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W E D N E S D A Y W E E K L Y
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In this Issue
Upcoming Events
September 27
Flu shots
7:30-9:30 a.m. - adults only
3-5 p.m. - adults and children ages 4 and older
Learning Commons
October 2-3
Student Portraits
October 4
Blood Bank of Delmarva Blood Drive
3-6 p.m.
Gym
October 5
All-Staff Professional Day - No classes/No child care
October 8-12
Toddler Conferences
(all classes in session)
October 11
9:30 a.m. & 5 p.m.
Tell a friend!
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 Light a Candle for Peace
Message from
Head of School Lisa Lalama
Our first whole school assembly each year is in recognition of the
International Day of Peace
. This year we gathered in the WMS gym, welcomed each other to this new school year, had a moment of silence and then sung "Light a Candle for Peace." It is a simple yet meaningful ceremony. You may have noticed a quote painted on the front desk in the lobby from Dr. Montessori that reads, "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education..." which was inspired by leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi. Today, we continue along that path.
This year our Upper Elementary and middle-school students were invited to participate in the Pacem in Terris Youth Peace Art Exhibition at the Delaware Contemporary. Students from several schools created art inspired by their definition of peace. Visitors experience countless definitions of peace. Students described peace as places of quiet, safety, joy and connection. Their work demonstrates an understanding of peace that often eludes adults. Through art, students demonstrated a commitment to the United Nations'
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
, as the "standard of achievement for all people and all nations." This year the theme for the International Day of Peace honors of the anniversary of the adoption of this document.
"It is time all nations and all people live up to the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human race. This year marks the 70th anniversary of that landmark document." -- Secretary-General António Guterres
Though most of the artists do not know a great deal about the UN's Declaration of Human Rights, they know that they want to live in a peaceful world where everyone is treated with respect. This is the work of the human race. As our oldest students discover more about the world and its struggles, we work with all students at WMS as they learn more about how to get along and how to treat each other with the respect and dignity they deserve. It is through these lessons and the lessons that history provides that we all work to establish peace, furthering Dr. Montessori's vision.
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News & Notes
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Last Call for Fall After-School Enrichment Classes
- Hip-hop dance
- Homework club
- Latin and Spanish dance
- LEGO Builders
- Science Explorers
- Soccer
- Spanish Adventure
- Steel drums
- Tumbling
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A Note from Nurse Lisa: Stomach Bug
A mild stomach bug is making the rounds through the school and the general Delaware pediatric population. It's characterized by a low-grade fever (99.4 degrees and up) and nausea or vomiting. If your child exhibits these symptoms and otherwise acts normally, he or she is still too sick to be here. Please keep your child home to prevent passing the virus on to friends whose immune systems may not be so hardy. Thank you!
Lisa Chou, RN, BSN
School Nurse
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Clip Box Tops for WMS - a Message From WMS's Box Top Parent Coordinator
As we're settling ourselves and our children into the routine of another exciting school year, it is a good time to incorporate saving Box Tops into our daily lives. The rewards received from the General Mills company help WMS provide many unique opportunities for our children.
Box Tops are the small squares marked "10 cents" with the logo "Box Tops for Education" on General Mills products. They can be easily removed from the containers. After you remove them, please bring them to school and place them in one of several marked collection containers located in the lobby next to the Lost and Found, on the Co-op bulletin boards and outside of your child's classroom.
We use many products with the Box Tops for our family meals and snacks. Quickly removing these labels and placing them in a collection container at school will be greatly appreciated by all.
Box Top Parent Coordinator
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More Ways to Earn Money for WMS When You Shop
In addition to saving Box Tops, there are other ways to help raise money for WMS through your everyday spending. Here are some of the ways you can earn money for our school:
- Bring in your old shoes
Drop off old shoes in the box inside the lobby entrance (no flip flops, winter boots, cleats or slippers). Visit
Shoebox Recycling
to learn more.
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Collect ink and toner cartridges, cell phones and small electronics
Drop off your unwanted items at the front desk or to Lori Oberly's office. Visit the Funding Factory
for a list of qualifying items.
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Shop at Amazon.com through the WMS website
When you purchase items on Amazon.com using the
WMS link
, at least 6% of your purchase will go to WMS.
Visit the WMS website to learn about more ways to support WMS.
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WMS Students' Artwork Showcased in Youth Peace Art Exhibit
Middle-school art teacher Lisa Surbrook led WMS's participation in the art exhibit at the suggestion of a middle-school parent.
"My daughter, Shannon, had participated in the exhibit a few years ago, so I knew a little bit about it," she said.
Middle-schoolers were challenged to interpret their visions of a peaceful world through art. In art class, they talked about the meaning of peace for them as individuals as well as what it might mean in different cultures. The students then created artwork representative of what peace means to them, and wrote a short description about
their work.
"I was really pleased with the diverse subjects and images that the group came up with," Lisa said. "Starting with the idea of peace was a terrific way to begin our school year."
Upper Elementary students reviewed the book "A Little Peace" by Barbara Kerley, which depicts images of peace from around the world, for inspiration.
"We asked the students, 'What does peace mean to you?'and any thoughts or places that came to mind," said 9-12 lead teacher Allie Colflesh.
Art teacher Laurie Muhlbauer also reviewed various techniques students could employ using pencils, pens and watercolors to illustrate their vision of peace. The class brainstormed ideas about images of peace, and each student created his or her own art piece.
Many students and their families attended a special opening reception on Sunday, September 16, where they viewed their artwork on display along with submissions from more than 500 Delaware youth artists.
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Tomorrow's Leaders
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Sabrina Myoda (WMS '08) Finds Fulfillment on the Farm
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| Sabrina as a sixth-grader in 2008 |
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As a young WMS student, Sabrina Myoda (WMS '08) relished the time she spent outdoors. Her annual visits with her family to Old Fogie Farm and Bed and Breakfast underscored the joy she found in being close to nature, and sparked her interest in farming and horticulture.
"I gardened with my mom forever, and since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, we visited a bed and breakfast that was also a working farm," she said.
Over the years, Sabrina began asking the Old Fogie Farm owners (the Fogies) if she could stay for a week to help tend to the farm crops and care for the animals.
"I begged and begged, and finally they let me come and work for a week for room and board," she said. "And I just loved it"
Following her graduation from WMS in 2008, Sabrina attended Springer Middle School for a year before landing at Tall Oaks Classical School, then located in New Castle, Del. (now in Bear, Del.).
For Sabrina, Tall Oaks, a Christian school that follows the Greco-Roman
classical method of instruction, emphasized the liberal arts, with a strong focus on literature, history and fine arts.
"You definitely learn how to write papers and how to think well," Sabrina said. "Montessori and Tall Oaks had that in common - Montessori and Tall Oaks taught you how to learn."
In her final two years at Tall Oaks, Sabrina worked on a series of theses. One focused on Christian conservation and being a good steward of the earth, echoing some of the things she learned from her Old Fogie Farm experience.
When it came time for Sabrina to apply to college, she already knew she wanted to study agriculture, and more specifically, agriculture focused on growing food.
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Sabrina today |
After applying to five colleges' agriculture programs, Sabrina settled on Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where she earned a degree in sustainable food and farming systems in May.
At Purdue, she honed her farming schools as both a student and employee of the student farm. Her farm duties included planting, seeding, weeding, and washing and delivering produce, among other responsibilities. As a member of the Purdue Student Farm Organization, Sabrina spent additional hours on the farm volunteering for harvest days.
While at Purdue, Sabrina took advantage of two opportunities to further her agricultural studies abroad. At the end of her sophomore year, she spent a "Maymester" (the month of May) in Timisoara, Romania, where she worked on milk testing for farmers through Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.
During her junior year, Sabrina spent a semester in Aberystwyth, Wales, where she studied vegetation and ecosystems at the University of Aberystwyth. She valued her immersion in the local culture, and remains friends with many of her Welsh classmates today. In fact, she went back to Wales to visit some of those old friends this summer.
Later this month, Sabrina will set off for Senegal, where she will work as a sustainable agriculture promoter with the Peace Corps. Her Peace Corps position is a two-year commitment, during which about two-thirds of her work will focus on cultural exchange and the other third on skilled work, such as helping farmers adopt improved crop cultivation practices and better home gardening, and soil and water conservation techniques.
When she reflects on her WMS years, Sabrina is grateful for the small group environment in which she learned. She attributes many lessons she applies in her daily life to WMS - lessons she'll recall in Senegal as she settles into a new culture and community.
"Learning to learn and being aware of people around you, and your own space - being conscious of how actions affect those around you," she said.
When she returns to the U.S. in two years, she said she may consider the Foreign Service, working for a nonprofit in agricultural development or going back to school to get her master's degree.
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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
[email protected]
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.
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WMS's 9-12 and middle-school students dove right into the new school year by creating artwork for this week's third annual 
