WAUWATOSA MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Hello Montessori families!

It's hard to believe we've already been in school for two months! We have been hard at work - both the students and the staff!

Principals in the Wauwatosa School District report out on School Growth Plans three times a year, in what we call "Impact Cycles." I presented to the district team last week! Please see the slides I shared here, and a video explaining the slides here! Our growth plan and impact cycles are how we track progress, focus on continuous improvement, and make adjustments as we go. I would be happy to connect if you have more questions - fair warning, we use a lot of acronyms in education!!

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Elizabeth

A Note from Nora:

October is National Principal Appreciation Month, a time to recognize the hard work and dedication of school principals.

On Thursday our students and staff surprised Mrs. Fritch with an impromptu assembly where the students presented her with handmade signs of appreciation and even an original song.

We are truly grateful to have Elizabeth leading our school.

Rollerblading Beginning in PE Class for LE, UE, and AP

We will be starting a rollerblading unit in PE this coming Monday, 11/3.

All students are highly encouraged to bring their own helmets (bike, etc) and guards (elbow, knee, wrist). We have a limited number of used ones available.
All students are encouraged to bring their own clean skates (blades or rollers are fine. Once here, they must be kept at school to keep them clean for our floor); storage can be arranged with me in class. Please bring everything in a bag marked with student’s name and class.
LE will have the option to skate as part of a “stations” rotation, starting the following week. Same options regarding bringing in equipment, storing at school, etc. LE skate options are limited due to sizes.

Thank you,

Ms. Aronow

Resources:

Hunger Task Force - 414-777-0483 - 5000 W Electric Ave. West Milwaukee, WI 53219

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin - 414-931-7400 - 1700 W Fond Du Lac Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53205

Interchange Food Pantry - 414-551-2184 - 120 E Juneau Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53202

Jewish Community Pantry - 414-967-8353 - 2900 W Center St. Milwaukee, WI 53210

Kinship Community Food Center - 414-301-1478 - 924 E Clarke St., Milwaukee, WI 53212

School-Based Pantries & Community Drives:

Jefferson Elementary has reopened its pantry, located just outside the school entrance on Maple Terrace. It will be open at all times. A school-wide donation drive is underway, and volunteers will stock the pantry.
Montessori School maintains a pantry stocked with nonperishable food and household and hygiene products. It is not accessible during school hours but is supported by the local Fisher Woods neighborhood.
Roosevelt, McKinley, Underwood, and Eisenhower schools have active or planned pantries. Some are managed by student councils and open outside school hours. Others are awaiting district approval but have strong community support.

Community Food Pantries:

Tosa Cares (Mt. Zion Lutheran Church) – Currently not accepting new registrations but remains a key resource for registered families.
Tosa Community Food Pantry (Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church) – Serves specific zip codes and requires ID and proof of residence.
Mayfair Road Food Pantry – Serves additional zip codes and requires registration and documentation.
COA Food Pantry at the Goldin Center – Not zip code restricted, making it accessible to families outside Wauwatosa.

See the City of Wauwatosa website for more resources as well.

Montessori Food Pantry

Our school has a food pantry located right by the entrance! It is open before and after school hours. You may donate or take nonperishable food or household and hygiene products.

Our Upper Elementary classes are going to Nature's Classroom on November 10th!! Please see a few reminders for Upper El families!

Medication

If your child needs any medication (prescription or over-the-counter) while at NCI, you need to complete the attached form and bring the filled out form and medication to school on Monday, November 3rd between 2:30-4pm. Please make sure the medicine is in the original container.

Fees

Please make sure to pay the fee for NCI in Infinite Campus. This fee is due by Friday, November 7th. If this fee is not paid, your child may not attend the trip.

Fundraising

If you are interested in doing individual fundraising through Collectivo or City tins orders please make sure to submit them by the end of next week! 1 week left!

We are doing a school-wide fundraiser for NCI costs through the Village Passport! Anyone can sell Village Passports if you want to support NCI!

https://wauwatosavillage.myshopify.com/products/village-passport-wauwatosa-montessori

Optional Parent Meeting

We are offering one more optional parent meeting to answer any last minute questions you may have! Please join us Monday, November 3rd at 7pm via Google Meet by clicking here. Again, this is optional if you have any questions!

Thank you! 🍜 🎃

We had such a great time seeing families at Noodles & Company. Together, a total of $235 will be donated back to the PTSA. A heartfelt thank you to all the families and staff that joined us last week for Trunk or Treat as well. We truly couldn't do this without the support of those volunteering their creativity.

The Anxious Generation Book Discussion: Thurs. Nov. 6, 6-8 p.m. 📖

Join the school community for a discussion on the NYT best-seller The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. This book covers themes around cell-phones, social media, and the need to come together as a community to ensure that our kids grow into resilient adults.

Purchase the book from Rooted MKE, on Amazon or anywhere books are sold; through the library; or listen to the audio book.

Even if you haven't read the book, we encourage you to attend to discuss steps we can take as a school community to promote having a play-based childhood!

Montessori Marketplace: Sat. Nov. 15, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 🛍️

Our first ever community rummage sale! All proceeds raised will go towards sprucing up the school bathrooms and purchasing items from staff wishlist.

Drop off donations from October 27-November 14 at three convenient drop off locations. Please see your child’s Friday folder for locations and addresses. Items to consider:

👉 Kid and teen clothing (no adult clothing, please)

👉 Sporting goods and outdoor gear

👉 Sports team apparel

👉 Books and art supplies

👉 Toys & games

👉 Housewares

Volunteer to support this event by signing up here. We need support with setup on Friday afternoon and during the event on Saturday—your time and energy will make a big difference! We’d love for students to be involved too. You know your child(ren) best, so we’ll leave it up to parents to decide if they’re ready to help out.

Sewing Mentors Needed

I'm looking for a few kind souls to mentor AP Inc students in sewing.

Times: Mondays- 1:15-2:30

Thursdays- 2:00-3:10

Jan 22 - April 20th

Interested? Email Charise Dawson dawsonch@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us

Charise Dawson

Adolescent Program Teacher, Wauwatosa Montessori

IMPORTANT DATES!

November 6th - PTSA Book Study - The Anxious Generation
November 10th-14th - Upper Elementary Students at NCI!
November 26th-28th - No School - Thanksgiving Break

Ms. Emily's class adopted a cow! They have a stuffed animal stand in who is very present in the classroom. Jam even has his own house and wardobe. Ms. Emily's class asks that you vote for Jam in the local Adopt A Cow contest! Vote here!

STEM Class Donations Needed

Upper Elementary and AP STEM Classes are in need of some donations to use for class projects and activities. Please begin to collect the following items and send them into school no later than Nov. 7th. Thanks for your help!

Cardboard Pieces and Boxes (all sizes and shapes)
Paper Towel/Toilet Paper Rolls
Bubble Wrap or other packing materials
Bottle Caps/ Plastic Lids
Small Recyclable Containers (cleaned and safe. examples: yogurt containers, other single serve containers)

Gardeners Needed

Our school is working on becoming a certified wildlife sanctuary.

We have already had a donation of a bat box from the Berka family. Thank you!!!

We are also looking for a few gardeners to help with seasonal weeding/ summer watering/ planting/ turning and prepping raised beds.

Currently we are looking for a water source that we can place into the rain garden in the form of a gently used bird bath. If you have one to donate please reach out to Shannon at Kobinssh@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us.

Other items that will help are:

bird seed for our feeders
mulch
potting soil (6 bags needed)

Thank you,

Shannon Kobinsky
Children's House Directress

Raiderette Mini Cheer Camp

Fresh Hot Popcorn every Tuesday

We will once again have the opportunity to order popcorn on Tuesdays. The price is $.75 per bag. Students order it on Tuesday morning and the Next Steps crew make the popcorn and deliver it same day. So yummy!

Popcorn Order Form

AMS Family Connection

Our school belongs to the American Montessori Society (AMS). They produce a monthly publication for families! This digital publication includes articles about Montessori philosophy, Montessori tips for the home, and a peek inside the classroom each month.

We hope you enjoy this month’s issue including:

Clarifying "Follow the Child"
Honouring a Holistic Approach to Education

November Choice Board

Attendance Request in Infinite Campus

Please take a moment to review this document explaining how to enter attendance into Infinite Campus. This is used for appts, sick, vac, etc. You can still call the attendance line but the new procedure is what the district would like you to use.

Infinite Campus Fee Payment

Use these directions to pay fees online in Infinite Campus. This is for ALL fees, not just lunch.
Mainly used for field trip payments.

DROPOFF / PICKUP MAP

Please review the map for a safe morning drop off and afternoon pickup. When pulling up to the school, please go forward to the next available spot; as to not keep cars waiting behind you. Thanks so much.