Fernwood Family Newsletter #36, 5/16/23

~Wednesday, May 17th, 5:45pm, PTO meeting, Library and https://meet.google.com/kmf-ejav-dpm

~Thursday, May 18, 6:30pm, Spring Concert, Fernwood Auditorium (performers arrive at 6pm)

~Monday, May 22nd, 5:30pm, SEC meeting, https://meet.google.com/srb-wjae-xko?hs=122&authuser=0 

~Tuesday, May 23rd, 5:30-7pm, Parent Education: Montessori Transitions, Virtual

~Friday, May 26 and Monday, May 29th, No School

~Monday, June 5th, No School

~Thursday, June 8th, 6pm, PAC Meeting, South Shore Beer Garden

~Sunday, June 11th, 11am-3pm, Fernwood Flights, Sugar Maple

~Thursday, June 15th, Last Day of School

Spring Concert: Updated Time

The concert will be held in the Fernwood auditorium on May 18th. Student performers should arrive at 6pm and the concert will start at 6:30pm. The time was moved back to accommodate students who are participating in the Junior Docent program at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Our 2023 spring concert will include the following groups: lower elementary choir (after-school with Ms. Molly), upper elementary choir, adolescent rock bands, and the 3rd grade recorder group. 

Brandon Miller, millerbm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Molly Pufall-Brown, mpufall@gmail.com 

Seeking SEC Members for 23-24 School Year

Fernwood has a School Engagement Council (SEC).  This is a group at every MPS school that brings together families, staff, students, and community to work to support and inform shared leadership, equity, and cultural relevance resulting in increased student achievement.  Discussion topics include school budget, test scores, and ways to improve our school.   

We meet one time per month.  Meetings are usually held virtually the last Monday of the month at 5:30pm.  

While any family member is welcome to attend any meeting, we are looking for a couple of family members to join the SEC board.  Board members are asked for a two year, one time per month commitment.  Please reach out to Jenni at navidaj@milwaukee.k12.wi.us if you are interested in joining the SEC for the next school year.  

Yearbooks Have Arrived

Our 22-23 yearbooks have arrived.  Thank you to Amanda Lavoe for all of her work in creating this beautiful book.  Teachers distributed the books last week in the classroom.  There are a couple of extra yearbooks available for sale in the office.  If you would like to purchase a yearbook, please send a check to the office made out to Fernwood Montessori with “yearbook” in the memo line.   The cost of a yearbook is $12. You may also send cash.  The yearbooks will be sold first come, first serve.  

Volunteer Renewal for 23-24 School Year

Thank you to all of our amazing family members who have gone through the process to become an MPS volunteer.  Our school wide volunteers bring so much time, talent and amazing energy to our school.  

All currently approved volunteers will need to reapply to continue to be a volunteer for the next school year.  The renewal requests will be processed in late July and then volunteers will be approved to start in Fall.   

 Volunteer Renewal Form Link: https://forms.gle/o1jCep1bhZEYnb1C9

Fernwood Parent Education Transition Night

Tuesday, May 23rd will be our parent education night around student transitions to the next level.  This applies to families who have current K5’s (please attend the Lower Elementary session), 3rd graders (please attend the Upper Elementary session), and 6th graders (please attend the Secondary session).  Families are welcome to attend any of the sessions if interested. Recordings will be provided in the parent newsletter after the meetings if you are unable to make the session.  During the sessions, you will watch a short video explaining more about the transition from a few of our amazing teachers, receive some additional information about what to expect next year, and will be able to ask questions you might have.  Please see the session times and links below:

Lower Elementary (1st-3rd), 5:30pm-6:00pm- https://meet.google.com/rgx-eeer-oxz

Upper Elementary (4th-6th), 6:05pm-6:35pm- https://meet.google.com/bdp-ywmk-car

Secondary (7th and 8th), 6:40pm-7:10pm-https://meet.google.com/tik-fyjh-tuy?authuser=0

Please reach out to Jenni Navidad with any questions at navidaj@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.

 Fernwood Flights

We invite you to a fun afternoon for parents and other special people to meet and socialize with each other, celebrate the end of a fantastic school year, and raise money to help keep Fernwood Montessori thriving. “Fernwood Flights” serves as the Fernwood Fund’s most significant annual fundraiser, enabling us to offer additional financial support to the school in order to counteract public funding budget cuts and ensure the highest quality education for Fernwood Montessori students. Over the past three years the Fernwood Fund has invested over $45,000 into the school and it’s only possible because of support from our families and communities.

Buy your tickets now at: https://events.readysetauction.com/mpsfdn/fernwoodflights/landing/info

Summer Academy at Fernwood

Fernwood Montessori will be hosting a Montessori Summer Academy.  Summer Academy is open Monday-Friday, June 26-July 28 from 8am-12pm.  (Closed July 3 and 4) Students will be able to connect with their Montessori learning in new ways while engaging in this fun program. Summer Academy is free.  Students who have completed K5 through 8th grade are eligible to attend. Register by June 5th.  For more information and to register, visit mpsmke.com/summeracademy 

Fernwood Experience Day

On May 24th, 2023 Fernwood Montessori will be holding an Experience Day.  We kindly ask that all students bring a cold lunch to school this day, since there will be many moving pieces during lunch (we will of course have hot lunches available if students need to order one, as always).

During Experience Day, students in K5, 3rd grade and 6th grade will have the opportunity to visit a classroom for a few hours at the next level to gain understanding about what their next classroom may look like and feel like, and will be welcomed by a student ambassador well established within that classroom community.  Please note that we have paired teachers up for Experience Day, and the classrooms that students will visit have no bearing on their classroom placement for the fall.  The purpose of this day is to help students feel comfortable and safe in their transition to the next level, while also building leadership skills in students who will be remaining in their classrooms next year.

Students in K4 will be invited by their primary teacher to attend school for a full-day.  Teachers will communicate with parents about a schedule.

Please reach out to your child’s teacher with any question

Thank you PTO

“Thank you so much for providing money for our classrooms. I was able to buy math books to help with intervention groups, some organization items to beautify my classroom, and math facts flash cards.” Ms. Annie Zimmers, Secondary (7th/8th) Teacher

“These funds helped the library start a collection of books for Lit Circles, celebrate Eid and prepare for our Author visit with Soman Chainani.” Mr. Grant Gehweiler, School Librarian

“Thank you to the PTO for providing funds for me to purchase supplies for my classroom! I was able to update my flower arranging work with new bud vases and doilies, get a butterfly habitat kit for my classroom, as well as other materials for my Practical Life area.” Ms. Anna Wetherbee, Primary (K3-K5)

“Thank you for your generous classroom reimbursement.  Having pets in our class is an integral part of Montessori education.  Your funds allowed us to purchase an anole lizard, as well as purchase food and bedding for our other pets.  I was also able to purchase craft items and some party supplies for our classroom celebrations” Ms. Mary Ellen Quesada, Lower Elementary (1st-3rd)

MPS Summer Specialty Courses

MPS is offering a wide variety of Summer specialty courses on so many cool topics.  Course titles include Coding for Kids, Architecture All Around, and Junior Robotics.  Programs are four days long from 8am -12pm.  Click on the fliers to learn more about the course options.  K-5 Flyer  K-12 flyer  To register, please go to this google sheet.  Courses that are available for your student’s grade level will populate as you complete the form.  Registration 

2023-24 School Calendar

Fernwood Montessori follows the traditional MPS school calendar.  The school calendar for the 23-24 school year is available on the MPS website and linked here. 

 23-24 Traditional Calendar

Run Back to School

Register for the 16th Annual Run Back to School

It’s that time of year again to register for the Run Back to School! Last year, Fernwood won the $1000 grant by having the most registrations of any school in MPS.  We were able to use that money to purchase new playground equipment, including a basketball hoop for the primary students on the east playground. This 5K Fun Run/1.5 Mile Walk on Saturday, August 26 serves to fund MPS youth recreation and wellness programs across the district. See all pertinent details in the flyer attached. Please contact Lisa McLure, Team Captain, if you have any questions at samperld@milwaukee.k12.wi.us. 

ChromeBook Collection Days

Students in Primary, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary should plan to bring their school-issued ChromeBook and charger back to Fernwood on the following days to be checked in:

Tuesday, May 30th: Lower Elementary (1st-3rd) collection

Wednesday, May 31st: Upper Elementary (4th-6th) collection

Thursday,June 1st: Primary (K3-K5) collection

Friday,June 2nd: Additional day

Adolescent students (7th/8th) will turn their Chromebooks and chargers in on June 14th.

MPS Summer Resource Fair 

We have an exciting event coming up for Milwaukee families,  

Date:                 Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Time:                5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Location:         MPS Central Services

5225 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee, 53208

Staff will be on hand to share information and answer questions from key areas.

Summer Academy — specialty classes, credit recovery, and acceleration classes

Milwaukee Recreation — organized sports, wellness, arts, and more

MPS Human Resources — job openings starting in summer and fall

Summer Tutoring — find out how to catch up and start strong in fall

Internships and Apprenticeships — opportunities for paid career experiences

Pre-College Camps — on-campus experiences at UW-Whitewater

Freshman Bridge — get information about this important event for new freshmen

Enrollment Help — enroll your child for Fall 2023

Families can enjoy refreshments and be eligible for door prizes!

Registration is recommended at mpsmke.com/hrsummerfair

 Link to Flyer

Milwaukee Repertory Theater: Summer Youth Program

In partnership with Milwaukee Recreation, Milwaukee Repertory Theater is proud to offer 2023 Saturday Youth Theater Workshops! This series of FREE theater workshops, taught by professional Milwaukee Rep teaching artists, is created specifically for the young artists in your life to feel creative, connected, and engaged this summer. This 10-week series of drama-filled fun will take place every Saturday from June 3rd, 2023 to August 12th, 2023 (no class on Saturday, July 1st) at four different partner locations. See below for a detailed description and schedule of each location’s offerings: 

Center Street Library – 2727 W. Fon Du Lac Ave, Milwaukee, WI  

• 10:00AM-11:00AM -Breakfast/ Lunch
  • We are pleased to offer a FREE meal to all participants before class!
• 11:00AM-12:00PM – Page to Stage
  • Ages 12-18
  • Pick up your pens and get ready to play, because it’s YOUR turn to write the script! In “Page to Stage,”  you’ll create your own original performance pieces using text from your favorite books, poems, articles and more straight from Center Street Library. Improve your improv, develop story-telling skills, and explore your creativity with a group of peers!
    

COA Goldin Center – 2320 W Burleigh St, Milwaukee, WI

• 12:30PM-1:30PM – Lunch
  • We are pleased to offer a FREE meal to all participants before class!
• 1:30PM-2:30PM – Ready? Set? PLAY!
  • Ages 7-12
  • Are you interested in theater? Do you like to play games? Do you want to have FUN? If you answered “Yes!” to all three of these questions, Ready? Set? PLAY! is the perfect place for you. Each week will focus on a different element of theater – storytelling, improv, dance/movement, and more – and students will engage in a variety of activities around that topic. This class series is perfect for young people new to the stage or who are exploring new interests!
  • Greenfield Bilingual School – 1711 S 35th Street, Milwaukee, WI
    

• 10:00AM-11:00AM – Superhero Academy
  • Ages 7-11
  • It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s YOU learning all about the world of theater! Join us for 10 weeks of creating, storytelling, and taking on the roles of superheroes through fun drama games and activities.
• 11:00AM-11:30AM – Lunch
  • We are pleased to offer a FREE meal to all participants in between classes!
• 11:30AM-12:30PM – Spooky Summer Ghost Stories
  • Ages 10-13
  • Spooky Summer Ghost Stories participants will go on a creepy, chilling, and all around FUN adventure of scenes and songs in this theater workshop series with a focus on character work. Come explore ghostly lands and meet some silly, spooky, spine-chilling creatures along the way! 
    • Students will work toward a short play that will be presented for family and friends during the final day of class.

 Fernwood Montessori – 3239 S Pennsylvania Ave, Milwaukee, WI

• 1:00PM-1:30PM – Lunch
  • We are pleased to offer a FREE meal to all participants before classes!
• 1:30PM-2:30PM – A Pirate’s Life for Me
  • Ages 7-11
  • Yaaaargh gonna love this class! Come explore uncharted lands, find buried treasure, and yo-ho the time away at A Pirate’s Life for Me. Set sail for 10  weeks of treasure maps, silly sea monsters, and more — the story is yours to steer!
• 2:30PM-3:30PM – Adventures in Wonderland
  • Ages 10-13
  • Adventures in Wonderland participants will go on an adventure down the rabbit hole with the ever-curious Alice to a land of zany adventures where nothing is as it seems. This theater workshop series with a focus on character work will re-introduce you to all your favorite friends from Lewis Carroll’s beloved books to make these 10 weeks magical, tuneful, and over-the-top entertaining for all!
  • Students will work toward a short play that will be presented for family and friends during the final day of class.

 Please note that registration for classes is capped at 35 students. Registrations will be honored on a first come, first served basis.

 For more information and to have folks sign up TODAY, please CLICK HERE. If the hyperlink does not work, students can register with this link: https://airtable.com/shr2Tju899sEsZSqH