Wednesday Weekly - November 16, 2016

W E D N E S D A Y W E E K L Y

November 16, 2016

In this Issue

News & Notes

Tomorrow's Leaders

Upcoming Event

November 17

Toddler Maker Faire

8-9 a.m. in the Toddler Maker Studio

Transition Morning for Rising 9-12 Parents
9 a.m.
Register Now

November 22

Grandfriends' Day

Drop-off time until 11 a.m.
RSVP Today

November 23

No Classes

Pre-registered child-care available.

November 24 & 25

Building Closed

No school or child-care.

November 26

Building closed - no Saturday front desk coverage!

December 1

Celebration of Reading & Maker Faire

3-7 p.m.

Learn More

December 7

Information Night for Parents of Rising Kindergartners

5-6 p.m.

Full Calendar

Grandfriends' Day

Message from

Head of School Lisa A. Lalama


	Read more from Lisa on the Montessori Message blog.

Next Tuesday is one of the best days of the school year - Grandfriends' Day. It's the day when grandparents and other friends of our students are invited to spend the morning at WMS. It's not clear who enjoys this day more, the children or their beloved grandfriends. The love and joy grandparents share with their grandchildren is second to none.

Some of my fondest memories from my childhood are of times with my grandparents. My grandparents took my brothers and me on trips to visit their extended family members in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. We made ice cream with a hand turned ice cream maker, no electric version for them. They "let" us shovel coal into their coal furnace; we loved it! We learned how to play croquet, use that unfamiliar object called an abacus, and to strategize our next move in a game of Chinese Checkers. Each of these experiences shaped us as we grew. We wouldn't trade them for anything.

As grandfriends join us next week we have the opportunity to renew our acquaintances with the many grandfriends who are part of WMS and to meet those new to the school. Seeing the joy and pride reflected in their eyes as they accompany their grandchildren is nothing short of heart-warming. Thank you for making the time to come to school and be a part of our celebration of you and your relationship with your grandchild.

____________________________

Grandfriends' Day Details

November 22, 2016
8:15 - 11 a.m.

(Elementary classrooms open at 8:30 a.m., and early childhood rooms open at 9 a.m.)

Grandfriends are special people in our children's lives - aunts and uncles, family friends, grandmothers and grandfathers, and even great-grandparents. Now's your chance to spend a fun-filled morning with your Montessori child and experience a glimpse into his or her daily school life. Enjoy refreshments, activities with students, a special musical
performance and more!

RSVP at www.wmsde.org/grandfriends.

News & Notes

Annual Fund Update

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to WMS's 2016-17 Annual Fund so far. Our drive was a huge success, and we are off to an amazing start with more than $30,000 raised toward our $80,000 goal.

Your gifts will help provide amazing professional development opportunities to our staff, materials for our classrooms and enrichment programs, financial assistance for families who otherwise would not be able to afford a WMS education, and so much more.

If you haven't already contributed, it's not too late! Giving Tuesday is right around the corner, along with a special opportunity to DOUBLE the power of your donation!

Watch your email for a message from your homeroom parent later this week to learn more.

Celebration of Reading & Maker Faire

Thursday, December 1, 3-7 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate reading with an evening of fun for our WMS families!

Along with a book sale, courtesy of Hockessin Book Shelf, activities will include read alouds, crafts, visiting authors, food and more!

Primary/Elementary Maker Faire

Join us for some STEAM fun during the Celebration of Reading and try out some of the hands-on materials your child is using in the Maker Studios!

Toddler Maker Faire

Thursday, November 17, 8-9 a.m.

in the Toddler Maker (STEAM) Studio

Come explore the Toddler Maker (STEAM) Studio at next Thursday's Toddler Maker Faire.

The children have begun learning about Native Americans in the Maker (STEAM) Studio. During our Maker Faire, we will be creating Native American inspired art.

Please stop in before school with your child on the 17th! Contact Paula Sharpe, STEAM Coach, for more information.

Elementary Playground Guidelines

Our parents have spoken and we listened.

Several families have shared their thoughts about using the elementary playground after school hours. Many of you enjoy time outside when the weather permits. After conversation with both families and staff, we have agreed that the elementary playground is available for use after school hours - with all children carefully supervised by the adults who accompany them.

If the extended day staff and students are using the playground or come outside while others are there, the staff will determine if or when there are too many children to allow it to be used safely. Our primary goal is everyone's safety. We have also ordered a sign which will state the playground rules. In the meantime, the rules are as follows:

The elementary playground is for children in kindergarten and older.
Children must be under adult supervision at all times.
Children cannot use equipment they are unable to handle independently.
Swings : One child per swing. No jumping off.
Slide: Climb up the ladder and slide down the slide one at a time. No climbing up the slide.
Climbing: Please use designated playground equipment for climbing. Do not climb trees, picnic tables, benches and fences.
Use of the playground is at the discretion of WMS staff on duty.
The playground closes at dusk.
Additional reminder - The toddler playground is for toddlers only at all times.

Thank you for bringing your questions to us and allowing us the opportunity to achieve a solution that works for everyone. Please let us know if there are any questions about the playground.

Tomorrow's Leaders

Former Student Maddie Murray Shares Montessori Memories

Madeline "Maddie" Murray has been very busy since she left Wilmington Montessori School in 2007. After attending WMS for five years, Maddie and her family moved to Chicago where she completed the remainder of her elementary and secondary education. Even though she is far from Delaware, her WMS roots remain an important part of who she is today.

Maddie has many wonderful memories of her time at WMS. In particular, she fondly remembers singing Croatian songs in Laurie Orsic's class. "I never really considered myself a good singer, but everyone got to sing together, and it was a wonderful way to build a community."

Along with her new-found knowledge of Croatian music (much of which she still remembers today), Maddie left WMS with the confidence and skills needed to create real change in the world around her. "WMS really helped me figure out who I was as a person and what my interests were. I was able to develop passions early, which then became a core part of my identity later on," she said. "WMS always instilled in me a duty to give back, more so than any other school I attended."

When she was in high school, Maddie began to use the skills and passion she developed at WMS as she worked to improve Chicago's public school system. As a junior, she ran a campaign against a proposed budget plan by then-Governor Bruce Rauner. This plan would cut programs in Chicago public schools such as AP classes, art, music and programs that supported children with physical disabilities or learning differences. She was particularly passionate about saving the programs for students with special needs. As a Montessori student, Maddie learned to embrace diversity and help others. "I learned to be open-minded and listen to what others had to say, and respond in ways that were not offensive or aggressive," she said. With this in mind, she created a video of interviews of families from around the Chicago area in which parents talked about their children and what they needed from the government and schooling systems . She then sent it around to her state representatives and senators. It was received with lots of support and positive feedback and was featured on political blogs around Illinois.

"I think the most important thing I took out of WMS was to see my teachers are resources, not authority figures," Maddie said. "It was this familiarity that helped me to forge connections with adults and view them as resources - and, in a way, as colleagues who wanted to help me in any way possible so we could achieve the same end goal."

During her senior year, Maddie tackled another aspect of the budget cuts, which impacted funding for art programs. She remembers how WMS helped her to develop her artistic abilities and knew it was important for children to have a creative outlet. She partnered with an organization called Mercy Home, which allowed her to come in once a week and teach a class on drawing comics to nine boys between the ages of 12 and 15 from the Chicago public school system. At the end of the course, many of the boys demonstrated a very focused interest in art and were enrolled in programs through the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) for the summer.

Currently, Maddie is a freshman at McGill University in Montreal majoring in Environment and Development. In her spare time, she creates designs for her online t-shirt shop Inksplatter. She donates most of the profits to charities around the world, many of which are focused on wildlife and conservation. She has also learned how to knit recently and has been creating scarves for the homeless around Montreal as the winter months approach.

After college, Maddie plans to pursue a career as an environmental policymaker and continue to learn about the world around her for the rest of her life.

"WMS taught me that there is more to learning than simply an outcome; it's a process that never truly ends - rather, it keeps weaving new concepts and ideas continuously, creating a larger and larger perspective of the world," Maddie said.

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 Communications.