September 9, 2025
Embedded Files
Message from the Head of School
I remember the first time I told my extended family that my two children were attending a Montessori school.
“What’s that?” they asked.
“Great question!” I thought—though, at the time (pre-Montessori training), I realized I didn’t have the clearest answer myself. I knew it was wonderful and my children were thriving, but putting it into words? That was another story.
Even today, as Montessori education becomes more well-known, it can still be tricky to explain succinctly. So, for those moments at family dinners, playground chats, or curious text messages from grandparents, here’s a quick elevator speech you can keep in your back pocket:
Montessori education is a child-centered approach developed by Maria Montessori that encourages independence, hands-on learning, and respect for each child’s natural development. Instead of traditional lectures, students work at their own pace with carefully designed materials and presentations in mixed-age classrooms. Teachers guide rather than direct, helping children build confidence, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of learning - all while moving through a well defined, rigorous curriculum. Montessori has been serving children around the world for well over 100 years!
Hopefully, it gives you just enough to explain Montessori with confidence—and maybe even impress a relative or two! Maria Montessori believed that children are naturally curious, capable, and driven to learn when placed in an environment that supports their growth. That is precisely what we strive to do each day at MSOW.
Have a great week and thank you for choosing MSOW for your family.
Brenda Zellmer, Head of School
Montessori School of Waukesha
Meet the MSOW Administrative Team
Head of school
Head of school
Brenda Zellmer
Director of Faculty and Staff
Director of Faculty and Staff
Karen Driscoll
Director of Students
Director of Students
Bethany Mueller
Accounting and HR Director
Jill Liesenfelder
Director of GMEI Adult Education
Linda Loomis
Did you know that Montessori School of Waukesha is also home to a MACTE accredited and American Montessori Society affiliated, Teacher Education Program?
Find out more about the Global Montessori Educators Institute by clicking Here.
Meet the Administrative Staff
School Secretary
Sarah Stettler
School Support Manager
Megan Price
Meet the School Support Specialists
MSOW School Support Specialists never know what their day has in store! They may sub in a classroom in the morning, assist in Specials in the afternoon, work on making materials, restore/clean common spaces, help prepare for a school-wide event, or any number of other activities - wherever we need 'support,' we can count on them to help.
Savannah Grimshaw
Savannah Grimshaw
Liz Loomis
Liz Loomis
Sandy Sullivan
Kate Tallman
Kate Tallman
Next Week- Meet the Before & After School Care Staff, and MSOW Board of Trustees
MSOW Homecoming 2025!
HOMECOMING: MSOW welcomed new and returning students and their families on Tuesday, August 26th for a fun and festive Homecoming celebration - a kick off of the new school year! On a gorgeous day, families visited classrooms, enjoyed the grounds, selected snacks/lunch from the food trucks, visited our young entrepreneurs at the Montessori Marketplace, and more... New this year was the opportunity to make an appointment for class photos. It worked beautifully! The photo waiting chairs were often empty as students typically walked right in to one of the four 'studios.' Even the photographers were dancing with joy!
Thank you all for coming and thank you to the volunteers who signed up to help with set up and clean up: Dria Setter, Helen Saeian, Isabel Collins, Melissa Kraner, Sarah Timmler, and Angie Phillips. Appreciation also goes out to other volunteers who signed up to bring water, games, and canopies: Jessie Miller, Chastity Fischer, Kira Bublitz, Lauren Dulde, and Tess Zahn.
BELOW: Be sure to click through the carousel of more photos from Homecoming.
Montestarry Night is coming September 26th
A Fall Celebration Under the Stars
This family-friendly event will feature:
Live Music from Xcite Entertainment DJ spinning music throughout the evening
A variety of local food trucks
A cozy campfire for gathering and relaxing and making s'mores
Fun optional activities for purchase, including:
Pumpkin decorating
S’mores kits - ready for the campfire circle
Dunk tank - MSOW employees take the plunge
Popcorn - a variety of flavors
Glow items for nightfall glow dancing
Family tent camping
We are also opening up 90 family campsites on our school grounds for those who want to make it an overnight adventure. Pitch a tent, bring your sleeping bags, and enjoy the beauty of our campus under the stars. (only tents - no RVs or pop up campers)
All proceeds from Montestarry Night will go to the fund for purchasing new playground equipment for the Saturn Playground, helping us create an even more joyful and active space for our children.
Ready to Join the Fun?
Ready to Join the Fun?
CLICK HERE to buy your tickets or reserve your campsite today!
Mark Your Calendars for These Other Upcoming Events!
We will be distributing the Save the Date magnets everyone so enjoyed last year.
There are just a few more dates we are waiting to be finalized.
Grand Gathering Update: Now Two Mornings to Celebrate!
To make our annual Grand Gathering: A Day to Welcome Grandparents more enjoyable and accessible, we’re spreading the event over two consecutive mornings this year. This change will help to ease parking, reduce lines, and create a more relaxed experience for our special guests. Each family will be assigned one of the two mornings for their child(ren) to welcome grandparents to campus between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m. If a grandparent needs to attend on the opposite day from the assigned one, that’s absolutely fine - just RSVP accordingly using the link below. If a grandparent has grandchildren from multiple families and it is preferred that they come on two separate days, that's fine too - just RSVP accordingly. The key here is to RSVP. Once again, photo backdrops will be available to help capture the memories!
PLEASE RSVP FOR YOUR GRANDPARENT(S): We are assigning grandparents to a day based on the first letter of the grandchild's last name:
Thursday, October 9th, we will welcome grandparents whose grandchild(ren) have a last names starting with A - K
Friday, October 10th, we will welcome grandparents whose grandchild(ren) have a last names starting with L - Z
To help us plan accurately and ensure a special experience for all, we kindly ask that only grandparents attend. If a grandparent needs assistance with transportation or assistance with (multiple grandchildren), then one additional adult family member is welcome to accompany them.
Montessori Mindful Moment
Upper Elementary Rain Garden Recognition
After three years of planning, planting, and maintaining, the Upper Elementary rain garden has been officially recognized by the Waukesha County Department of Natural Resources! MSOW Wellness Specialist Lead Teacher, Sara O'Reilly initiated and guided this project to fruition as part of the Wellness curriculum.
The rain garden now has a permanent sign to mark its achievement of meeting all program requirements. Students have worked diligently to design, care for, and learn from this space, which helps manage stormwater naturally and support pollinators.
We are so proud of their hard work and excited to share this recognition with the MSOW community!
Growing wellness for our students, community, and planet.
A special thank you goes to MSOW parent of two MSOW recent graduates, Scott Kolp, who created a beautiful custom frame and post, and then installed the recognition marker at the Rain Garden site. This ensures it will be enjoyed by our community for years to come.
Thank You MSOW Community!
Grounds clean up volunteers made a stunning transformation
A Heartfelt thank you to the following Grounds Clean up Volunteers:
Morgan Mcall, Vince Tomczyk, Olivia Giles, Melissa Kehler, Stephanie Florentine, Ashleigh Spitza, Carla Porter, Brian and Elizabeth Schwatrz, Kim and Chris Garland, Melissa Kehler, Chastity Fischer, Kendall Legris, Ei Nan Kar, Katie Niebler, Anabel Weeks, Reba Meindl, Jessica Prokop, Macy and Kaia McIntyre, & Tim Smart
Before
After
Children’s House 4
Before
After
Donations: Thank you to MSOW parent, Kevin Moore for making us aware of furniture (and more!) being donated to area organizations by a local business. Thanks also go out to John and Bethany Mueller for use of their trailer and Brenda Zellmer for use of her truck. John, Bethany, and Brenda were joined by Eric Buckhouse and Alex Barta to help load and unload the donated items: long event tables, chairs for the Middle School, round tables for the Middle School Annex, and shelves for the MSOW Library, and a credenza for an administrative office.
Highlights from the Classroom
In our first week of school, Lower Elementary students experienced the First Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and Earth. This story offers one version of how our Earth and galaxy came into being. It awakens a sense of wonder and sets the stage for discovery.
The First Great Lesson is the foundation for much of the Montessori curriculum. It serves as the starting point for countless follow-up lessons in astronomy, chemistry, geography, biology, and history. Over the three-year cycle, children will return again and again to this story, making connections and deepening their understanding of how everything is interrelated.
Enjoy these phots from our LE Classrooms.
Girls on the Run
Only 8 spots left!
Girls on the Run is SO MUCH FUN!!!!
Do you have a student in 3rd–8th grade at MSOW? Then we want YOU to join our Girls on the Run team this fall!
Girls on the Run is more than just running — it's a place to make friends, build confidence, set goals, and most of all… have FUN!
Practice Schedule:
3rd–5th Grade:
Tuesdays 3:30–5:00 PM
Saturdays 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
6th–8th Grade:
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30–5:00 PM
All practices take place at MSOW
Our first practice kicks off on September 16, 2025 and the season runs for 8 awesome weeks, ending with the Girls on the Run Fall 5K on November 8, 2025 at American Family Field!
Ready to run, laugh, grow, and make memories that last a lifetime?
Sign up now on the Girls on the Run website:
https://www.girlsontherunsoutheasternwi.org/
We can’t wait to see YOU at practice!
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