Spirit Week 2024 - Next Week

As part of next week's 60th anniversary festivities, our 9-12 and Middle School students are hosting Spirit Week! Students (and staff) are encouraged to dress for the following theme days:

Monday, January 29 - Dress-up Day - Wear your most elegant attire or a costume of your choosing! (Halloween guidelines for appropriate costumes apply.)

January 30 - '80s Day - In honor of WMS's third decade, put on some totally tubular '80s attire.

January 31 - WMS Spirit Day & 60th Birthday - Wear your WMS spirit wear or dress in our school colors (navy blue, white & gold)!

February 1 - Dress Like A Teacher Day

February 2 - Pajama Day

Mid-Year Co-op Reminders

As we approach the mid-point of the 2023-24 school year, your family should have completed about 50% of your 25-hour Co-op requirement. With the exception of school-wide events (at which families sign in to mark that they have attended) and designated year-long Co-op jobs (classroom ambassador, board member, etc.), families are responsible for entering their own hours in the FACTS Family Portal. Please contact Debbie at the front desk or by email at co-op@wmsde.org for assistance! Thank you for everything you do to support WMS!

To check your hours or enter new ones:

1. Log into the FACTS Family Portal using WM-DE as the school code and your regular FACTS username and password.
2. Navigate to Family > Family Home > Service Hours. View your service hours (see screenshot below), or click "add" to submit new hours. When you submit hours, do not enter any information into the "Verified By" field - this is for staff use!

Safety Reminder

When entering and exiting the WMS campus, please mindful of the fact that there is a school bus stop on Harvey Road at our intersection.

Please watch for children crossing and pay extra attention as you turn into our school. Thank you!

Play with a Purpose - Room 3 Highlights

At first glance, it might appear that the children in a Toddler classroom spend their days "playing." While the students are undoubtedly having fun with engaging hands-on materials, each activity includes specific learning goals for our youngest students. Here are a few examples from the past week in Room 3 that highlight the intentional learning behind the fun!

Top Row:

First Photo - A child explores work from the Practical Life shelf, using a pincer grasp (an important fine motor skill) to move cloves into a mortar, and then using the pestle to grind them. 

Second Photo - "Baby washing" is a new addition to the many Practical Life activities available in Room 3. Students engage in the entire process of giving the "baby" a bath, from filling a pitcher of water, making soap bubbles, gently washing and drying the baby (while learning to identify various body parts like the belly button and armpits), and cleaning up after the activity (including any spills that occur during the process).

Bottom Row:

Left Photo - During a group Sensory lesson, children pass around a ball that can be expanded and contracted, teaching about the concepts of large and small.

Center and Right Photos - For most of our toddlers, last week marked the first significant snowfall of their lives, bringing about many opportunities for fun and learning! The class read the Caldecott Medal-winning book "The Snowy Day," talked about dressing for cold weather, practiced scientific observation as they described how snow looks and feels, and watched bubbles crystalize on the snow, and of course, had fun playing!

Watch 9-12/Middle School Talent Show - "Get Your Act Together"

At WMS, the 9-12/Middle School Talent Show is more than just a showcase of performances. It's a fully student-led production, from what you see on stage—music choices, performances, choreography, and skit writing—to everything happening behind the scenes—stage crew, backgrounds, props, sound, and lights. Witness the incredible result of their hard work in the video below, and stay tuned for details about our upcoming Primary concert (February 29) and 9-12/Middle School spring musical (May 16).