Submitting Nomination

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You Belong in the PTA!

We are glad you are a part of our Downes family. We’d love to introduce ourselves to you at one of our events or meetings. Meetings are held first Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the library, and childcare is provided.

Check our website to confirm meeting dates: http://www.downeses.org

Questions about PTA Membership?

Contact your Membership Chairs, Jen and Mary, at downesmembership@gmail.com. Like the John R. Downes PTA to get up to the minute announcements and to network with other Downes Elementary parents.

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DOWNES HEALTHY

HEART NIGHT Friday, February 7, 2014

6:30-8:30 pm

Downes Gym, Classrooms and Cafeteria

We will be having our 4th annual Family Healthy Heart Night for

students and parents at Downes Elementary.

Students must be accompanied by an adult. There will be many fun activities so please dress for participation (sneakers and comfortable clothing). Tickets (cash only) will be $6.00 at the door. Please come out and enjoy an evening of fun activities. We will also have blood pressure screenings and a display of preserved human hearts and lungs. There will also be healthy snacks for sale. The money raised will go towards purchasing Walk and Bike to School incentives and TREK incentives. Questions please contact Sandy Hudson at hudsons@christina.k12.de.us or 540-6671.

Positive Behavior Workshop Nemours has partnered with our district to provide free positive behavior

workshops

Attend a workshop and learn specific behavior management strategies that are

good for ALL children and families.

Workshop Objectives:

*Understanding the development of behavior patterns in children

*Analyzing and classifying behaviors

*Understanding specific strategies that are effective in managing various

behaviors in children

*Teaching proactive strategies that prevent misbehavior such as setting routines and clear expectations.

Save the Date: Ms. Hudson/Ms. Spedden and the Wellness Team will be presenting a two part workshop starting Thursday

March 6 and Tuesday March 11th

from 6:30pm-8:00pm.

*Dinner will be provided for families who attend

*Childcare will also be provided during the 45 minute presentations

An informational flyer will be coming home in February. If you know that you are interested, please email

Sandy Hudson hudsons@christina.k12.de.us

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Get ready for

Girls on the Run! Correction: Online Registration will open Tuesday February 18th 2014 at 8:00pm. There is a maximum of 15 participants on a team. Register early to get a spot! Please go to the following website for updated information: https:\\www.girlsontherunde.org

Downes will once again be the host of a Girls on the Run team:

We are in need of coaches, if interested please e-mail Ms. Hudson at hudsons@christina.k12.de.us.

Spring Season begins on Monday March 3, 2014 running for 10 weeks (meeting twice each week), and ends in May with the Girls participating in the Run 5K at the River Front. One week off for spring break is factored into this schedule.

Practices will be Mondays and Fridays from 3:00 to 4:15 at Downes.

Maximum of 15 participants on a team.

For more information go to www.girlsontherunde.org to see when registration opens up.

Fees Our program fees each season range from $12 to $175 per girl depending on family income. Girls who are eligible for full scholarships must be participating in the Reduced/Free Lunch program at their schools and are identified by coaches and site liasons. Included in the program fee are:

20-24 lessons conducted by two certified GOTRDe coaches

lesson handouts

a GOTRDe t-shirt and water bottle

the registration fee for the season-ending 5K event for each girl

Event day fun activities and medals

end of season certificates

GOTRDe coach training and certification fees

all administrative assistance to coaches, sites, girls and parents

About Girls on the Run

Delaware Girls on the Run Delaware (GOTRDe) is a non-profit

501(c)(3) organization that inspires girls to be joyful,

healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based

curriculum which creatively integrates running. Our

program combines training for a 5K (3.1 mile) running

event with lesson plans designed to promote positive

choices and an active lifestyle. Girls on the Run was

created in Charlotte, NC in 1996 by Molly Barker, a

social worker and 4-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete.

Girls on the Run International (GOTRI) remains based

in Charlotte and in 2012, the 200th council was

established. Girls on the Run serves councils in 47 states

and Canada.

Girls on the Run Curricula Girls on the Run is the name of the organization, but we

offer two programs: Girls on the Run for 3rd-5th grade

girls and Girls on Track for 6th-8th grade girls (fall

season only).The principle philosophies and

psychological research for both programs are the same,

yet some topics and discussion questions vary for

developmental reasons. The Girls on Track curriculum

allows for deeper discussion on topics becoming more

and more relevant as girls grow into middle school,

providing a safe outlet for discussion at this crucial stage

of development

Scholarship Program In the event that a girl is unable to afford the cost for the

program, we will do everything we can to offer her a

scholarship. Our intention is to offer the Girls on the

Run program to as many girls as possible and we do not

want fees to prohibit participation.

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MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

3 4 5 6 7

B: Mini Pancakes* B: Breakfast Pizza* B: Cheesy Toasted Bread* B: Sausage, Egg, Cheese on Bun* B: Bagelful* or Baked Muffin

10 11 12 13 14 No School: Parent Conferences

B: Mini Waffles* B: Pizza Bagel* B: Cheesy Toasted Bread* B: Scrambler w/ Tater Tots

L: Chicken Patty Sandwich*,

Steamed Carrots, Celery Sticks

w/Lite Dip, Chilled Pears

L: Cheeseburger on Bun* OR

Buffalo Chicken Salad, Oven Baked

Sweet Potato Fries, Black Bean

Salsa, Minestrone Soup, Diced

Peaches

L: 4x6 Pepperoni Pizza* OR Chicken

Caesar Wrap, Steamed Broccoli,

Garden Salad w/FF Dressing, Warm

Apple Slice

L: Valentine’s Day Celebration

Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce & Heartzel

Pretzels* OR Buffalo Chicken Salad,

Green Beans, Black Bean Salsa,

Sweet Heart Cherry Ice

17 No School: President's Day 18 19 20 21

B: Breakfast Pizza* B: Sausage, Egg, Cheese on Bun* B: Bagelful* or Baked Muffin

L: Stuffed Crust Pizza* OR Turkey

Dijon Wrap, Crispy Roasted

Chickpeas, Popeye Spinach Salad,

Mixed Fruit

24 25 26 27 28

B: Mini Waffles* B: Pizza Bagel* B: Cheesy Toasted Bread* B: Scrambler w/ Tater Tots B: Bagelful* or Baked Muffin

L: Chicken Cheesesteak*, Oven

Baked Fries, Fresh Veggies w/Lite

Dip Pineapple/Mandarin Oranges

L: BBQ Riblet* OR Chicken Chipotle

Salad, Green Beans, Grape

Tomatoes w/Lite Dip, Chicken Fiesta

Soup, Mixed Fruit

L: Spunky Vegetable Pizza* OR Egg

Salad Wrap, Steamed Carrots,

Garden Salad w/FF Dressing,

Cinnamon Apple Slices

L: Beef & Cheese Nachos OR

Chicken Chipotle Salad, Savory

Steamed Brown Rice*, Seasoned

Corn, Seasoned Black Beans,

Lettuce/Tomato/Salsa, Chilled Pears

L: Meatball Sub*, Broccoli & Cheese,

Cucumber Slices w/ Dip, Peaches

* Whole Grain Rich

Breakfast Prices Lunch Prices

Student K-5 $0.80

Student 6-12 $1.00

Reduced Price $0.25

Adult $2.25

Student K-5 $1.50

Student 6-12 $1.75

Reduced Price $0.40

Adult $3.50

Offered Daily Daily Sandwich Options*:

Milk Options (every meal): Breakfast: Lunch: Mon- Bologna & Cheese or PBJ w/ Cheesestick and Crackers

Non-Fat: White (Skim), Chocolate, Crunchmania*, Yogurt w/ Graham*, Seasonal Fresh Fruit, Veggie Burger*, Tue- Turkey & Cheese

Strawberry, Lactaid Assorted Cereals w/ Graham* Chef Salad, Tuna Salad Sandwich* Wed- Ham & Cheese or PBJ w/ Cheesestick and Crackers

Low-Fat: White (1%) Fresh Fruit, 100% Fruit Juice Fresh Fruit, Yogurt, and Cheese Platter Thu- Turkey & Cheese

Milk Milk Fri- Toasted Cheese or PBJ w/ Cheesestick and Crackers

L: Pigglestick w/Syrup, Yogurt &

Graham Cracker*, Potato Rounds,

Baby Carrots w/Lite Dip, Orange

Juice

February 2014

L: Chicken Nuggets* w/Cheez-Its OR

Veggie & Cheese Platter, Green

Beans, Cucumber Slices w/Lite Dip

Applesauce

L: Buffalo Chicken Nachos OR

Veggie & Cheese Platter, Savory

Steamed Brown Rice*, Seasoned

Corn, Refried Beans, Lettuce/

Tomato/Salsa, Chilled Pears

B: French Toast Sticks* or Poptart*

w/ CheesestickL: Chicken Parmesan Sandwich* OR

Garden Vegetable Salad, Steamed

Broccoli, Pepper Strips w/Lite Dip,

Diced Peaches

L: Coyote Grill Chicken & Cheese

Quesadilla OR Garden Vegetable

Salad, Steamed Carrots, Cucumbers

Slices w/Lite Dip, Chicken Noodle

Soup, Applesauce

L:Cheesesteak*, California Mix

Veggies, Baby Carrots w/Lite Dip,

Mixed Fruit

L: 4x6 Cheese Pizza* OR Tuna Salad

Wrap, Steamed Peas, Garden Salad

w/FF Dressing, Pineapple Tidbits

L: Fish Sandwich*, Oven Baked

Potato Wedges, Fresh Veggies w/

Lite Dip, Tomato Soup, Peaches

Family Healthy Heart Night

6:30-8:30

Healthy Shopping: When you go to the grocery store, “shop the perimeter” first. The outside aisles are where

you’ll usually find fresh produce (vegetables and fruit), healthy dairy products (fat-free milk, yogurt and

cheese) and fresh meats, chicken and fish. Fill your cart mostly with those items, and then get what you need

from the middle of the store. If fresh produce you need is not in season, you can always purchase frozen,

canned or dried vegetables and fruit. However, watch out for added sugar and salt in these products!

Valentine’s Day: Have fun

celebrating, but don’t overindulge

on the sweets. Don’t forget there

are other ways to show your love

and appreciation for someone

besides chocolate and candy (i.e.

flowers, stuffed animals, making a

nice dinner at home)