MacDowell Calendar

~ End of the Year Picnic. Wednesday, May 17th, 5-7 PM, MacDowell

~ HIGH SCHOOL EXAMS:

Friday, May 19th (B Day) from 8:00 AM – 12:05 PM

Monday, May 22nd (A Day)  from 8:00 AM – 12:05 PM

Tuesday, May 23rd (B Day)  from 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM

~ 8th Grade Completion Ceremony,  May 23, 5-6 PM, MacDowell Auditorium. Families will receive 10 tickets this year.

~ Last Day of School, May 23

~ High School Graduation, Wednesday, May 24, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, MATC Cooley Auditorium

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MPS NEWS

Milwaukee Recreation Family Drive-In Movie Day

Movies are back! Join us on Saturday, May 13 (rain date is Saturday, May 20). Families are invited to join Milwaukee Recreation for a classic drive-in experience featuring two family-friendly movies.

3:30 p.m.– Moana

5:30 p.m.– Spider-Man: No Way Home

Families can sign up to see one or two movies. Popcorn and water will be provided, and families are welcome to bring additional snacks. 

Movies will be shown at MPS Central Services (5225 W. Vliet St.) for a cost of $20 per vehicle for each movie. Additional details and registration information can be found at mkerec.net/movie.

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SCHOOL NEWS

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7th-12th GRADE COMMUNITY DAY

Our Community Day is an important service event that brings our 7th-12 grade students together to make a positive impact on their community. On May 5th, 350 students provided service to our community.  This year our students made blankets for animals at the humane society, maintained school landscaping, inventoried books in the library, planted the school garden, volunteered their time at area non profit organizations such as We Got this Milwaukee and Father Gene’s and participated in trash cleanups at parks in Milwaukee. Our Community Day is vital to our culture at MacDowell as it promotes civic engagement, strengthens community bonds, and encourages our students to think about and address pressing issues. We are so proud of our students for their service! 

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MACDOWELL MAPLE SYRUP

We shared earlier this year that our Lower Elementary students tapped our maple trees. The sap they collected was boiled down into syrup and for a few weeks our hallways smelled delicious while this process was unfolding.

As a culmination in this lesson, our lower elementary classrooms recently made pancakes with Food Right and students got to enjoy whole wheat pancakes and homemade MacDowell maple syrup. Thank you, Food Right!

Food Right has a delicious pancake recipe which can be found here: https://www.foodright.org/post/fluffy-whole-wheat-pancakes

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MOVING ON UP

At this time of year MacDowell is providing students who are moving up to a different classroom with the opportunity to shadow in example classrooms as a way to prepare them for the upcoming school year.  During shadowing, students can gain firsthand experience of what it’s like to work with older students, see the kinds of activities and projects they will be working on, and ask questions to better understand what to expect. Our 6th grade students also got the chance to meet with Mr. Ash, our music teacher, and learn about the different music classes that we offer. 

 We provide this experience so that we can help students become comfortable and confident about moving up to the next grade, while giving them an insight about the expectations of their next grade level.  

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STUDENT ENROLLMENT FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2023-24

Thank you to those families who have already completed our Enrollment Survey for next school year. Please take a moment to complete our short Enrollment Form at your earliest convenience so that we can plan efficiently.  If you have multiple MacDowell students, please complete the form for all your children. Thank you in advance.  

Complete the form here: https://forms.gle/BPKgSzxEUymMJWNa7

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SPIRIT WEAR

MacDowell / Juneau Spirit Wear has been delivered to all those who placed orders. Thank you families for showing your school pride! I encourage you to wear your school t-shirts at our End of the School Year Party on May 17th. 

 ~Ms. Claudine

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NEW! SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES!

MILWAUKEE REC SUMMER REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!

There are lots of wonderful activities for children and adults including several at our school and in our neighborhood. 

Info: https://milwaukeerecreation.net/

Rec Guide: Summer 2023 Recreation Guide

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BIKE WITH MILWAUKEE REC- Mountain Biking 101 (students 12-18)

Mountain Biking 101 will cover the basic skills needed to start enjoying the sport, including starting, stopping, navigating courses and trail locations.

This course is designed to engage your child in a sport that is a safe, fun, healthy, and low-impact outdoor recreational activity. Participation is a recommended prerequisite to the upcoming Mountain Biking 201 where riders will have an opportunity to learn more advanced skills and race in the Wisconsin High School Cycling League. Participants are encouraged to bring their own bikes; however, bikes are available upon request in a limited capacity. Class fee is non-refundable.

• Activity Code: 1RCE2803
• (Section codes listed below)
• Burbank Playfield (Ages 12-18) ….. JU01
• Tue/Thu, Jun 20-Aug 3, 4:30PM- 6:30PM
• $25 Residents/$25 Non-Residents

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TBEY Summer Arts Camp

June 19, 2023 – August 11, 2023

9:00am – 4:30pm

Cost $350 full week sessions, or $200  partial  week sessions

Flyer INFO HERE

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REMINDERS

 

Library Reminder from Ms. Raasch

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MPS RUN/WALK BACK TO SCHOOL REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

(You don’t have to Run to join our team!)

Celebrate the start of the 2023-24 school year with MPS and Milwaukee Recreation at the 16th annual MPS Run Back to School! This is an annual tradition for MacDowell families and a wonderful way to get together and enjoy a beautiful walk/run through the Washington Park neighborhood.

 If we have the most registered participants, we are eligible for a $1,000 grant towards recreation/wellness programs. Let’s do this, MacDowell!

DETAILS:

• 5K run/1.5-mile walk through Washington Park
• Date: Saturday, Aug. 26
• Start Time: 9 a.m. (please arrive no later than 8:40 a.m.)
• Start & Finish Line: Wick Playfield (park in the lot next door, behind the MPS Central Services building: 5225 W. Vliet St.)

If our school’s team has a minimum of 25 participants by July 31, we will be able to walk/run in our very own team t-shirt color. In addition, we will be eligible for a $500 grant to go towards a recreation and/or wellness need at MacDowell! 

TO REGISTER FOR THE RUN/WALK BACK TO SCHOOL

1. Register online by visiting mkerec.net/RBTS 

• When asked the question, “If participating with a school group, please list the school”, enter our school’s name. 

 

1. Register over the phone until August.18 at 4:30 pm by calling (414) 475-8410 

• (please have credit card information ready, be sure to mention what school you are running/ walking for)

INFO: Milwaukee Recreation: Run Back to School

Questions? Contact our RBTS Team Captain Angela Pryor at angelamariepryor@gmail.com

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PTO BOARD ELECTIONS

PTO will be having an election to fill outgoing seats at our EOY picnic. If you are interested read over the attached description of positions. Send an email with a short bio(2-3 sentences) and what position you would like to run for to PTOMacDowell@gmail.com

Bios will be made available for parents to read over before the election.

Here is a link to the position descriptions: https://tinyurl.com/bdcwe9sf

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CHESS INFO – 2 MORE VIRTUAL TOURNAMENTS REMAIN!

Our Saturday Virtual Chess Tournaments are still going on! Students meet virtually on Chesskid.com weekly. The tournament starts at 5PM sharp. Students “join” the tournament 15 minutes before the start time via their Chesskid accounts. Pairing are automatic and their fast chess ratings are used for pairing purposes.    This tournament is open to any MacDowell student. Trophies and medals will be awarded at the end. Please contact Ms. Claudine if your student needs a Chesskid login credential. Virtual Chess Tournament Information HERE

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SUMMER CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS

-MPS SUMMER SCHOOL:  Learn more about our SAFE and FREE summer programming for K5–grade 12 city of Milwaukee residents!

There will be Montessori Summer School for K5-8th grade students at Fernwood Montessori!

Download the 2023 Summer Academy Enrollment Guide.

Download the 2023 specialty course flyer.

For full details and to register please visit: MPS: 2023 Summer Academy

Registration for High School Session I will close on Monday, May 15th

• K5-8th grade summer school flyer: Summer Academy K5-Gr8_Flyer_223 _FINAL.pdf

• High School summer school flyer: Summer Academy Flyer_Gr 9-12_223_FINAL.pdf

 

-UWM COLLEGE FOR KIDS & TEENS SUMMER PROGRAM: (FEE BASED, SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE)) Looking to keep the kids busy over summer? Want to keep their learning processes sharp? The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee offers exciting hands-on learning experiences in math, science, fine arts and humanities for students in K5 through high school. Prices vary and a limited number of scholarships are available!

The program will be located at Merrill Hall, 2512 E Hartford Ave.

Visit uwm.edu/sce/kids for additional information. Class descriptions and schedules are HERE. Registration is open now!

-WISCONSIN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC  ENTERING GRADE 3 – 12 (FEE BASED)

The music doesn’t stop when the sun comes out. WCM has exciting summer camp opportunities for people of all ages and experience levels. Make new friends, prepare for school year auditions, learn new skills, and perform for your family and friends at one (or more!) of our awesome camps this summer.Class descriptions and fees HERE.  See the 2023 summer flyer HERE

-DISCOVERY WORLD  ENTERING GRADE 1-8th (FEE BASED, SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE)

Explore everything, acquire abilities, find a passionate pursuit, design, and make at Discovery World!

Camps for kids entering 1st-8th grades run June 12th through August 25th. 

Camp registration closes at 5:00pm on the Thursday prior to the start of each camp week.

For details and registration HERE

-ARTS @ LARGE ARTS SUMMER CAMP 2022 ENTERING GRADE 3 – 8 (FREE)

Arts @ Large Arts Summer Camp is back again this summer! Campers will be exploring multiple arts mediums, mental health practices, and careers in the arts. Campers will stretch the boundaries of the learning process and become immersed in creative flows of various art forms, such as Visual Art, Dance, Voice, Theater, Comedy, Piano, Songwriting, and Drums. You are able to sign your child or children up for FREE, and campers will be provided with breakfast and lunch. Consideration and acceptance for camp is on a first come – first serve basis of application submission.  Activities are held 8:00AM – 1:15PM on Monday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays

Full details and registration HERE

NATURE’S CLASSROOM SUMMER DAY CAMPS – GRADES 3-6 (FEE BASED)

Choose between 5 different available weeks.

Weeks available start Monday June 12th, June 19th, June 26th, July 24th and July 31st.

Cost: $325/week

*Transportation between McDowell and Nature’s Classroom included.

INFO:  https://www.discovernci.org/mps-summer-camp

 

PLANET FITNESS FREE WORKOUTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 

Starting May 15th, teens between the ages of 14-19 can work out for free all summer long! Plus, we’re giving away $200,000* to high schools and students! Teens who register can help win a grant for their school and participate in a video contest for a chance to win a scholarship. 

INFO: Free Summer Gym Membership for Teens | Planet Fitness

 

HEALTHY COOKING COMMUNITY DEMONSTRATIONS (Free)

Locations: United Methodist Children’s Services

INFO: HERE

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QUICK LINKS:

MPS School Calendar

School Website

Staff Emails

MAY Lunch Menu – PDF

Covid-19 Update Webpage

Parent/Student Handbook on Rights, Responsibilities, and Discipline