WAUWATOSA MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Hello Montessori Families!

Last Saturday, Elizabeth, Courtney and Emily attended the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector's conference that was right here in Milwaukee! We attended several sessions specific to issues in public Montessori schools. Did you know that of the approximately 5,000 Montessori schools in the US, only 500 are public? We are pleased to have the NCMPS as a resource! Some of the topics we learned about were: classroom environment and supporting neurodiverse learners, transitioning 8th graders to traditional high schools, using Montessori data to drive improvements, and more!

We have had a strong year for student attendance! We are thankful to you for prioritizing your child's attendance at school! As spring slips in, we've noticed an increase in tardies. Please do your best to get your child to school on time, as we jump right in to the learning. Our AP students start at 8:10am, and everyone else starts at 8:20am. Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Elizabeth

This week we celebrated admin assistant day! Students brought Ms. Nora all sorts of goodies. We so appreciate Ms. Nora for all she does to keep our building running smoothly! From handing out ice packs, bandaids, magic office water, and sympathy to injured kiddos, to many parent and staff communications, she is invaluable to our school community! Thank you, Ms. Nora!

2026 AP Inc. Spring Order Form

This spring season we have four amazing products, including a bundle! This is our last order form of the year, so make sure to buy your products as soon as possible. You will notice a spring in your step after trying our satisfying selection of products.

Please select the items and amounts that you would like to order. You may also order in bulk. Select a pick-up date and time. We will send out confirmation emails for each order to confirm what you've ordered.

On the day you will receive your order, please bring the correct amount of cash or a check made out for Wauwatosa Montessori School.

Buy these products before Monday, April 27th!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdr_5tV7bdtfwa7aRICCKE36q36ViA2NKp-rLVuH4IYonDGmQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor

MYSTICAL MAGICAL SOIL PICKUP DATE: 4/28!!!

All the food scraps from Montessori have been turned into compost at a local farm in South East Wisconsin through Compost Crusaders. BYO bin or bucket. Soil is ready to refresh or start your garden! All proceeds will help to cover supplies for the daily recording & monthly removal of the organic waste and a new clean bin!

Bring your own bucket, bin or container and the Green Team will fill it up for you!!!
Pickup after school 4/28

HELP NEEDED - (Brown paper grocery bag collection)

Do you have a BAG OF PAPER BAGS? Compost crew uses one paper grocery bag each school day and we are almost out!!! Help us reuse and repurpose 300 brown paper grocery bags! Bring your bag of bags to Ms. Kait in Rm 13. (***No handles please, the glue used to attach handles is NOT compostable).

Elementary Music Electives Registration for the 2026-2027 School Year

Registration for Music Electives for the 2026-2027 school year is open starting Thursday, April 23rd! View the informational and interactive Google Presentation by clicking HERE.

Options for music electives for next school year are:

Choir - 4th grade and up
Orchestra - 4th and up
Band - 5th grade and up

Please fill out this Google Form for registration indicating their choice of participation by Thursday, May 7th. Students registered after this date can still participate in all music electives, but cannot be guaranteed the chance to try out different instruments with District music staff members. If you have any questions, please contact the school office or the music teachers at your child’s school.

Elementary Music Elective Classes

The Great WMS Donut Drive

Our school community is amazing! We are just two weeks in and are already 40% of our way to raising $15,000. Our second round of gift card winners were drawn today, with one more drawing on Tuesday, May 5th to ensure all cash envelopes are counted and tallied. If you want to fundraise online, you can register here.

If family and friends would prefer to use Venmo, they can send it to @WauwatosaMontessori-PTSA and list your student(s) name in the comments. If asked for the last four digits of phone number, please pay without confirming.

Let's dough this and get these kids a school-wide donut party and pajama day!

Volunteers needed: Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8 and we're throwing it back to the 80's to celebrate our "Totally Awesome" teachers and staff! Please

sign up to decorate a door on May 1st to help kick off the week in a super rad way for our teachers! There are also a few other opportunities included to help out during the week.

Be sure to join our Facebook group to see how we kicked off this fundraiser with an all-school assembly: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1EG3P82L9q/

142 New Books

142 New Books were added to our library during the month of April. Ask your child what book they checked out this week?

Library meets once a week. See schedule below for who has library on what days.

4K Tuesdays

5K Thursdays

Lower Elementary: Fridays

Upper Elementary: Thursdays

Adolescents: Students have full access to a library in their classroom.

If you have any questions please let me know, Jenice Carolan, Assistant Librarian, carolaje@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us

IMPORTANT DATES!

May 11th - Spring Band, Orchestra and Choir Concert 2-3pm
May 15th - PTSA Playground Date 5:30-7pm
May 22nd - No School - Memorial Day Weekend
May 25th - No School - Memorial Day

The American Montessori Society Podcast this week is about Helping Teens Navigate Stress and Anxiety. Feel free to listen here if you are interested!

What if anxiety isn’t something to eliminate—but something to understand?

In this episode, Biff and Nicole sit down with clinical psychologist and bestselling author Lisa Damour to unpack the science of stress, anxiety, and adolescent development. With clarity and compassion, she reframes anxiety not as a problem to fix, but as a natural and necessary part of growing up.

Together, they explore:

The difference between healthy stress and harmful anxiety—and why both matter
Why avoidance actually makes anxiety worse over time
How anxiety shows up differently in boys vs. girls
The critical role adults play in helping kids build perspective and resilience
Practical ways to support children through big emotions without removing the challenge

Insightful, practical, and deeply reassuring, this conversation offers a powerful shift in perspective: discomfort is not a sign something is wrong—it’s often a sign that growth is happening.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or simply trying to better understand the emotional world of young people, this episode will leave you better equipped to support the next generation with confidence and care.

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

April 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.

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.