September 16
Zoom Classroom Visits
Join Paula for a virtual tour of your child's classroom, followed by a brief Q&A session.
Room 18 - 9 a.m.
Room 22/24 - 9:30 a.m.
(Zoom links will be shared on Bloomz)
September 21
Zoom Classroom Visits
Join Paula for a virtual tour of your child's classroom, followed by a brief Q&A session.
Room 3 - 9:30 a.m.
(Zoom link will be shared on Bloomz)
September 29
Virtual Admissions Open House
Noon
Deadline to Submit COVID Test Results (Test on or after September 22)
Results must be sent to nurse@wmsde.org by noon for your child to attend school on September 30.
October 6
Virtual Admissions Open House
5 p.m.
October 8 & 11
Parent Conferences - No school
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Emergency Alert System Test - Friday at 6:30 p.m.
WMS will test its emergency communication system (Blackboard Connect) this Friday, September 17, at 6:30 p.m.
Blackboard Connect is used to alert parents and staff of unexpected school closings/delays and to relay other emergency information. The notifications you receive will be based on your selections when you filled out your Emergency Alert Preferences in the Magnus Health System - options include phone calls, emails and text messages.
Please take note of whether you received test messages at all your designated email addresses and phone numbers. If you do not receive these notifications on Friday, please email alert@wmsde.org.
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Required COVID-19 Testing: Results Due Wednesday, September 29 at Noon
WMS requires ongoing testing for students and staff, regardless of vaccination status. We are currently requiring testing every other week. We are still awaiting further information about hosting onsite COVID testing through a state program for schools. We will share details about this as soon as it is available.
All students and staff must submit their negative COVID-19 test results (from a test taken on or after September 22) by noon on Wednesday, September 29. Results should be emailed to nurse@wmsde.org as soon as they become available. If you are sending a screenshot, please include the date tested.
Due to high volume, some testing locations are taking three or more days to process results. Please plan to test early in the testing window.
Important: All tests must be conducted on-site at a testing location - no at-home test results will be accepted. Please understand that if no results are forwarded to the nurse, your child will not be permitted to attend school on Thursday, September 30. If your results are forwarded after noon on the due date, you may experience a delay in drop-off the next morning. A last-minute result may delay or prevent your child from attending school; time must be allowed for communication to the staff members conducting screenings in the car line.
As always, you are still welcome to have your child tested more frequently and may forward the results to nurse@wmsde.org.
Click here to find Delaware Curative testing locations near WMS.
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CLASSROOM NEWS - As seen on Bloomz
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There are exciting things happening throughout WMS, at all age levels! Each month, we share classroom news highlights from one class per program level! Enjoy reading about what our students have been up to during the first two weeks of school. |
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Bug Hunting in the Outdoor Classroom - Room 5
by Kira Stauffer, Room 5 Lead Teacher
This week, we had so much fun looking for and exploring insects! We went on a bug hunt and found a daddy long legs. We put it in a bug catcher and observed it for a bit before releasing it back to its home! We also found some ants and their larva. On Friday, we found two beetles, and then when we came inside, some students made bug houses out of hair rollers. It has been so exciting to watch everyone explore our outdoor classroom and bring that exploration inside!
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Normalizing the Primary Classroom
by Erin Winner, Room 17 Lead Teacher
In Montessori, we often refer to the "first six weeks" because this is (roughly) the amount of time it takes for a classroom to become "normalized." Normalization occurs when the children have developed the autonomy to choose and complete work, concentrate, and follow the rules and routines of the classroom.
The children are already settling into their daily routines and learning to navigate the classroom with more independence. The first few weeks of school involve lots of repetition and opportunities to practice the foundational skills that will be needed throughout the year. For example, we practice raising our hand and waiting for a turn to talk at circle, carefully walking around a work rug, and cleaning up one activity before moving on to the next. All of these things will help our classroom to run smoothly in the coming months.
We also help the children understand that all of our rules are based on mutual respect. We raise our hand to talk so that we do not "bump words" with others, which allows everyone to have their voice heard. We are careful around the work of others because we respect the time and effort they put into it. We clean up after ourselves because the classroom is a shared space, and we are all responsible for its care. In addition to these important lessons, we are also learning about one another and building relationships within our community.
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Lower Elementary (6-9) Program |
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Getting Into the Groove in Room 22
by Melissa Connelly, Room 22 Lead Teacher
We're getting into the groove this week! With the introduction of work time and specials classes, the children are beginning to understand the rhythm, routines and expectations of the day. We've begun official "work time," where children are given a work plan with a list of tasks to complete before earning choice time. We begin with very achievable tasks, knowing that the learning this week is more about learning how to work than gaining new academic content. As the children learn where to find the materials, where they sit and whom they sit near in order to learn best, when a teacher is available to answer a question and when she is attending to another student, and when to expect snack, lunch and recess, we are assessing the children. In addition to beginning formal, individual assessments in reading, writing, spelling and math, we are watching the children and learning about how they think, work and handle feedback. How much stamina does each child have? How do they handle assignments that are too easy, too hard, or just right? What will be the optimal seating to allow community, leadership and concentration to occur?
At the same time, we're continuing to build our community through a combination of discussions around emotions and cooperative activities. What does each of us look like when our emotional "balloons" are full? How can we calm ourselves and support each other when someone is having a difficult day? What are our strengths and goals inside and outside of the classroom, who can be our resources as we look to grow in these areas, and what will we each need to put in to make these dreams come true? Finally, we are beginning to work together on iMovies to introduce each other to the class... stay tuned for our movie premieres!
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Upper Elementary (9-12) Program |
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What are the 9-12 students looking forward to this year?
Last week on Bloomz, some of our 9-12 students shared what they are most looking forward to this school year:
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"I am super excited about Word Study because it is so fun and exciting. We learn about words and phrases. We also learn about verbs, adjectives, and nouns."
-Ginger, 5th grade
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"I am super excited to start math because I love love love math. I am so excited to be working with Mandy [WMS's lead middle-school teacher, who works with fifth and sixth-graders on math] and learning pre-algebra and algebra."
-Keira, 5th Grade
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"I’m most excited for PE because it’s so fun. I love PE because it’s fun to play some fun sports with my friends."
- Morgan, 4th grade
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Middle School Partnership with Hockessin Montessori School
WMS's Middle School Program offers students opportunities to grow, learn more about themselves and explore their interests in ways that may not exist for them again until they are in college or beyond. This year, we are partnering with Hockessin Montessori School's middle school to broaden our students' peer group and offer even more opportunities to our oldest students.
This partnership will allow us to expand programs such as expeditionary learning trips, community service projects, the Montessori Model UN program and National History Day. In addition, the two groups will collaborate for Spanish class, Council (a community-building program led by Cristin Lettich, WMS's Curriculum & Instruction Coordinator) and Life Sports, a physical education program that will explore a variety of activities, beginning with CrossFit.
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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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