WMS Wednesday Weekly - July 6, 2022

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY

July 6, 2022

What are you doing this summer?

When I became a teacher, my father (and so many others) thought I struck gold because “teachers don’t work during the summer.” That is the misconception that so many people have. Teachers spend their summers taking some well-deserved time off, enjoying their families and friends, traveling, catching up on all of the things that didn’t get done during the school year and yes, working. Typically, summer work for teachers looks a bit different than their work in the classroom with children. Summer is an opportunity to expand their knowledge, plan lessons and classroom spaces, and collaborate with other educational professionals both inside and outside of WMS.

This summer at WMS, teachers and staff are participating in several professional development opportunities. Two staff members are attending the National Diversity Practitioners Institute, bringing back skills that further WMS’s commitment to expanding our practice in the areas of diversity, equity and belonging. Teachers are participating in courses about managing emotions in time of stress, effective reading practices, cognitive neuroscience and learning more about the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) that our sixth- through eighth-grade students participate in each year.

In other words, our teachers and staff are continuing to learn in order to bring the best educational opportunities to WMS. Our goal is to be the best teachers and people we can possibly be. We are committed to continuing to learn how to support children academically, socially and emotionally. Each year we examine our practices and consider the areas in which we need to grow. It is that pursuit of growth, learning and refining our practices that leads us to learning opportunities throughout the year, including the summer months. Learning is a lifelong (and year-long) process. What have you learned this year?

Lisa A. Lalama

Head of School

NEWS & NOTES

Virtual Summertime STEAM* Night - Join us on July 20!

New and returning Toddler and Primary students - you are cordially invited to join a virtual summertime STEAM event on Wednesday, July 20 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

WMS STEAM Education Coordinator Paula Sharpe and Instructional Support/Extended Day Teacher Trish Harkins will begin by introducing returning WMS students to newly enrolled students. Next, Paula and Trish will share a read-aloud called The Deep Blue Sea by Audrey Wood. Storytime will be followed by a color scavenger hunt. The event finale will be a quick dance party featuring "Freedom" by Jon Baptiste.

We hope you will join us for an evening of summertime fun!

*STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.

Camp Carline Reminders

Information for Pandas, Kangaroos, Tigers and Meerkats Families

Our camp staff is stationed at the door to our Learning Commons (immediately next to the front entrance) to receive your children. Campers also exit from this door.
Please pull up along the sidewalk at the front of the school. Wait in your vehicle for a staff member to approach and receive your child.
Have your child ready to leave the vehicle when a staff member approaches.
Please note that the area used for carline is a fire lane and should not be used for parking. If you need to enter the building, please move out of the carline once you are able to safely do so, and find a parking space.
For the safety of our campers, please travel slowly through the parking lot and do not reverse or pull in front of another vehicle in the line unless a staff member asks you to do so.

If you have a child in the Turtles Program, along with a child in the preschool or elementary group, please continue to drop off your younger child at the Toddler Entrance (at all times of day) and your older child at Learning Commons entrance. If you pick up your children at normal dismissal time, you may go to the Toddler Entrance and a staff member will escort your older child to that door so you do not have to enter both carlines.

Thank you for helping our carlines move safely and quickly! If you have any questions, please contact camp@wmsde.org!

Camp Spotlight: Tigers "Learn, Grow, Eat & Go" Through Junior Master Gardener Curriculum

Each Tuesday morning this summer, campers in the Tigers Program (entering first or second grade in the fall) are participating in an interactive nutrition, health and gardening program, thanks to the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and the Walmart Foundation 4-H Healthy Habits grant. Through the Junior Master Gardener Curriculum: Learn, Grow, Eat, & Go, campers are learning about nutrient-dense foods, participating in hands-on gardening on the WMS campus, engaging in physical activity, and learning to cook and expand their palates with recipe demos!

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.