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W E D N E S D A Y W E E K L Y
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In this Issue
Today's Leaders:
Early Childhood students embrace earth science during Earth Week
Upcoming Events
April 25
Hispanic Cultural Fair
1 p.m.
Great Room
May 2
Middle School Maker Morning
7:15-8 a.m.
Elementary/Middle School Maker Studio
May 3
May 7
May 6-24
Student Art Show
WMS lobby
May 9
9:30 a.m. - Dress Rehearsal
7 p.m. - Performance
Gym
May 13
Twin Poets Performance
6 p.m.
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 Hispanic Cultural Fair
Message from Assistant Head of School Laurie Orsic
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Assistant Head of School Laurie Orsic |
This week, I randomly caught a testimonial featuring Yo-Yo Ma, the famed cellist, on "
PBS News Hour"
and was so glad I did. Here are a few excerpts:
"Food, art, science, storytelling, they all help us to understand ourselves, each other, and our environment, through head and heart. This is culture."
"Culture tells a story that's about us, about our neighbors, about our country, our planet, our universe, a story that brings all of us together as a species."
I have been thinking about Ma's words ever since; he holds so much faith in the strength derived from learning more about our individual and collective stories.
On Thursday, April 25, Spanish teacher Ana Brown and the 9-12 students will be hosting the Hispanic Cultural Fair. Approximately, 460 million people living across the globe are native Spanish speakers. The 9-12 students have been researching six different Spanish-speaking countries, located on three continents - Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile,
España
and Equatorial Guinea. The fair will be the students' opportunity to share with their WMS schoolmates all they have learned about various Hispanic cultures - how they are the same and how they are different.
As Yo-Yo Ma knows so well, besides learning to speak other languages, one must also acquire an understanding of other cultures - their history, their way of life, their cuisine, their arts and so on - to capture the remarkable richness and variation that exists within the human family.
On Thursday, the 9-12 students will be ready to describe more about the world in which they live - its languages, its cultures and, of course - its miraculous stories.
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News & Notes
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Auction Fire Sale - This Week Only!
You can still help support our annual auction fundraiser by bidding in this week's fire sale in the WMS lobby. Many items start at 50% of their original minimum bid (or lower)!
Don't miss out on great deals on items including:
- A comic book basket
- Morning with Maintenance
- VIP seating for the 2019-20 3-6 and 6-9 concerts, and the 9-12 talent show and musical
- A one-week winter stay at a house in the Poconos
- A Girl Scouts cookie and bath basket
- Original artwork from our WMS classrooms
Tables close on Friday, April 26, at 6 p.m. Don't forget to stop by!
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WMS Middle-Schooler Samantha Russell to Compete in National Bowling Championships
Congratulations to middle-schooler Samantha Russell (pictured on far right), who qualified to compete in the Junior Gold Championships - an annual national tournament for the top U.S. male and female youth bowlers - in Detroit this summer. Samantha, who bowls weekly in the Price Lanes Youth Bowling league at Bowlero in Wilmington, is one of five qualifying youth bowlers (and the only female youth bowler) from her home alley.
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Today's Learners
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Early Childhood Students Embrace
Earth Science During Earth Week
This week during Earth Week, students across all levels are focusing on the different ways they can better care for and respect our planet, including minimizing waste and cleaning up the school grounds. At the Toddler and Primary level, many classrooms are embracing Earth Week as an opportunity to further explore earth science.
- Room 19 and kindergarten students are learning the dirt on dirt! They will learn about the different layers of soil - humus, organic topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock - and cook up (and eat!) their own dirt samples using crushed Oreo cookies, gummy worms, chocolate pudding and crushed waffle cones.
- Room 6 students began work last week on a classroom compost bin. They will be composting leftover organic waste from lunch and snack times and using the compost the help feed the soil in the outdoor gardens. Toddlers first tore and cut up brown or dry matter such as egg cartons, paper towel rolls and egg shells to help speed up compost decomposition. Then they began mixing fresh or green matter, such as fruit scraps, coffee grounds and soil, into the compost bin. They have also been collecting rainwater in a bucket to pour over the compost. Room 6's compost bin is open to all classrooms for organic waste contributions.
- On Thursday, Room 4 students will kick off their annual Earth Week gardening project. Using child-size gardening tools, toddlers will plant wildflower and herb seeds and seedlings into containers they fill with soil. Students have been learning about the life cycle of plants and what plants need to grow leading up to their gardening day. Over the summer, toddlers will water the garden and harvest any fruit or vegetables that grow.
- In the Primary Maker Studio, students have been learning about the importance of trees - how we use them, how they give us oxygen to breathe and how we give them carbon dioxide. Students also recently planted lima bean and kidney bean seeds in greenhouse seed bags and predicted whether these plants would grow without soil (they did!). They will continue to do gardening work in the Maker Studio courtyard through the end of the school year. If you're inspired to get outside to do some gardening with your children this Earth Week, read these articles STEAM Coach Paula Sharpe recently shared with Primary parents about the benefits of gardening:
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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
[email protected]
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.
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