2022-23 Admissions Reminders
It's hard to believe that it's time to plan for the 2022-23 school year, but re-enrollment is right around the corner! A few reminders:
-
New Enrollment and Tuition Management System - We are excited to share that we will be introducing FACTS as our new enrollment management and tuition payment system this year. FACTS, which is used by more than 7,000 independent schools, will allow our admissions and business offices to continue to provide the personalized support you have come to expect, while also offering self-service options including the ability to check and pay your account balance online. Stay tuned for more information about the registration process as re-enrollment opens in early January!
-
Re-enrollment contracts will be due on February 15, 2022. Due to an increase in admissions inquiries, we expect several programs will be filled to capacity and cannot guarantee spaces will be available for returning students after this deadline.
-
The 2022-23 financial aid application is open! Apply by January 7, 2022 to be eligible for first-round awards. Your application (including your 2020 tax return) must be received by this deadline to be considered for first-round awards. Visit www.wmsde.org/financialaid or contact businessoffice@wmsde.org for more info.
-
If your child has a sibling who you would like to enroll for the 2022-23 school year, please contact Paula Sharpe to begin the application process as soon as possible. Spaces will be limited in many programs. Siblings must apply by January 10 to receive priority for 2022-23 enrollment.
|
|
|
|
COVID-19 Testing: Next Results Due Tuesday, December 14 - Weekly Testing Requirement
On-Site Testing with Quidel
Weekly COVID-19 testing through Quidel is underway! If you haven't already registered your child for on-site testing, we highly recommend that you do so! Sign up here
(When registering, be sure to include your electronic signature and complete the email verification process!)
If your child participated in testing yesterday, you should have received a results notification by email and text message. If you did not receive this, please check your junk/spam folders. All results should be forwarded to covidresults@wmsde.org immediately upon request.(Please use this address, as it is forwarded to additional administrators in case the nurse is not available to check for results.)
Next Testing Deadline - Tuesday, December 14 - Please read the information below carefully:
-
On-site: Quidel will be on-site for testing on December 14. All registered students will be tested on that day. Results will be sent to parents that afternoon and must be forwarded to covidresults@wmsde.org. WMS does not automatically receive copies of each child's results on the day of testing. These results must be forwarded by 4:30 p.m. in order for your child to attend school on Wednesday, December 15.
-
Families that choose NOT to participate in Quidel testing must test off-site each week and submit results to covidresults@wmsde.org by NOON each Tuesday. If you are submitting a screenshot, please include the date tested.
-
If your child misses testing due to an absence or lateness to school, your child must get tested off-site to attend school on Wednesday. Solv Health on Philadelphia Pike offers rapid tests daily. Please plan to arrive on time on testing days - testing begins immediately after drop-off.
- Please Note: If your child will not allow Quidel staff to conduct the test on a particular week, you will be called and asked to pick up your child to be tested elsewhere in order to adhere to our testing deadline.
Off-site testing options:
|
|
CLASSROOM NEWS - As Seen on Bloomz |
|
|
|
Changing Seasons & Gratitude
Kira Stauffer, Lead Toddler Teacher (Room 5)
Last week was a wonderful week! You could tell that the students were excited to be back from Thanksgiving Break. With all of the excitement, we added a jumping and running square to the classroom! The children were able to jump and run around with friends within the square; some even took the opportunity to dance. Especially with the holidays coming up, children need to be allowed to feel and release their excitement in safe and positive ways indoors! Throughout last week, the children watched the transition from fall to the early stages of winter. With so many leaves on the ground, the children could work with them in ways that they haven't been able to before because the leaves were on the trees! They loved raking, throwing, running, jumping, stringing, crunching and kicking leaves.
The week reminded me of a quote that I love:
“Children deserve to grow and learn in a place and alongside a force that is as wild and alive as they are.”
- Nicolette Sowder.
Just like this quote, all of our children are learning and growing, and it is stunning to watch and to remember how far they’ve come since the beginning of the school year.
|
|
November Cultural Celebrations:
Day of the Dead & Diwali
Marilyn Faralli, Primary (3-6) Lead Teacher
At the beginning of November, we talked about Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Celebrated in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage in other parts of the world, this holiday honors loved ones who have passed away. During this colorful celebration of life, one tradition is to enjoy favorite foods and drinks of the person being honored. Beautiful flowers, photographs and decorative sugar skulls (calaveras) are arranged on altars called ofrendas during this holiday. In our classroom, we stenciled skulls and colored them. As we discussed this special celebration, many children mentioned pets in their lives that have died. For some of us, pets have been our only experience with loss. This is often how young children first begin to process and understand the abstract concept of death.
We also talked about Diwali, a festival of lights that started on November 4. We created our own rangoli art outside of the classroom door using colored chalk. Rangoli are beautiful designs created to welcome good luck and prosperity. We talked about what it means for something to be "symmetrical" as we chose colors for each side of our design (outlined by Art Teacher Laurie Muhlbauer). In addition to light, the holiday also includes beautiful flowers, gifts, delicious food and treats, fireworks, money, lanterns and celebrations with family and friends. We made our own diya lamps, which symbolize goodness and purity, good luck and the ridding of evil.
|
|
Lower Elementary (6-9) Program |
|
|
|
Celebrations, Science and More
Melissa Sugzdinis, Lower Elementary (6-9) Lead Teacher
Last week was a busy one! We had daily math and language lessons, then spent our afternoons learning about holidays around the world. On Tuesday, we learned about the Mexican holiday of Las Posadas and heard the story of the poinsettia. Then on Thursday we traveled to Germany to learn about St. Nicholas Day. With the help of our families, our cultural unit on holidays around the world will also include Saint Lucia Day in Sweden, Hanukkah in Israel, Eid al-Fitr in the Middle East and Africa, Kwanzaa in the U.S. and Canada, and Christmas traditions in a number of countries.
We rounded out the week with Science Friday. We took the scientific method further with several experiments around solids, liquids and gases; introducing concepts like variable and control. Do each of these states of matter keep the same size and shape when moved to another container? What happens when you apply or take away heat? How did our experiments prove that solids, liquids, and gases take up space? How did our experiments show that solids, liquids, and gases all maintain their size and shape regardless of container, or did they show that the size and shape change?
|
|
Virtual Field Trips
Allie Colflesh, 9-12 Lead Teacher
While we still aren't taking regular field trips, students in the 9-12 Program we able to virtually travel to Minnesota and Alaska during the past month:
On November 23, we "traveled" to the International Wolf Center in northern Minnesota. We attended a presentation on Arctic wolves and got to meet the ambassador wolves at the center. We learned about the important role of wolves in the Arctic ecosystem. This trip allowed us to gain knowledge about the wolf characters in the book Julie's Wolf Pack, which we read during our book club. We learned our instructor developed her love of wolves after reading the Julie trilogy!
Last week, we went on a virtual field trip to the Anchorage Museum in Alaska. This presentation taught us about animal and human adaptations to extreme cold as we wrapped up our last book club session for Julie's Wolf Pack. Fun fact: you can fit 264 Delawares into the state of Alaska!
|
|
Middle-Schoolers in Business
Entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of the Montessori middle school “education for life” curriculum, and this year's Middle School class is eagerly pursuing several business ideas.
Prior to the pandemic, our middle-schoolers came up with the idea of opening a WMS coffee shop - they spoke to experts, calculated expenses, and surveyed families and staff on what they would be willing to pay for coffee. While COVID-19 stopped their progress, this year's class is ready to pick up where they left off. They recently held taste tests for staff and parents, and they are preparing to make their coffee available for purchase in the morning car line sometime after Winter Break.
The Middle School class has also opened a holiday shop. After learning to use the GlowForge laser cutter in the Maker Studio, students designed several holiday decorations and key chains and are currently taking orders from staff and families.
|
|
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 © 2021. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
