W E D N E S D A Y  W E E K L Y
Bi-Weekly Summer Issue - August 23, 2017

In this Issue


Upcoming Events


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

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.


September 5
First Day of School


September 7
Coffee with Lisa for Upper Elementary (9-12) parents
8:30-9 a.m.

Coffee with Sarah for Kindergarten parents
8:45-9:15 a.m.


September 8
Coffee with Laurie for Lower Elementary (6-9) parents
8:30-9 a.m.


September 12
Back to School Curriculum Night for Primary (3-6) classrooms
6-7:15 p.m.

Back to School Curriculum Night for Lower Elementary (6-9) classrooms
7:15-8:30 p.m.


September 14
Back to School Curriculum Night for Toddler and Upper Elementary (9-12) classrooms
6-7 p.m.



Toward the Center
Message from 
Cass Winner,
Director of Extended Programs
 
 
Cass Winner
It's the last week of Camp Montessori, and everyone - campers, staff and parents - is standing with one foot in the sweetness of the moment and one in the exciting, unknowable future. Electives were one of the highlights for our  elementary and middle school campers this summer. Last week's most popular elective was A-MAZE-ing Mazes.
 
Carolyn and Alyssa, the counselors who led this elective, were not sure how the final task of creating a giant maze on the gym floor would go. It was an experiment - a grand idea that might work or might turn out to be an exercise in frustration. What actually happened was a confirmation of all our hopes and a testament to the hard work they had put in all summer: t he children worked together. 

They divided themselves into three mixed-age groups, agreed on the larger parameters of the project and started unrolling balls of yarn. One person set the direction, moving slowly so that the person coming behind with tape to secure the yarn to the floor could do so effectively. Third and fourth campers kept pace, unrolling another ball of yarn in a parallel row about two feet away, which created a path for the maze-walkers to follow.
 
Three groups worked together to create three separate paths that all led to the center of the maze. They did it by helping one another, discussing ideas, trying things out and rethinking anything that was not working. The older children actually stepped aside in many situations, graciously encouraging the younger ones to take the lead.
 
Their final product was a maze that children could enter from three different points in the room and end up together in the center. It was a thing of beauty in its own right, and it is also an allegory for camp.
 
Children come to us from a wide variety of backgrounds, having had a wide variety of experiences. They won't agree on everything, and sometimes they won't   understand one another. They might not even be sure that they are in the right place, but they can start where they are and walk.  
 
We each find our own way to the center, with a little help, perhaps, from our friends.
  

News & Notes News
This Thursday: Back to School Picnic
August 24, 2017, 6-7:30 p.m.

Celebrate the start of the 2017-18 school year at our annual WMS Family Picnic. Pack a picnic blanket or grab a lawn chair (seating is limited) and meet your child's teachers, classmates, and other WMS families and staff.

 Bring a picnic dinner or purchase food onsite from The Plum Pit Food Truck, Delicious Craving and The Sweetest Rose Cupcake Company, and enjoy your meal on the beautiful WMS campus. 

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.

Take advantage of this chance to check out your child's classroom before school officially starts. Teachers will be prepared to answer questions, and you may drop off your child's school supplies to lighten your load on the first day of school. 
Enter the WMS Back-to-School Photo Contest

Dust off your camera lens for our annual back-to-school photo contest. As you capture your kids on their first day of school, remember to post your photos on Instagram using #wmsbacktoschool to be entered to win a WMS water bottle. Don't forget to tag @wilmingtonmontessori! We can't wait to see your students ready for a great 2017-18 school year. 
Today's Learners learners
by Cass Winner, Director of Extended Programs

Thanks to Cassandra JerVey,  a veteran educator and Zumba teacher who joined the Camp Montessori staff in July, the Panda (preschool) camp group has been moving and grooving every week. The children have been stretching, dancing, singing and making their own music with rhythm sticks.
 
Parents and educators know that body movement and growth of the brain are inextricably linked, and when children move, they learn. Our beautiful campus allows children to run and play freely, but other kinds of movement are important too. During Cassandra's sessions the children's faces were sometimes joyous and sometimes serious as they concentrated on learning rhythmic patterns and building new neural pathways as they played.
 
During the school year we often do yoga with the children at every age level, and a wide variety of movement activities are integrated into the music curriculum. In camp, our talented and diverse group of counselors delights and inspires the children in many ways.
 
We can't wait to see what we'll learn next year!

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.
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