WMS Wednesday Weekly - January 17, 2024

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY

January 17, 2024

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 17

ADVIS Family Education Webinar -

A Tour Through Your Child's Brain: Development, Technology & Learning

7:30 p.m.

See Bloomz for registration information.

January 18

9-12/Middle School Talent Show

9:30 a.m. - Dress Rehearsal

6 p.m. - Performance

WMS Gym/Auditorium

January 24

Classroom Visit for Rising Upper Elementary (9-12) Families

9 a.m.

RSVP via Bloomz

Classroom Visit for Rising Lower Elementary (6-9) Families

9:30 a.m.

RSVP via Bloomz

February 1

The Journey

Family education - earn 4 hours of co-op!

9 a.m. - Noon

Only five spaces remain - learn more and register here!

Full School Year Calendar

Dr. King and Dr. Montessori's Legacy: Shaping Compassionate Global Citizens

Monday was a day set aside to honor the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His work is so important and has furthered social justice and the work of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. One of the events that people speak about when they remember Dr. King’s life is the 1963 March on Washington. It is there that he shared his vision of all children being equal and people living in peace.

Dr. King and Maria Montessori had a shared vision of peace, service, gratitude and learning to appreciate and understand others. These ideals are integral to all we do at WMS. From the youngest students through Middle School, we focus on those who came before us. We learn from others, their struggles and their accomplishments. We take the time to understand the context of their lives, placing them on a timeline in history while also seeking to understand the challenges that existed during their lifetimes. Our goal, as theirs, is to prepare children for their future, to help them understand that their future is informed by the past. We must take time to learn from others. We must regularly reflect on the humanity of those who have led us this far and to do all that we can to support children as they grow and develop. One of my favorite moments in a classroom discussing previous world leaders and events is when the students ask question after question about why the world "was" so unjust. They easily see the injustice, quickly discerning unfairness and, often, cruelty. Children need the opportunity to struggle with these ideas so that they may become ambassadors for peace and justice, approaching all people in the world as worthy of a life where they can live fully and safely. This is what begins to build human connection, caring, compassion, understanding and ultimately, a peaceful world. We thank Dr. King and Dr. Montessori for their work on behalf of all of humanity.

Lisa A. Lalama

Head of School

NEWS & NOTES

Closure Notifications & Alerts

When there is inclement weather, we always carefully consider the safety of our families and staff when making decisions about closing the school or delaying opening. When these decisions are made, we activate our FACTS Parent Alert system in order to notify our community in a timely manner.

Unfortunately, technology is not perfect, and on Monday evening, as FACTS attempted to implement upgrades to the alert system, schools around the country instead experienced downtime and delays when sending out emergency notifications. Phone, email and text messages that were sent at around 8:30 p.m. instead went out hours later. In the meantime, we worked to upload phone numbers to our old alert system, not knowing if or when the FACTS notifications would go out.

We know this was inconvenient and poor timing, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused to your families. FACTS has assured us that these issues are resolved, and we were successfully able to send out notifications through the system on Tuesday morning and last night.

Please check that you received notifications about today's delay at all of your preferred emails and phone numbers last night. If you did not, please check your FACTS account to make sure you have entered the information in your profile.

If you have questions, please contact alerts@wmsde.org for assistance!

Free Family Education Webinar

Tonight (Wednesday, January 17) at 7:30 p.m.

A Tour Though Your Child's Brain:

Development, Technology & Learning

Presented by Jared Cooney Horvath, Neuroscientist, Author & Educator

Note - WMS purchased access to this webinar series for all of our families. Please see Bloomz for Zoom registration information! Families will receive one hour of co-op for attending.

Webinar Summary

From birth to adulthood, our children undergo many changes which can impact their behavior, cognition and emotions. During this webinar, we will journey through the developing brain and track how it changes across the lifespan (with a special look at the teenage years). Participants will gain a better understanding of why our children act as they do and consider concrete ways to support them cognitively and behaviorally at home. We will explore the impact of technology on development and learning, and we’ll learn three principles of learning to support our children as they study and learn at home. This webinar is for school-age children, grades 1-12. The recording of this webinar will only be available until June 30, 2024.

WMS Book Exchange: Share the Joy of Reading - February 7 & 8

Join us for the inaugural WMS Book Exchange on February 7 and 8! Readers of all ages - children and adults alike - are invited to the Great Room from 8-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. each day to explore various books. This is a fantastic opportunity to exchange literary treasures and discover new stories. In addition to the book exchange, we'll have engaging book-related activities. Be a part of this literary celebration, share your favorite reads, and immerse yourself in the joy of books!

You can donate gently used books of all age ranges until February 1 outside the Learning Commons.

2024-25 Re-enrollment Now Open

Re-enrollment for the 2024-25 school year opened last Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who has already submitted your forms! We look forward to welcoming your family back to WMS for the 2024-25 school year!

Last week, an email from admissions@wmsde.org was sent to your family’s designated FACTS email address (the same email address used for your child’s 2023-24 enrollment packet). This message included instructions for accessing the re-enrollment materials by way of the FACTS Family Portal.

Note: If you did NOT receive this email from FACTS, please check your spam/junk folders and other email addresses the school may have on file for your family. If you are unable to find the message, please contact admissions@wmsde.org for assistance.

If you need assistance with or have questions about re-enrollment, please contact the WMS Admissions office at admissions@wmsde.org or the Business Office at businessoffice@wmsde.org.

This year, the Toddler and Primary Programs were both at capacity. We are projecting waitlists for the 2024-25 school year as well. To ensure your child’s placement for next year, it is important that we receive your re-enrollment contract and non-refundable/non-transferable deposit by the Thursday, February 15, 2023 re-enrollment deadline. After Thursday, February 15, 2024, remaining spaces in our programs will be available to our waiting list of new applicants.

We value your family and plan for your re-enrollment. However, if you are choosing not to re-enroll, we ask that you notify admissions@wmsde.org as soon as possible (or open your child's re-enrollment link and click "Will not enroll") in order to inform our planning for next year.

The Board of Directors, teachers and staff are committed to the families and students at WMS and to making 2024-25 another great school year with your family. Thank you for your trust in and commitment to WMS.

Register for Camp Montessori!

Registration for Camp Montessori 2024 is now open! As many of you will recall from last year, many of our sessions filled to capacity, so we highly recommend signing up as soon as possible! Register for at least five weeks (as a family) by March 31, 2024 to receive a 10% early registration discount.

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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.

For more information, contact Noel Dietrich, Director of Advancement & Communications.

WILMINGTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL