MacDowell Montessori Newsletter Vol. 1

2023-2024 School Year

August 17, 2023

 

We are excited to begin a new school year and ready to provide a positive, safe and rigorous learning environment for our students!

We have a few new staff members and a few staff position changes for this upcoming school year. Mr. Brian Fink (Grades 11-12)  and Mrs. Danita Tyler (Grades 4-8), and Dr. Renita Roberson (Grades K-6) will return to MacDowell as Assistant Principals in the fall, and in addition, we have a new Assistant Principal at the middle grades level (Grades 7-10) for the 2023-2024 school year, Mr. Roosevelt Stewart. Mr. Stewart will work to ensure that our IB Middle Years Programme candidacy and authorization proceed as scheduled, and will work to support instruction and students at the 7th through 10th grade levels. For the first few weeks of the school year, Assistant Principal Danita Tyler is underfilling as a principal at another MPS School. She will return to her post here at MacDowell as soon as the new leader is put in place. We are confident that the experience and expertise of the administrative team will continue to benefit and enhance MacDowell’s school community.

In the lower school, we are excited to introduce some new staff members to our team. We are pleased to welcome Ms. Valyncia Traylor to the MacDowell family. Ms. Valyncia will be taking over the lower elementary classroom in room 324. At the Upper Elementary level, we are welcoming back Mr. Donald Nelson, who has taken over Upper Elementary room 328.  We are welcoming many new paraprofessional staff members to our team, including Ms. Marion, Ms. Emily, Mr. Doheny, Ms. Amanda, Ms. Amber and Ms. Moore.

We are welcoming some new support staff members as well. We welcome Ms. Olivia Blain, elementary counselor and Ms. Rachel Warnacut, High School Psychologist.

At the middle and high school level, we welcome Mrs. Tamara Linares to our team as our new 10th through 12th grade Spanish teacher. Mrs. Linares has many years of successful Spanish teaching, and we are confident that she will provide excellent instruction to our Spanish students.

Andrea Corona

Principal, MacDowell Montessori School

______________________________________________________________

 

~~Thank you to all that attended our Forms Day and Open House! We hope it was a productive and helpful experience. We definitely enjoyed seeing so many of our students and families’ faces return to the building once again.~~ 

______________________________________________________________

 

Parent Coordinator Corner

Hello MacDowell families! I am your new parent coordinator Ms. Gail Jaeger, this will be my third year working at MacDowell. The previous two years I was a lower elementary paraprofessional. I have been a parent at MacDowell for over eight years. I have a daughter in 6th grade and a daughter in 2nd grade. I love being a part of our community and really love Montessori education. When I am not at school I can be found outside, enjoying nature, spending time with my kids, gardening, crocheting and cheering for Wisconsin sport teams.  

My job is to keep families involved, engaged, and informed. I organize and plan school events, support family leadership opportunities, manage our volunteers, and I write and send out our school newsletters and communication. 

Let us know what your family availability is for information sessions. Please take a moment to fill out this BRIEF Parent Information Session Interest Form. https://tinyurl.com/3pf329am

If you are interested in volunteering for our school or serving on a family leadership committee – let’s talk! We are always happy to have families serve in whatever capacity they are able and we are extremely thankful for those who can offer their time, talent, and energy. Volunteer opportunities include literacy and math tutors, general assistants (photocopying, laminating materials), coaches, field trip chaperones, and event volunteers. We also have specific needs for the high school such as assisting upperclassmen with writing, field trips, and concessions at home games. 

If you are able to help our community in any way, please fill out the information on my Google Form here: https://tinyurl.com/MacDVolunteerInterest

SCHOOL COMMUNICATION BASICS:

• I send school newsletters via email every week, on Thursday evening. You will receive this via email and also text message if you have opted into text messaging. School newsletters often include timely resources, school information, events, meetings, photos of our students, and so much more. If you want to receive this link 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.
• Other school messaging is pushed out to families as needed, so please continue to check your emails.
• In addition, for K3-6th grade families, red folders are sent home weekly, on Thursday. These Thursday folders may include schoolwork, field trip permission forms, extracurricular permission slips, teacher letters, homework, and other school communication. Please help your student remember to be responsible for sharing this information and bringing the folder back to school promptly.

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

• Please also follow and like us on Facebook HERE
• Please join our MacDowell PTO Facebook group, which you may request to join HERE. Let us know your name and your child’s name when you request to join. The first PTO meeting of the year is September 13th at 5:30pm.

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

Welcome Back – I look forward to a fun and exciting year!

~ Ms. Jaeger 

**As we begin this school year please take time to review our MacDowell School Handbook and review important information with your child. Link to the handbook is HERE. 

____________________________________________________________

A Note for Middle and High School Families 

MacDowell Montessori Middle and High School Tardiness Policy

Parents, we are working to establish a strong culture for learning here at MacDowell Montessori. That starts with students being to class on time and being ready to learn when the bell rings. Please review our new procedure for tardiness with your 7th-12th grade students as we are also discussing it with them in grade level meetings.

1. If a student arrives late to class they will get marked tardy in the computer.
2. 5 or more tardies = “No Pass’ list for the following week”

1. List is generated by the principal and sent to teachers weekly.
2. Consequences  —>

 

Number of Tardies	Consequence
5+ tardies in 1 week	Autodialer to parents ‘No Pass’ list
10-14 tardies in a month	Parent call Referral to support services
15+ tardies in a month	Parent conference with administration Loss of eligibility for extra-curriculars (including athletics) Referral to support services

 

Food delivery is not allowed per MPS district guidelines in the Family Manual. This includes…

• No family members are allowed to drop off or deliver food from fast food or other restaurants during the school day.
• No services such as GrubHub, DoorDash, etc.

All deliveries will be turned away by school staff.

 

*Please review the dress code policy for MacDowell 

• Clothing that exposes private areas will not be allowed at school. 
• Tube tops, bra style tops, undershirts (beaters) are prohibited.
• Swimsuits are not permitted for wear outside of the pool area.
• Sheer or see-through clothing is not permitted. 
• All clothing with inappropriate language or imagery is prohibited.  For example, clothing with references to alcohol, illegal drugs, weapons, gang paraphernalia, nudity, or foul language are prohibited. 
• Ski masks and gaiters are prohibited.
• Shoes with rollers or wheels are prohibited.
• Wearing heavy wallet chains is prohibited.
• Heavy coats, heavy jackets, blankets, and raincoats are not approved items and are not to be worn during the school day

Chromebook Distribution for Grades 7-12 is underway

A parent or guardian must complete the online Chromebook Agreement via Permission Click before a student can check out their Chromebook. There is a $30 fee to obtain a case and charger, which can be paid for in the main office. Returning MacDowell students can bring their case and charger from last year to avoid the fee. Please review the Chromebook Procedures and Student Responsibilities document with your child. 

 

______________________________________________________________

GENERAL REMINDERS

DROP OFF AND PICK UP SAFETY – Traffic moves North to South. Be sure to pull over to the curb to allow students to exit a vehicle. Encourage the child to exit car doors on the curbside. For the safety of all and allow for our Hug and Go space to continue to flow for all families, DO NOT stop in the middle of the road to drop off or pick up children. The road also needs to be clear for the Milwaukee Fire Department at the south end of 64th St. Midday families be sure to stay in your vehicle if you are in the pick up line.  If you would like to greet the child we ask that you park further down 64th St. and wait along the fence line (name card in hand). 

Parents are strongly encouraged to label their child’s belongings, including water bottles, lunch boxes, and backpacks. With young children, backpacks and other personal items may be misplaced.

Parents should not drop off students prior to the entrance doors opening at 7:52am.  There are no staff available to supervise students prior to that time. 

 

CALL FOR A CROSS COUNTRY COACH!

A COACH is needed for our Grades 5-8 Coed Cross Country team for the Fall Season! Coaches are paid through Milwaukee Recreation. Meets are held on Thursdays, September 14 – October 19th. Practice is 1-2 days a week, practice ideally begins shortly after school dismissal time. Please contact Ms. Wanta if you are interested or have any questions.  wantalm@milwaukee.k12.wi.us 

Fall Sports Plan: We plan to offer Grades 1-3 Coed Outdoor Soccer, Grades 4-5 Coed Volleyball, and Grades 5-8 Coed Cross Country. Paperwork will go home once arrangements are finalized, with teams formed by lottery.

______________________________________________________________

 

UPCOMING NO SCHOOL DAYS

 FRIDAY 9/1 NO SCHOOL September Break

MONDAY 9/4 •  NO SCHOOL Labor Day

FRIDAY 9/29 • NO SCHOOL Professional Development Day

 

SAVE THE DATE:

 

Back to School Picnic at Hawthorn Glen

 

SEPTEMBER 16th 1:00 – 4:00pm

~More info to come~

 

______________________________________________________________

 

Girls Who Code Club- registration for fall is OPEN!

 

A UWM program empowering girls in grades 5-12 to learn about computer science and how to write computer code while making connections with other girls who also think creatively. Led by female computer science faculty and college students in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Classes are free, though donations are welcome for food, supplies, t-shirts and instructors. 

Visit UWMs website for more information and to register HERE

 

______________________________________________________________

 

QUICK LINKS:

MPS School Calendar

School Website

Lunch Menu

Run Back to School

MPS Run Back to School Saturday, August 26

This is a great opportunity to run/walk with other MacDowell students and families and there is still time to register!  Schools with the most registrants win a $1,000 grant!   Please consider joining our team!

Details:

• 5K fun run/1.5-mile walk
• Saturday, August 26, 2023
• Start Time: 9:00 a.m.
• Adults: $20 
• Children: $5 anytime

Fee Includes event t-shirt, race bag of goodies, snacks after the run/walk, DJ entertainment, carnival games and a great opportunity for school community team building! 

All proceeds benefit Youth Recreation Programs 

Schools who register at least 25 participants will also qualify for a $500 grant to support a recreation need within their school community! The school with the most participants will receive a $1,000 grant.

To sign up for a team, make sure you specify MacDowell during the registration process after you add the race to your cart.

More info and register here: Milwaukee Recreation: Run Back to School