 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
W E D N E S D A Y W E E K L Y
|
|
In this Issue
Upcoming Events
9-12 Transition Morning
9 a.m.
Learning Commons
December 6
5-6 p.m.
Great Room
December 7
9 a.m.
Learning Commons
3-6:30 p.m.
Learning Commons
December 11
5 p.m.
Learning Commons
December 15
6-9 Winter Concert
9:30 a.m.
Gym
December 19
Amazing Race & Alumni Social
3-6 p.m.
January 5
|
Message from
School Nurse Lisa Chou
 |
|
|
School Nurse Lisa Chou
|
Hello from the school nurse! I have gotten to meet many members of the WMS community since I started here in June, and it has been my pleasure to care for our students and families. WMS has some excellent health practices that our former nurse, Paige, put into place and that I am continuing and expanding upon. A lot of work goes on in the background besides the usual provision of ice packs and Band-Aids!
For example, did you know that each student with an emergency medication present at school has a trained member of our staff ready to jump into action? Although I am here from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, that doesn't cover all before and after-school activities. WMS has 42 staff members certified through a state-run course to administer an emergency medication to specific students in my absence.
I rely heavily on parents and guardians to submit student health forms and action plans for chronic conditions and update yearly Magnus permissions. I truly appreciate your cooperation with this process - I wouldn't be able to do my job without your efforts.
As we approach the height of flu season, remember to encourage hand-washing, good nutrition and adequate sleep for your child each night so that you hear from the nurse as little as possible. However, you may not hear from me about health matters concerning your child for a little while as I'll soon be on maternity leave. During this time, Yvonne, a nurse many of our students already know and love, will be filling in for me. She and I are on the same page and will keep things running smoothly. Our goals are the same: keep every child at WMS in the best state of health they can achieve so that they may learn without distraction.
Thank you for entrusting me with your child's care.
To ensure your emails reach Yvonne during Lisa's upcoming maternity leave, please send all email correspondence for the school nurse to [email protected].
|
|
News & Notes
|
|
Reminder: Financial Aid Application Open for 2018-19 School Year
The deadline to be considered for a first-round award is Friday, January 5, 2018.
However, the financial aid committee will be reviewing applications in the order they are completed (including the submission of tax returns).
Financial aid applications completed after January 5 will be considered as funds allow. Financial aid grants are made for one year only so you must re-apply each school year.
Please contact Business Manager
Nancy Oddo
with any questions.
|
|
|
|
Attend an Auction Planning Meeting
Want to get involved
in planning WMS's annual auction and gala and earn co-op hours in the process? We're ready to kick off the 2018 auction planning season and would love to have input from all those interested. Attend one of two upcoming planning meetings if you're willing to lend a hand:
December 7, 9 a.m, Learning Commons
December 11, 5 p.m., Learning Commons
We hope to see you there! Please contact
Lori Oberly if you have questions or cannot attend either meeting and would like to get involved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#GivingTuesday Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who participated in #GivingTuesday! We know there are many causes worthy of your donations, and we're grateful that you chose to support the children of WMS. With your help, we raised nearly $9,000, including a generous matching gift from an anonymous WMS family and another from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (via our Facebook fundraiser).
We were also thrilled to see how many members of our community participated in this global day of giving - we received a total of 49 gifts! We would especially like to thank our annual fund co-chairs Kevin Kahn and David Kubacki, as well as all of our homeroom parents, for leading this initiative.
Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference, and the funds we raised will directly impact the children at WMS.
|
|
|
|
Apple Branch Photo Update
We are aware that there have been some issues with the individual and class photos this year. We are working with Apple Branch to fix these problems. If you have an issue with your order please notify Apple Branch at [email protected] and also let Lori Oberly know.
Thank you for your patience and sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lockdown Drill - Tuesday, December 12
WMS will hold a school-wide lockdown drill on Tuesday, December 12. The lockdown procedure is used in the unlikely event that there is a dangerous situation inside our building.
 You do not need to prepare your child for this drill. Classroom teachers have practiced the procedures with the children using age-appropriate language. For security purposes, we cannot publicize the full procedure of the drill, but we wanted to share the language we have used with the children in case it should come up at home:
Toddlers: At this age, children are unable to process the purpose of the drill, so information is kept to a minimum. Teachers play a silent game that the children already know so they can be engaged while silently waiting.
All other students: Teachers explain to the children that we have lockdown drills just as we have fire drills. We practice different drills so we are prepared in case of any emergency. A lockdown is used in case someone comes into the school who is not allowed to be here and we need to be safe. It is unlikely that this will happen, but it is the teacher's job to keep everyone together, safe, out of view and quiet.
Children ages 7 and up are able to process this more than the younger students. For the older kids, we do our best to minimize any fear that may be attached to this drill. Teachers answer questions in a simple, clear-cut manner, sticking to the process of the drill itself, not the "what if" possibilities. This drill is about being prepared for anything - not about a specific threat.
Important note for visitors:
For the short time the school is in lockdown mode, outside doors will be locked and not accessible with keycards. Thank you in advance for your understanding of this minor inconvenience. If you happen to be in the school during the drill, please take shelter in the nearest office, classroom or other room immediately. It is important that you participate in the drill fully and serve as a positive role model to the children.
If you have any questions, please contact
Noel Dietrich or your classroom teacher.
|
|
PRIED Gives Back: Donations Needed for Chemotherapy Gift Bags
by PRIED students
As PRIED Middle School students were thinking of ways to give back to our community, we came across an opportunity to put together gift bags for adults receiving chemotherapy. The purpose of these bags is to provide encouragement and entertainment for people enduring these grueling multi-hour treatments. Gift bags can include messages of hope, snacks, trinkets, modes of entertainment and items that provide comfort. We are hoping that you will be willing to help us collect donations for this cause. The following unused items can be dropped off in a collection bin in the WMS lobby.
- Adult coloring books
- Colored pencils
- Word and number puzzle books
- Fuzzy socks
- Individually wrapped snacks (granola bars, crackers, trail mix, pretzels, etc.)
Donations will be collected from Friday, December 1, through Wednesday, December 6.
We thank you in advance for supporting this cause!
|
WMS Students Qualify for Johns Hopkins Talent Search
Congratulations to the 15 WMS students who are eligible for the 2017-18 Johns Hopkins Talent Search program. WMS students who earned scores in the 95th percentile and above on the Quantitative Reasoning, Mathematics 1&2 and/or Vocabulary sections of the Educational Records Bureau tests (ERBs), administered in April 2017, have recently been notified of their eligibility for the Johns Hopkins Talent Search. This continues a longstanding tradition of WMS students receiving invitations to participate in this highly-regarded program.
One of the purposes behind the ERB testing process is to familiarize WMS students with the practical life skills of standardized test-taking. In addition, these nationally-normed assessment results guide the teachers in their instructional planning and academic-goal setting for the fourth- through sixth-grade students, especially as they move through the 9-12 Program. The ERB tests are one of the standardized tests commonly administered by independent schools in our area.
|
Today's Learners
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Learning to Read and Reading to Learn in the 6-9 Classroom
By Lead 6-9 Teacher Sue Kenney
Some of the most important lessons
Lower Elementary students absorb during their time in the 6-9 Program relate to reading and writing. It is often said that students "learn to read" in the 6-9 Program so they are prepared to "read to learn" at the 9-12 level and throughout their academic careers. A student's ability to navigate the printed word supports learning in all of the academic subjects - science, geography, history and even math. Many Lower Elementary students spend their daily work time encoding and decoding words. Encoding is learning to spell words accurately and decoding is learning to read words correctly. Students tap into a range of materials and activities to accomplish this all-important task.
|
|
|
|
A 6-9 student decodes words and matches them to pictures.
|
|
Recently, the 6-9 students participated in the fourth Montessori Great Lesson - The Coming of Language. Room 20 teacher Melissa Connelly showed artifacts and photos of human innovations that have allowed communication across space and time - from ancient rock carvings, cuneiform and hieroglyphics to the more modern-day typewriter, iPad and smart phone. From this lesson, students begin to gain an understanding of the history of the alphabet and that it is not a random collection of symbols. Our alphabet, and for that matter all alphabets, are codes we inherit from previous generations.
Frequently, when visiting a Montessori 6-9 classroom, observers see students matching an object or picture to the correct word card, sorting movable alphabet letters to spell the corresponding word, and reading those words on pre-printed cards to check their own work and reinforce standard spelling. Each step matters. Each step brings the student closer to the goal of being able to "read to learn."
|
|
|
Students in the 6-9 Program view communication artifacts as part of the fourth Great Lesson - The Coming of Language. |
The merger of the Coming of Language lesson and daily classroom practice allows students to grasp more fully why a specific squiggle on the page serves as a symbol for a particular sound. In later lessons related to derivations, the students also learn about the words that do not necessarily follow predictable phonetic sound and letter patterns, passed down from earlier times and other languages. Words such as those with Old English spellings like "through" are tough words to sound out!
The work of learning to read is multi-layered. There are many academic and personal experiences that contribute to a child's ability to decode and encode the printed word, as well as comprehend what all of those words may mean when combined. These are the keys to all learning and the focus for everyone - teachers and students alike - at the Lower Elementary level.
|
 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.
|
|
| |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
