Student Portraits - October 12 & 13 |
We are excited to share that Ann Deas Photography will be returning to WMS on October 12 and 13 to take student portraits.
Photos will be taken outdoors, with the photographer maintaining a six-foot distance from the students. Due to COVID-19 protocols, individual portraits will be combined by the photographer to create composites for each classroom, to be ordered in lieu of class pictures. After the photos are processed, parents will be provided with a link to view proofs and purchase photos directly through the website.
Watch Bloomz later this week to find out which day your child's class will be photographed.
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Morning Drop-off - The Importance of Being On Time
Get your child's day off to a good start by arriving on time for school each morning!
By arriving on time, you are helping your child make a smoother transition into the school day - it can be a bit unsettling for a child to arrive after their classmates have begun work or morning meeting.
The drop-off schedule can be found below:
Extended Day before-care for Primary, Elementary and Middle School - Great Room Door - 7-8:40 a.m.
Toddlers (including before-care) - Toddler Playground - 7-9 a.m.
Primary (ages 3-6) - Front Door (Main Entrance) - 8:30-8:45 a.m.
Elementary (grades 1-6) - Side Door - 8:20-8:35 a.m.*
Middle School (grades 7 & 8) - Side Door - 7:50-8:05 a.m.*
Please note that staff are assigned to conduct screenings and escort students to class during the designated drop-off hours but will not be immediately available for screenings during late drop-offs due to other responsibilities. If you are arriving late, please remain in your vehicle with your child and call 302-475-0555. A staff member will come to assist you as soon as they are available.
*School starts at 8:30 a.m. for elementary students and 8 a.m. for middle school. While the door remains open for a few extra minutes after these times, students may be marked tardy if they are not in their classrooms by these times.
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Virtual STEAM Night for Early Childhood Students - Wednesday, October 6
Our popular virtual STEAM nights for early childhood students are back! Join STEAM Education Coordinator Paula Sharpe and Instructional Support Teacher Trish Harkins on Wednesday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m. to learn about British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy. Andy is a land artist who uses science, math and engineering in his sculptures. Paula will read a story to the children about his work, and Trish will create some land art. You and your children will learn how to create land art at home and share your artwork with us!
Zoom Meeting ID: 979 676 568
(Use our standard WMS password, available on Bloomz)
Questions? Email Paula or Trish for more information!
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COVID-19 Testing: Next Results Due Today - Next Round Due October 13
WMS requires ongoing testing for students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. We are currently requiring testing every other week.
All students and staff should have submitted their negative COVID-19 test results (from a test taken on or after today, Wednesday, 9/22) by noon today, Wednesday, September 29. If you haven't already done so, please submit yours as soon as possible. Results should be emailed to nurse@wmsde.org as soon as they become available. If you are sending a screenshot, please include the date tested. The next round of tests will be due on Wednesday, October 13.
Due to high volume, some testing locations are taking three or more days to process results. Please plan to test early in the testing window. We highly recommend that you complete your test by the weekend to ensure your results will be on time.
Important: All tests must be conducted on-site at a testing location - no at-home test results will be accepted. Please understand that if no results are forwarded to the nurse, your child will not be permitted to attend school the following day If your results are forwarded after noon on the due date, you may experience a delay in drop-off the next morning. A last-minute result may delay or prevent your child from attending school; time must be allowed for communication to the staff members conducting screenings in the car line.
Upcoming Due Dates:
Wednesday, October 13 (Test on or after 10/6)
We are still awaiting further information about hosting onsite COVID testing. We will share details about this as soon as it is available.
As always, you are still welcome to have your child tested more frequently and may forward the results to nurse@wmsde.org.
Click here to find Delaware Curative testing locations near WMS.
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CLASSROOM NEWS - As Seen on Bloomz |
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First Woods Walk
by Emily Edmonds, Room 3 Lead Teacher
We went on our first woods walk! We carried buckets and collected seeds and leaves along the way. We listened to a lot of birds and even saw three deer (not pictured because they were just as surprised as we were)! Our class made it all the way to the creek where everyone loved tossing rocks into the water.
The children placed any items that made it all the way back to the classroom in our science table for more observation. We look forward to more outdoor adventures in the future.
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U.N. International Day of Peace
by Erin Wehler, Room 19 Lead Teacher
Established in 1981 by the United Nations, the International Day of Peace is celebrated every September 21.
We spent some time last week dedicated to peace. We shared what peace means to each of us and what peace feels like, sounds like and looks like to each of us. We helped the students record their responses onto small white peace doves. See if you can find our peace doves flying around campus during Peace Week Delaware (October 2-10).
The children learned that peace begins with us and peace is in ourselves. In our classrooms, children learn how to make peaceful decisions for themselves and each other throughout their day.
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Lower Elementary (6-9) Program |
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Writer's Workshop
by Melissa Sugzdinis, Room 24 Lead Teacher
Last week, we had our first Writer’s Workshop of the year based on the book -ish by Peter H. Reynolds. The book tells the story of Ramon, a boy who loves to draw. He becomes deterred when someone laughs at his work, but his sister believes his work is quite good and encourages him to keep at it. He might not draw a vase, but it is "vase-ish." His other drawings are "flower-ish," "tree-ish" and "silly-ish."
We talked about how "-ish" is OK in our classroom, too. Students then drew and wrote a story of their own, knowing that if they didn’t draw or write exactly as they wanted, it was OK to be "good-ish."
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Upper Elementary (9-12) Program |
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Meet the Artist Projects
by Allie Colflesh, 9-12 Lead Teacher
The 9-12 students have been working on a project called "Meet the Artist" this fall. This project stems from our summer reading book, Masterpiece by Elise Broach, which focuses on the work of German artist Albrecht Dürer.
We learned about British artist Stephen Wiltshire who draws entire cityscapes from memory after seeing them for 20 minutes or less. We connected this with our summer reading, and the students chose cities around the world to draw from an image. Next, each of the students selected an artist that they would like to research. Not only are they learning about the artist; they are also recreating a piece of their art and will eventually create an original piece in the similar style of art.
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Middle School (7th & 8th Grade) Program |
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Montessori Model United Nations Preparations Begin
It's only September, but our middle-school (and sixth-grade) students are already hard at work, preparing for the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) conference in New York City this February.
Students spent time learning about the United Nations, its history and its role in today's world over the summer. As the school year began, they shared their research with their classmates. This year, students will represent the countries of Malawi, Nigeria and Madagascar. They are beginning research on these countries and will start to consider a variety of issues from the perspective of their selected country. Some of this year's topics include:
- Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons
- Transparency and Confidence-building Measures in Outer Space Activities
- Protection of Global Climate for Present and Future Generations of Humankind
- Ensuring Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable, and Modern Energy for All
- Improving Youth Well-Being and Mental Health
- Green Jobs as an Effective Framework for Sustainable Agriculture
We will continue to share MMUN updates throughout the year! Click here to read more about MMUN and our middle-schoolers' experiences in past years.
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Above: Photos from last year's virtual MMUN conference. Students are looking forward to attending in person this year. |
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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.
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WILMINGTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL
WWW.WMSDE.ORG
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