Family engagement is an important value we hold here at Maryland Avenue Montessori and we offer a full menu of opportunities to for families to as involved as they would like to be at MAM.
Maryland Avenue Montessori families are encouraged to stay informed about what’s going on at school. Please do subscribe to The Weekly E, our electronic newsletter!
You can view our School Improvement Plan and our Connecting MAM document here.
Our School Support team has created this lovely resource page and we invite you to learn more about their roles and resources available to your child and family.
Community Engagement at MAM takes many forms, we likely have something for everyone:
PTO
Our Parents and Teachers Organization is one that you are already a member of simply by being a parent/guardian or loved one of a MAM student. There are no financial dues to pay; all we ask is that you participate in the fundraisers, family events and community building events through out the year.
How do you get involved? All meetings are open to everyone, so please stop by!
Email: ourmamcommunity@gmail.com.
School Engagement Council
The School Engagement Council (SEC – formerly SGC) is made up of parents, teachers and a community representative. The SEC oversees the local school budget and participates in discussion about school policies and programs. Parents make up the majority of the SEC. The SEC meets monthly throughout the school year.
All interested parents/guardians are welcome to attend SEC meetings.
Maryland Avenue Montessori School Fund
What is the MAM Fund?
Learn more about the MAM Fund by clicking here.
Contributions to the Milwaukee Public Schools (a governmental taxing unit created and authorized by the Wisconsin State Statutes) and Maryland Avenue Montessori School-FUND are deductible under Section 170 (C) of the federal tax guide which states:
“Gifts to or for use of governmental units of State or possession of U.S. or political subdivision, or U.S. of D.C. for exclusively public purposes are deductible.”
Urban Ecology Center
The Urban Ecology Center offers unique urban sanctuaries and “outdoor laboratories” for neighborhood school children. The Center’s staff and volunteers serve as adult mentors to guide students, year after year, as they progress through school. MAM partners with the Urban Ecology Center for an entire year, transforming the experience from just another field trip to a permanent outdoor classroom where we can reinforce science concepts taught in class with
hands-on outdoor activities during multiple visits. The science-based programs range from basic wildlife and ecology studies, to the physics of sound and light, to simple machines, to energy, to recycling. At a time when physical education programs are being cut, the Center also offers valuable kinesthetic learning opportunities, including rock climbing, canoeing, hiking, snow shoeing and ice skating.
Grades: K5 – 8th grades (approximately 315 students)
30 visits (1/2 day programs) per year: 3x for Primary and LE / 2x for UE / 1x for Adolescents
Dance Works – Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap (MHBT)
MHBT is an educational dance program for schoolchildren in the Greater Milwaukee area. Danceworks instructors provide dance instruction to 4th and 5th grade classes (tap) and 5th and 6th grade classes (ballroom) two times per week for twelve weeks at MAM in the spring. MHBT culminates with a program-wide competition and exhibition at the BMO Harris Bradley
Center. Nearly 2,500 students from 45 Milwaukee area school participated in the program. This past month MAM dancers placed in multiple dance categories. Grades: 4th – 6th grades (approximately 75 students)
Dance Works – Intergenerational Multi-Arts Program (IMAP)
IMAP brings together students from area schools and older adults from healthcare and community centers. Programs focus on integrating the arts into daily life and nurturing respect and healthy attitudes between generations. IMAP examines attitudes on aging and quality of life and teaches children to respect the seasons of life.
Grades: 1 Lower El classroom per semester (approximately 30 students)
Discovery World
Discovery World’s S.T.E.M +PLUS program amplifies the existing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) education model by connecting it to concepts that motivate students beyond the classroom by including new media, design, creativity and innovation. S.T.E.M. +PLUS educates for the workforce, prepares for postsecondary education
and introduces students to entrepreneurial thinking. The S.T.E.M. +PLUS programs accelerate education to a whole new level, connecting learning to everyday life.
Grades: 1st – 8th grades (approximately 280 students)
1x for Lower El / 2x for Upper El students / 3x for Adolescents
Nature’s Classroom Institute
Nature’s Classroom Institute, located in Lake Geneva, is the very best in environmental education. Tomorrow’s leaders are developed through self-discovery, collaboration and a deep thirst for learning. The program encompasses team building, individual independence, experiential outdoor learning while including the current Montessori classroom curriculum of
history, mathematics, art and writing. NCI motivates the student to continually learn by teaching through creative and progressive methods. NCI builds a framework that leads to specific goals and objectives and then, guiding along the way, allow each student the freedom to choose their own path based upon their natural motivations, curiosities and learning styles.
Grades: 4th – 8th grades
After-school Foreign Language Classes
Futura Language Professionals is a community-based organization dedicated to teaching the Spanish language and promoting enthusiasm for the cultures it represents. New to MAM in 2014 is Mandarin Chinese provided by Milwaukee-based Cricket Academy, introducing students in grades K4-8 to Mandarin Chinese language and culture.
Food and Environment Instruction
FoodRight works collaboratively with teachers of all grades to develop and implement lessons utilizing the MAM gardens and surrounding green space along with food and cooking lessons, focusing on plant-based whole foods. This program also coordinates the maintenance and management of the school gardens with the help of each classroom and a consortium of MAM community volunteers. All grades participating.
In addition to programming, the Fund was instrumental in the creation of the new 14,000 square-foot environmental classroom and exploratory rain garden. The $140,000 project transformed what was formerly a 10,000 square-foot asphalt parking lot and adjacent turf into a new environmentally friendly landscape. The space, on the south end of the school property, features a dry creek bed to conduct water from disconnected roof downspouts into a rain
garden area, allowing the 385 students to witness and study the natural cycle of rainwater.
The Outdoor Classroom will be fully integrated into the school curriculum and serve as a laboratory for environmental studies and scientific experimentation with sensory and hands-on exploratory learning opportunities for studying plants, animals weather/seasons; textures, smells and colors.
How do I get involved in the work of the MAM Fund?
Contact MAM Fund Board: fundmam@gmail.com
Interested in getting involved at MAM in other ways? Contact ourmamcommunity@gmail.com.