Fernwood Family Newsletter #5, 9/26/23

~Friday, September 29th, No School  

~Wednesday, October 4th, 7-7:25am, Walk/Bike/Roll to School Day-Fernwood East and West Playgrounds

~Tuesday, October 10th, 6:30pm, Fernwood Fund Meeting, Fernwood Library and Virtual-email benjaminmstocks@gmail.com for meeting link

~Thursday, October 12th, 5:30pm, Music Parents Meeting, SASI Meeting, 5225. W. Vliet St.

~Thursday, October 12th and Tuesday, October 17, 3:00pm-6:45pm Parent Teacher Conferences, links are below

~Tuesday, October 17th, 6:00pm, PTO Meeting, Fernwood Library and Virtual

meet.google.com/isc-jfjq-zow

~Wednesday, October 18th, Picture Retake Day, Fernwood Auditorium

~Monday, October 30th, 2023, 5:30pm SEC Meeting, virtual https://meet.google.com/hnp-uhmu-wpr

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

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Family Teacher Conferences

 

Conference days are Thursday, October 12th and Tuesday, October 17th from 3-6:45pm.

Please sign up for ONE conference time slot for your K3-6th grade student with your student’s teacher. Conferences will be in person in the classroom. 

If you have more than one child at Fernwood, please consider allowing some “travel time” between your conferences. 

This sign up genius will be available until October 5th. If you need to schedule or reschedule a conference after this point, please contact your child’s teacher.

If your child receives special education support, please also schedule a conference with your child’s special education teacher. 

Conferences are also available with our gym, music and art teacher.  Additionally, conferences are available with our support staff.  Please click on the links to pick a time to meet with these staff members.  

Free childcare will be available in room 9 (near the cafeteria) during conferences.  

Primary (K3-K5): 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848AAA82AA5FBC34-44451002-fernwood

Lower Elementary (1st-3rd):   

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848AAA82AA5FBC34-44516629-fernwood

Upper Elementary (4th-6th): 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848AAA82AA5FBC34-44517521-fernwood

Special Education Teachers: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848AAA82AA5FBC34-44518196-fernwood

Support Staff: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848AAA82AA5FBC34-44544525-fernwood

Art, Gym, Music: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848AAA82AA5FBC34-44519605-fernwood

 

Secondary (7th-8th): 

Secondary (7th/8th grade) conferences will be on a walk-in basis.  No appointments will be scheduled. Families will wait in line to see the teachers with which they would like to meet. You will be able to meet with any of the five teachers your student works with for up to 5 minutes. The teachers and the content they teach are as follows: Mr. Jerabek, Science; Ms.Davis, Social Studies; Ms. Zimmers, STEM and Health; Mx. Botsford, Language Arts; Ms. Bussewitz, Math.  

 

All secondary conferences on October 12 and 17 will be held in the gym. 

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Reminder: Camp Fernwood will be Closed on Friday, September 29th.

Camp will be open on the following record days:

Friday, November 10th, 2023

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

Friday, February 16th, 2024

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After-School Lower Elementary Theater Classes

 

Fernwood is partnering once again with Character Kids to offer after-school theater/stage skill-building classes.  Classes will meet once a week for 8 weeks on Mondays from 2:30-3:30pm in the Fernwood Auditorium.  The cost for families is $100 per student.  Fernwood will be paying the additional cost per student using COVID relief ESSER funds for after-school activities.  If families are in need of a full or partial scholarship for this program, please email Brenda Dodge at brenda@characterkidsdrama.com.  Enrollment will be first-come, first-served and families may only sign up for 1 session.  This is an opportunity for lower elementary students, grades 1-3 only.

Session 1: October 16-December 18 (no class on 10/23 or 11/20).  REGISTER HERE: https://www.characterkidsdrama.com/milwaukee-public-schools-registration 

Milwaukee Public Schools Registration — Character Kids www.characterkidsdrama.com

Session 2: January 8-March 11 (no class 1/15 or 2/19).  Registration coming soon!

Each session will end with a parent showcase.  More information to come!

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After-School Upper Elementary Broadway Kids Musical

Fernwood is thrilled to announce that we will be offering a Broadway Kids Musical in the spring for Upper Elementary students, grades 4-6.  Please stay tuned for an announcement of the show and registration.  

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Informational Meeting with the Director of Nature’s Classroom for Upper EL

Please join us on this Google Meet to find out more about Nature’s Classroom Institute (Camp).

NCI Director, Geoffrey Bishop, will do a call for all parents who have questions about Upper El’s 3-day trip to Nature’s Classroom Institute. He is very informative and passionate about his 26-year-old program.

This call will be held on Wednesday, September 27 at 5PM. 

To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/wis-ebju-foe

Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 385-999-1907 and enter this PIN: 835 295 495#

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Playground After School

Our large camp program utilizes the West playground after school many days from 3:15 until 4:30pm.  We kindly ask that students not in camp clear the playground from 3:15-4:30pm.  Thank you for your cooperation.

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Bike Walk and Roll to School Day 

Did you know that studies show that students who walk or bike to school are more focused during lessons? It’s also fun!  October 4th is National Walk, Bike, and Roll to school day!  Join us on the East and the West playgrounds before school on October 4th from 7-7:25am for a small celebration!  There will be a little activity for interested students and tokens available, too!  

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Opportunities for Montessori Teacher Training

MPS is sponsoring Montessori Teacher Training for current MPS employees and people who are interested in MPS employment.  Please see attached flyers for details on the process and an upcoming informational meeting!  

 

MPS Montessori Sponsorship Process

 

MPS Montessori Sponsorship Meeting

 

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Wisconsin Montessori Association Annual Conference, Fernwood Montessori

Fernwood will be hosting the WMA conference this year on November 10th for administrators and 11th for all interested individuals including grown-ups of Montessori students.  There are two parent options which are $10.00 to attend the keynote and morning sessions, and $25.00 to attend the keynote, morning sessions, and to have lunch.  Please see the link here to register: https://wma3.wildapricot.org/event-5376754

Please email Kristy Lowell, Principal and WMA Board Member if you have any questions at lowellkm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us. 

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Looking for Library Volunteers

For many years the Fernwood School Library has been graciously staffed by volunteers. This allows our full-time librarian to teach classes about information literacy, digital citizenship, robotics, and much more.  We are looking for a few more volunteers to take a morning or afternoon shift on a bi-weekly basis.  This is a great way to get to know our students!  Grant Gehweiler, our librarian, will be able to train and support you.  Contact Mr. Grant (gehweigj@milwaukee.k12.wi.us) for more information.

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Fernwood Montessori is Hiring

Fernwood Montessori is hiring a new secretary for our 10-month front-desk position.  We are looking for someone warm and welcoming with strong organizational, multi-tasking, and people skills.  Please apply if you are interested and/or pass along the word: 

https://mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/en/Employment/Employment-Opportunities-at-MPS/Job-Openings.htm  

If you plan on applying, please reach out to Kristy Lowell, Fernwood Principal at lowellkm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us so she knows to follow up about your application.  Note that you will apply centrally with MPS in order to take a test, and then your application will be forwarded to the school.

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Camp Fernwood is Hiring!

Camp Fernwood is hiring for Classroom Instructors Monday through Friday from 2:20PM until 5:30PM. Recently restructured, starting pay is competitive and based on experience and education. Please contact Michelle Stehlik at stehlim@milwaukee.k12.wi.us for further information. 

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School Engagement Survey

We want your feedback about school and community engagement!

Your responses to the following survey help identify improvement areas for our school’s engagement efforts and can provide valuable insights into family involvement, satisfaction, and connection within our school. 

 

The electronic survey is available in multiple languages and takes about 10 minutes. Families can choose a language preference from the menu.  Survey closes on October 31, 2023.  

https://mpsresearch.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_55RugxfFabDfr94

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Fernwood School Calendar Online

Did you know that there is a school calendar on our website?  This hidden gem can be viewed by going to https://schools.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/fernwood/  Here you should click on the word calendar at the top of the page to be taken to a grid style calendar that lists all our school events.  

School Calendar.png

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Free Community Roller Skating Nights

Skate Night.jpg

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Immunization Clinics

MPS, in partnership with the Milwaukee Health Department, is excited to announce the upcoming immunization clinics. The purpose of the clinics is to help students get updated on their required vaccines while making it easier on families by doing so during school hours. All childhood vaccines will be available, except for the flu and COVID-19. The immunization clinics will be held at the following locations:

 

• MACL – September 14, 2023 
• Lincoln Avenue – September 20, 2023 
• Elm Creative Arts – September 27, 2023 
• Engleburg – September 28, 2023 

 

All clinics will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Consent forms are attached and information on the MHD immunization program expanded walk-in clinic hours. Please note that the clinics are open to all MPS students. If you have any questions, please contact Tashanda Edelen, health services manager, at edelentn@milwaukee.k12.wi.us or 414-438-3539.

 

MHDImmunizationWalk-InClinicHours.pdf

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Military Connected Families Survey 

The Department of Public Instruction is asking schools to annually collect information from military connected families. If a parent or guardian at Fernwood is connected to the U.S. Military, we are asking them to complete the military connections survey. This is optional and no family must return the survey. Please return the survey to Meredith at genricm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us by November 1st.  Form is linked below.

 

22-23MilitaryConnectionsSurvey.docx

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Music Information from Mr. Miller

There is LOTS of information from Mr. Miller about Choir and MANY other music opportunities for our students.  Please see the link for his update which includes ways to sign up.

Fernwood Music 2023-24

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All City Middle School Dance

Start thinking about what you are going to wear!  See attached flyer for the All City Middle School Homecoming Dance at McDowell Middle School for 7th and 8th Graders.  Students must have the attached permission slip to attend.  

MS HOCO Dance.pdf

MS Dance Permission Slip.pdf

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