October 14 & 15
Toddler Parent Conferences
Classes continue as usual.
October 21
Virtual Admissions Open House
Noon
November 2
2021-22 Financial Aid Application Opens
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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 2:30-7 p.m.)
Wednesday, October 14
- Gunning Bedford Middle School
- Drew Education Support Center (walk-up)
Thursday, October 15
- Middletown High School
- William Penn High School
Friday, October 16
- Seeds of Greatness Church
- Wilmington University Athletic Complex
Saturday, October 17
- Las Americas Aspira Academy
(Please visit this page to confirm that there have been no changes to the schedule above before going to your testing location.)
Communication About COVID-19 Cases Within the WMS Community: How Does It Work?
WMS partners with the Delaware Division of Public Health to communicate with the school community about COVID-19 information and health/safety information. If we become aware of a COVID-19 case among our students or staff, the following steps will occur:
- Nurse Kathy (our COVID Coordinator) will contact the Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology within the Division of Public Health (DPH) at 1-888-295-5156 and report the case. (If the DPH learns of the school-related positive case first, they will contact the school nurse.)
- As WMS waits for a response from the DPH, students and staff in the affected classroom will be notified of the case and any immediate actions being taken. The identity of the student or staff member involved will not be shared.
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In addition, all WMS families and staff will receive notification from the school that there has been a case within the community. (Note: As stated above, families of students in the affected room will receive a separate additional notification. If you do not receive a classroom-specific message, the case was not in your child’s room.)
- The Division of Public Health will assign an epidemiologist to perform the investigation. They will work with the school nurse and the positive individual to identify any close contacts that need to be quarantined.
- Important: Every situation is different and may require different actions taken by the school. These actions will be determined through information gathered through the interview process conducted by the DPH and Nurse Kathy.
- Close contacts will be notified and provided with further information from the DPH regarding the need to quarantine, advice on testing and any other actions that should be taken.
- As the DPH’s investigation progresses, additional information will be shared with the impacted classroom, along with plans to return to the affected classrooms (if a closure is required).
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Please know that we are committed to providing accurate and timely information to our families. Our timing is based on the timing of the DPH’s response and investigation. Through the DPH’s investigation, it is possible that previously announced plans and information may change. We will communicate any changes with those impacted and appreciate your flexibility, as always.
- As always, questions can be directed to Nurse Kathy, Lisa or Sarah.
Click here for more information about WMS’s planned response to COVID-19 cases within our community.
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Magnus Reminder for K-8 Families |
With the increased time spent outdoors this school year, we have added an additional requirement to the Magnus Health System. The new form is for all of our kindergarten through eighth-grade students. This will give permission for the students to self-apply sunscreen and insect repellent under the supervision of a teacher.
Please complete this additional requirement as soon as possible. This form is mandatory, and you will continue to receive reminders from Magnus until it is submitted.
If you give permission, please send in each labeled with your child's name for individual use.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Nurse Kathy.
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"Today we read the book 'The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.' This was a fun and interactive Halloween book where the children were able to do some movement activities using their gross motor skills. Together, they clomped, shook, wiggled, clapped, nodded and said, "Boo!" It was great watching them anticipate what that next action would be. They also spent time painting mini pumpkins. They loved covering their whole pumpkin in paint!"
-Hillary McDonald, Room 3 Lead Teacher
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"The weather is beginning to get cooler, and we are savoring these sun-filled days outside. The students painted, used dot markers, and explored. Several students found small rocks, so we counted to see how many we could find. We got up to 15 before they had all moved on. Practical life exercises, especially caring for their classroom, are extremely popular with the children as they swept, dried, threw away and put away items to make their environment as organized as possible."
-Leanne Callaway, Room 4 Lead Teacher
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"This week, we shared a story about a child who is searching for 'A Little Red House with No Windows and No Doors and a Star Inside.' The child first meets a pig, cow and horse. He asks for their help, but each one says they have never heard of it. Finally, he meets a cat in an apple tree. The cat hands him an apple and when he cuts it open, he realizes there is a star inside! We recreated the story on the stage in the woods. Next time you slice an apple, cut it horizontally to see the star.
We also explored the woods again, this time looking for worms. Many children enjoyed skipping or throwing rocks into the creek. We found worms by the stage under rocks and even more on the pod playground. We created a 'worm farm' using sand and soil. We put layers of both in a clear bottle in hopes to see where the worms move to through the soil. We are looking forward to observing it in the days to come."
- Jocelyn Hall, Room 17 Lead Teacher
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"Care of the environment is an important grace and courtesy practical life skill in a Montessori school. The 'environment' refers to our indoor classroom, outdoor spaces, our school community and beyond. Room 19 participated in the Nature Conservancy's virtual watershed clean-up! Our creeks and streams are a magical part of our woods. When you get there, it looks so clean at first glance. Once we started to rock hop our way along the banks, we discovered a great deal of trash! Teachers took care of sharp objects and glass while our younger friends helped to find plastic trash.
When we came back to the classroom, the kindergarten students made 'trash graphs.' They sorted and counted the trash to create a bar graph. We found the most glass and the least amount of metal. Our most interesting piece of trash was an old rearview mirror repair kit still in the original packaging. We heard the elementary students found partial wooden steps and, ironically, a large recycling bin!"
- Erin Wehler, Room 19 Lead Teacher
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Lower Elementary (6-9) Program |
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Great Lessons & Hands-on Experiments
"In October, we begin presenting Montessori's Great Lessons. These lessons tell the story of the timeline of everything that has come before us: the beginnings of the universe and solar system, the evolution of life on Earth, early human development, and the progression of language and number systems.
We begin, as with many Montessori concepts, with hands-on experiences for the children to draw from as they listen to these stories. Through the experimental method, children are developing and testing hypotheses about sinking and floating, magnetism and states of matter. These simple experiments help children begin to think more critically as they wonder about familiar concepts:
If my hypothesis is that light things float, why doesn't a heavy boat sink?
What makes some metal stick to a magnet but others not?
And then these experiments help children develop a set of common experiences to draw from as they explore more abstract ideas. Rain, for example, is the condensation of water molecules that come together like a magnet to metal and then become dense enough where they can no longer float in the air. Volcanoes erupt when solid rock is heated to high enough temperatures and pressure that it becomes a liquid. Children have a natural sense of wonder and need for exploration; through experiments, so many complex ideas become within their young mind's grasp."
- Lead 6-9 Teachers Melissa Connelly and Carol Lettich
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Upper Elementary (9-12) Program |
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As seen on Bloomz - Student Posts
This year, 9-12 students are sharing their favorite work with their families each week. Here are a few highlights from the past month, in their own words:
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Peace is with us.
Hi, this is my peace writing. I am very happy that I get to show it to you. It says that we are all peacemakers, and that is quite true. We enjoy school, and we are happy to be here!
-Olivia, Age 9
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Mapping the WMS Campus
I am very proud of my map and how it turned out. I think for a first draft it looks very good.
-John, Age 11
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Escape Room - Math
This week, I worked on an escape room for math, which consists of math problems. Once you get all the answers right you will get the final code and ESCAPE.
We needed to save summer break from an evil cat named Kevin. He does not want children invading his favorite places. He has negotiated with schools and has convinced them that they need to stop summer break. Kevin must be stopped.
We faced challenges along the way like order of operations, volumes, areas, multiplication, division, algebra, addition, subtraction, exponents, AAH! But we pushed through and saved summer from the evil cat Kevin.
Not today Kevin, not today.
-Max, Age 11
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We are learning about different Spanish countries for Hispanic Heritage Month! My country that I am studying is Costa Rica. This is the start of my poster!
-Vivian, Age 10
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Montessori Model United Nations Research Continues |
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Our Middle School students (as well as sixth-graders in the 9-12 Program) have been hard at work preparing for February's virtual Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN). After presenting their summer work (research on general aspects of the UN), the students have selected their countries (Iraq and Pakistan) and topics, which include:
- Cybersecurity
- Reduction of military budgets
- Climate change
- Disaster risk
- Distribution of fake medicine
- Election legitimacy
Now, they are beginning research to identify their country’s perspective on issues related to their committee's topic. This will prepare them to take on ambassadorial roles, developing a position in order to address their country’s needs and writing a paper explaining their position.
We look forward to continuing to share their progress as they prepare for February!
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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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