Thank You for Giving on #GivingTuesday

Thank you to everyone who participated in #GivingTuesday - we received more than 100 donations to the WMS Annual Fund! We know there are many causes worthy of your donations, and we're grateful you chose to support WMS. With your help, we raised nearly $24,000, including a generous matching gift. 

We would especially like to thank our homeroom parents, for leading this initiative and making yesterday our most successful #GivingTuesday yet. A special thanks to our middle school families, who helped the middle school classroom achieve 100% participation in this year's annual fund drive and win a pajama pizza party!

Order Your WMS Gear: the School Store is Open

Stock up on WMS spirit wear just in time for the holidays: the WMS school store is open now through November 30 at midnight. Purchase WMS logo sweatshirts, sweatpants, flannel pants, fleece jackets and more. Spirit wear is only available for purchase online, and the store opens for limited periods throughout the year. If you have any questions, please contact Lori Oberly or email [email protected].

This article is the first in a series about how WMS is helping children across all age levels become more independent.

	Watch the toddler coat flip

Fostering Independence Among Toddlers

by Toddler lead teacher Hillary McDonald

In the Toddler rooms, we are working on independence. We are introducing the children to many skills that allow them to care for themselves.  One example is the "coat flip." As the weather is getting colder, we have begun to incorporate this skill into our daily routine. We see another example during snack time, when children are encouraged to pour their own water. At this level, the children are capable of so much. From retrieving their own work mats and gathering their own materials to cleaning up their space by themselves, the children learn to be independent.  

For more information on how to foster independence with your child at home, read this article from LePort Montessori. 

Introducing WMS's Eco-Student Council

Tuesday, November 20, marked the inaugural meeting of WMS's newly minted Eco-Student Council - a group of 10 elementary and middle school students, six faculty members and one parent leading WMS's commitment to sustainability, reducing energy costs and protecting the environment. Forming the  Eco-Student Council marks a step toward fully implementing the National Wildlife Federation's Eco-Schools USA program at WMS. 

Depending on their age level, council members were selected by nomination by their peers, volunteering to serve (with support from their peers) or having their names drawn from a pool of interested candidates. The council will meet monthly to discuss ways our school can reduce waste and energy use, seek input from their classmates about what initiatives they would most like to pursue and work to ensure 100% participation in the projects they put into place.

Stay tuned to the Wednesday Weekly for updates about the Eco-Student Council's activities and progress throughout the school year.

WMS has been part of the National Wildlife Federation's Eco-Schools program since 2014, is a member of the Delaware Pathways to Green Schools program and was named a 2016 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School.

Please join the WMS community, family and friends of former WMS Toddler teacher Jane Miner to dedicate a tree in her memory next Saturday, December 8, at 11 a.m. at the WMS Toddler playground. 

Jane taught at WMS for 26 years, where she created a beautiful environment in her classroom for our youngest students and served as a mentor for many of our newer toddler teachers. She was a dear friend to many in the WMS community.

Every October, the sixth-grade class travels to New York City to attend the annual GCAP conference - a four-day academic conference at the United Nations for Montessori students across the United States and from other countries. Read sixth-grader Maya Connelly's summary of the GCAP experience below.

What is GCAP?

by Maya Connelly, sixth grade

Do you know what GCAP is? I am guessing you don't. GCAP stands for Global Citizenship Action Project. Every year the sixth graders go to GCAP in New York City. We go for three nights and four days. All day we went to meetings about different issues in other countries around the world. After we heard all of the presentations we voted on which organization we should raise money for. This year we are doing Save the Rain. In the past the sixth graders also chose Save the Rain. They had all of the kids walk around the room and carry a bucket of water so they get to feel what the people in Africa feel. We also sell bracelets to raise money for making big jugs that hold and collect rain water.

After a day of meetings it's night time. At night we do amazing things like go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. We also go to a Broadway show! This year we went to "Frozen." It was so much fun. The special effects were incredible. We even got our playbooks signed by the actors.

We also visited a mission. This year we visited South Sudan. We talked to the ambassador of South Sudan. We also toured the United Nations. We went through a real meeting. It was really interesting; everyone was talking in a different language and talking about changes they could make so all of the countries benefit. GCAP is so much fun, I could do it every year. New York is amazing and so is GCAP.

For more about the sixth-graders' trip to the GCAP conference in New York, including the UN mission they visited (South Sudan), the NGO presentations they attended, hotel and food reviews, and more, visit the sixth-grade blog, Today's Bloggers, Tomorrow's Writers.