FERNWOOD FAMILY NEWSLETTER #13, 11/19/24

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Notice for Kinnickinnic Traffic Safety Meeting

PTO COFFEE SALE-CODE FERNWOOD

FERNWOOD SPIRIT WEAR SHOP IS NOW OPEN!

Mural for the Holiday Folk Fair

Montessori Action Committee Meeting

Tropical Trolley

School Event Calendar and Meeting Notes

After School Theater Classes – Winter Session

OUR SCHOOL IS COOL!

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

~Tuesday, November 19th, 2024, 6:30pm, Fernwood Fund Meeting, Fernwood library and virtual, email brett.mytys@gmail.com for link

~Thursday, November 21st, 2024, 5:30pm, School Engagement Council (SEC), virtual https://meet.google.com/tir-huzv-ikc

~Wednesday-Sunday, November 27-December 1, 2024, NO SCHOOL 🦃

~Tuesday, December 3, 2024, PTO Meeting, Fernwood Library and virtual https://meet.google.com/xyc-wwnz-czu

~Thursday, December 12, 2024,5:30pm, Winter Concert, Fernwood Auditorium

~Tuesday, December 17th, 2024, 6:30pm, Fernwood Fund Meeting,  Fernwood library and virtual, email brett.mytys@gmail.com for link

~Saturday to Wednesday, December 21, 2024-Jaunuary 1, 2025, NO SCHOOL, Winter Break 

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Notice for Kinnickinnic Traffic Safety Meeting 

Please see the information below about a community meeting regarding traffic calming on Kinnickinnic Ave.  All community members are invited to attend and voices from our school are welcome as well.  

https://city.milwaukee.gov/Event-Detail?DataID=440908&Occurrence=2024-11-25T17:30:00

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PTO COFFEE SALE-CODE FERNWOOD

The annual PTO Coffee Sale is here!  This year the sale will be completely online (like Generation Alpha) and features coffee, tea, and merch from Stone Creek Coffee!  The sale starts today and ends on December 3rd.

Orders are placed online at http://stonecreekcoffee.com/ IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU USE THE COUPON CODE “FERNWOOD” WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER.  Without the code, the PTO won’t get credit for the sale and the fundraiser becomes…not a fundraiser.  

All orders will be shipped directly to your home (versus our previous business model of using 3 year olds as delivery people…they are easily distracted and have low muscle tone) for FREE.   

Fernwood Coffee Sale 2024.pdf

Your support is so appreciated as this is historically the largest fundraiser of the year for the PTO.  Funds go directly to our classroom teachers and students and are used for supplies, experiences, and buses. 25% of the proceeds from all orders with this code will go directly to Fernwood Montessori – that’s roughly $3 from every pound sold and we will get a cut of anything that you purchase on the website-not just coffee! There are lots of great gifts on the Stone Creek website (tea, canisters, mugs, tumblers, apparel, and gift cards) for those who don’t drink coffee like Buddy the Elf. 

Elf (2003) Buddy tries coffee

Remember!!!

CODE=FERNWOOD 

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FERNWOOD SPIRIT WEAR SHOP IS NOW OPEN!

(Shop closes Nov 25!)

The Fernwood PAC is sponsoring a clothing sale to promote all our sports and activities!   Show your school spirit by cheering on your kids in fancy new swag!  Proceeds raised will be used to support extracurricular activities that promote opportunities and experiences that enhance the Fernwood experience.  Past PAC contributions include the gaga pit, volleyball equipment, balls and equipment for sports, scoreboard in the gym and lots and lots of uniforms for all sports.  If you have questions or are interested in PAC activities, email mindystollenwerk@gmail.com.   Items will be delivered to the school BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.  Scan the QR Code below or follow this link to purchase!  THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!  

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Mural for the Holiday Folk Fair 

HUGE shoutout to the AMAZING student muralists from Ms. Sangita’s class who designed and painted for a mural featuring France for the Holiday Folk Fair this coming weekend.  Included in the mural is the French flag, the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa in the process of being stolen, the Louvre Art Museum, the Arc de Triomphe and the Statue of Liberty in the process of being made.  There are other details that you can enjoy when viewing the mural up close, as well.  This mural celebrates all things iconic to France.

A HUGE thank to the talented, hardworking and amazing 4th, 5th and 6th grade students who made this mural, as well as Fernwood parent volunteers Katrina Stiebs and Sarah Fields who expertly guided the students, and Ms. Sangita for being so awesome and supportive to make it happen.

 Come see the mural in person this weekend along with 12 other MPS schools’ murals representing different countries.  The murals will be up on display this weekend at the Holiday Folk Fair from 2 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 22; 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 23; and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 24.

Here are the student muralists:

Brynn Hill, Lily Larios, Lucas Grandlich, Ella Chiappetta, Stella Larson, Rose Kozlicki, Ellington Davis Sorce, Emma Coss, Kennedy J. Lent

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Montessori Action Committee Meeting

MPS invites families to participate and support the continued growth of Montessori in Milwaukee Public Schools through participation in the Montessori Action Committee. This year the focus is on human resource language and facilities.  See the flyer below for meeting dates and details.  Any family member can come to meetings!  

24_25 MAC Committee flyer.pdf

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Tropical Trolley 

If you haven’t hit up the tropical trolley for tropical treats, now is your chance to support Room 250 in their endeavor while also injecting some tropical sunshine into your life during our short fall/winter days!   Granola treats are $1 and are available Monday and Wednesdays before and after school near the Falling Heath Doors.  See flyer for more details.

Trop Trolley.docx 

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School Event Calendar and Meeting Notes

Here is the school events calendar for the 24-25 school year!  Our parent groups and administration coordinated to create this document that lists all our school events for the year!  This is available in our Fernwood Family-School Manual 2425 .docx but it deserves better PR!  Please note that the date of the PTO Upper El Trivia Night has been changed to 1/10 and it will be an Escape Room event for Upper El students and their families.  

Fernwood Events 24-25 11-11.pdf

Meeting notes for our parent groups are also available online.  If you missed a meeting and want to catch up, the internet will help you!  PTO and SEC minutes are on the Fernwood website (https://mps.school/fernwood/).  The Fernwood Fund meeting minutes (which include updates from the Music Parents and the Athletic Parents) are published on their website (www.fernwoodfund.org/).

Parents are welcome to attend any of these meetings (Parent Teacher Organization, School Engagement Committee, Fernwood Fund, Music Parents) as well as meetings at the district level (District Advisory Committee, Montessori Advisory Committee, School Board Meetings, school board subcommittee meetings, etc).  You do not need to be an official member to come and learn about what is going on and help mold the activities!  

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After School Theater Classes – Winter Session

Join Character Kids for our fun-filled After School Theater Classes at Fernwood! Students will explore new stage skills, theater games and performance material; so new and returning students are welcome at each session. Parents are invited to a special performance on the last day of class. 

WINTER SESSION DATES:

Grades 1-3: Mondays, 2:30 – 3:30 pm (December 9 – March 10 (no class 12/23, 12/30, 1/20, 2/17)

Grades 4-6: Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30 pm (December 18 – March 12 (no class 12/25, 1/1)

Focus is put on developing imagination, social skills and a positive self-image through the performing arts. Visit our website for more info or to register. We hope to see you there! 

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OUR SCHOOL IS COOL!

There’s always something COOL going on at Fernwood!  Go with? Side dish? Go there? Going along?  All of these are incorrect.  This COOL thing is called a going out and it is a unique part of the Montessori Upper Elementary experience.  Going outs are like mini field trips that 3-5 students plan, execute, and report on.  Students contact the location, determine transportation (the city bus), find a chaperone, and then report their experiences and findings back to their class.

Chaperones (usually brave parents) are encouraged to be observers of the going out and to completely let the students do their own wayfinding, questioning, and problem solving (we haven’t lost a kid yet!).  Past going outs have included Melt Chocolates, The Fish Factory, the Milwaukee Public Museum, a Humboldt Park fishing trip, City Hall, Discovery World, bakeries, coffee shops, and the Hunger Task Force.  This is a very cool thing that the students get to do and it is a big moment of independence for many of them!  COOL!  Read below for a little more background!  

https://montessori-ami.org/questions/importance-going-out