WAUWATOSA MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Hello Montessori families!

As a school, Wauwatosa Montessori School has treated holidays slightly differently than other schools. We have sent the following information out in the past, however it's been awhile. Please read over our holiday guidelines to understand how we acknowledge holidays and maintain a focused learning environment!

Holidays and Children

Family Traditions and Class Time as Usual

Every teacher and parent has undoubtedly noticed the effects of the Holidays on children. This is especially true during our longest Holiday season, which begins at the end of October and can last until January! The children often show increased signs of excitement and distractibility during these months that can affect their learning during the school day. Although Holidays can be fun and exciting for children and families and cultural Holiday celebrations and parties are great family traditions outside of school, it is important for us to help students keep perspective and focus on school expectations.

We make all efforts to keep a consistent routine for the students at Wauwatosa Montessori School throughout the school year to support their focus and learning. We do not ignore the cultural Holidays at school, but have the students focus on the historical aspects of each cultural celebration, learning about the diversity of celebration in our community.

Here are some things that we focus upon in school during the Holiday season:

1. We keep things as usual in the classroom. We do not decorate the room with elaborate decorations which can distract the students from their learning. We do not host Holiday parties.

2. We have some low-key holiday activities that relate to the history of the holiday within one to two weeks of the holiday break, but no sooner. The long build-up of anticipation can be too much for the children.

3. We discuss holidays with the children and support their research on how holidays were historically created in our country and around the world.

4. We read stories to the children that describe the diversity of the cultures in our country and how a variety of holidays are celebrated in our country.

5. We have children share their own family traditions.

6. We invite parents into the classroom to share artifacts and information about family celebrations.

7. We discuss with children how the Holiday season is traditionally a time for helping the needy in their community.

8. We help older children realize what influence advertising can have on people’s perspective of the meaning of the holidays and their spending habits.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in your child’s education.

Have a great long weekend! Hope to see you all for Conferences!

Elizabeth

Parent / Teacher Conferences will be held on October 16th and October 17th.

Please click the link below to sign up for a time slot with your child's teacher.

Parent / Teacher Conference Signup

Due to conferences, there is no school on Thursday and Friday!

While you are in the building, please stop by the Lost and Found!

WMS community, we are gearing up to start the planning process for our next all school read and corresponding literacy night! These are highly anticipated events with our students and would love to have more people join our planning committee! It is a flexible commitment with only a few meetings in person and most communication done via email in between. It is a fantastic way to get more involved in the school for an event that brings so much joy to both students and parents alike! If you are interested in joining the committee, please use the sign-up genius below to mark your interest so we can get you added to all communication. Thank you!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0949AFA623A4FB6-58986659-allschool

Take the night off from cooking 🍝

Swing by the new Noodles & Company off Mayfair Rd. (864 N Mayfair Rd,

Wauwatosa, WI 53226) before or after conferences on Thursday, October 16 to grab dinner and say hi to other WMS families! 25% of sales between 4-8 p.m. will be donated back to the Wauwatosa Montessori PTSA. Make sure you mention the fundraiser at checkout or enter code GIVING25 for online orders.

Car decorators and volunteers needed! 🎃

Let your creativity flow as you think up your decorations for Trunk or Treat! This is our most popular family event of the year. Trunk or Treat is scheduled for Friday, October 24 from 5:30-7 p.m. in the WMS parking lot. Sign up here to decorate your trunk or volunteer!

Save the Date: Montessori Marketplace - Saturday, Nov. 15 🛍️

How it works: families bring gently used items to donate — and browse for new-to-you treasures to take home. More details to come, but start setting items aside to donate! 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

Interested in volunteering for this event? Email tosamontessori.ptsa@gmail.com!

IMPORTANT DATES!

October 16th and 17th - No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences
October 16th - PTSA Noodles Fundraiser
October 24th - Trunk or Treat
October 31st - All School Dress like a book character day
November 7th - PTSA Book Study - The Anxious Generation
November 10th-14th - Upper Elementary Students at NCI!

*Note - our bookfair had previously been scheduled in October. It has been rescheduled for January and will coinside with Game Night!

We will celebrate our love for literacy on October 31st by allowing students (and staff) to dress up like their favorite book character. Please be mindful that we are a K-8 school, so all book characters must be appropriate for a 4 year old to witness. Students may not wear a mask or bring any (real or fake) weapons. Please make sure there are no offensive symbols, attire is not revealing or violent. If there are any issues, students will be asked to change. We look forward to seeing everyone's favorite character!

Please note, we will share more details about how our school celebrates/acknowledges holidays next week, as it is slightly different than some other schools!

Art Room Donations Needed

Hello parents, the art room is looking for donations, lots of these items you may already have at home!

Here are the things I am looking for:

Tissues

Clorox Wipes

Cleaning Spray (Kid safe)

Old Spray Bottles (Can be washed and repurposed in the art room)

Paper Towels

Rags ( Can be used, just washed first )

Sponges (New only)

Coffee Filters

Paper Plates

Paper Tubes (Ongoing)

Clean Caps (Ongoing)

Wine Corks (Ongoing)

Popsicle Sticks

Saran Wrap

Tinfoil

Ice cube trays, in particular trays with lids!

Notes : I am happy to accept donations that are off of this list, like extra paint brushes, extra paper (even if one side is printed on), fun collage paper, buttons, beads, glitter, popsicle sticks, old play dough cans, red solo cups, plastic silverware, paper bags, old wire and wood hangers, fabric scraps (consider donating cool old clothes to the art room, before goodwill etc. ) and really anything else you can thing of, including old toys!

Here is what I ask, please email me first about the donation, I will confirm its useful to the art room, and then please sort the donation so its ready for use!

Thank you,

Bea Leach

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

Halloween

To expand upon how our school acknowledges holidays, here are some things you may see or hear about as we approach Halloween!

Halloween is a historical and cultural event. The tradition traces its roots to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Over time, Halloween has shifted into a community-centered cultural event with festivities including trick-or-treating in elaborate costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns, and relishing sweet treats.

Yet, some families prefer that their children do not participate in Halloween-related activities. Faculty and staff wish to honor that although Halloween is a fun tradition for many, it is not celebrated by everyone for various reasons.

So, is there a way to approach Halloween in a Montessori classroom that demonstrates respect for everyone?

Absolutely!

1. Encourage research

2. Study the festivals of other cultures

3. Showcase historical presentations

4. Encourage conversations about the biases and stereotypes of costumes

5. Host a storybook character parade

6. Develop intentional extension

7. Study the parts of a pumpkin and/or the life cycle of a pumpkin

8. Focus on practice life - activities such as pumpkin washing or roasting seeds

9. Plan a field trip