Dear Wauwatosa Montessori School Family,
It has been a joy sharing the first week of school with all of our students, staff and families! Our teachers and staff have begun setting up culturally responsive learning environments by establishing clear expectations and agreements, setting up relationship building experiences, creating spaces for conflict resolution and self-regulation (calming corners and/or peace tables, for example), and positive reinforcement. Thank you to our amazing PTSA for organizing the Boo Hoo or Woo Hoo Coffee on the first day of school! Thank you to all the families who took some time to have a coffee and chat with fellow WMS families!
In every classroom in our school, the students and staff have been engaging in many relationship building experiences. During my walkthroughs, I observed our Children’s House classes creating name posters with smiley stickers and art materials. Ms. Shannon demonstrated carefully how to choose Montessori works. I observed Mrs. Dolkiewicz showing her students the daily schedule and students referring to the schedule to orient themselves to their day at school. In Ms. Zheng’s Lower Elementary classroom, students played a Would You Rather game to share their likes and dislikes to get to know each other. In Mrs. Grassmann and Mrs. Rosich’s classroom, students wrote expectations that they thought were important on post it notes that were later shared. Ms. Emily’s students in Upper Elementary went on a scavenger hunt to get to know their prepared classroom environments, and Mrs. Namboothiry’s students wrote about times they were excited about something and had discussions about expectations for their Montessori work periods. Our AP students wrote about themselves, created projects to share, and delivered freshly-picked flowers from our school garden to me and many classrooms. Our team of dedicated teachers and staff truly put their hearts into making this first week a special time for community building. This is just the beginning of community building that will be nurtured throughout the entire school year!
In the upcoming week, we are excited to further our Nature’s Classroom fundraising plans for our Upper Elementary and Adolescent Program students. The students will take an active role in the fundraising for these educational trips. We are planning for our Adolescent Program to visit Nature’s Classroom Institute from 10/30/23-11/3/23 and our Upper Elementary students to visit from 3/18/24-3/22/24. Students in our Upper Elementary classrooms and Adolescent Program will be taking home their permission slip forms this upcoming week. Families with questions, ideas, or concerns can reach out to me. Additionally, parents/guardians/caregivers who are interested in taking an active role in volunteering/chaperoning or fundraising can reach out to me as well.
Also, Girls on the Run is starting on Monday, September 11th from 3:30-5 p.m.! More information about this exciting opportunity can be found below. I know I am going to bring my running shoes to join in on some of the days. Thank you to Mollie Hinton, Elise Georgeson, Kate Avila, and Elizabeth Kusak!
Virtue of the Upcoming Week (Sept. 11th-15th): Peacefulness/ Serenity / Mindfulness
Quote of the Week:
“All children are born with the virtues in potential, and when we awaken these inner gifts, we can change the world.” -The Virtues Project
Click here to Learn About Our Staff Members of the Week (Sept. 11th-15th): Mrs. Berghammer and Ms. Brennen
Thank you for all your support!
Kindly,
Melissa Pallin
Principal
