Upcoming Events / Meetings

DISTRICT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

DAC RESCHEDULED: Thursday, February 13th

6:00 – 7:00 pm

Virtual Link

VALENTINE COFFEE SALE – FUNDRAISER

DUE TOMORROW – February 14th

Order forms sent home in red folders – extras in main office

NO SCHOOL

Monday & Tuesday, February 17th – 18th

SEC MEETING- School Engagement Council

Wednesday, February 19th

5:00 – 5:30 pm

Sign off on the Budget

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE SEC MEETINGS – every month, this is your opportunity to contribute to the school and have a voice

PTO MEETING

Wednesday, February 19th

5:30- 6:30pm

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION

Wednesday, February 26th

6:00 – 7:30 pm

PARENT EDUCATION SESSION – FOCUS ON LITERACY

Friday February 28th

7:45-9:45 am

Thursday March 6th

5:30-7:30 pm 

More details below

UPPER ELEMENTARY – NATURE’S CLASSROOM

March 3rd – 7th

VALENTINE COFFEE FUNDRAISER PICKUP

Monday March 3rd

3:00 – 4:30 pm

ACT TESTING – 11TH GRADERS

Wednesday, March 12th

No student attendance for grades 9, 10 & 12

PTO FUNDRAISER – SAZ’S STATE HOUSE

Wednesday, March 12th

11:00am – 8:00pm

Mention MacDowell – Reservations encouraged

FLYER

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND JR – MUSICAL

Wednesday, March 12th and 

Friday March 14th

6:00 – 7:30 pm

MacDowell Auditorium

Check the MacDowell webpage calendar for future events.https://mps.school/macdowell/calendar/

Save The Date

~SPRING CONFERENCES~

March 17th and 19th

3:45 – 7:30pm

Watch for communication and signups later this month. 

Primary and Lower Elementary Parents-

Join us for a Parent Education Session – focus on literacy. Choose from two time options (same program) Friday morning, February 28th or Thursday evening, March 6th. See the flyer below. 

RSVP at   https://tinyurl.com/yc2uz2t4

Elementary Enrichment

LOWER ELEMENTARY FOODRIGHT GROWING CHEFS – SPRING SESSIONS

MacDowell’s 1st-3rd classrooms will begin their spring sessions of Food Right at the end of February. We will have a variety of volunteer needs based on the lesson. Check your email for specific dates and communication recruiting volunteers. 

!!COACHES NEEDED!!

Seeking  Parent Volunteers to Help Coach Our 6th-8th grade Soccer Team & 5th-8th grade Tennis Team!

In order to continue to provide 6th-8th grade Soccer & 5th-8th grade Tennis we are looking for  parent volunteers to help coach the teams this spring. If you’re interested in helping out, whether you have experience coaching or just a love for the game, we’d love to have you join the coaching team!

As a coach, you’ll have the chance to work closely with your child and the team to help them develop their skills, teamwork, and love for the sport. Your involvement will make a huge difference to the team!

If you’re interested or have any questions, please reach out to me directly. We can discuss how you can help and fit the role into your schedule.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to be a part of the team! Ms. Wanta wantalm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Kindergarten Enrollment for the 2025-2026 School Year: February 1 to March 17, 2025

• If you have a younger child that you wish to enroll in K3 or K4 at MacDowell, you must enroll during this enrollment window to receive sibling preference. The current student’s name should be included in the application. Sibling preference is not granted after this enrollment window.
• There is no advantage to completing the enrollment application on the first day of the process.  
• Current MacDowell students do not need to reapply.  They are automatically re-enrolled. 
• The application will be available online through the MPS website.
• Please encourage your friends, family and neighbors to choose MacDowell Montessori for their child’s education! Interested families should call the school office to schedule a tour.

Wondering if you can enroll your child?

• Students enrolling at K3 need to be 3 years old by September 1st and must reside in Milwaukee.
• Students enrolling in K4 need to be 4 years old by September 1st.

MPS Kindergarten Enrollment Page; MPS: Kindergarten Enrollment – Schools

If you have enrollment questions, please contact Parent Coordinator Ms. Jaeger mossergj@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

MORNING HUG AND GO FLOW REMINDERS

As winter weather has affected the clearance of streets in the city we would like to remind families of some morning drop off procedures.

-Traffic should flow North to South. 

-Refrain from parking on the east side of 64th st (children and parents crossing presents a hazard and slows up vehicles trying to exit the drop off line)

-Drop off is a HUG and GO zone. Students should be ready to exit when the vehicle reaches the doors. 

There is no parking on the west side of 64th st. Parents that want to walk their students need to park further down the street. Please be patient. The engineer and staff are working hard to clear sidewalks and make entrance safe. We all want our students in class safe and on time. 

Middle and High School Updates

IB UPDATE – January/December Learner Profile of the Month

There are 10 learner profile traits which describe a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. 

For December, we are spotlighting: Communicator: Students that are communicators express themselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. They collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.

Adreyan Curtis, 11th grade, was nominated and voted for the month of December by staff as a student that shows what it takes to be a communicator. Adreyan is the exact definition of the description of Communicator. He expresses himself confidently and creatively. In addition, he listens to the perspectives of other individuals during community meetings within our advisory group. 

 

Nice work Adreyan!!

 

In January, we are spotlighting: Principled: Students that are principled act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. They take responsibility for their actions and their consequences. 

Elijah Brown, 11th grade, was nominated and voted for the month of January by staff as a student that shows what it takes to be Principled. Elijah has gone to Ms. Linares numerous times over the past two years in regards to helping other students and asking for advice on how to make things better for them. He cares about his classmates and notices when they don’t seem right or when something is off. He has shown concern recently about other students’ mental health and their recent absences and it shows his caring, kind nature, and how he has respect for others.

 

Way to go Elijah!!

 

Find this spotlight and more in the current IB Newsletter found HERE.

ACT INFORMATION

2025 ACT District Testing Day March 12

MPS high schools will administer the state-required ACT to grade 11 students on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. On this date, only juniors will be in attendance. Freshmen, sophomores, and seniors will not report to school on this date. Multi-grade schools (e.g., K-12, 3-12, 6-12) will have regular attendance for students not in grades 9, 10, or 12. Students should arrive at school at their regular start time to allow testing to be completed in a timely manner.

2025 PreACT District Testing Day April 8

District PreACT day will be an all-school attendance day. Students should arrive at school at their regular start time to allow testing to be completed in a timely manner.

HIGH SCHOOL TAB WARS CONTINUES

NOW until February 28th

**Send your Kindergartener, your 3rd graders, your 8th graders with pop tabs…All grade levels and families can participate – place tabs in the grade’s bottle you’d like to support**

9-12th graders compete to win a pizza party and drinks while helping support the Ronald McDonald House.

Sports and Activities Update

ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS

Please return any uniforms from last season and last school year.

Call For Coaches!

🎾We are looking for a 5th-8th grade Tennis head coach and assistant coach for the Spring season. If interested please contact Ms Wanta at wantalm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

⚽ We are looking for a 6th-8th grade Soccer head coach and assistant coach for the Spring season. If interested please contact Ms Wanta at wantalm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

Questions about your students’ sports teams? Join the Remind group where all practice and game information is updated regularly, or email Ms Wanta at wantalm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Winter Sports Remind Links

• 🏀1-3 Basketball Team 1: https://www.remind.com/join/ha9843a 
• 🏀1-3 Basketball Team 2: https://www.remind.com/join/36f428 
• 🏀4-5 Basketball: https://www.remind.com/join/82h96g 
• 🏐6-8 Volleyball Team 1: https://www.remind.com/join/cghdh6 
• 🏐6-8 Volleyball Team 2: https://www.remind.com/join/7fdfcgg 
• 📣6-8 Cheerleading: https://www.remind.com/join/29f846 
• 🏀6-7 BOYS Basketball: https://www.remind.com/join/74af88a 
• 🏀6-8 BOYS Basketball: https://www.remind.com/join/ce2kk4

 Club Remind Links 

• ♟️Tuesday Chess Club: https://www.remind.com/join/c68gd4 
• ♟️Thursday Chess Club: https://www.remind.com/join/g7b2kf2 
• ♟️MS/HS Chess Club: https://www.remind.com/join/chessmsh 
• 🎲Tabletop Adventure Gaming: https://www.remind.com/join/8e39k3f 

HIGH SCHOOL SPRING SPORTS – https://mpsathletics-ar.rschooltoday.com/home

Registration is open NOW

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

Athletic Schedules:  https://www.mccathletics.org/public/genie/1190/school/64/

Purchase Online Tickets:   https://gofan.co/app/school/WI19445 

Notes From Your Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

Next Meeting – February 19th 5:30pm 

(after the SEC meeting led by Principal Corona)

January PTO meeting minutes : HERE

Valentine Coffee Fundraiser ends TOMORROW February 14th

Order forms sent home in red folders, extra forms available in the main office.

Restaurant Fundraisers

Saz’s State House – March 12th FLYER

Artisan Ramen – April 8th

In Case You Missed It

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY – Milwaukee County Lifeguard

Milwaukee County Aquatics is recruiting swimmers to be lifeguards for the summer!! Become a County Lifeguard. Starting pay is $17.47 an hour. There are two training sessions left, one at the end of February and one at the end of March. Applicants have to be 16 by July 1st. 

MacDowell families- without lifeguards Milwaukee County Pools cannot open. Please help spread the word.

Visit their website for more information – https://mkecoparks.helpscoutdocs.com/article/231-how-do-i-become-a-lifeguard

~Mr. Roman, a MacDowell Upper Elementary educator, is more than happy to share insight from his relationship and experience with Milwaukee County lifeguarding. 

WEATHER CLOSING INFORMATION ❄️

Please become familiar with the district page linked here: mpsmke.com/weather. The decision to close school will be posted on the MPS website, MPS X and Facebook pages, and on all major television and news stations.

!! OPT-IN TO TEXT MESSAGING ! To receive a newsletter link via text message be sure to OPT-IN to text messaging from MPS. Text “Y” to 67587 to receive school notifications, transportation updates, newsletters and important messaging.

**Please take the time to fill out the MacDowell School Engagement Survey– takes less than 5 minutes.

Your responses help identify improvement areas in our school’s engagement efforts and can provide valuable insights into family involvement, satisfaction, and connection with MacDowell. Let The Learning Team know your family needs. 

After submissions have been received we will share results and allow feedback at a spring School Engagement Council meeting. Please respond by February 28th. 

https://forms.gle/jG1vj7Uodt39f94s8

QUICK LINKS:

MPS School Calendar

School Website

IB Newsletter – December/January

Lunch Menu – K – 8 February

Lunch Menu – 9-12th February

MacDowell  Spotlight

COMPOSTING

Milwaukee Public Schools is the recipient of USDA Grant to implement a food waste reduction pilot program titled the MPS Modeling Composting Program in schools across the district for the 2024-25 and the 2025-26 school years! MacDowell was chosen as a recipient of this USDA composting grant. Close to ten schools are participating in this pilot program. MacDowell was provided with materials to run our composting operation and collection services are provided by Compost Crusader. Compost Crusader sells their compost to Blue Ribbon Organics, which is available to consumers for $10.00 per 35 LB Bag (1 Cubic Foot) through a number of local vendors.

The main goals of the program are to divert as much food waste from the landfill as possible and educate students about composting (how-to, why bother: economic value, ecological value/cyclical economy, etc.)

Here at MacDowell:

• Mr. Beam’s Green Team advisory runs a composting operation in the lunchroom during the elementary lunches (11:00-12:00)
• We have hopes of eventually expanding to include middle school and high school lunches
• It has been fairly successful so far. 1965 lbs of food waste has been diverted from our building from 11/1/24-2/3/25 (see screenshot below for comparable stats)
• We have noticed that elementary schoolers (especially the older grades) are beginning to pick up on the process and are becoming more self-sufficient

Community Resources and Events

9th ANNUAL CELEBRATING ABILITIES 2025

Milwaukee Public Schools will host a family forum focusing on the needs of special education students and their families on March 8th. The event will help families learn more about special education services, programs and summer opportunities. Please join us at Marshall High School, 4141 N. 64th Street, Milwaukee. It is from 8:30 to 1:30 pm with refreshments and food.

Register at https://mpsmke.com/mpsca2025

Flyer (English)

MPS MUSIC LESSONS

MPS will offer a variety of lessons for students who want to learn piano, guitar, drums, and more! Classes will run Jan. 25 to May 3, 2025, and are taught at Hamilton High School, Marshall High School, and MacDowell Montessori School.

Download a flyer to learn more.

Registration is still open!