Wednesday Weekly - October 28, 2020

This year is a year unlike any other. We all continue to make adjustments in our daily life - at work, school and home. We have tried to open the school to families through Bloomz, social media posts and frequent communications. Hard as we try, we realize that there are many things we do each day that you can’t see. This week, we are going to share a few highlights:

Our hallways are quiet - so quiet. Why? Because our students are in their cohorts and do not travel through our halls. Enrichment teachers, the nurse and other support staff travel to them. (Above: Music teacher BrendaRose Simkin prepares to bring her musical equipment to the 9-12 Program's outdoor classroom.)

Student cohorts remain isolated throughout the day. They may see each other at dismissal, but they each have their own recess spot and outdoor spots, just like they have their own classroom. (Above: A Room 18 student, hard at work in the Courtyard.)

There are velcro dots on the floor to designate waiting spaces at drop-off and pick-up. This reminds children to maintain their distance from others.

(Above: Velcro dots set up in the lobby for Primary pick-up and drop-off.)

Water fountains are turned off. That’s why water bottles are so important. (Above: "Socially distanced" water bottles on the Primary Playground)

There are automatic (touchless) hand sanitizer stations throughout the building that are put to frequent use.

All restrooms in the building are single use.

Important Reminders

Cooler weather has arrived. As the weather gets colder, it is still our goal to be outside as much as possible. Please dress your child for the weather, and feel free to send in extra layers to be kept in the classroom.

As we've shared in previous newsletters, we ask that parents remain in their vehicles during pick-up, until you are needed to help your child into the vehicle. Children will be walked to the cars. Even during after-care, when there are fewer cars coming and going, we ask that you continue to follow this guidance. For the safety of our staff and students, please do not approach the doors or play areas as this can be distracting to the children and makes it difficult to maintain a safe social distance.

Get Tested

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.

Upcoming Events

Registration is not required, but it is recommended. To register, visit delaware.curativeinc.com.

Wednesday, October 28, 2:30-7:30 p.m.

Brandywine High School

Thursday, October 29, 2:30-7:30 p.m.

P.S. DuPont Middle School

Friday, October 30, 2:30-7:30 p.m.

Wilmington University - Brandywine

Saturday, October 31, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Claymont Elementary School

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. Weather-related cancellations are possible.)

CLASSROOM NEWS (as seen on Bloomz!)

Toddler Program

Autumn Leaves and Pumpkin Dissection

"Yesterday, Room 3 had fun making leaves with coffee filters, markers and our spray bottle. The children covered the coffee filters with marker and then sprayed water on them to watch the colors mix together to make beautiful leaves!

Today, we cut open the inside of our pumpkin and each child experienced feeling the insides on their own plate! Many of them said the pulp felt gooey, and they liked touching the seeds. We then talked about things that have pumpkin in them, such as pumpkin pies and soups. Many of them shared that they have picked pumpkins at the farm. This was a fun sensorial experience!"

-Hillary McDonald, Room 3 Lead Teacher

Fall Fun with Paint

Painting with Apples: "The students painted with apples this week. Different types of apples were cut in half, speared with a fork and dipped in a variety of fall colors. Not only is this lots of fun, but it also helps build hand muscles, color recognition, hand and eye coordination, and allow students to compare shapes and sizes."

Painting Pumpkins: "This week's big fun was painting our small pumpkins and gourds. Our classroom is home to many artists for which paint is their medium, and the orange surface of the pumpkins made for a true sensory experience!"

-Leanne Callaway, Room 4 Lead Teacher

Primary (3-6) Program

Butterfly Release

"We are proud to announce that we released two beautiful female butterflies today. After rest time, the second female emerged from its chrysalis, and the children were able to watch it happen. The children were fascinated and took turns looking into the cage. The children used their fingers to pretend that they had a proboscis sucking nectar from a flower. We went outside both times in the rain to release them into our school's certified Monarch Waystation, which is 'a site that provides milkweed, nectar sources and shelter needed to sustain Monarch butterflies as they migrate through North America.' "

- Betsy Haas, Room 18 Lead Teacher

What's in a Name?

"Recently, we have been talking about the importance of names and how your name is a meaningful part of your identity. Coincidentally, we just welcomed a new fish into our classroom who happens to need a name. After spending a few days getting to know our fish friend, they picked names that they felt suited our fish. We are also discussing potential names for our favorite part of the woods. Last week, we spent time in the the creek and used our senses to find a name for our beloved spot. In the coming week we are going to hold an election. First, we are going to vote on the name of our new fish. Will it be Swimmy? Will it be Watery? We will then decide on a name for the creek, which has given us some creative inspiration. There is a long list to narrow down, and we will be casting our ballots next week for an official decision."

- Marilyn Faralli, Room 20 Lead Teacher

Lower Elementary (6-9) Program

Integrating Literacy into Outdoor Learning

"This year has offered such an opportunity to learn how to integrate the outdoors into our learning in so many ways... After all, it's hard to ignore the praying mantis, flying hawk, passing cloud, wind in the trees, even a snake or the beautiful leaves that fall right beside us as we enjoy a read-aloud together outside.

This has become our material for grammar studies. What nouns, adjectives and verbs are happening right now in our environment? If we were to use words to describe a spider or snake, do we want to use adjectives and verbs that make our audience shudder, descriptive words like a scientist would use, or words that would make us want to adopt a nice spider or snake as a pet? We will be adopting the stream area of our woods as a class and have been given the task of naming this area for the school. What nouns, adjectives and verbs would capture all that we love about this area? This will help guide our thinking as we brainstorm some ideas for the perfect name for one of our favorite areas on campus."

- Lead 6-9 Teachers Melissa Connelly and Carol Lettich

Upper Elementary (9-12) Program

Language & Reading Activities

by Lead 9-12 Teacher Allie Colflesh

Word Study

"We have been learning the parts of speech in word study over these past few weeks. We are working with adjectives. Today, we played Apples to Apples and connected the green cards as adjectives and red cards as nouns. We discussed the "wife's tale" that the cards you win are supposed to describe you. Some of us agreed... and some of us did NOT!"

Book Club - Character Comparisons

"The students came together to talk about their connections with the characters in the books they are reading for book club (Hatchet for fourth-graders and The Wanderer for grades 5 and 6). We then drew out character traits and evidence from the story."

Middle School Program

Learning about Election Issues

Middle-school students were tasked with creating and facilitating a seminar discussion on an issue that is important to them. They will present facts and information and plan activities to promote healthy discussion. Presentations are scheduled for Friday.

Stock Market Game

Our middle-school students are participating in the Stock Market Game again this year. In the SMG, students learn about the stock market, then research stocks themselves to make selections for their virtual $100,000 portfolios. The winning teams are those that have the highest money-value portfolios at the end of the competition.

Virtual Field Trips

WMS's Middle School Program is known for its expeditionary learning experiences. While students are unable to travel at this time, virtual field trips allow them to speak with experts and experience new places from the comfort of their classroom. This week, the group "visited" the National Museum of the American Indian, where they were able to interact with the presenter using Pear Deck.

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.