W E D N E S D A Y  W E E K L Y
Bi-Weekly Summer Issue - August 9, 2017
  
In this Issue


Upcoming Events

August 10
Field Trips
Rooms 22 & 24
Cape Henlopen State Park
Rooms 25 & 27
Brandywine Zoo


August 14-18
Camp Week 9


August 17
Field Trip
Rooms 22 & 24
Air Mobility Command Center


August 21-25
Camp Week 10


August 21
Parent Education: Steward of Children - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training
3-6 p.m. in the Great Room


August 24
New Family Reception
5:15- 6 p.m.

Family Picnic
(Weather Permitting)
6-7:30 p.m. on WMS's beautiful campus!


August 28-31
All-Staff Professional Days - No school or child-care.


August 31
Welcome Back Classroom Visits
10-11 a.m.


The WMS Difference
Message from 
Head of School Lisa A. Lalama  
 
 
For more from Lisa, check out the Montessori Message blog!
Last school year ended with Daniel Potter, our alumni graduation speaker, reading a poem he had written as a student in the 9-12 Program. It was a great poem... for an elementary student. This summer I was cleaning my office and looked up to see a photo given to me of a former student with 10 haiku she had written as a sixth-grader. Every few days I read a tweet from a former student who now writes for a newspaper in Denver, CO. And many times this summer, I was able to stop and chat with former students who are working at or attending Camp Montessori. What a gift!

Though I am no longer in one classroom each day, the best part of being at WMS is the students. Whether I taught them math or reading or know them from other experiences at the school, the beauty is that they feel a connection and are happy to be a part of something bigger than themselves. To an adult, WMS may be a small school. To the children we serve, it is huge. Often, we are their first school experience. They may enter the doors with trepidation, but they leave with confidence in their step. They may miss their parents desperately, only to dismiss that same parent 11 years later, leaving Mom waiting while they do one more thing or see one more person. What happens is that WMS becomes home. It is a place where children are known, understood and nurtured. It is a school where this all leads to curiosity, wonder and ultimately learning. It is a school for life.

As your family prepares to come "back to school," we, too, are preparing to welcome you each in the only way we know how - with open minds, eyes and hearts. This is what each of us deserves and what is the WMS difference. We'll see you in a couple of weeks.


 

News & Notes News
Save the Date: Back to School Picnic
August 24, 2017, 6-7:30 p.m.

Join us for a celebration of the start of the 2017-18 school year at our annual WMS Family Picnic. Come meet your child's teachers, classmates, and other WMS families and staff while enjoying a meal on our beautiful campus.

 Bring a picnic dinner or purchase food from  The Plum Pit Food Truck,  Delicious Craving and The Sweetest Rose Cupcake Company on-site! 

Note: This is an outdoor event. Please check the WMS website and social media for information regarding potential cancellation in case of inclement weather.
 
Classroom Visits
August 31, 2017, 10-11 a.m.

Explore your child's classroom before school starts!   Bring your last-minute questions, and feel free to drop off your child's school supplies to lessen your load on the first day of school! 
Did you receive your 2017-18 classroom placement letter?

Placement letters for the 2017-18 school year were mailed last week. If your family is returning to WMS this fall and you did NOT receive a placement letter for your child(ren), please contact Tiffany Harrison, Admissions Director, as soon as possible!
Darkness to Light_s Stewards of Children stewards

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training 
Monday, August 21, 3-6 p.m. 

What is  Stewards of Children?  
Stewards of Children is an evidence-informed program that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. It is designed for both youth-serving organizations and for individuals concerned about the safety of children.  
 
Who should attend? 
Educators, parents,  field  trip chaperones,  Odyssey of the Mind coaches,  anyone who works or volunteers extensively with children.   
 
Who will facilitate this class?  
Patricia Dailey Lewis  is the Executive Director of the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children. The Beau Biden Foundation was established by the family of former Attorney General Beau Biden, after his death on May 30, 2015, to honor Beau's lifelong passion for protecting the most vulnerable, particularly children. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mrs. Lewis served as a Deputy Attorney General with the Delaware Department of Justice for more than 25 years, and was Director of the Family Division. The Family Division was created by Attorney General Beau Biden in 2007, to better respond to the needs of children and families in the justice system.    
Today's Learners learners
All the World's a Stage
by Cass Winner, Director of Extended Programs

Last week, the Meerkat and Dragon groups (third- through ninth-graders) worked together to put on a play. They were studying the medieval period and the prominence of live performances in that time, and decided that it would be a great way to put camp values into practice:  collaboration, mutual support, experimentation, flexibility, perseverance and a sense of humor!  

Alyssa and Mitchell, the groups' lead counselors for that week, chose a short play that featured castles and kings and a lot of laughter. They helped the campers divide themselves into three groups: actors, directors and stage crew. Those interested in speaking parts had to choose a monologue and audition in front of a panel of directors, and we were very impressed with the courage and poise of the campers who did so!  
 
Then the directors met to discuss the merits of each audition and the specific characteristics that they were looking for in each part. Once the casting was finished, rehearsals began. The campers ran everything, with the adults acting only as resources and sounding boards. Sets were built, blocking planned, costumes chosen...all by the children.  The Dragons were encouraging and respectful of the younger Meerkats, stepping back when appropriate to make sure that they had the time and space to assert themselves.
 
One of the Dragons had the idea to make a title poster and project it with an iPad onto the wall behind the stage, and he made it happen.  The entire cast and crew decided to cut their swim time short by 20 minutes on show day because they felt another run-through would be beneficial.  Everyone readily agreed because they were all equally invested.  It's not easy to put on a play in a week, but "Rumplestiltskin, Private Eye!" was wonderful, and a great experience for all involved. 
 
Those values that served our staff and campers so well take center stage every week at Camp Montessori, making camp a place where we all belong.
Tomorrow's Leaders leaders
Featured Alumni Parents: Laura & Ed Schmidt
Parents and their children often have different perspectives, but when asked what they loved most about their experience at Wilmington Montessori School, Ed and Laura Schmidt's responses sounded remarkably similar to their daughters'.

Lillia and Sophia Schmidt
Alumni Lillie and Sophia Schmidt at Lillie's graduation from Tatnall last spring.
Laura said that what stood out most to her was the focus on "the love of learning versus the attainment of grades." In a recent interview, Ed and Laura's youngest daughter Lillie (class of 2011) said the following: "WMS allowed me to explore subjects as I liked, allowing me to find a true love of learning." And in Sophia's (class of 2007) graduation speech from 2014, she closed by telling the graduates, "May your curiosity and love of learning fuel you throughout your formal education and allow you to grow and improve yourself and the world around you throughout your life."

Each of these quotes serves as a true testament to our mission statement, in which we strive to inspire "the joyful discovery of self and a passion for learning and independent thinking."

When Ed and Laura visited WMS for the first time, they were drawn to the multi-age classrooms, hands-on learning and the Montessori philosophy. They loved being members of our close-knit community and felt that WMS instilled an amazing sense of confidence in their girls, due to the respect they received from their teachers. Laura said that she could "go on and on" when describing the benefits of her daughters' WMS education, but some of the most important aspects included the many opportunities for self-directed learning, a multidisciplinary educational approach, and the emphasis on community, environmental responsibility, multi-culturalism and respect for others.

When asked about her favorite WMS memory, like so many, Laura said it was hard to pick just one. Laura had the opportunity to work in some of WMS's classrooms and said she was particularly impressed by the sense of genuine interest and respect she received from the students in each room. "I took this for granted as just a part of children learning, then I substitute taught at other schools and learned that was not to be taken for granted!" Laura explained. "WMS children loved learning and fully invested themselves in new ideas and new topics with new people - a skill that makes graduates special no matter where they end up."
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 Communications & Development.
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