Dear Families,

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated to last week's #WMS60reasons Annual Fund Drive!

It was wonderful speaking with so many of you in the lobby as you contributed to this critical fundraising effort and shared the reasons why you love WMS. With your support, we have now raised more than $27,000 toward our 2023-24 Annual Fund goal of $90,000. Your donations will make a difference in the lives of our current and future students by providing financial assistance to families who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford a WMS education, helping to keep our campus up-to-date and beautiful, allowing us to purchase Montessori materials and the latest technology for our classrooms, supporting professional development for teachers and staff, and so much more!

We are still working toward 100% family and staff participation, in order to show foundations and other large donors the commitment of our community. If you haven't given yet, you can do so through our website! For Giving Tuesday, we will be holding a special classroom challenge to reward the room with the highest level of family participation in the Annual Fund - more info coming soon!

With gratitude,

Noel Dietrich

Director of Advancement & Communications

A Message from the 9-12 Class: Faithful Friends Collection Drive to Honor Diane Rineer:

To honor the memory of Diane Rineer, the 9-12 class is running a drive to collect supplies and donations for Faithful Friends. Diane loved animals of all kinds, and her family made a request for donations to Faithful Friends Animal Society. We are happy to be able to do something in her memory that would be meaningful to her. 

• Collection boxes are set up outside your child’s classroom and throughout the school. 
• Donations are being collected now through Friday, November 17.
• The 9-12 class will collect, organize, pack and deliver the donations on November 21. We will volunteer at Faithful Friends on that day in honor of Diane. 
• Visit Bloomz for a wish list or see the posters throughout the school for details!

 Thank you for helping Wilmington Montessori honor a beloved teacher and an ardent animal supporter!

Room 19's Monarch Migration Adventure

Exploring the fascinating world of monarch butterflies is a favorite tradition in WMS early childhood classrooms. In Room 19, this year's butterfly studies culminated in a migration adventure on our campus. Inspired by the discovery of a chrysalis near their classroom, students delved into learning about four stages of metamorphosis, creating dances, art and writing about the monarch life cycle. When the children missed the monarch's emergence the chrysalis, the they asked, "Where did she go?" This sparked a discussion about monarchs' incredible 4,000-mile migration journey to warmer climates in Southern California, Florida and Mexico.

In Spanish class, students connected monarchs to Día de los Muertos, exploring their symbolic role in Mexican culture. Back in the classroom, they created vibrant watercolor monarch masks, setting the stage for a symbolic migration adventure. Last week, the students "flew" from Delaware (located on the blacktop map) to "Mexico" in the WMS woods, stopping at various points along the way. The journey concluded with a restful pause, sipping "nectar" (apple cider) and enjoying "fruit" (apple sauce) to rejuvenate after the long journey.

This immersive experience not only enriched students' knowledge about monarchs, but also created lasting memories on a beautiful fall day at WMS!

Thank you to all of the WMS families who have shared Diwali traditions with our community during the past week!