Fernwood Family Newsletter #14, 11/28/23 

~Thursday, November 30th, 2023 5:30pm Forensics Kick Off Meeting, Virtual https://meet.google.com/vbv-ypnu-uqj (Correction-meeting is now on 11/30)

~Thursday, December 7th, 2023 6:00pm Arts Fest Meeting, Sugar Maple Bar

~Tuesday, December 12, 2023 6:30 pm, Fernwood Fund Meeting, Fernwood Library and Virtual-email benjaminmstocks@gmail.com for meeting link

~Thursday, December 14, 2023 5:30pm, Fernwood Winter Concert, Bayview High School 

~Tuesday, December 19, 2023, 6:00pm, PTO Meeting, Fernwood Library and Virtual http://meet.google.com/isc-jfjq-zow

~Thursday, December 21, 2023-Monday, January 1, 2024, Winter Break-No School

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

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Report Cards Go Home Today

Please see the letter below about how to interpret your child’s report card.  Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any specific questions.

Montessori report card parent letter.pdf

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Arts Fest Planning Meeting

The Annual Fernwood Arts Fest is back for another year! Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 5, 2024!

Do you have any great ideas that you want to share? Are you interested in helping plan this beloved community event? Join us at Sugar Maple on Thursday, December 7 at 6pm for our first planning meeting!

Please reach out to Melissa Rabiego at melissarabiego@gmail.com if you have any questions!

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Cookies for our Bus Drivers, Crossing Guards and Engineers

Fernwood has a tradition of saying thank you to our bus drivers, crossing guards, and engineers with some yummy cookies before our Winter break.  As you do your holiday baking, please keep Fernwood in mind.  We would love a (disposable) plate of your cookies to share with our community.  Please send cookies to the office, in care of Meredith, the morning of December 18th.  We could also use cookie tins the size of a dinner plate.  Tins can be brought to the office at any time.  Thank you for your kindness towards our bus drivers, crossing guards, and engineers!

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Save the Date: Conversations about Race

Please save the date of January 17th at 4pm in the Fernwood Library for a conversation about race with Coach Nikki Janzen.  Please see below for details and look to future newsletters for a sign up.

 

Children are never too young to learn about race. In this two hour session, you can grow your knowledge on healthy ways to talk to your children about race and equity using children’s books and videos as an anchor for discovery and discussion. This session will be lead by social justice educator, Milwaukee Public Schools restorative practices coach, parent of one of our students and founder of Beloved Healing LLC, Nikki Janzen. 

Nikki will use restorative shared agreements to create a brave, caring space and guide us through researched best practices to help us cultivate children that are racially aware, empathetic and proud of who they are while supporting those in their community. We will watch videos, read children’s books as well as talk through resources and close with a question and answer opportunity. 

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Did you lose it?  We probably found it!  The lost and found is BANANAS!!!

Fernwood’s lost and found area is located in the basement floor, next to the cafeteria, under stairwell one (northeast corner of building).  It is bursting at the seams with lost items.  If your student is missing items, please check it out. There is also a small bin in the main office that has car keys and eyeglasses in it. Items labeled with names are delivered back to students in their classroom. Labeling your student’s items is the best way to get them returned.  Items from the lost and found that are not claimed will be donated on Wednesday, December 6th.  

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Resource for Families

Please see below for a link to a resource for families.  Wisconsin Wayfinder supports families of children with delays, disabilities, special health care needs, and mental health conditions. Children’s resource guides are helpers who assist families, caregivers, professionals, and organizations in finding a wide array of supports and services available through the Children’s Resource Network. Their services are free and confidential.

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/wiscway/index.htm

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Important Winter Concert Information

All lower elementary classrooms, UE choir, LE choir, UE Percussion (new), Adolescent Guitar Ensemble (new), Adolescent Choir, and Adolescent Percussion Ensemble (new), Adolescent Modern Rock Band, and 3rd Grade Recorders will perform on Thursday, December 14th at Bay View High School (2751 S Lenox St.). Students should arrive at 5pm. Concert should go from 5:30pm-7pm.

We are looking for parent volunteers. Please let me know if you are available to help out on any of these events. I can get more into the specifics, but your job will be to direct students and monitor behavior. If you would like to volunteer, please add your name and email address to the volunteer form. 

If you would like to practice with your child at home, below are the songs the lower elementary classrooms will perform. Make sure you see which group your child will be a part of.

Lower Elementary Group 1

Rooms 251, 252, 253

Act 1 “March” paper plates

“Get Your Winter On”

“Winter Walk”

Lower Elementary Group 2

Rooms 22, 24, 34, 35

“Trepak” paper plates

“Hot Cocoa”

“Marshmallow Penguin”

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Fernwood Montessori: Meet the Staff 

Pop Quiz:  What Fernwood teacher is also a hockey player?  The answer is in the attached slide show of information about our Fernwood staff compiled by the PTO. Teachers filled out some questionnaires to let us know their likes and dislikes.

Meet the Staff

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Brown Paper Bags Needed

Did you know that our building composts?  We are in need of brown paper grocery bags to use for this process.  If you have any to donate please bring them to the office and leave them for Parent Coordinator Meredith.  Please email genricm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us with questions.  Thank you!

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Annual PTO Anodyne Coffee Sale-Ends TOMORROW 11/29

Want a medium mocha, half caf, with oat milk and no whip?  PTO can help with that!  

The Annual PTO Anodyne Coffee Sale starts today!  PTO is selling whole bean and ground coffee, whole bean and ground decaf coffee, hot cocoa tins, and gift cards. All ordering is online and runs from 11/14 – 11/29.  Delivery to school will be the week of December 11th, just in time for Winter Break .  This is PTOs biggest fundraiser of the year.  Monies are used to support classroom teachers with field trips and classroom supplies. 

Order here!

anodynecoffee.com/collections/fernwood-fundraiser

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Ski/Snowboard Club Reminder! Closes TODAY!

Ski/Snowboard Club Reminder!  Registration closes November 28th so register before you forget!  Anyone is welcome – you need not be a Fernwood student or family 🙂  See below for details.

Fernwood Ski Club-23/24

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Forensics Kick Off Meeting

Greetings families of 6th-8th grade students!  Does your young person have a flair for the dramatic, a love of verbal communication, and seems to enjoy commanding the attention of a crowd? Or, does your young person want to conquer a fear of public speaking?  Then they should consider being a part of Fernwood’s Fantastic Forensics Family!! Forensics is a Milwaukee Recreation program, so students may be involved in this program in addition to an afterschool club.  

We will be having an informational meeting for interested scholars and families on Thursday, Nov. 30th from 5:30- 6:30pm via Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/vbv-ypnu-uqj )

You will learn what Forensics is, some of the categories, the commitment involved and about volunteer opportunities.  Hope you see many of you there! Please email Mx. Botsford (botsfokm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us) with any questions. 

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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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