Fernwood Family Newsletter #34, 4/30/24 

~Sunday, May 5th, 2024, 10am-4pm, Fernwood Arts Fest, Fernwood Montessori School

~CORRECTION Tuesday, May 7th, 2024, Fernwood Fund Meeting, Fernwood Library and Virtual-email benjaminmstocks@gmail.com for meeting link

~Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, 7:00-7:25am, Bike Walk and Roll to School Day, Fernwood East Playground and Falling Heath Doors

~Thursday, May 9th, 2024, 6:30pm, Music Parents Meeting, Virtual https://meet.google.com/fpf-rvca-uuk

~Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, 5:30pm, Spring Concert, Bayview High School Auditorium

~Monday, May 20th, 2024, 5:30pm, SEC Meeting, Virtual https://meet.google.com/hnp-uhmu-wpr

~Tuesday, May 21th, 2024, 6:00pm, PTO Meeting, Fernwood Library and Virtual http://meet.google.com/isc-jfjq-zow

~Thursday, May 23rd, 2024, Experience Day, Fernwood Montessori Classrooms

~Monday, May 29th, 2024, 9:00am, Parent Orientation for NEW K3/K4/K5 Students, Fernwood Auditorium

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

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Bake Sale-May 6th and 7th

*****Fun Fact: The calories from bake sale items don’t count because you are consuming them for a fundraiser and not because they taste good.*****  

Room 37 will  be hosting a bake sale at afternoon dismissal on the East Playground.  Monies raised will go to Field Trips for Room 37.  Items will be $1 and cash only. 

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Bike Walk Roll to School Day*

Please stop by the West Playground on the morning of May 8th for Bike Walk and Roll to School day!  A table with small tokens will be set up from 7am until the bell rings!  You can also help create a banner that celebrates all the fun ways there are to get to school!

*Beyonce and Taylor will not be attending.

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Teacher Appreciation Week – Cards Wanted 

Educationist.  Teacher.  Pedagogue.  Instructor.  Montessorian.  

You know them!  You love them!  Let’s show them!  

The PTO is throwing an extravaganza of gratitude for our Fernwood teachers from May 6th-10th for National Teacher Appreciation Week!  Families can help by dropping off a card for your current (or past) teacher/teachers in the Main Office on Monday, May 6th sharing what they mean to you, how they helped you, or a time they made you laugh!  Wednesday to Friday, teachers will be offered lunch, sweet treats, and some spa amenities in the staff bathrooms from the PTO!  Please pitch in with a card if you can!

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Playground Etiquette!

We would like to kindly ask families to make sure their children are not lifting, carrying and moving the large rocks on the east playground (around the labyrinth, small gardens, etc).   We have just done some grounds keeping work and we would like the rocks to stay where they are so that we can use the labyrinth!  The trees at school are also in need of some consideration.  We lost an apple tree last year due to damage and we also are seeing that the trees lining the labyrinth have some broken branches.  Please refrain from pulling on the branches of these trees!  Thank you for your attention in this matter and please let “big” kids who may play on the playground after school or on weekends be aware as well.  

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ATTENTION ALL PARENTS OF RUNNERS and incoming 6/7/8th GRADE ATHLETES

Pirates like to run…for their lives!?!  Please see the attached letter for information on Fall and Summer Cross Country opportunities!   There are going to be some big changes to the program going forward and there are lots of important details in the letter!

Summer and Fall Cross Country -2024

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Pirate Art On Display!

This is art made by Fernwood Pirates, not art that features pirates.  Anyway, the Fernwood and Maryland Ave. Montessori collaborative student art show is now on display at Beans & Barley Cafe!  Come see the AMAZING Student Art show for the whole month of May. Student artwork from K5-Adolescents students is featured.  Enjoy the K5 quilt inspired by the quilts Gee’s Bend, LE collaborative insect study, UE fiber art weavings, and AD watercolor animal portraits. 

Special shout out and big thank you to Fernwood parent Jim Neumeyer for giving our students this wonderful opportunity.  We are so grateful and thrilled!

Please see attached document for list of student names represented in the show. 

Student Artists @ Beans & Barley

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Fernwood Experience Day, May 23rd

On May 23, 2024 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 (in the morning) 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.  If a student is out sick that day, teachers will do their best to coordinate a make up day.

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 questions.

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Requests for Donations to Fight Poverty

Girl Scout Troop 10153 is helping to fight poverty in our neighborhood. We are looking to gather donations to assemble Move in Baskets to donate to Hope House. Donations of the following items can be dropped off anytime until May 17th to Michelle Stehlik in the Main Office. Items must be new and unused.

Laundry Baskets,Blankets, Pillows, Cleaning Supplies, Paper towels, Toilet Paper, Childrens Socks, Canned goods, Towels, School Supplies, Kitchen Utensils, Bedsheets of any size, Pillows, Pack and Plays, Acrylic paints and other art supplies

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Save the Date: Spring Concert

The Spring Concert will be held on May 14th at 5:30pm (performers and volunteers arrive at 5:00pm, spectators will be seated at 5:25pm) in the Bayview High School Auditorium (2151 S Lennox St).  Performers include Adolescent Guitar, Percussion, and Rock Band; Upper Elementary Percussion and Choir, the Lower El Choir that is run by Ms. Molly, Harp Students, and 3rd Grade Recorders.  The Lower Elementary choir that is run by Mr. Miller will not perform.  Please consider taking a volunteer shift to help make this event happen!  

Spring Concert Volunteers  (Use the Spring Concert tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet)

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Save the Date: FERNWOOD ARTS FEST!

Please mark your calendars for the Fernwood Arts Fest on May 5th from 10am to 4pm!  This fun event raises money for the Fernwood PTO and is a great celebration of the Arts and our community!  Please bring cash for the door and for shopping (some vendors will take cards).  

This event is only possible if we have lots of volunteers to support it!  Please consider taking a volunteer shift using the Sign Up Genius below.

Arts Fest Volunteer

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Arts Fest Performers Wanted!

Calling all Students that take lessons on an Instrument and/or Voice!  We want YOU to be a part of the Arts Fest Fernwood Recital.  

Fernwood Music Parents want to let as many students studying an instrument and/or voice share their work with the Fernwood Community! 

On Sunday May 5th during Fernwood’s Arts Fest, there will be a Fernwood Student Recital in the courtyard (or Auditorium if weather is inclement) between 1pm-2pm.  Sign up by filling out this quick form here by April 26th.  Thank you for encouraging your child to share their talents, no matter what developmental stage they are at currently.  Any questions, email Molly Pufall-Brown at mpufall@gmail.com.

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SAVE THE DATE – FERNWOOD FLIGHTS END OF YEAR CELEBRATION

Mark your calendars and start arranging your childcare for this year’s Fernwood Flights on Sunday, June 9th (11am-3pm) at The Sugar Maple.  Fernwood Flights is the annual end-of-year celebration where Fernwood parents and community members gather to meet new people, laugh with old friends, enjoy some good food and beverages, win some great auctions, and have fun raising money to enhance the learning experience and environment at Fernwood Montessori.  Tickets are on sale now at https://events.readysetauction.com/mpsfdn/beerscheers24. 

P.S. If you would like to learn more about donating auction items, being a corporate level sponsor, or getting involved as a parent volunteer with the Fernwood Fund, please send an email to Brett at brett.mytys@gmail.com.

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Our School is Cool!

There’s always something cool going on at Fernwood!  Yesterday, Room 27 was a classroom and a COOL museum.  Ms. Caitlyn and Mr. Spears worked with students to set up a Black Excellence Museum in the classroom.  The students researched various examples of black excellence (authors, artists, engineers, Nobel Prize Winners), provided resources on actions that people can do to support racial equity and inclusion, and offered a presentation every 15 minutes for students in other classrooms.  Take a look below for some pictures of what they created!

Black Excellence

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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 to help.

Fernwood Music 2023-24 _________________________________________________________________________________________