Fernwood Family Newsletter #2, 9/5/23

 

~Tuesday, 9/5/22, First Day of School, all returning K4-8th Students (new K3 and K4 Students will follow their phase-in date)

~Tuesday, 9/12/22, 5:45pm, PTO Meeting, Virtual and Fernwood library

-Friday, 9/15/23, Third Friday State Count, Attendance is VERY Important

~Saturday, September 16th, 10am-12pm, Fernwood Fest, West Playground

~Tuesday, 9/12/23, 6:30pm, Fernwood Fund Meeting, Fernwood Community Room and virtual (Correction-Meeting is 9/12 not 9/19)

~Wednesday, September 20th, 7:45am-12pm, Picture Day-Information Soon!

~Monday, September 25th, 5:30pm, School Engagement Council (SEC), virtual

~Thursday, September 27th, 5:30pm, High School Application Meeting, All 8th Grade Families, Virtual (Correction-Meeting is 9/27 not 9/28)

 

Link to Fernwood Family-School Manual 2023-2024: Family-School Manual 2023 2024 SY.docx

 

Staying Connected to Fernwood

Each Tuesday a newsletter will be sent out to the email address you have listed in your Parent Portal account.   These newsletters will have information about upcoming events in our school, resources for families, and information about ways to get involved in Fernwood.  If you need to update your email address, please reach out to our school secretaries.  

 

Our newsletter can also be found on our website, https://schools.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/fernwood/.  The website is also a great resource for staff contact information, agendas from meetings, and a Fernwood calendar. 

 

If you would like to receive the newsletter by text, you will need to opt in to the MPS text messaging system.  To opt in to receiving Fernwood and district text messages, please text 67587 with “Y” or “Yes.” 

 

Fernwood has a Facebook group for current Fernwood families to communicate with other Fernwood families, Fernwood Montessori Community.  Please note that this group is not for communicating with Fernwood staff, but to speak with other families.  Please keep topics relevant to Fernwood and lead with kindness. 

Reminder

Please be reminded that we do not allow gum, candy, or toys at Fernwood in classrooms since these become a distraction to our learning environment.  It is completely ok to have a few pieces of candy as part of an individual lunch.  Teachers will communicate about expectations for snacks and birthday treats.

Fernwood Fund Informational Meeting 

The Fernwood Fund is hosting an informal, informational event on Wednesday September 13th from 6 to 7:30 for parents to learn more about the Fernwood Fund, what we do, and how parents can get more involved. At a minimum, this event will allow new and existing families to learn more even if they cannot participate any further. The event will be hosted at the home of one of our board members, if interested families can contact us (FernwoodFundInfo@gmail.com) for the exact details.

______________________________________________________________________

 

Arrival and Dismissal Procedure

School Daily Schedule:Office Hours 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Office Phone: (414) 294-1300

Student Start Time

School begins promptly at 7:25 a.m. each morning. 

Early Arrival

Children are not to be dropped off at school before 7:20 a.m. There is no supervision for children before 7:20a.m. unless they are coming off of a bus or in for breakfast at 7:05 a.m. Students who arrive early to school and are not eating breakfast will have to wait outside unsupervised. 

Student Entry Procedures

Students will be allowed to enter the building at 7:25 a.m. To alleviate congestion when entering the building please have your student enter the correct door associated with their room number. Please assist your child in making a smooth transition to school in the morning by saying “good-bye” at the door to the school. Staff will be available to help your child find his/her classroom. Parents will not be permitted to enter the building with their student during the morning entrance.  

~Lower and Upper Elementary students in Rooms 22,24,31,32, 33,34, and 35, will enter through Door #1 (Northeast entrance) in order to avoid the first floor. 

~Lower and Upper Elementary Students in rooms 250,251,252, and 253 will enter through Door #6 (Northwest entrance). 

~Upper Elementary students (in rooms 25, 27, 37) and the Adolescent students will enter through the Falling Heath Place entrance (Glass Doors). 

~Primary students (K3-K5) will enter through Door #2 (Southeast entrance) with siblings, if needed. For the first couple of weeks, primary students will line up on their classroom numbers and be escorted into the building by their teachers.  

***After 7:25 a.m. the Falling Heath Place entrance will be used for parents and visitors to enter the school.  All people entering the building must report to the office to sign in and receive a visitor’s pass.*****

End of the School Day for K3 and K4

K3 and K4 children end their school day at 10:20a.m. Please wait on the East playground to pick-up your child(ren). The teacher will escort each group out of the building.

End of the Day/Dismissal K5-8th

K5 through 8th grade students finish at 2:25 p.m. Parents of children who do not ride the bus meet them on the East playground. Do not park on Pennsylvania Avenue or Falling Heath Place. This is dangerous and interferes with the safety of the children who ride the buses. Students start boarding buses from 2:20 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. Buses will begin pulling from the school at 2:30 p.m. Our school’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and well-being of your children. We need your cooperation, assistance and support to ensure students’ safety especially during arrival and dismissal.

Fernwood parking/driving guidelines:

*Do not park or drop off students on Pennsylvania Avenue or Falling Heath Place. These spaces are reserved for buses only.

*Please have your student cross the street at the intersections with a crossing guard.

*To ensure the safety of all students please avoid double parking, which causes heavy traffic congestion. It is unsafe for your child to run between vehicles.

* We need to respect the rights of our neighbors. Do not park or drop off students in front of their driveways.

*The school parking lot is restricted and not open to the public. The parking lot is for staff members only.  Please do not have students walk through the parking lot or use the parking lot as a space to pick up students.  

Breakfast and Lunch 

All MPS students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch each day.  

Breakfast 

Students that would like to eat breakfast may report to Door 2 or the Falling Heath Doors between 7:05am and 7:30am to be buzzed in by the secretaries.  Students will report directly to the cafeteria for breakfast.  Breakfast will be served from 7:05am-7:35am.

 

Lunch

If a student would like to have a hot lunch, they will sign up each morning in their classroom.  This year Fernwood students are having pre-packaged lunches.  The menu can be found on the MPS home page.  Please note that the meal served may be different than the planned meal due to supply issues.   Lunch menus can be found here: https://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/en/home/Lunch-Menu.htm. Note that changes may be made based on availability of certain meals and ingredients.

__________________________________________________________________

Fernwood Fest!!

The PTO is so excited for the return of our back to school family fun event.  This year Fernwood Fest will be held on Saturday, September 16th from 10am-12pm. There will be popcorn, face painting, bounce houses, a food truck, freeze pops, Pete’s Pops, and a special appearance by the Milwaukee Fire Department!  All families are invited to come to meet new families and connect with old friends.   

 

We are looking for lots of volunteers to make this day a success.  Please consider volunteering for an hour or donating an item to make this event a success!  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0944A5A922A3FF2-fernwood

 

Donations can be sent to the main office in care of Meredith. 

  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 Meredith at genricm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us if you are interested in joining the SEC for the next school year.  

Fernwood Calendar

Fernwood Montessori follows the MPS traditional calendar.  Please click on the link for the MPS Calendar for Traditional Schools, 2023-2024 MPS_Calendar_2023-24_1222V4TradOnly (1).pdf.  School off days can also be found on the Fernwood website.  

Fernwood Family/School Manual

Fernwood Montessori has updated our Family School Manual, found here: Family-School Manual 2023 2024 SY.docx  This manual has tons of information about family engagement, procedures, dress code, staff contact information and so much more.  It can also be found on the homepage of our website. 

Principal Office Hours

Communication with parents is essential to ensuring we are best supporting our students! If you wish to speak with Ms. Kristy Lowell, Fernwood’s Principal, please contact her directly at lowellkm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us or contact the main office to set up an appointment.  Meetings with parents will be by appointment only and her hours to meet with parents are between 9:00-10:00 am on Mondays and 1:00-2:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Thank you for your attention to this.

Student Pick Up and Release Procedures

Anyone picking up a child early must present an ID to the main office and sign their child out in order for their child to be released.  Since we have new office staff, we need to make sure this is in place at the beginning of the school year until our office staff are familiar with parents and guardians.  Please ensure that anyone picking up your child is listed in Infinite Campus otherwise we cannot release your child to them.  Please contact the school secretaries if you would like anyone added or taken off of the list in our database.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation for this safety measure.  Note that we are unable to release children without an individual coming to the main office.

 

At pickup, teachers will release children to their parents or guardians.  If someone other than the parent or guardian will be picking up your child, please ensure the teacher knows and verify that person is listed in Infinite Campus.  The teacher will check their ID to verify they are the correct person that you have identified to pick up their child.

Fernwood Athletics

Welcome back Fernwood Families

I am excited to be back and ready to get Fernwood Athletics off to a great start. Registration for Soccer and Cross Country is open. The deadline for cross country registration is Friday Sept 8th and Monday Sept 11th for other sports. Teams fill up Fast and we do have a limit so please turn in Athletic form and $25 cash/check made out to Fernwood. Forms will be handed out at open house, there will also be forms located in the school office or gym office. They can be delivered to me or dropped off in the school office. All athletes/parents will have to fill out a MPS rec packet that includes the concussion protocol, however, that will all be in electronic form and sent from the individual coaches. New this year we have 6-8th Girls’ basketball starting early fall. (If you join fall girls’ basketball you will not be able to play winter coed basketball) Coed basketball and Volleyball will open mid-October so please keep a look out in upcoming newsletters.

   We are in need of a soccer 1-3rd coach and possibly 4/5th soccer coach

Thanks for making Fernwood Athletics such a success!

Mr. Rob Comp

Fernwood P.E./Sports Coordinator

414-294-1367  compra@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

______________________________________________________________

Cross Country Information

ATTENTION PARENTS OF ALL ENTERING 6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH GRADERS

Please mark your calendars that our 2022 Cross Country season begins on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, Tuesday, September 5th. Have your athlete bring their running gear that day, and be ready to run after school.

>> Registration to join our Cross Country team will close on FRIDAY, September 8th — no exceptions <<  We do not deny anyone who would like to run – and have consistently had a fairly big group of athletes join. We do ask (gently and lovingly require) that if they join our team, that they put forth effort. Please stop by the sports table at our school’s Open House on 8/30 to register or stop in the office for a registration form. 

The athletes meet for practices on the southside of the school building. If an athlete comes unprepared (including being late), they won’t be able to participate that day. Practices include time for warmups and cool downs, and core workouts.

• Practice the first week of school will be Tuesday the 5th, Wednesday the 6th, Thursday the 7th, and Friday the 8th from 3:00-4:10p.
• Beginning September 11th through the end of October, our runners will run together on M/T/W from 3:00-4:10 at Fernwood Montessori.
• On Thursdays, we race (with the exception of our Conference meet, late morning Saturday, October 14th – details to follow). Race schedule will be available on the first day of school.

Athletes need proper fitted running shoes, a running watch, a water bottle, and to be on time. We ask that cell phones be left behind. Team discounts are available at both Rodiez’s Running Store and Performance Running Outfitters. Both locations offer assistance choosing the proper shoe for the athlete’s running gait.

This year we have three coaches who love to run and are passionate about sharing that love with our young athletes. Our intention is to prepare the children to reach their own personal goals, support one another, learn about the sport, and most importantly HAVE FUN!

Thank you to the parents and families for supporting our team! We also need parent volunteers to help at our races each week. Please chat with the coaches for more information. YAY Fernwood!

Much love, your dedicated coaches Amy, Heather, and Lorinda
fernwoodrunning@gmail.com

______________________________________________________________________

Milwaukee Repertory Theater Saturday Classes

 

The Milwaukee Rep will be offering free theater classes (with a free lunch) on Saturdays at Fernwood from 9/23 until 10/28.  Families must register for classes.  More information including the QR code to register can be found here:

FY24 Fall SYP Poster.pdf

________________________________________________________________

After-school SPANISH at Fernwood Montessori for grades K-2nd! 

Embark on a language learning adventure this fall!  Futura Language Professionals will offer theme-based Spanish classes at Fernwood afterschool.  Classes are not only educationally enriching, but also interactive, dynamic and FUN! Learning Spanish is easier to acquire at a young age and it increases cultural sensitivity. Prepare your student for a global environment – register today!  

Fernwood Montessori 2023/24 Spanish Flyer

Message from Ms. Bianca-Fernwood School Counselor

Greetings Fernwood Families!!

My name is Bianca Willingham ( Ms. Bianca) and I am proud to return as the school counselor at Fernwood Montessori School.

This is my 11th year working as the school counselor at Fernwood Montessori School and I am truly excited to begin another amazing school year with all of my students and families.

I am a wife and a mother of two wonderful children, Brooklyn and Kristion.  I’m also a dog mom to my fur baby Koko:) As a family, we enjoy taking walks, karaoke, playing kickball and watching movies together.  In my free time, I enjoy writing, bike riding, crafts and I also enjoy volunteering in my community through various service organizations.

I am excited to kick off the 2023-2024 school year with new opportunities for students and families here at Fernwood.  In my role as school counselor, I am here to provide academic and social emotional support for students.  I will continue to support your students through social/emotional guidance lessons, mindfulness, small group counseling, academic and career planning for 5th and 7th graders, transition to high school, career exploration and individual counseling. 

If you need to contact me, feel free to reach out by phone at 414-294-1300 ext.41321 or by email at willinbc@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

I look forward to a successful 2023-2024 school year with you!!

 

Bianca Willingham, MS

School Counselor

Fernwood Montessori School

(414) 294-1300 ext. 41321

My school counseling website

https://sites.google.com/milwaukee.k12.wi.us/fernwood-montessori-website/home

___________________________________________________________________

A Letter from Ms. Makula-Art Teacher 

Dear Fernwood Families,

Welcome back! I hope you all are doing well and had a restful, enjoyable summer. I am thrilled to be the art teacher at Fernwood Montessori School, and am looking forward to another year full of creating beautiful art, and teaching and learning with your child(ren) in a space that is dedicated to art making, including two new potter’s wheels! This year your student artist(s) will: explore artists’ lives, discover new art techniques in watercolor, printmaking, and fibers, among other media, and make connections through art.

 

As I welcome my students into this new school year, here are some of my general expectations:

Come to art quietly and ready to work

Bring a positive attitude

Respect ourselves, our fellow students, and the art materials

Leave the art room clean and orderly

 

Behavior expectations in the art space:

Students will complete projects in a timely manner

In order for students to succeed, there may be verbal reminders, changing the students’ location, allowing the student to take a break, or offering an alternative project.  If needed, a phone call home will be made so that we can come up with a positive solution for the students’ success

 

Art projects are introduced with a book, video, artifact and/or activity that hooks students’ attention into the project.  With every project, I aim to tie the lesson to an artist and art technique, and integrate other subject content areas, as well.

 

I encourage students to please bring their own smock (an old t-shirt) that they can keep in their classroom and wear on art day, or to simply not wear their best, most favorite outfit on the day of the week that they have art.

 

Finally, if you would like to share your creative talents in the art room by volunteering, there are many opportunities to help.  Please contact me at: 414-294-1348 or makulall@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.

 

Thank you so much for the opportunity to work with your artist child(ren).  It is what I love to do.

 

Sincerely,

Laura Makula Zimmerman (Ms. Makula)