FERNWOOD FAMILY NEWSLETTER #16, 12/10/24

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Lost and Found Clean Out with NEW VISUALS!

Forensics News

Fernwood Parent Budget Survey

PTO Upper El Escape Room Event

Upper El Escape Room Registration

Boy Scout Book Drive

West Playground Door Update

Ski/Snowboard Club Sign Up

Winter Concert Attendance Reminder

Cookies for our Bus Drivers, Crossing Guards and Engineers

Camp Fernwood Seeking Director

3rd Grade Robotics Club

After School Theater Classes – Winter Session

OUR SCHOOL IS COOL!

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

~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-January 1, 2025, NO SCHOOL, Winter Break 

~Tuesday, January 7th, 2025, 5:30pm, PTO Meeting, Fernwood Library and virtual https://meet.google.com/xyc-wwnz-czu

~Thursday, January 9th, 2025, 6:30pm, Music Parents Meeting,virtual https://meet.google.com/fpf-rvca-uuk

~Friday, January 10th, 2025, 5:30pm, PTO Upper El Escape Room Night, Fernwood Cafeteria

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Lost and Found Clean Out with NEW VISUALS!

Great News!  I “organized” the Lost and Found in anticipation of the MANY visitors that I know are going to be stopping by.  Someone put some nail polish and a lip gloss in there which means the lost and found now features a Health and Beauty section!  It’s like a Sephora but with bad lighting!  See a VIDEO below for a taste of the lost and found experience that is available to you between now and the clean out deadline of the MORNING OF DECEMBER 18th.  The lost and found is located in the north east corner of the building in the basement.

Lost and Found 12/6.MOV

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Forensics News for 6th, 7th and 8th Graders

Hello Fernwood Forensics Folx, 

We had an AWESOME first meeting on Monday. Please have your young people join the google classroom (Code: k7cr7gd). Most should be in it. Please also peruse this slide show with your young person (in lieu of a meeting). When done, please complete THIS google form. 

Update: The first practice will be Thursday, December 12th from 2:30-3:30. 

As always, if you have any questions please email me: botsfokm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

Peace, 

Ryn Botsford

Forensics Coach

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Fernwood Parent Budget Survey

Hello Parents!  It is budget time for our school administration.  Please take a moment to fill out this quick survey to let administrators know your values as they relate to our school budget.  When Ms. Kristy makes budget decisions regarding staffing, facilities, and programming, she can use this information to guide outcomes.  The budget process can be complicated but this information is vital in the decision making!  The survey will be open until 8am on January 6th.

Fernwood Parent Budget Survey 24-25

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PTO Upper El Escape Room Event

The Fernwood PTO is hosting an Upper El Escape Room event (this is completely different from a regular school day where you have to learn stuff in order to escape the building and go home every day)!  The event is on January 10th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.  See below for details!

🐇🐍🐁🐌🐢🦎🐠

OH NO! The Fernwood class pets are in trouble! An evil imposter has snuck into school and released all the pets…

CALLING ALL 4-6TH GRADERS and their families!  YOUR MISSION: Solve puzzles & break codes to guide our pets back to their classroom homes. Will they make it back to safety in time?

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED:  Register in teams of 4-5. One parent captain per team is required to attend. You will be assigned a time for your code breaking challenge — check your email so you don’t miss it!

>>>REGISTER BY JANUARY 3!<<<

Upper El Escape Room Registration

Additional games, music, and photo station provided. Pizza available for purchase with cash.

The PTO is also in need of volunteers for this event.  Please consider volunteering an hour of your time to help make this fun event happen.  You can volunteer and still have time to enjoy the fun with your family!

Escape Room Volunteer Sign Up

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Boy Scout Book Drive

Fernwood’s Lion Cub Scouts are holding a book drive for the Next Door Foundation, a non profit organization that helps Milwaukee families build their home libraries.  There is a drop box placed in the atrium by Falling Heath.  Please consider donating new or gently used children’s books that will be donated to families in need.  The book drive will be held through the month of December.  Check out this flyer for a link to their book wishlist!

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West Playground Door Update

Please note the students who enter on the West Playground door/Door 6 (closest to the Gym) in the morning will be redirected after 7:30am to the Falling Heath Door until Mid-January due to a staff member being out.  Once the normal schedule resumes, we will notify families in the newsletter.  

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Ski/Snowboard Club Sign Up

Fernwood is excited to have ski/snowboard club return!  

Rule 1: You do not talk about Ski Club.  

Rule 2: You do not talk about Ski Club. 

Rule 3: Ski club will meet 4 times throughout the winter at Little Switzerland in Slinger (approx 40 minutes from Bay View). 

Rule 4: Parents, friends and siblings can be part of the ski club, too. Open to all levels. 

Rule 5: The cost of ski club varies depending on what you need (it is set up a la cart to make sure people pay for only what they need).   

See the attached document for details.

2024-25 Ski Club

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Winter Concert Attendance Reminder

This year, our winter concert is spreading our BIG musical talent all around our TINY Fernwood auditorium!  We kindly ask that only families of the performers (Upper El choir that meets during school with Ms. Molly and Ms. Sharon and After School Lower El Choir with Ms. Molly) attend the Winter Concert so that we have ample space for those families to sit in actual seats.  We appreciate all of the enthusiasm for our music program from our entire community!  At this time, our Spring concert is scheduled to be at the Bayview High School Auditorium which has space for families of performers AND Fernwood music superfans.

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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 (I have an eat a dozen, give a dozen policy, personally).  We would love a (disposable) plate of your cookies to share with our helpers who keep this circus from spinning off into total chaos!  Please send cookies to the office, in care of Ms. Meredith, the morning of December 16th for distribution that day.  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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Camp Fernwood Seeking Director

Ms. Michelle Stehlik’s last day as Camp Fernwood Director will be December 4th.  She is leaving to pursue another opportunity; we wish her the best and thank her for her amazing work at camp.

We are currently looking for a new director for Camp Fernwood.  Please see the attachment and information about applying below.  In addition to applying, please reach out to Ms. Kristy Lowell, Fernwood Principal at lowellkm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us so she can alert Milwaukee Recreation.

Where to apply?: https://milwaukeerecreation.net/rec/Programs/Before-After-School-Care/Child-Care-Camps.htm 

(Director application towards the bottom of the page)

Director Pay Rate Range: $17/hr – $20/hr 

Ms. Ofelia, Assistant Director, will help with operations and billing in the interim.

Director JD -9.13.2023.pdf

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3rd Grade Robotics Club

Registration for Robotics is now closed.  Families who gained entry will be notified today.

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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! On December 6th, Upper El Choir students went on a COOL field trip. They braved the cold weather and walked to sing for the School Sisters of St Francis at their assisted living facility!  The students sang three songs in front of a lit Christmas tree.  As you can imagine, the nuns were THRILLED.  The students then got to drink punch and eat cookies.  As you can imagine, the students were THRILLED.  A good time was had by all!  When you bring younger people and older people together some magic happens…..it is truly COOL to see!  Maria Montessori also has some strong feelings about mixed ages in the classroom and I am sure she would agree that this applies to mixing ages on field trips as well.  See below for some information on mixed age classrooms in Montessori.

https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/mixed-ages-montessori-environment

Thanks to Ms. Molly and Dr. Sharon for organizing the event, our parent volunteers for chaperoning (extra credit for chaperoning kids on carbohydrates), and our student singers for taking the time to talk to the nuns at the little reception after the performance.  Fernwood makes it happen!