October 6
Q&A with Lisa & Sarah
6 p.m. - Elementary & Middle School Families
7 p.m. - Toddler & Primary Families
October 9 & 12
Parent Conferences for Primary, Elementary & Middle School
Toddler classes will continue as scheduled on these days.
October 14
Toddler Room 4 Parent Conferences
Classes continue as usual.
October 15
Toddler Room 3 Parent Conferences
Classes continue as usual.
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Communication/Policies Regarding COVID-19 Cases in the WMS Community |
From the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, WMS has adhered to guidance from the State of Delaware, specifically from the Office of Child Care Licensing and the Division of Public Health, following their strict protocol which includes informing families and staff about any infections at WMS. We have remained committed to regular and transparent communication with our families on all matters, including health and safety, as well as the education of your child.
Along with our commitment to open communication within our community, we want to assure you that we are equally committed to maintaining your family's privacy, should you inform the school of a positive case within your family. As with any confidential information, we will only share the event of illness with the school community. We will not share the identity of the person who has been infected. You can see the steps we will take in the incidence of a confirmed case of COVID-19 on our website, which is updated as we receive new guidance from the state.
Through our ongoing communication with other Delaware independent schools, we have learned that the News Journal is seeking information about the incidence of COVID-19 in schools throughout DE. Their stated goal is to gather the data and share it with readers. We do not plan on sharing any information regarding COVID cases with the News Journal and instead will share this information with the Delaware Division of Public Health per health and safety protocol. DPH will advise us regarding any additional information that should be shared with our community and begin the process of contact tracing.
We want to thank you all for doing everything you are doing to keep our community safe. You are working to keep us all safe each day that you and your family employ the recommended COVID-19 prevention practices, and it shows.
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Car Line Safety Considerations
Please remember that the WMS driveway is one way.
All families must go around the Peace Park and pull into your drop-off and pick-up spot - the toddler playground, front entrance or side door.
We ask that you do not "cut in line" by driving through the gravel parking area and that you drive slowly. Children are present! We also ask that you not use your cell phone while in car line.
Thank you for your continued support in helping the car line process run smoothly and efficiently.
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Upcoming Child-Care Days - Advanced Registration Required
Two child-care days for Primary through Middle School students are coming soon - October 9 & 12.
In the past, families have been able to “drop-in” to child care. This year, due to classroom capacity limits and licensing guidelines, families MUST pre-register by Friday, October 2, so that we can staff appropriately. Drop-ins will be turned away.
Drop-off and pick-up for child care will be in the Great Room for all students. Drop-off will be between the hours of 7 and 8:45 a.m. You can opt for a half-day ($30) with noon pick-up or a full day ($60) with pick-up as late as 6 p.m.
For registration or questions, please contact Tracey Gable, Director of Montessori Enrichment.
(Reminder: Toddler classes will continue as scheduled on these days.)
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A Request from the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee |
Honoring the heritage and culture of families in our community is something WMS has done throughout its 57-year history. Typically, this involved families coming into the building, either to introduce an aspect of their heritage and culture to their child’s class or create a schoolwide celebration for all families to enjoy. This year, this connection between home and school will look different.
If you are interested in sharing important aspects of your family’s traditions, for example, dance and music or religious or secular holiday celebrations, please let your child’s classroom teacher know. In addition, if you’d like to create or help create an event or activity for the entire school to enjoy, please reach out WMS’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee by emailing DEIcommittee@wmsde.org. The committee will work with you to bring your idea to fruition.
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Rose Feehan has let us know that she will be leaving WMS in mid-October to pursue other options that will allow her to be closer to home and perhaps require a wee bit less than all we have been asking of her over the years. Needless to say, WMS will miss her terribly. She has helped all of us - students, staff and parents - in so many ways and has done it all with a reassuring smile and confidence in our ability to learn skills that are new and way outside our comfort zones, which has helped each of us grow in our confidence.
When Rose came to WMS, the technology program we have today was a dream. It has required her to help build our network, curriculum, our staff and student skills, and introduce new and exciting tools to support learning at WMS. We know you will join us in thanking her for all she has brought to WMS and wishing her well in her future endeavors.
Before Rose leaves, she will be training our new Director of Technology, Joseph Smith. Rose helped in the hiring process and knows she is leaving the school in capable hands. It is clear that Joe understands a school's technology needs and is also knowledgeable about the network that supports all of our work. Joe will be joining us on October 12 to work with Rose and learn the inner workings of the technology needs at WMS. We hope you will have the chance to meet him soon and give him a warm WMS welcome.
Thank you, Rose, and welcome, Joe!
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Q&A with Lisa & Sarah - October 6 |
Sarah and Lisa will hold two parent Q & A sessions on Tuesday, October 6.
Elementary and middle school families are invited to join them at 6 p.m. The Q & A for Toddler and Primary parents will begin at 7 p.m.
We hope you are able to join us!
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"Room 3 had a productive week! We began exploring safari animals. We played different animal sounds and tried to identify the different types of sounds. We also explored patterns and tried to find different ones that match up with their animals. For example, the children matched stripes with zebras and tigers. They had fun discussing the different animal patterns."
-Hillary McDonald, Room 3 Lead Teacher
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"Room 4's older toddlers participated in a nature scavenger hunt. Each child was tasked with finding three objects. When they returned, we talked about each item they found. This exercise was terrific for inspiring students to share their observations about the object, compare it to similar objects, and to practice the beginning sounds of the names of the objects. It's definitely an exercise we will be revisiting!"
-Leanne Callaway, Room 4 Lead Teacher
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Last week, the entire WMS community celebrated the International Day of Peace. In this excerpt from Bloomz, Lead Primary Teacher Betsy Haas (Room 18) shares what peace education looks like at the early childhood level:
"We begin this process from the moment they begin school here. Even the youngest children can assert themselves and say 'no,' or 'stop' if they don’t like what a friend is doing. At the Primary level, we encourage the children to share how they are feeling and tell a friend if they hurt their feelings or their bodies. We encourage the use of 'I' statements. You might hear your child say 'I don’t like it when...' This is all part of the problem solving/conflict resolution lessons that we as adults model for our students."
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Many of our Primary classes have taken their first woods walks during the past couple of weeks. Lead Primary Teacher Erin Wehler (Room 19) shares the way in which these adventures connect with the Primary curriculum.
"When we took our woods walk a few days ago, the children were eager to venture out to explore our WMS forest. Just being out there and walking around while we stop to notice, wonder (and wander!) and name our surroundings has been special in of itself. Many of our discussions have focused on naming our environment. There was a lot of finger pointing, as children asked, 'What is this?' Identifying 'what is' all around them is the ultimate work for a child in Montessori's first plane of development. We've spent some time just meandering and casually asking, 'Does anyone know what this is?' or 'What could this be?' This lets us know what our students already know."
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Lower Elementary (6-9) Program |
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Arts Integration Project - Nature Photography
"Over these first weeks of school, 6-9 students have spent time exploring our campus and discovering many forms of life within the diverse habitats of our school property. They often bring us what they’ve found for a picture and perhaps information from Seek (a great app that helps identify wildlife, plants and fungi with your phone). This leads to student-driven research as we learn more vocabulary of botanists and entomologists.
This week, some of the 6-9 children have begun closely observing their environment through nature photography. We looked at some photos and considered the advantages and disadvantages of long shots vs. close-up shots, and we thought about how photographers use focal points to help draw our eye to a certain place - how might we try to do that? Students used their iPads to take pictures of life that they found especially beautiful on campus, and they chose their favorites. They shared their photos with each other, describing their focal point; some used color contrast, while many chose to put their focal point in the center of the frame. It takes practice, we discovered through this arts integration project, and sometimes some luck, to capture truly beautiful photography."
- Lead 6-9 Teachers Melissa Connelly and Carol Lettich
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Upper Elementary (9-12) Program |
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Election Lessons
"This year's election lessons are geared toward learning how to have healthy conversations about issues that are important to your child and the children around them.
In the first lesson, we established a set of norms that we are following during all of our conversations. Last week, we talked about empathy, and the students interviewed another student, allowing them to see the similarities and differences among their classmates. This week, we are talking about issues of interest and researching these topics. Students were also asked to watch the presidential debate while filling in a 'Debate Bingo' worksheet.
We are learning about the election but also teaching practical life skills. Having healthy conversations with someone who may not share the same opinion as you, and walking away as friends, is a crucial life lesson. The students are very interested in these lessons, and I cannot wait to see these how they are able to apply these lessons, not only in class but in the future as well!"
- Lead 9-12 Teacher Allie Colflesh
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Exploring Movement within the Technology Industry |
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This year, the Middle School students' cultural studies (history/social studies) will be focused on the theme of "movement." As they begin the year, they are looking at the idea of movement within the technology industry. Here's what Lead Middle School Teacher Mandy Balanetsky shared with families about their plans:
"As we begin this year’s study of movement, we will be researching the idea of movement within the technology industry. This exploration will look at different parts of the technology industry and focus on who creates the technology we use, who consumes it and what impact that has on society. Some of the areas of technology we will be exploring include the internet, the culture of technology companies, app and web design (both domestic and international), gaming, device development and artificial intelligence.
Within these topics, we will look at the groups and populations that both create and utilize these different forms of technology and how that affects our world. Each week we will explore a different aspect of the technology industry through readings, documentaries, and testing out different apps and platforms. We will discuss the culture of technology and how it has changed and developed over time. Some of our discussions will involve topics of inclusion and exclusion according to specific demographics whether it be socio-economical, gender, racial, age and location. These topics will be handled gently but factually, and students will be encouraged to share their thoughts and reflect on their own understanding of the technology they use and its impact in our society."
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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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