Last week, our second graders at Downing learned about the Noble Peace Prize that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received as a civil rights leader. The students learned that the symbol, the dove of peace, is to remind us all about the amazing qualities we possess to being light to the world. Families wrote amazing qualities about their child on the back of the dove and the students were presented with their dove and reminded that those qualities live in them. So go out and make the world a better place like MLK did!
Students in Mrs. Jelovcic’s second grade class did a “How to” Writing project on hot chocolate. They followed their directions and got to warm up with a tasty treat that's perfect for a cold winter day!
Mission Kindergarten! Please join us at MWD for an informative and engaging parent academy designed for our incoming Kindergarten families. Welcome class of 2038! Please read the flyer carefully and learn about some exciting opportunities we have planned to begin on Wednesday, February 5th at 7:00PM.
The community is cordially invited to the district's annual MLK Celebration, Thursday night at 7:00 PM at the Howard T. Herber Auditorium.
This year’s celebration has unique significance as we approach the 60th anniversary of MLK’s historic visit to Malverne on May 11, 1965, a key moment in the fight to desegregate schools in the United States.
K-12 students from throughout the district will be presenting their tributes to MLK through poetry, music, dance and video presentations while expressing their understanding of and dedication to his teachings and his messages of resilience, perseverance and hope.
We will also be recognizing two exemplary members of our community and honoring them with the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award. This year’s honorees are Malverne UFSD District Supervisor of STEM Ms. Florence Balay and Ms. Norma Britt, a dedicated member of the Malverne Schools community.
The event is free and open to the public. We hope to see everyone there!
Kindergartners in Mrs. Susi's class had fun learning about hibernation during science and even made caves of their own.
Our students at Downing got an early holiday gift this year as their brand new dry erase table was delivered to Ms. Rakeman's math classroom!
The students were excited to use this new tool as they focused on improving their math skills right before the holiday break.
On Dec. 19, Malverne School District was honored to host the Key of Hope South African Choir for performances at Maurice W. Downing Primary School, Davison Avenue Intermediate School and Malverne High School.
The Key of Hope Choir consists of singers aged 12-27 who live in Durban, South Africa, an extremely impoverished village where most families don’t even have the yearly fee of $175 that it cost to send their kids to school. Key of Hope helps families find their way out of poverty, helping enroll the children in school, keeping them safe from crime and oppression and engaging them in music and arts.
The performances for students and faculty included traditional holiday songs, as well as songs in their native Zulu language. At the high school, the choir also performed popular songs from U2 and Foreigner.
The visit was both energizing and inspiring and we are so thankful to the choir members and Key of Hope team for coming to Malverne and sharing their songs and spirit with our students.
Downing kindergartners are learning how countries around the world celebrate the holidays. During their "trip" to Germany, they made tannenbaum tree hats!
A magical tradition continued today at Downing as Conductor Walter took our kindergartners on a fantastical holiday journey aboard the "Polar Express!"
Our little travelers each received tickets and had them punched before entering the gym, where Mr. Walter was waiting to share with them this holiday tale complete with music and sound effects to bring the imaginary trip to life in our minds.
After the story was over, the students got off the train and went back to their classrooms where a special holiday gift was waiting!
Mrs. Jelovcic’s second graders listened to "Snow Globe Family" and created snow globes that they imagined they were “stuck” in. Then, they wrote a creative writing piece explaining what they did while “stuck” in their snow globe.
Today, kindergartners at Downing celebrated Grinch Day! It's a special day when our hearts grow three sizes and we thinking about acts of kindness and community spirit. Such a fun way to focus on friendship and smile and we approach the holiday season!
MWD Teacher of the Year 2025 is Sarah Susi 🧡💙 Congratulations and well deserved! The "official" celebration will be on 3/21 at Downing's Night Out. Mark your calendars everyone!
MWD 1st grade student's performed this morning for a jam packed audience of family and friends for their annual holiday sing along. We are in the spirit now! 🧡💙
MWD Principal's Award Recipients that demonstrated exceptional collaboration skills in alignment with our district's Portrait of a Graduate. 🧡💙
Dear Families,
Universal Pre-K Registration is OPEN for the 2025-26 school year!
Please see the attached flyer and link below for more information on how to begin the process. Thanks!
https://www.malverneschools.org/o/mufsd/page/universal-prekindergarten-2025-2026
Last week, a very special guest stopped by Ms. Jelovcic's class.
Downing alumni Sarah St. John Matthews, who had Ms. Jelovcic for 3rd grade, came back to help with a Thanksgiving art project. When Sarah was a student, Ms. Jelovcic saw an artistic spark and encouraged her to become an art teacher. She listened! Thank you Ms. Matthews for coming back to Downing to inspire our students to recognize their talents and follow their dreams. (and listen to their teachers!)
Happy Thanksgiving from MWD!! Balloons over Broadway was a great way to end the holiday week 🧡💙
First graders in Mrs. Desrosiers' class at Downing had fun decorating their cupcakes to look like turkeys.
Mrs. Jelovcic's second graders made Gratitude Bracelets in celebration of Thanksgiving. Each student chose a colored bead to represent something they are grateful for. Then they made their bracelet to wear as a reminder for all they should be thankful for this holiday season.
Kindergartners are getting ready for Balloons Over Broadway by decorating their balloons with parent visits!
