Wednesday Weekly - October 21, 2020

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY

October 21, 2020

Changing Traditions

This past weekend, my family had a wedding. Every family has traditions, and there is no better time to honor them than at a wedding. But, this wedding was different. There were fewer guests than ever for a wedding in our family. First, the couple was told the venue was closed, and they would have to wait and see if they could get married there. Then they were told they could have 250 people... then 100... then 50. The number changed at every turn. After much agonizing, the bride and groom pulled the plug and said they would have 40 people, and that was it! Of course, right before the wedding day, they were told they could go back up to 250. They held firm at 40.

I share this story because it represents the challenges we are facing every day. We think we know what to do only to be told something different and to have that shifted as soon as we think we understand the new rules. If these past several months have taught us anything, it is that change is afoot. We yearn for the way things used to be. We want to know the new “rules” and what we can expect in typical situations. And we can’t. They keep changing. This is happening in our home life, our work life and our school life. It is everyone’s life right now.

Thank you for your willingness to support decisions that are made each day, sometimes multiple times each day, to keep everyone at WMS healthy and safe. We know that it can be challenging to respond to the changes, and we appreciate your concern for the community and your responsiveness to our requests. Just as extended family members who could not be invited to the wedding jumped in and provided cookies for the traditional cookie table and showered the happy couple with well wishes and gifts, you have jumped in and provided support through your kind words and actions letting us know what you can do to help. Please know this is appreciated more than we can say. It is through the strength of our community that we are able to continue to provide the wonderful experience of a WMS education each day. It may look somewhat different on the outside, but continues with all of the hallmarks of a strong Montessori education.

Lisa A. Lalama

Head of School

NEWS & NOTES

Reminders

Thank you for your continued support in helping to keep our community safe. Here are a few reminders:

Communications - As we've shared, we are committed to transparent communications with our families regarding COVID-19. Information and guidelines from the state change regularly, and we remain in close communication with the Office of Child Care Licensing, Division of Public Health and Department of Education. We will share new information as it becomes available. Please be sure to read communications in this section of the Wednesday Weekly, messages from the school and posts on Bloomz to stay up-to-date on the latest guidance.

Masks - Please check the fit of your child's mask regularly - straps can stretch over time, making it difficult to keep the mask over the nose! Also, please be aware that masks with valves are not permitted, even with a filter.

Drop-off Timing - Please do your best to drop your children during our designated drop-off windows. If you are late, please drive to your regular drop-off location, call 302-475-0555 and remain in your vehicle until a staff member comes to screen your child. Please know that if you arrive after our drop-off windows, you will likely have to wait several minutes for your child to be screened, as staff will have moved on with their daily schedules.

Morning Drop-off Schedule:

Primary, Elementary, Middle School Before-Care - 7-8:40 a.m. - Great Room

Toddlers (including before-care) - 7-9 a.m. - Toddler Playground

Primary - Main Entrance - 8:30-8:45 a.m.

Elementary - Side Door - 8:20-8:35 a.m.

Middle School - Side Door - 7:50-8:05 a.m.

COVID-19 Testing Events

WMS is strongly recommends that students are tested for COVID-19 regularly. Results should be sent to Nurse Kathy for your child's health records.

We want to be sure you are aware of the ease of testing at the many State of Delaware-sponsored sites. There is no fee to be tested for Delaware residents. COVID-19 testing is a simple and fast process. The inside of the mouth is swabbed, which is minimally invasive, unlike the nasal swabbing that you may have seen or heard of in the news. Results are available as quickly as 24 hours.

Convenient testing is part of a public health initiative that is providing information regarding the incidence of COVID-19 in the state. It is possible that you or a member of your family may be infected and spreading COVID-19 without showing symptoms. This is particularly true with children. With your cooperation, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Upcoming New Castle County Testing Events

Wednesday, October 21

Eastside Charter (2:30-6 p.m. - walk-up)

Thursday, October 22

Dickinson High School (2:30-7:30 p.m.)

Friday, October 23

Conrad School of Science (2:30-7:30 p.m.)

Saturday, October 10

A.I. Dupont High School (9 a.m. - 3 p.m.)

Full list of upcoming test sites (updated weekly): nccde.org/2011/COVID-19-Resources

(Please visit this page to confirm that there have been no changes to the schedule above before going to your testing location.)

Policies & Procedures

WMS's COVID-19 policies are based on guidelines from the CDC and Delaware's Office of Child Care Licensing. We continue to monitor those sources for information to adjust our policies and practices as needed.

Halloween Information

WMS Halloween Parades

We will be celebrating Halloween with outdoor, socially distanced parades next Thursday.

Unfortunately, we are unable to invite families to this event, but we will make sure there are plenty of photos and video to share!

In order to make the day fun for all of our students, we ask that children's costumes meet the following guidelines:

No weapons of any kind are allowed as part of a costume.
Costumes should not depict blood, guts or gore.
Since we have very young children at our school, please make sure that costumes are not frightening to small children.
Wear cloth or disposable face coverings at all times. Halloween masks are NOT protective enough to be considered face coverings and are not to be worn to school.
Hair color and makeup should be applied at home and not brought to school.
Students should arrive at school in costume.

Please watch Bloomz for classroom-specific information from your child’s teachers!

Mandatory Magnus Form 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 (whether or not you opt into the self-application option for your children), 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.

WMS: Then & Now

This year, school looks extremely different from in the past. We decided to showcase some of these differences using the popular "How it started... How it's going..." social media meme! Watch our Facebook and Instagram accounts for more #howitstartedhowitsgoing examples!

Note: The photos in the first column all show pre-COVID activities.

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.

For more information, contact Noel Dietrich, Director of Advancement & Communications.