December 5
Virtual Admissions Open House
10 a.m.
December 7 & 11
Virtual Classroom Visits
6-9 Visit (for current K families) - 9-9:45 a.m. - Register
9-12 Visit (for current 3rd grade families) - 9-9:45 a.m. - Register
Middle School Visit (for current 6th grade families) - 9-9:45 a.m. - Register
Kindergarten Visit (for current 2nd-year Primary families) - 9:30-10 a.m. - Register
December 15
Virtual Lunch and Learn for Rising Primary Students
Noon
December 23
Child-Care Day
Pre-registered child care available. Sign up by December 14. No drop-ins will be accepted!
December 24-January 1
Winter Break
No school or child care.
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Giving Tuesday Update - Thank You! |
Thank you for your overwhelming support for WMS on Giving Tuesday! With the help of almost 70 donors, we exceeded our $20,000 goal for the day! We are still processing Facebook donations and will announce our final total and classroom Pajama Pretzel Party winner next week.
Note: If you donated through Facebook and did NOT receive a comment (from WMS or Noel) or a "Like" in response to your donation, please forward your receipt to Noel by noon tomorrow so we can ensure that your gift was counted toward your classroom's giving challenge!
Thank you again for all that you do to support WMS!
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Upcoming Admissions Events for Parents of Students Moving to New Program Levels Next Fall |
Virtual Classroom Visits (All Levels) - December 7 or 11
Join us a virtual classroom visit. You can see for yourself what lies ahead for your child. Observe a class in session. See children working and teachers giving lessons. Ask questions about your child’s transition to the next program level. Administrators will be on-hand to answer any questions you might have during the visits.
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6-9 Visit (for current K families) - 9-9:45 a.m. - Register
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9-12 Visit (for current 3rd grade families) - 9-9:45 a.m. - Register
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Middle School Visit (for current 6th grade families) - 9-9:45 a.m. - Register
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Kindergarten Visit (for current 2nd-year Primary families) - 9:30-10 a.m. - Register - Note: This is a new registration link - even if you believe you have already registered for our Virtual Kindergarten Visit, please sign up again.
Enjoy learning about the next step at WMS as a student in our Primary Program. We will share a typical day and highlights in the Primary Program. Learn what to expect in our Primary classrooms and how it’s different from the toddler experience. You will be able to ask questions directly about the program.
For more information about these events, please contact Paula!
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WMS is strongly recommends that students are tested for COVID-19 monthly (unless your child has symptoms or exposure is suspected). Results should be sent to Nurse Kathy for your child's health records.
Upcoming Events (all from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Wednesday, December 2
Thursday, December 3
- Wilmington University Athletic Complex
Friday, December 4
Saturday, December 5
- University of Delaware Star Campus
(Please visit this page to confirm that there have been no changes to the schedule above before going to your testing location.)
Holiday Season Reminders
All of us at WMS thank you for your ongoing support, helping us stay healthy through the holiday season. We know many of you did not celebrate Thanksgiving in the way that you have in the past and we're grateful for your efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the WMS community and beyond.
As we approach winter break, we know that there may be additional opportunities to travel and gather with friends and family. We strongly encourage you to continue to keep the safety of our community in mind as you make your plans.
Please keep in mind the state's ongoing restrictions on indoor gatherings:
- Indoor gatherings in homes must be capped at no more than 10 people.
- Indoor gatherings outside of homes must be limited to 30 percent of the venue's stated fire capacity, up to a cap of 50 people.
We are asking you to follow the guidelines above (or those applicable to your state) and to continue to follow the protocols we follow each day at WMS when you are away from school: hand-washing, wearing appropriately fitting masks, maintaining social distance, and to continue to be tested on a regular basis. We, in turn, will continue to do the same - our staff's monthly testing schedule will continue through the weeks we are away from school on break. When we return from our break, we will continue our routine of health screenings at drop-off, hand-washing, mask wearing, social distancing, increased air circulation and remaining in cohorts.
If you travel to an area with an increased number of COVID-19 cases, we ask that you are tested prior to returning to WMS. We will continue to share testing sites within the state in the Wednesday Weekly, and you can also find them here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Nurse Kathy for assistance.
Thank you again for all you do on behalf of the WMS community. We wish you well in the coming weeks and are happy to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to reach out to Nurse Kathy, Sarah or Lisa.
Drop-off/Pick-up in Severe Weather
So far, we have been relatively lucky in regard to weather during our drop-off and pick-up times. Should there be severe weather (for example, a thunderstorm), it is likely that we will be screening/dismissing one child at a time in order to limit the number of staff members who have to be outdoors. We thank you in advance for your patience!
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Room 3 had fun making animal tracks using sponges in the shapes of different types of animals such as a bear, raccoon, and deer. The children had a great time pressing the sponges into the paint and making their creations. Some of the children got imaginative and gathered sticks pretending to have a campfire in the forest! It was wonderful watching them come together and use their imaginations! We also brought out our wooden sticks during circle time. The children worked with the rhythm sticks to keep a steady beat.
-Hillary McDonald, Room 3 Lead Teacher
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While we loved the sunshine and terrific temperatures earlier in the week before Thanksgiving, the students seamlessly adjusted to being inside when the rain set in. As teachers, we maintain two environments - an outdoor and an indoor classroom) prepared with activities and experiences appropriate for each student. Some lessons, like the large bead bars, are solely an indoor exercise. Others, like spelling, threading or painting, can happen in both classrooms. As we prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday, we began to talk about the special foods we eat during celebrations, and touch on the emotion of gratitude.
-Leanne Callaway, Room 4 Lead Teacher
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Our classroom read variations of a classic story "Stone Soup." The moral of the story is the same in each book. "Stone Soup" is a story about kindness, the value of sharing, and coming together to enjoy a meal everyone contributed to. The soup starts with a simple stone and evolves to a delicious, hearty soup.
After we read the first version of this story, our kind students immediately began to volunteer to bring items in for our own Stone Soup, calling out, "I have carrots at home. I'll bring one carrot."
The Stone Soup was a hit! Thank you to our families for helping us pull everything together and gather ingredients! We were so impressed that most everyone wanted to try it - research shows that children are more likely to try new foods and develop healthier eating habits when they are actively involved in growing and preparing their own food.
Each student enjoyed a cup of soup, if they chose. Here’s the best part - we donated four quarts of our soup to a local soup kitchen fundraiser.
- Erin Wehler, Room 19 Lead Teacher
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In November, we learned about the Indian holiday of Diwali, a festival of lights, that takes place in October or November. Lights are a very important part of Diwali. Small oil lamps called diyas and fireworks are part of the celebration. We made our own diyas out of modeling clay and decorated them with gems, then illuminated them with flameless candles. Their purpose during Diwali is to spread lightness over darkness.
To showcase some of the special clothing worn for this holiday, one child wore a colorful and beautiful dress she wears on Diwali to school. She also crafted her own menu to identify some of the foods and delicious treats that are shared by families during Diwali!
Another student's older brother "Zoomed" into our classroom to tell the story behind Diwali. The children were captivated and had numerous questions afterward.
We also learned about rangoli, which is a traditional art form that originated in India. During Diwali and other special times of year, these colorful designs are created at a threshold of the home and are thought to bring good luck. Traditionally they are created using colored rice, colored sand or flowers. Our class made two rangoli designs: one at our back door using chalk and one made of colored sand.
- Marilyn Faralli, Room 20 Lead Teacher
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Lower Elementary (6-9) Program |
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Election Lessons
We enjoyed learning more about the democratic process in October and November! Our class formed committees to recommend possible names for our school stream before each of our groups held "primary elections" to offer our three favorites for a final vote. During the course of the voting procedure, we talked about the importance of having your own opinion without being pressured to vote or think like others. We voted privately, and it was interesting to overhear when a child whispered, "Which did you vote for?" and the answer was, "I'm not going to share that. It's my personal decision."
After discussing the qualities of a good leader, whether that leader is a parent, teacher, boss or head of government, we had some fun with the election procedure. Which superhero would make a great president? The children came up with endorsements and campaign posters to convince us of their candidate's leadership qualities. It was a big decision with many strong contenders!
- Lead 6-9 Teachers Melissa Connelly and Carol Lettich
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Upper Elementary (9-12) Program |
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Colonial Village
Inspired by the book Hatchet, students in the 9-12 Program spent the week before Thanksgiving break constructing a colonial village in our woods. With adult supervision and lessons, children learned to use axes, saws and other tools to construct their village, including a house, farm, trading post, government building and school. They also built their own campfires and enjoyed s'mores and dressed in colonial garb on the last day of the project.
The students had a wonderful time working together outdoors throughout the week, developed practical life skills and learned about Colonial life through hands-on activities.
- Lead 9-12 Teacher Allie Colflesh
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Discussions |
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Last month, Middle School students spent some time on Zoom with DEI experts/alumni parents Anita Foeman and Nate Terrell, discussing how to have challenging conversations. Students really opened up and shared their experiences and ideas. They were also amazing at self-reflection and shared what they feel they can do to better conversations in our classroom. Some of their takeaways were:
1. Listen to understand, not to respond.
2. Ask questions to deepen your understanding of the person you are speaking with.
3. Engage in meaningful conversation, even when it’s uncomfortable
4. Share personal experiences and feelings.
5. Respect the thoughts and experiences of others, even when you disagree.
6. Sometimes we can agree to disagree, and that’s OK.
7. Avoid using body language that may bring the conversation to a halt (eye rolling, head shaking, etc.).
8. Avoid language that may bring the conversation to a halt.
9. No one wins if arguments start and dialogue becomes hostile.
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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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WWW.WMSDE.ORG
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