Upcoming Events / Meetings

SEC/PTO MEETING

Wednesday, May 21st

5:00 / 5:30 pm 

MEDIA LITERACY SESSION – K-3rd Grade

Thursday, May 22nd

6:00-7:00 pm 

more information and RSVP – FLYER

MIDDLE / HIGH SCHOOL SPRING CONCERT 

Thursday, May 22nd

6:00 – 7:30 pm

NO SCHOOL

Monday, May 26th

Memorial Day

ELEMENTARY SPRING CONCERT

Thursday, May 29th

6:00 – 7:30 pm

MS/HS COMMUNITY DAY

Friday, May 30th

JUNIOR / SENIOR PROM

Saturday, May 31st

6:30 pm 

Hotel Metro

Purchase tickets in the main office

END OF YEAR CELEBRATION FLYER

Thursday, June 5th

5:00 – 7:00 pm

NO SCHOOL

Friday, June 6th

HIGH SCHOOL EXAMS:

Wednesday, June 11th, 8:00 AM – 12:05 PM

Thursday, June 12th, 8:00 AM – 12:05 PM

Friday, June 13th, 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM

HIGH SCHOOL ALL SPORTS BANQUET

Wednesday, June 11th

5:30 – 9:00 pm

MacDowell Gymnasium – invite only

8th GRADE COMPLETION CEREMONY

Friday, June 13th

5:00 – 6:00 pm 

MacDowell Auditorium – ticket required

STUDENT LAST DAY

Friday, June 13th

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

Monday, June 16th

6:00 – 7:00 pm

MATC Cooley Auditorium

Do you worry about your child’s mental health and finding a balance in a world of technology and social media? Join other K3 through 3rd grade parents to gather information from Ms. Raasch and share your perspective with the MacDowell community. RSVP here if you plan to attend: https://tinyurl.com/ykrh2yb3

JOIN A MACDOWELL SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT COUNCIL MEETING!

All are welcome to attend 

Principal Corona discusses school climate, attendance, budget, projects and staffing.

This is your opportunity to have time with administrators, be informed, and have a voice.

Next meeting discussion: Spring Testing and Results

May 21st 5:00pm Room 103

Library News

From Ms. Raasch: TOMORROW: Last day to check out books

End of Year Library – Student and Family Responsibilities

All students have been notified about the books and other resources they owe to MacDowell Library by the end of the year. K-6 students will continue to receive paper notices and 7-12 students receive a weekly email on Thursday at 8 AM that details their current library and resource checkouts. Chromebooks must be returned before the last day of school.

Families are responsible for resolving lost/missing library books with Ms. Raasch by Friday, May 30th. Families have options: 1) pay the listed fine to the main office. 2) donate a gently used hardcover book as a replacement. Please attach a note to the book indicating the student’s name. 3) contact SSW, Ms. Jacobson, to have the fine waived if your family is currently unable to resolve it another way. 

Contact Ms. Raasch via email: raaschTL@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Notes From Your Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

Next Meeting – May 21st 5:30pm 

(after the SEC meeting led by Principal Corona)

April PTO meeting minutes : HERE

Join Us !

RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/mvbee2kn and volunteer to help

🌺Montessori at Home – Spring🌺

MONTESSORI BIRTHDAY WALK

Children love to celebrate their birthdays!  In the Montessori Children’s House classroom, birthdays are often celebrated with a special ritual that we call “Walking around the Sun”, or the “Montessori Birthday Walk”. The birthday child carries a small globe of the Earth around a “sun” which may be an image, a candle, a mat with the sun and calendar or images of the seasons of the year or a combination of these things. We talk as a class about the student being born on that day and starting their journey around the sun as a baby. The child walks around the sun with the globe one time for each year as the class sings the Montessori song “The Earth Goes Around the Sun”.  At each year we discuss the milestones of that year, i.e. walking, talking, starting school, riding a bike, learning to read and so on. The child might share photos of them and memories. The birthday celebration is centered around the child, celebrating their development and their connection to the world.

Middle and High School Updates

COMMUNITY DAY for Middle and High School students – May 30th

What is Community Day? It is a special day for every 7th-12th grade student to engage in projects that provide service to our community – projects which are in alignment with our Service and Action goals of our Middle Years Program and our Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) goals of our Diploma Program. During this year’s Community Day students will be taking part in a number of different activities such as blanket making for the Humane Society, cleanup at local parks and on our school grounds, making sandwiches, and sorting items for homeless shelters. Selection will be the week of May 19th. 

**Watch for communication on activities that are off-site which require a permission slip and may require a bagged lunch or money to purchase lunch.  Some organizations may require a waiver for student participation. 

LIBRARY ITEMS AND CHROMEBOOKS

7-12 students receive a weekly email on Thursday at 8 AM that details their current library and resource checkouts. All books and resources are due back May 23rd. See Library section above for instructions if an item is lost. Chromebooks must be returned before the last day of school.

8th GRADE COMPLETION CEREMONY

Friday, June 13th

5:00-6:00 pm

MacDowell Auditorium

Each student is allocated 10 tickets. Tickets will be available next week starting May 19th, 2025. Parents may stop in room 116 and pick up the tickets from Ms. Rogers. We encourage adults to pick up tickets for their student between 8:00-4:00pm.

Junior / Senior Prom

Sports and Activities Update

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

High school student athletes are reminded to turn in all uniforms, warmups, and bags at the conclusion of their spring sports season !!

High School All Sports Banquet – 

June 11, 

Invitation only – Please return RSVPs by June 3rd

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

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

ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS

Join Remind!

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 

Spring Sports Remind Links

⚽1-3 Soccer TEAM 1 Coach Josh: https://www.remind.com/join/e74hh6h 

⚽1-3 Soccer TEAM 2 Coach Katie:  https://www.remind.com/join/h62e48 

⚽4-5 Soccer: https://www.remind.com/join/b9ad44e 

⚽6-8 Soccer: https://www.remind.com/join/96bk2g 

🎾5-8 Tennis: https://www.remind.com/join/e82h99 

👟5-8 Track & Field: https://www.remind.com/join/eehh64 

⚽⚽⚽⚽CALL FOR COACHING ⚽⚽⚽⚽

We’re looking for enthusiastic and supportive parent volunteers to coach or assist with our youth soccer teams for the upcoming school year 2025-2026.

No experience necessary – just a love for the game and a willingness to learn!

Details:

• 🧒 Age Group: 4th-5th grade
• 📅 Time Commitment: 1 practice per week and games on Saturday mornings.
• 💬 Role: Head Coach or Assistant Coach (your choice!)

Why volunteer?

• Be part of your child’s development on and off the field
• Join a fun, welcoming community of families
• Help kids build skills, confidence, and sportsmanship

If you’re interested or have questions, please contact: Ms Wanta at wantalm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

Let’s make it a great season—we can’t do it without you!

             

Thank you to ALL that joined us Thursday for our Open House! 

We were so happy to have many visitors and a busy/ bustling school.

 Ice cream treats flew off the shelf !

We’re looking forward to the End of Year Celebration on June 5th. 

In Case You Missed It

STUDENT ENROLLMENT FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 2025-26

As we look toward the next school year, for our planning purposes it is important for us to know whether your student(s) will continue at MacDowell next 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://tinyurl.com/yvxpbf4y

!! OPT-IN TO TEXT MESSAGING ! To receive notices 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.

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

2025-2026 MPS School Calendar

School Website

Staff Emails

IB Newsletter – April

Lunch Menu – May

MacDowell  Spotlight

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND JR PRODUCTION

MacDowell’s production of Once on This Island Jr, in conjunction with Locomotion Dance Co, was a beautiful success! Students ranging from K5 to 12th grade worked and rehearsed for many months to give the audience a calypso-flavored evening of entertainment. Through song and dance, the musical explores themes of love, faith, and the power of hope. Great work to Ms. Benthien, all the players, and behind the scenes members! 

MANGA FEST

Manga Club members had a blast at the second Manga/Comics Fest held at North Division High School. MacDowell joined a dozen other MPS high school librarians and their Manga Clubs to enjoy a keynote presentation from the Battlescar Kids and local native Jamar Jackson-Wilson. Students were pulled at random to receive the Battlescar box set. Mia Brisco was honored by judges for her art submission. MacDowell had the most students overall and the most in cosplay, including Ms. Raasch!   

AG DAYS – LOWER ELEMENTARY

Our Lower Elementary Ag Discovery field trip was a fun and educational experience. Students learned about careers in agriculture, animal science, and environmental conservation through hands-on activities and presentations. They had the chance to explore interactive exhibits and speak with professionals in the field. It was a great opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world applications.

District Programs / Events

JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS

Dive into the ultimate summer adventure with the Milwaukee County Junior Lifeguard Program! Perfect for young water lovers ages 12–15, this exciting program gives you the chance to discover what it takes to become a lifeguard while having fun in the sun. Whether you have your sights set on becoming a lifeguard or just love spending time in the water, this program is your ticket to an unforgettable summer!

Each day is packed with action and excitement

• Play water games and tackle obstacle courses to build strength and coordination
• Explore the lifeguard role by shadowing pros and watching live lifeguard demonstrations
• Boost your fitness with a mix of running, dry land training, and swimming drills
• Master first aid and water safety skills to help others in need
• Build teamwork and leadership skills through group challenges, activities, and competitions
• Swim and splash your way to becoming a more skilled and confident swimmer

More information and Register here: https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/What-We-Do/Lifeguards

Spots are limited so don’t wait to sign up!

MPS RUN/WALK BACK TO SCHOOL REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

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

Celebrate the start of the 2025-26 school year with MPS and Milwaukee Recreation at the 18th 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.

DETAILS:

• 5K run/1.5-mile walk through Washington Park
• Date: Saturday, Aug. 23
• Start Time: 9 a.m. (please arrive no later than 8:40 a.m.)
• Start & Finish Line: MPS Central Services Building, 5225 W. Vliet St.
• Cost: $5 for youth / $15 for adults (adult fee increases to $20 after July 31)
• Fee includes an event t-shirt and race bag

In addition, we will be eligible for a $500 grant to go towards a recreation and/or wellness need at MacDowell! If we have the most registered participants, we are eligible for a $1,000 grant towards recreation/ wellness programs. Let’s do this, MacDowell!

TO REGISTER FOR THE RUN/WALK BACK TO SCHOOL

• Register online by visiting mkerec.net/RBTS 

When asked the question, “If participating with a school group, please list the school”, enter MacDowell Montessori. 

INFO: Milwaukee Recreation: Run Back to School

QUESTIONS? Contact our RBTS School Captain Angela Pryor angelamariepryor@gmail.com

 

At MTEF Summer Tennis Camps, participants will engage in positive youth development experiences on and off the courts. Campers will engage in tennis, life skills, fitness, and enrichment sessions. With the support of qualified and enthusiastic instructors our kids will build teamwork, confidence, and hand-eye coordination skills, learn healthy habits, make friends and develop a lifelong love of tennis. Registration includes a T-shirt. A racquet will be provided if needed.

Learn more about MTEF Summer here: www.mtef.com/summer