Good afternoon!  

As part of the leadership transition process, you will see that this week's Head of School message comes from Rachael Shaw Marshall as she begins stepping into her new role and connecting with our community as I prepare to retire at the end of June. It has been a privilege to serve MSOW and I look forward to watching this amazing community continue to thrive under Rachael's thoughtful leadership.  

Brenda Zellmer, M.Ed., MBA

Head of School

Montessori School of Waukesha        

More Photos of Move It Day 2026 available HERE!

Check back as new photos are still arriving.

Students had an incredible Move It Day and we are very excited to share wonderful news as we close out the school year: we reached our Move It Day fundraising goal! Thank you to all who helped make this day successful - donors, volunteers, sponsors, faculty and staff . Special thanks to MSOW Physical Education Teacher Sarah Harvey and MSOW Move It Day Parent Committee Jessie Miller, Elizabeth Beyer Schwartz and Brian Schwartz, Shaina Walker, Kellie Lanza, Stephanie Winters Babyar and Alyssa Schaumann for spearheading Move It Day organizational efforts.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we exceeded our target through a true team effort:

• $15,500+ from classroom, schoolwide, and cash Move It Day donations

• $11,000+ in net proceeds from the Spring Golf Outing

• $4,000+ from business sponsorships

Together, that brings our Move It Day spring fundraising efforts to over $30,000 raised for MSOW!

Because our Spring Golf Outing took place during the same week as Move It Day, we intentionally combined the efforts so they would work together toward one shared goal for MSOW rather than compete with one another.

This accomplishment represents far more than a number. It reflects a community that shows up, supports one another, and invests in our students and school. Funds raised will help support the environments, experiences, and resources that enrich student life at MSOW and strengthen our school for the future.

What a wonderful way to close out the school year. Thank you for helping make MSOW such a strong and successful community!

Thank you to these volunteers:  Amod Goyal, Amy Linzmeyer-Jelinek, Andrea Argue, Andrea L Martens, Anna Amelunk, Ei Nan Kar, Emily Loeffler, Erin Kanter, Inge Yuwono, Ivan Zozulya, James Marquardt, Jamie Marquardt, Jamie Tritz, Jessica Buckhouse, Jessica Francis, Kabir Bukhari, Khushi Goyal, Kira Bublitz, Mary Ting (Siu), Mercedes McWilliams, Michael Porter, Mike Dobkoski, Nick Schmitt, Nick Young, Nisha Sheth, Rick Loomis, John Stevens, Steven Walsh, Tammy Van Sliedrecht-Pahl, Trevor Argue, Umang Shah, Weiwei Han, Whitney Anhorn, Allison Zozulya, Amber Morgan, Angela Steinquist, Ashley Angles, Carla Porter, Chelsea Del Rio, Courtney McCormick, Coutney Berthelsen, Hannah Arneson, Heather Sedlemeier, Jenny Olson, Kailey Grundmann, Kendra Muth, Kristen Kau, L.J. Hyland, Mandi Kern, Matt Florentine, Matt Sedlmeier, Mayra Colin, Michael Uhen, Mike Hunter, Rachel Veselenak, Rolanda Stevens, Tess Zahn, Trina Tomczyk, Alyssa Schaumann, Brian Schwartz, Elizabeth Beyer-Schwartz, Kellie Lanza, Shania Walker, and Stephanie Winters

Dear MSOW Families,

I am writing to share that I will be transitioning from my role as MSOW UE 1 Lead Teacher into the position of Director of Faculty and Staff for the upcoming school year. I will replace outgoing Director of Faculty and Staff, Karen Driscoll, who retires at the close of the 2025-26 school year. I shared this news with my UE1 students and families Tuesday and the transition was announced officially at the MSOW Board meeting Tuesday night.

I want to reassure current Upper Elementary 1 families, as well as the broader MSOW community, that maintaining continuity and preserving the strengths of the Upper Elementary program will remain a priority. MSOW is actively seeking a highly qualified replacement. In my new role, I will work with the incoming Head of School, Rachael Shaw Marshall, to select the individual who will join our community. The current administrative team and Upper Elementary teaching team will also be involved in this important process. An announcement will be made when the new UE1 teacher is hired. 

As Director of Faculty and Staff, I will also work closely with the new UE1 Lead Teacher as part of the onboarding and mentorship process. As current Upper Elementary Level Lead, I have already had the privilege of helping select, support, and mentor teachers joining our community, including current Upper Elementary Lead Teachers Taylor Burczyk and Elizabeth Wells. I look forward to continuing that work in a new capacity.

Over the course of my career at MSOW, I have had the opportunity to grow not only as a classroom teacher, but also as a leader within our school community. For the past few years, I have intentionally pursued opportunities to expand my leadership experience and prepare for future administrative roles, including participation in an American Montessori Society Montessori Administrator Credential program over the past two years. Throughout that journey, I have remained deeply committed to MSOW and to finding ways to continue serving and strengthening the community that has been such an important part of my professional life.

I have discovered that one of my greatest professional passions is supporting and developing educators and helping build systems and structures that strengthen an entire school community.

For educators interested in educational leadership, moving from the classroom into an administrative role is a natural professional pathway. While I have deeply valued my years in Upper Elementary 1 as the Lead Teacher and the privilege of working with students and families each day, I have also spent years intentionally preparing for opportunities to grow into broader leadership responsibilities. I am especially thrilled that this opportunity became available within the MSOW community because it allows me to pursue this professional goal here, while continuing to serve the school and community that I care so deeply about.

Throughout my time at MSOW, I have served in a variety of leadership capacities, including:

• Level Lead for the Upper Elementary Level

• Co-Director of MSOW’s successful AMS accreditation process
• Enrichment Program Coordinator

• Practicum Supervisor for teachers earning their Montessori teaching credentials
• Course Instructor and Mentor for adult learners through GMEI, MSOW’s Montessori Teacher Education Program.
• Member of multiple school leadership initiatives

These experiences have included:

• Supporting teacher onboarding and mentorship
• Leading faculty collaboration and data-focused initiatives
• Coordinating enrichment programming and building the Enrichment Program
• Contributing to AMS reaccreditation efforts
• Helping develop systems and structures that support both staff and students

This past year, I have also had the privilege of working closely alongside Karen Driscoll, current Director of Faculty and Staff through mentorship and leadership experiences as part of my Montessori Administrator practicum experience. This work includes classroom observations, instructional feedback, participation in level meetings, and other work with current employees that has further prepared me for this next step. In combination with this ongoing professional development, I completed a separate CESA assessment and data training in addition to my pursuit of an AMS Montessori Administrator Credential. These experiences have helped me develop a deeper understanding of how thoughtful leadership can support educators, students, and the broader school community.

One of the things I value most about Montessori education is the belief that leadership is rooted in service, relationships, reflection, and growth. My goal in this new role is to support and empower faculty and staff while helping maintain the strong sense of community, collaboration, and child-centered practice that makes MSOW such a special place for children and families.

Construction progress continued steadily this week with significant masonry work taking place on the west expansion. Behind the scenes, extensive planning and coordination also took place as preparations began for commencing work on remodeling the current gym into an upper level for middle school and a lower level for UE1 and UE3 classrooms as soon as the last student leaves the building on June 5th. Along University Avenue, the temporary construction fence was moved closer to the street to allow crews to complete dirt hauling at the north end of the site. 

A dumpster is now located in the first few parking stalls as part of the gym remodel project. The two blue gym exit doors are being widened one at a time to prepare for equipment and materials to be taken into the gym during the remodel. Partitions separate the door work area so the gym can still be used. Electricians started to disconnect non-essential power to several areas near the future door openings. From Wednesday through Friday, crews will begin work on the gym openings. In the west wing, masons will continue construction of the south wall of the addition before shifting focus to the north wall and stage area.

MSOW Community- We need your clean, fully assembled card board boxes, please. In preparation for the big move out of the Campus West building, which is slated for demolition shortly after the end of the school year, we are collecting moving/packing boxes.  

If you don't have any cardboard boxes you would like to get rid of, please consider donations of packing tape, bubble wrap or other packing material.  No packing peanuts please!

Last week, our Lower Elementary families gathered to enjoy Hearts in Harmony, an uplifting spring concert program directed by Lead General Music Specialist, Sara Schmitz . Students played a meaningful role in shaping this year’s performance. In true Montessori spirit, they helped select a theme centered on unity, peace, kindness, and connection—values that guide our daily community life. The result was a celebration not only of music, but of the children’s voices, collaboration, and thoughtful engagement.

Entreprenurship Experience in Upper Elementary 2 - Elizabeth Wells, Lead Teacher

Students in Upper Elementary 2 learned about product development, advertising, pricing, profit and more as they offered an afternoon marketplace to other MSOW students. 

Bracelet Making with Sarah Chow, LE 2 Lead Teacher

We still need your help! Please see the April 17, 2026 edition for more details and photos of the Spring Fix It Projects that could use your time and attention.  Thank you!