April 26
On-Site COVID-19 Testing for Registered Students & Staff
April 28
Admissions Tours
9:30 a.m.
April 29
Virtual Admissions Open House
Noon
May 3
On-Site COVID-19 Testing for Registered Students & Staff
May 4
WMS Annual Meeting
7 p.m., Zoom (Link will be shared on Bloomz)
|
|
COVID-19 Testing Schedule for the Week of April 25
Next Test Date:
Tuesday, April 26 (for Primary, Elementary & Middle School students and toddlers whose families opt to return to on-site testing - toddlers may also continue to test on weekends)
Test on-site through Quidel and submit results when received, or send off-site test results (taken on or after April 20) to covidresults@wmsde.org. If you are submitting a screenshot, please include the date taken. Testing will continue to be offered through the remainder of the school year.
|
|
CLASSROOM NEWS - As Seen on Bloomz |
|
Spring in the Outdoor Classroom
Emily Edmonds, Lead Toddler Teacher
|
|
The outdoor classroom was a big draw this week!
I wanted to share a few of the types of activities that we offer in the outdoor classroom in case you are interested in adding some of these simple items to your outdoor space at home. While we have plenty of opportunities for water and sand exploration, and open-ended art activities, we also have many Practical Life materials available on the tables and shelves outside.
We typically offer a number of water transferring activities - beginning with pouring from one pitcher to another, or moving water with an eye dropper to a muffin tin or deviled egg tray. As children progress, we will continue to increase the challenge by adding other tools like a small funnel, smaller eye dropper or a small scoop. We will also introduce the challenge of pouring water only up to a marked line and then stopping. Many of these activities can also be done using beans or rice or other small items once the children are past the phase of mouthing items.
We also have flower arranging available at times, which is a multi-step process involving some of the same skills (selecting a base, pouring water through a funnel, cutting stems and arranging flowers). We plan to plant a small container garden as well, which will provide opportunities for caring for plants and observing their growth.
The outdoor classroom also offers even more opportunities for care of environment activities like scrubbing tables, sweeping around the sandbox, washing our rain boots and drying up spills.
We are all excited to spend more time outside this spring!
Check out this article for some great ideas about creating an outdoor space for older toddlers and school-age children.
|
|
Dinosaur Activities in Room 17
Erin Winner, Lead Primary (3-6) Teacher
During the past two months, we have been exploring the fascinating topic of dinosaurs. With so many dinosaur enthusiasts in our class, teaching was really a group effort and the children enjoyed sharing their knowledge.
We talked about some physical characteristics of dinosaurs and how those things helped them to survive. For example, the ankylosaurus had a large club on the end of its tail that was used for protection. The shape of a dinosaur's teeth gave clues about their diet. Sharp teeth indicated a meat-eater while flatter teeth were mostly found in herbivores.
The children enjoyed painting a variety of dinosaur cut-outs and took that opportunity to explore color mixing. They worked in teams to paint each dinosaur and used sponges to create the texture of scales. During circle time, we identified and labeled the parts of the stegosaurus. We then brought over the triceratops to compare and contrast the features of the two dinosaurs. The children noticed similarities like they both walked on four legs, had tails, and were herbivores. They also noted differences like only triceratops had horns while the stegosaurus had a unique spiked tail. This comparison utilized the observational skills that children are developing in the Sensorial area, while also challenging them to make connections with their knowledge of dinosaurs.
Another favorite project was creating dinosaur bones out of salt dough. We first made the dough, which was everyone's favorite part! This process involved measuring ingredients, kneading the dough, pressing the dough into molds, and then baking them in the oven. We read the book "Dinosaur Bones" by Bob Barner and worked as a team to assemble the T-Rex skeleton. The children enjoyed this challenge and did a great job working cooperatively. There were a number of other dinosaur-themed activities in the classroom including puzzles, playdough mats, pattern block designs, and a variety of labeling tasks in the Cultural area. The children really embraced this unit!
|
|
Lower Elementary (6-9) Program |
|
What's Inside a Bean Seed?
Melissa Sugzdinis, Lead Lower Elementary (6-9) Teacher
Earlier this month, we read Plant Secrets and talked about what hides inside a seed. As we observe all the new growth in spring, the kids are always interested in learning more about flowers, plants and seeds.
We looked at lima beans and kidney beans. We compared the dried beans to soaked beans. What is the same about them? What is different? Students made predictions about what they might find in the middle of the seed and then we dissected them. We learned there are parts called the embryo, the seed coat and the cotyledon. We then planted both types of seeds.
What will the plants look like once they begin to sprout?
|
|
Upper Elementary (9-12) Program |
|
Who Broke the Cookie Jar?
Allie Colflesh, Lead Upper Elementary (9-12) Teacher
Yesterday, we started our final unit in Culture - forensic science! The students are the crime scene investigators and are trying to solve the mystery of who broke the cookie jar. On the first day of the unit, the students learned about noticing details of a crime scene as well as analyzing handwriting. During each lesson, the students will be using different processes of forensic science including fingerprinting, blood type, ink analysis and hair samples to determine which of the suspects (their classmates) is the culprit!
|
|
Field Trip to WGK Glass Art
As part of their Maker (STEAM) Studio curriculum, middle school students are learning about makers in their community. Earlier this month, they traveled to Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania, to visit WGK Glass Art where they watched the glass art-making process, asked questions and toured the studio. Students were thrilled to venture off-campus for this learning experience!
|
|
The Wednesday Weekly shares WMS news and events that are relevant to the families in our community.
Please send submissions to wednesday-weekly@wmsde.org by 4:30 p.m. on the Friday prior to the issue in which you wish to include your information. Content may be edited for length and style and may be held for a future issue due to space constraints.
|
|
|
WILMINGTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL
WWW.WMSDE.ORG
|
|
Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
