Upcoming Events / Meetings

VALENTINE COFFEE SALE – FUNDRAISER (tea and cocoa too)

January 29th – February 11th

Order forms sent home in red folders

MPS KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT FAIR – District Event

Saturday, January 31st and February 21st

9:00 – 12:00pm

South Division High School

MILWAUKEE JUNEAU ALUMNI NIGHT

Friday, February 6th

JV 5:30pm / Varsity 7:00pm

MORNING OF MONTESSORI – DISTRICT EVENT

Saturday, February 7th

9:00am – 12:00pm

MacDowell Montessori

February PTO Restaurant Fundraiser – PAPA JOHNS

Wednesday, February 11th

10:00am – 10:00 pm

115th & North Ave FLYER

PARENT EDUCATION SESSION – MATH

Wednesday, February 11th

7:45-9:45am, presentation begins at 8:15am

AND

Thursday, February 12th

5:30-7:30pm, presentation begins at 6:00pm

FLYER

WASHINGTON DC TRIP – HIGH SCHOOL

February 9th – 13th

Remember to drop off snacks you signed up to provide

NO SCHOOL

February 16th – 17th

SEC MEETING- School Engagement Council

Wednesday, February 18th

5:00 – 5:30 pm

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 18th

5:30- 6:30pm

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION

Thursday, February 26th

6:00 – 7:30 pm

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

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 25th    https://forms.gle/mCKfdGChgV5q2VDu5

Save the Date – Morning of Montessori

Enjoy an open house event to learn more about Montessori programming in MPS! Tour classrooms, attend breakout sessions, and visit booths featuring all MPS Montessori schools. 

More info: https://www.milwaukeepublicschools.org/academics/montessori/open-house

Find out more about Montessori schools in MPS!

General Reminders

LOST AND FOUND LAST CALL: Please check the lost and found when you are in the building. Please label items! Jackets and hoodies are often a large part of our lost and found – labeling these items will help us return lost items to their owner. At the end of the month and each subsequent month we will box up all items to prepare for donation. Items currently in the lost and found will be boxed up after January 31st.

Black Arts MKE Spring Session is starting! Sessions start back up on 2/2. This program allows students to choose to participate in either dance or drumming. Black Arts MKE programming is designed to help youth express their creativity and take risks, while learning important social emotional skills.

Open to students grades 2nd-5th.

• Mondays & Wednesdays
• 3:00pm – 4:30pm (Students must be picked up promptly by 4:30). **3-3:30 is a transition and snack/bathroom break time, 3:30-4:30 is the actual dance and drumming session**
• Sessions run from February 2nd to April 22nd, 2026 (final performance on 4/22/26)

Sign up for the Black Arts MKE program using this link (**if your child participated in the Fall Session and you already re-registered, no need to additionally fill this out**). The deadline for registration is 1/29, or once the session is full. 

UPPER ELEMENTARY NATURE’S CLASSROOM TRIP – eligible 4th – 6th graders

The dates of this trip are Monday, March 23 – Friday, March 27, 2026.

If your child will attend Nature’s Classroom, please complete both the NCI online registration and the MPS Field Trip Form as soon as possible. Please return the MPS Field Trip Form to your child’s teacher.

PLEASE NOTE: We require a copy of medical insurance cards – you can send a photo of the front and back via email to your child’s teacher, or attach a copy with the paperwork.

NATURE’S CLASSROOM DEADLINES:

• Both registrations (NCI online and MPS Field Trip forms) should be completed ASAP but no later than Friday, February 27th. Late registrations will not be accepted. 
• Copy of Insurance card must be included with registration.
• We will accept payment (cash or check made out to MacDowell Montessori, to the main office) no later than Friday, March 6th

FORMS/INFORMATION:

Cover Letter

General Information – please read

NCI Registration – online

MPS Registration / Field Trip Form 

Packing Information

MPS Kindergarten Enrollment – Save the Date!

Will your child turn 3, 4, or 5 by September 1, 2026? Don’t forget to enroll them at MacDowell! 

Kindergarten Enrollment for the 2026-27 school year will begin Saturday, January 31, 2026, and will end March 2, 2026. Current MacDowell students need not reapply. We will send enrollment directions closer to the enrollment date. District Enrollment Fairs will be held January 31st and February 21st.

Middle and High School Families 

HEALTHCARE EXPO

We have an awesome field trip opportunity coming up for any high school students interested in Healthcare Careers. We are attending the Healthcare Expo Event on Tuesday 2/3 9:30-11:30am where students can get hands on interaction with over 50 different healthcare careers. Please talk to your student and check out the sign up link below. A permission slip will be delivered to them once they sign up. Thank you!!!

http://tinyurl.com/macacpevents

💲💲💲MacDowell will be a Money Coach site and will need volunteers on alternating Fridays 11am-12pm in the second semester. If parents are interested, Contact Stephaine Crosley, Volunteer Recruitment Specialist, stephaine@securefutures.org, (414) 273-810, and mention they would like to work with MacDowell!💲💲💲

HIGH SCHOOL TAB WARS IS ON

December 8th – February 13th

7-12th graders compete to win a pizza party and drinks while helping support the Ronald McDonald House.

Anyone can participate – place tabs in the grade’s bottle you’d like to support.

School librarian Ms. Raasch is collecting books on immigration, refugees, and constitutional rights to share with teachers and children in the library and classrooms. Parents are encouraged to consider their child’s age when discussing and viewing violent current events like the ones we’re currently experiencing. Parents of children with smartphones should be aware that the recent shootings have likely been playing on repeat on social media & Youtube feeds. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Raasch via email with any questions: raaschtl@milwaukee.k12.wi.us

View the graphic (and link associated) below as well as these additional resources to support families in having conversations about the ongoing ICE operations across the country.

• Children’s MN: LA TACO (In Spanish & English): https://lataco.com/kids-ice-talking-points
• PBS Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News: https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/helping-children-with-tragic-events-in-the-news
• Amazeworks (MN): https://amazeworks.org/how-to-talk-to-children-about-immigration-and-ice/
• LA TACO (In Spanish & English): https://lataco.com/kids-ice-talking-points

Resources to help discuss constitutional rights with children:

• Kids Britannica: https://kids.britannica.com/kids/assembly/view/269294
• Bills of Rights Video (9 min.): https://youtu.be/skWNC3a8NkM?si=WlqrE3u0tPlY0xW9
• Bill of Rights Video (2 min): https://youtu.be/QSSjCdQdpgs?si=crrbs4-REh-7PT7I

Sports and Activities Update

Winter 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 

Youth 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 Boys Basketball: https://www.remind.com/join/ce2kk4 
• 🏐6-8 Girls Volleyball: https://www.remind.com/join/cghdh6 
• 🏐6-8 Coed Volleyball: https://www.remind.com/join/7fdfcgg 
• 📣6-8 Cheerleading: https://www.remind.com/join/29f846 

Elementary Chess Clubs Remind Links

• ♟️Tuesday Chess Club: https://www.remind.com/join/c68gd4 
• ♟️Thursday Chess Club: https://www.remind.com/join/g7b2kf2 

High School Winter Sports

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

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

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

STOCK THE FRIDGE- STAFF APPRECIATION

We love our great staff at MacDowell! To show our love, we’d love your help to Stock the Fridge. Use the link below to bring some treats for staff.Please bring items February 9th    SIGN UP HERE

The next PTO meeting of the year is February 18 at 5:30pm. After the 5:00pm SEC Meeting

December PTO minutes : HERE 

Coffee Sale Starts Today! Forms went home in red folders and offered to Middle Schoolers. More forms are in the main office.

SAVE THE DATE: Upcoming Restaurant Fundraisers

Papa John’s (115th & North) – February 11

Saz’s State House – March 11

In Case You Missed It

PRE ORDER YEARBOOKS-  DUE April 29th

We are taking preorders for our school yearbooks! All students who had their photo taken will be in their classroom / grade level layout in this yearbook. We create two separate yearbooks, one for K3-6th grade students & one for 7-12th grade students. Yearbooks are delivered at the end of the school year. There are separate yearbook order links for each yearbook, please see order information below:

• K3-6th grade yearbooks will cost $15 – order online at ybpay.com code is 14324526
• 7-12th grade yearbooks will cost $25 –  order online at ybpay.com code is 15502426

~Students have outdoor recess unless the temperature is below a feels like temp of 11°~ 

!! 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.

❄️Montessori at Home ❄️

INDEPENDENT DRESSING

One of the main tenets of Montessori education is fostering your child’s independence both at school and at home. As a caregiver, you can develop your child’s independence by asking them to get dressed to go outside by themselves. At school, we expect the children to independently put on their snow pants, boots, coats, hats and gloves or mittens. Please see below for our winter clothes procedure so you can practice this important skill at home:

Put on in this order:

1. snow pants
2. boots
3. coat (you can remind your child of the “coat flipping” method – place your coat with the lining facing up and the hood touching your toes. Lean down and put your arms in the sleeves and flip it up and over your head)
4. hat
5. scarf 
6. gloves or mittens

Take off and store in this order:

1. gloves or mittens
2. scarf
3. hat (the gloves go inside your hat)
4. coat (your hat with the gloves inside get stored in one coat sleeve and the scarf goes in your other coat sleeve)
5. boots
6. snow pants 

QUICK LINKS:

MPS School Calendar

School Website

Lunch Menu – K-8th January

Lunch Menu – High School January

November IB Newsletter

Staff Preferences 25-26

MacDowell Spotlight

BREWERS GRAND SLAM TEACHER

Congratulations to Ms. Heidi Henriques, MacDowell’s own Brewers Grand Slam Teacher!  Ms. Henriques was presented the award last week along with a personalized Brewers jersey. Students were treated to an assembly with Milwaukee Brewers players Caleb Durbin and Chad Patrick and the Racing Sausages!  Students were so excited to receive vouchers for tickets to a game, T-shirts, and autographs from the players. We were also surprised with a $1,000 donation to the school. What an amazing event!

SENIOR IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME CANDIDATES

Over the next three weeks we will showcase our Seniors completing the full IB Diploma. International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (DP), is a comprehensive two-year international college-preparatory curriculum. Students have the option of being Full Diploma candidates, or they may take selected IB courses as Certificate candidates. Successful completion of an IB course may lead to college credit and/or advanced placement. At MacDowell Montessori School, the DP spans a student’s junior and senior years of high school.

Community Resources and Opportunities  

DISTRICT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

Thursday, February 5th

6:00 – 7:00 pm

Virtual

Production of Lovabye Dragon

This play runs on January 24 – February 15, 2026

Adapted from the Dragon and Girl books by Barbara Joosse

Directed by Marion Frank

An enchanting musical of unexpected friendship between a lonely girl and an even lonelier dragon. Together they embark on a grand adventure to the farthest far away only to face their greatest challenge. Covering three books in the Dragon and Girl series by Wisconsin author Barbara Joosse — Lovabye Dragon, Evermore Dragon, and Sail Away Dragon — this adaptation with infectious music and lyrics by The Happy Racers is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face, lift your spirits, and get you singing and dancing along!

Great for primary and lower elementary students. MacDowell 7th grader Penny Whitmore is in the Magic Cast.  Get tickets here: https://www.firststage.org/Production-Details/Lovabye-Dragon

More information here: https://www.firststage.org/Production-Details/Lovabye-Dragon