FERNWOOD FAMILY NEWSLETTER #39, 6/10/25

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Field Day Thank You!

THANK YOU from the Fernwood Fund!

Last Popcorn Sale of the Year This Friday

Cozy Craft Pop Up Shop!

Staffing for Next Year

Pedestrian Safety Meeting-June 11th

Summer and Fall Running for 6th-8th Graders

Run Back to School

CAMP Forms for 2025-2026

Lost and Found Clean Out on 6/11

School Supply Lists for the 2025-2026 School Year

Information on MPS Lead Testing Clinic for MPS Families

OUR SCHOOL IS COOL!

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

~Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, 6:30pm,  Fernwood Fund Meeting, Busby’s Bar and virtual (email brett.mytys@gmail.com for link)

~Thursday, June 12th, 2025, 5:30pm, 8th Grade Completion Ceremony, Bayview High School Auditorium

~Thursday, June 12th, 2025, 6:30pm, Music Parents Meeting, Virtual https://meet.google.com/fpf-rvca-uuk

~Friday, June 13th, 2025, Last Day of School, Fernwood Montessori 

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Field Day Thank You!

Thanks to all our parent volunteers who made Field Day 2025 a success!  Kids came out to the West Playground in three different waves to: play tug of war, play soccer, run relay races, run sack races, play Just Dance, do a home run derby, eat popsicles, drink lemonade, and run around without purpose or direction.  The weather and the vibes were perfect!  The event was organized, positive, and just the right amount of chaotic (there was a megaphone but I don’t think anyone had to use it!)!  Well done, Mr. Comp and parent organizers (more than one of you wore a fanny pack which means you came to get it done)!  Fernwood makes it happen!  

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THANK YOU from the Fernwood Fund!

The Fernwood Fund extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Fernwood Flights. It was an incredible day! Not only did we raise over $22,000 to support our students next year (putting our goal of supporting Spanish classes next school year in sight…stay tuned), but it was also a truly special community gathering filled with great energy and connection.

We’re so grateful to see attendance continue to grow and deeply appreciate the support from our generous donors and sponsors. A special thank you to The Sugar Maple for once again opening their space to us and helping make the event such a success.

What a wonderful way to close out the school year. Have a great summer—we look forward to seeing you in the fall!

— The Fernwood Fund Team

 

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Last Popcorn Sale of the Year This Friday 

It seems like Mr. J and the adolescent entrepreneurs are playing around with a DoorDash business model to close out the year! 

The last popcorn sale of the year is this Friday!  Popcorn will be preorder only and will be delivered to classrooms before the end of the school day (you don’t need to tip your delivery person).   Popcorn is $1 (cash only) and the proceeds will benefit the adolescent program.  

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Cozy Craft Pop Up Shop!

Ms. Lisa McLure and Room 13 will be holding a pop-up shop this Wednesday, June 11 at 2:25pm dismissal time on the East Playground.  CASH ONLY! (Prices range from $1-5 each) These beautiful votives, bookmarks, cards and magnets were made by our students and parent volunteers with the intention of being sold at the Fernwood Art Fair that unfortunately was cancelled.  Come get ’em while they last!   

 

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Staffing for Next Year

We had wonderful interview cycles with lots of interest in our school.  Some candidates cannot be named yet as they are not current employees with MPS and have therefore not yet signed contracts.  We will share names once they are official, in August.

Retirements

We’d like to thank Elaine Clay for her amazing 40+ year career. Elaine has touched the lives of so many children and families (including being the teacher of some of our teachers) and will be very missed.  Best of luck to Mrs. Clay on her next chapter.  The new teacher in Room 24 will be Ms. Lauren Schweiger.

Thank you to Elaina Sullivan for her incredible career as a teacher and support/coach of our teachers.  Elaina has positively impacted the educational outcomes for so many students and we are very grateful.  Best of luck to Ms. Elaina in her retirement.  This position will not be replaced as it had to be cut for budgetary reasons.

       Job and Life Changes

We’d like to thank Meredith Genrich Mertes for being such an awesome Parent Coordinator the past two years.  Come fall, she will transition to a classroom assistant role.  She will work to mentor the new Parent Coordinator (new hire, name will be announced once contract is signed).

Thank you to Megan Costello for joining us this year to assist in our Autism classroom.  Your expertise is very appreciated.  Megan will be going back to the special education teaching role and will be at Burdick next year.  Molly McKee will be in this position for next school year.

Thanks to Jamie Krutsch for opening up our new Autism unit this year.  We had some growing pains and lots of lessons learned, but the experience was a tremendous success and are so appreciative of Jamie’s patience and advocacy.  Jamie will be substitute teaching for MPS next school year.  Tracy Maier will be the new teacher in Room 26.

Thank you to Jean Vogel for your many years of teaching at Fernwood and your contributions.  Jean has made the challenging decision to stay home for some time with her adorable newborn Lou.  We hope to have her join us again soon.  LaBernadette Ference will be the new teacher in Room 25.

Vacancies

As you are well aware, we have been without a music teacher all year.  I am delighted to announce that we have hired a candidate for this position (name will be announced once the contract is signed).

We have an Assistant Principal vacancy and the position has been posted again.  We will keep our community posted.  The position closes June 12th if any Fernwood families know of interested candidates.

We have 1 remaining vacancy, a Children’s Health Assistant that has been vacant all year, and we did not receive any candidates for the position during MPS hiring cycles.  Please let anyone you know who is a CNA about this position and have them contact Ms. Kristy directly if they are interested.

Thank you to the staff and to Jenny Bouton and Ryan Baumer who volunteered their time to help select candidates for these positions.

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Pedestrian Safety Meeting-June 11th

The pedestrian safety project for Oklahoma and Pennsylvania has been quietly progressing!

Next up, this project will go to a public hearing. If you would like to attend to voice your concerns, the meeting is at 9:00 A.M. June 11 in Room 301-B of City Hall. If passed, a GoFundMe has been organized to help spread the cost to the community. Every donation, big or small, gets us closer to our goal!  Questions should be directed to marina@milwaukee.gov

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Summer and Fall Running for 6th-8th Graders

🏃‍♀️ Join the Summer Running Club & Get Ready for Fall Cross Country! 🏃‍♂️

Summer Running Club (Grades 6–8)
Lace up your running shoes and join us for Summer Running Club at Humboldt Park—a great way to stay active, meet teammates, and build a strong base before the fall season!
Location: Just south of the tennis courts at Humboldt Park
When: Thursdays, June 26th – August 14th
Time: 5:45–6:45 PM

All runners should bring a water bottle and wear quality running shoes. (Tip: Head to Performance Running Store for a team discount and expert fitting!)

This program is a fun, low-pressure way to prepare for fall, connect with others, and start building endurance for a great season ahead.

Fall Cross Country Season (Grades 6–8)
The official Cross Country season kicks off the first day of school Tuesday, September 2nd. Watch for registration materials from Principal Kristy Lowell and an information session @ 5:30 during the Open House on August 27th.

• Registration will be capped at 60 athletes—no late registrations accepted.
• Registration: Monday, August 25th-Thursday, August 28th (forms will be sent out via email)
• Practices will be held at South Shore Park from 5:15–6:15 PM Monday-Wednesday and races will be Thursdays.
• We’re excited to welcome our new coach, Marisa, to the team!
• This is a commitment-based team. Athletes must arrive on time, stay for the full practice, and prioritize cross country.

We’re looking for runners ready to work hard, have fun, and be part of something great! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Coach Heather @ gailevie@gmail.com. 

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Run Back to School

Run Back to School is happening on August 23, 2025 at 9am.  This is a fun event that celebrates starting school in the Fall with a run/walk, a DJ, free t-shirts, and a snack bag.  The school with the most participants also gets a grant to spend on supplies or activities for being active (last year we won and used the money for the sheds that we use to store our playground equipment)!  See below for details and a registration form!  

https://milwaukeerecreation.net/rec/Special-Events/Run-Back-to-School.htm

2025 RBTS Registration Form (English).pdf

2025 RBTS Event Flyer.pdf

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CAMP Forms for 2025-2026

Please see below for two forms for Camp for the 2025-2026 school year.  One form is for existing families to renew for next year.  The other form is for families who would want a spot next year in wraparound or after school care if/when they become available.  Detailed info is on the forms.  

Renew Current Campers

New Family Interest

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Lost and Found Clean Out on 6/11

Words to describe the lost and found in its current state:

chaos

disorder

overflowing

colorful

jungle

tangle

corner

of

doom

It is almost time for these things to move on!  Please come and look through items in our lost and found ASAP.  The lost and found is located in the basement under the stairs in the north east corner of the building.  Items not claimed will be donated on June 11th.  Thank you!   

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School Supply Lists for the 2025-2026 School Year

Here are the school supply lists for next year by grade band.  Students should also arrive on the first day with a positive attitude, a sense of humor, a willingness to learn, and a COOL story from summer break!

Adolescent Supply List 2025 – 2026.docx

Upper Elementary Supply List 2025-2026.docx

Lower Elementary Supply List – 2025 – 2026.docx

Primary Supply List 2025 – 2026.docx

Comprehensive Unit Supply List – 2025-26.pdf

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Information on MPS Lead Testing Clinic for MPS Families

https://city.milwaukee.gov/Health/Services-and-Programs/HomeEnvironmentalHealth/Ongoing-Lead-Hazard-Investigations-With-MPS

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OUR SCHOOL IS COOL!

There’s always something COOL going on at Fernwood!  

It is an Elaine/Elaina Exodus!  You were not required to retire this year if your name had this alliteration.  These two special ladies have a combined 62 years of Montessori experience which means they have forgotten more about teaching and Montessori than most people know.  Elaine Clay is looking forward to spending time traveling and volunteering.  Elaina Sullivan is going to be embarking on a new career: Power Grandma (like a regular grandma but with more crafts and extra museums)!  If you get a chance to drop either of these two a line to wish them well or to help them reflect a little on how they have had an impact, please do.  In the words of Elaina Sullivan, “okbye”.  We will miss you, ladies!  If you find you have ANY extra energy, you can volunteer with Fernwood three year olds who are always available to help you deplete the excess.  You don’t work here anymore, but you are part of our community for ALWAYS, sniffle.  Retiring after a long career of making a difference in kids lives?!  COOL!  

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Ms. Sangita’s class and Ms. Milligan’s class are fighting!  There is a good natured competition between the groups to see who can collect the most jars of food for donation to Feeding America…..Ms. Sangita’s class has to kick out the jams MC5- Kick Out The Jams (Radio Edit) and in Ms. Milligan’s class it is peanut butter time (Peanut Butter Jelly Time with Lyrics!!!)!

Sangita’s class will be collecting jelly and jam.  Kim’s class will be collecting peanut butter.  Whoever collects the most jars….gets to say that they collected the most jars.  People who are experiencing food insecurity are the real winners!  ANY person regardless of their grade or classroom affiliation can vote to end hunger, vote to clean out their kitchen cabinets, and vote for either legume paste or fruit preserves.  Bring us some jars, y’all!

Donations can be brought to the Main Office or either classroom (Room 32 or 37).

A little friendly competition (although Sangita is doing some spirited trash talking…”Prepare for tears.” ) so that no one goes to bed hungry?  COOL!

 

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Students in Ms. Natasha’s class are having a COOL experience this morning!  Ms. Natasha’s husband (an incredible high school biology teacher) Mike will be joining Room 252 along with Ms. Wright’s son (and former 6th grade student of Ms. Natasha’s) Jordan for a dissection.  Ms. Natasha’s daughter also snuck in (this is three out of four Poseys)! 

The following Upper El students (also former students) will join in to assist: Odelia, Chelsea, Milan, Evander, Ashaiah, and Greta. Also, adolescent student (and big sis of one of Ms. Natasha’s students) Nettie will round off the volunteers.

Questions from Montessori minds included: “What do we do with the insides of the squid?” “Do you have kid sized gloves?” and “Do you get to name your squid?”*

The atmosphere at the dissection was electric!  Here are some pictures of the action!

 

Thanks to all the helpers and especially to Mr. Mike who stopped teaching at his regular high school teaching job a week ago and came to Fernwood to keep the learning going!  That’s love (for Ms. Natasha, for kids, for teaching, and for squid knowledge)!  COOL!  

*The last question was from me which I thought in my head but decided not to say out loud.  

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It’s the end of the school year (this one was part marathon and part sprint…we need a break!) and it’s time to stop being COOL at Fernwood and start being COOL out in the community!  

This is truly all the Fernwood teachers and staff want…to see students leave here and boldly go out into the world prepared to thrive, take chances, make mistakes, solve problems, be creative, learn things, have fun, laugh, sing, play, goof off, get dirty, live life, call out injustice, and love big!*

In honor of their wishes for you, I am presenting a quick three song playlist for your summer adventures (even if you are just adventuring to Leon’s to get custard) featuring one of MPS’s own, Abby Jeanne, who graduated from Milwaukee High School for the Arts and is putting music and good times out into the world while making her MPS teachers proud!  

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/abby-j/pl.u-2aoqXWLfGxydd4j

Stay COOL, Fernwood!

*I have gotten a lot of love for the newsletter this year (apologies for annoying everyone else).  All credit for the newsletter’s success goes to the public school teachers (Home – Stevens Point Area School District) who taught me how to write!