Dear Families,

In a few days, you will receive an email from WMS parents Amelia Wiggins and Jonathan Huntoon (introduced below), our 2023-24 Annual Fund Parent Chairs. In the message, Amelia and Jonathan share their family's experiences at WMS over the past six years, highlighting the values a WMS education has instilled in their two children and so many other for the past 60 years. They share some of the many reasons they give to WMS and invite our community to do the same. With this in mind, our theme for these year's Annual Fund Drive is #WMS60reasons.

Last year, the annual fund totaled more than $88,000 in gifts from current parents, grandparents, staff, board members and other generous friends of WMS. This year, our goal is to raise $90,000, and we know you can help us!

Your annual fund gifts in the past have made a difference in countless ways, including:

• Providing financial assistance to families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a WMS education.
• Supporting our teachers’ quests for lifelong learning, including diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, as well as brain-based learning.
• Allowing us to maintain and enhance our beautiful 25-acre campus and facilities, including our new patio and seating area .

The WMS Annual Fund Drive is a weeklong celebration of giving centered in the school's lobby. Stop by next week when you pick your children up at school for games, prizes, and opportunities to share why you love and feel connected to WMS. Prize opportunities include:

• Make a gift of $10 or more and your child will have the opportunity to punch a cup in the lobby after school and win some WMS swag!
• Make a gift of $100 and create a social media post using the hashtag #WMS60reasons for a chance to win a WMS swag bag including spirit wear and more!
• Donate $1,000 or more to enter our raffle for your very own reserved WMS parking space in a prime location in front of the school to use for the rest of the school year!
• All donors will get to add their reasons for giving to our lobby display! We hope to collect at least 60 reasons!

All gifts, starting today, are eligible for the prizes above! You can donate by credit card or direct debit through the WMS website, via Venmo or pick up a donation envelope at the front desk. A Facebook fundraiser will also be offered starting next week!

As always, we thank you for all of your support! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

Noel Dietrich

Director of Advancement & Communications

Meet Our 2023-24 Parent Annual Fund Chairs!

Greetings, fellow WMS parents!

We know many of you, but wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves. This is our sixth school year at WMS, with our son Charlie now a first-grader in Room 15 and our daughter Lilly in the Room 19 Primary classroom. Outside of school, Jonathan is a chemical engineer at DuPont, Amelia is in audience development at the Delaware Art Museum, and all four of us are into gardening and exploring nature. We love this school and the rich community of families we've found through it, so we're excited to help rally support for WMS during the school's 60th anniversary school year.

We look forward to working together with you in the coming weeks!

Amelia Wiggins & Jonathan Huntoon

Discover the WMS Middle School Program

Tuesday, 11/7 at 5 p.m. & Thursday, 11/9 at 9 a.m.

All parents/guardians of students in kindergarten and older are invited to experience the WMS Middle School Program and learn about the difference between Montessori and traditional middle school programs. 

At these events, Lead Middle Teacher Emma Mulrine and the WMS Middle School students will share the academic and experiential aspects of a Montessori middle school curriculum - running a business, exploring bigger ideas, broadening their perspectives, opportunities for service learning, and learning more about themselves as learners and as people.  

Register Here

Virtual Information Sessions for Families of Rising Kindergartners (Students who will be 5 by 9/1/24)

November 8 at 9:30 a.m. & Noon

Join us virtually on Wednesday, November 8 at 9:30 a.m. or noon. Enjoy learning about your child's next step at WMS as a kindergartner. We will describe a typical day and share Kindergarten program highlights. Learn about the differences and similarities between the kindergarten year in Montessori program and a traditional classroom. There will be plenty of time for live Q&A!

Once you have signed up, the event's Zoom link will be forwarded to you.  

Register Here

Families who register will be emailed the Zoom link prior to the program.