MacDowell Montessori Newsletter Vol. 4

2023-2024 School Year

September 7, 2023

 

UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS/MEETINGS

School Engagement Council (SEC) Meeting – ALL WELCOME!
Wednesday, September 13th
5:00-5:30 PM
Room 103
Curious about what happens at the SEC meetings? Come join us for the first meeting of the school year! This is an extremely informative meeting. The SEC is a group of families, staff, and community members who work to support and inform shared leadership, equity, and cultural relevance resulting in increased student achievement. Common topics discussed include test scores, staffing, student attendance, and the budget. Our meetings are open to all even if you are not an official board member, however, we are actively recruiting SEC Board Members! 

PTO Meeting
Wednesday, September 13th
5:30-6:30 PM
Room TBD
Come join us for the first PTO meeting of the school year. All are welcome! PTO Fundraiser until Sept 18th

Back To School Picnic at Hawthorn Glen

Saturday, September 16th

1:00-4:00 – RSVP by Sept 8th

For more information, to RSVP, and sign up to volunteer. 

HOMECOMING WEEK 

September 25th-30th

See the flyer for dress-up days, activities and dance information : HERE

*7th-12th grade students

      

BIG MAC COMPETITION
Tuesday, September 26th

4:30 PM

Admission is $1 per person at the door- ALL are welcome to attend

Who will be the BIG MAC?

What is the BIG MAC?  It’s a competition for Seniors. 

There are four categories:  best dressed, school spirit, talent, and interview.

If you are interested in participating, pick up an application from Ms. Schenk.

 

WELLNESS DAY*
Thursday, September 28th

*7th-12th grade students
More information coming soon. 

 

HOMECOMING DANCE – Carnival Theme

Friday, September 29th

Middle school students 5:00-7:00 pm

High School students 7:30-10:00 pm

Tickets are $10, can be purchased in advance or at the door. 

 

FRIDAY 9/29 • NO SCHOOL Professional Development Day

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SAVE THE DATE – FAMILY-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Family-Teacher Conferences will be held on the evening of Wednesday, 10/11 and Tuesday, 10/17. 

There will be no school on Friday, 10/20 and Monday 10/23.
Please stay tuned for more information, including Conference sign ups!

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SCHOOL FORMS:
Please make sure you return our school forms to your child’s teacher or the main office as soon as possible:
–MPS Media Release Form
-Census Verification Report
–MPS Protocol Medical Consent Form
–Alternative Household Income Form –– It is vitally important that we receive the Household Income Form, as it is tied to funding for our school. Families who are still missing this form were sent a hardcopy home in Thursday folders and received messaging from school. 

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PTO Fundraiser going on now 8/31-9/18 

• Club Choice Order flyers and forms were sent home in Thursday Folders. 
• Sell items online at www.clubschoicefundraising.com/register

Use group code MACD23

• Forms and monies are due by September 18th to the school office.
• One check payable to MacDowell PTO
• Pick up will be October 18th. 
• PTO raises funds for events and programs that are not covered by the school budget, such as prom, back to school picnic, field trip transportation and more.

 

If you wish to support the PTO but do not want to fundraise, please consider a donation to the Un Fundraiser. 100% of your donation goes directly to the PTO.

Un fundraiser form HERE

PTO (Parent Teacher Organization)

Our PTO is a volunteer organization made up of parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and staff. We work to improve the educational experience for the MacDowell students by organizing and supporting community events and fundraising for items that are not otherwise in our school budget. PTO meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 5:30pm and anyone is welcome to attend. Dates and times are posted in our school newsletter and on our website. Additionally, our PTO has a Facebook group which you may request to join HERE  The first PTO meeting of the year is September 13th at 5:30pm.

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⚽🏀COACHES STILL NEEDED!⚽🏀

We need coaches for 4th-5th COED Soccer & 6th-8th GIRLS Basketball Coaches are paid through Milwaukee Recreation. 

4th-5th Soccer season is Sept. 23 – Oct. 28. Games are on Saturday mornings and practice is on Thursdays after school.

6th-8th GIRLS Basketball season is Sept. 23 – Nov.18. Games are on Saturday afternoons. Practices are yet to be scheduled.

Please contact Ms. Wanta if you are interested or have any questions. wantalm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

 

👟  5th – 8th Grade Coed Cross Country 👟 

FIRST PRACTICE – moved to Monday, September 11, due to weather.

There is still time to register! Participation packets are available for interested athletes. Return completed packet prior to first practice.

 

⚽1-3 coed Soccer team is FULL⚽ Ms. Wanta notified families if their student has a spot on the team. Students on the team were given registration forms last week to return to the main office with fees as soon as possible. Reminder: the first practice will be Tuesday September 12th.  

🏐4-5 coed Volleyball team is FULL🏐 Ms. Wanta notified families if their student has a spot on the team. Students on the team were given registration forms last week to return to the main office with fees as soon as possible. Reminder: the first practice will be Thursday September 7th.

ALL REGISTRATION PACKETS AND $25 REGISTRATION FEE DUE BEFORE 1ST PRACTICE

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Ways to Support your Students at Home

• Read with them every day / Encourage them to read every day.  Looking for great book recommendations for your child? Check out the MPS Reads lists here
• Support math at home. Regularly ask them to practice counting coins, telling time, skip counting, basic math facts. 
• Create a quiet calm space for homework.
• Ensure they get enough sleep so they are able to work to their fullest potential at school.
• Give your child responsibilities around the house with clear and reasonable expectations. Setting/clearing the table, making their bed, washing/putting away dishes, peeling vegetables, sweeping floors, making lunch, helping with laundry, yard work, feeding animals, etc.  Framing these as their responsibility as members of the household, and not requests to “help out”,  increases their independence, and cultivates daily mindful and responsible action.

Sleep MATTERS: Why we ALL need good sleep and how to get it!  Our bodies and brains NEED sleep to heal and renew. Sleep is when the brain processes information and strengthens memory. This helps us learn, function, and create!  More information HERE

RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THAT GOOD SLEEP = BETTER…

• Emotional control 
• Outlook
• Relationships 
• Communication
• Attention
• Problem solving & learning
• Safety and driving
• Physical health and weight
• Motor skills

 HOW MUCH SLEEP? 

Ages   : Hours per night

3 to 5   : 11 to 13 hrs

6 to 13 : 9 to 11 hrs

14 +     : 8 to 10 hrs

More information HERE

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GENERAL REMINDERS

If you want to receive school news, newsletters, and updates via text message you must opt into the system. 

To opt-in, families should send a text message to the number 67587 with “Y” in the message.

How To Reach Me
If you need to reach me, my phone number is 414-935-1339 and my email is: mossergj@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

~ Ms. Gail Jaeger 

 

QUICK LINKS:

MPS School Calendar

School Website

Lunch Menu

 

All school newsletters will be sent via email and text on Thursday and will not be sent as a paper copy unless requested. If families would also like to receive a paper newsletter for red folders, please fill out this form HERE:    https://forms.gle/qtgUbEcjqSx3sae47