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W E D N E S D A Y W E E K L Y
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In this Issue
Upcoming Events
October 26
9:15 a.m. - Primary
11:15 a.m. - Elementary
Gym
October 27 & 30
Primary/Elementary conferences
November 1
Picture make-up/retake day
WMS Soccer: WMS vs. Pilot School
(rescheduled from October 18)
WMS Soccer Field
Information night for parents of rising fourth-graders
5-6 p.m.
Great Room
November 4
10 a.m.
Tell a friend!
November 6-10
November 8
Middle School information night for 9-12 parents
5-6 p.m.
Great Room
November 10
6 p.m.
Gym
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Parent-Teacher Conferences: A Golden Opportunity
Message from
Assistant Head of School Laurie Orsic
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Assistant Head of School Laurie Orsic |
Montessori educators describe the relationship between children, their parents and teachers as a "Golden Triangle." When children, parents and teachers join forces, they create opportunities for those children to realize their full potential.
Recently, a cross-section of WMS teachers from every age level were asked what they most enjoy about October parent-teacher conferences. They responded quickly and enthusiastically. The Toddler teacher offered:
"I love gaining information regarding the other faces of the child, those not necessarily seen at school. Then, we work collaboratively with the parents to come up with a plan that will support the child moving forward."
The Primary teacher explained that she appreciates hearing the "hopes and dreams" parents have for their children.
Together, the teachers and parents consider exactly what the students will need, both at home and in school, to reach their academic, social and emotional goals over the course of the year.
Parents provide teachers with indispensable information. The 6-9 teacher detailed how she taps into the power of parents' insights in the classroom:
"The most important piece of meeting with families is having the opportunity to learn about my students from their first and forever teachers - their parents. I enjoy hearing stories about my students' lives outside of school. Those stories help me to find ways to connect social and academic experiences with what students are truly interested in."
And, finally, the Upper Elementary teacher shared:
"One of the things I love about conferences is working as a member of a team to support a student's learning. I think students at WMS come to understand that we are all working together to help them to be the best they can be. We belong to them: we are their cheerleaders, their go-to people, their shoulders to lean on."
Unlike Calvin, his mom and Miss Wormwood, the WMS teaching staff looks forward to parent-teacher conferences. Their conversations create golden opportunities for home-to-school communication, cooperation and goal-setting on behalf of the students in our collective care.
Conference time? We're golden.
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News & Notes
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Hooray! It's time for the dance party and everyone's invited!
by fifth-graders Maya Connelly
and Jasmine Delport
Please join the fifth-grade class on Friday, November 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the gym for dinner, dancing and dessert. There will be raffle prizes as well. The cost of this event is $10 per person with a $5 discount for parties of four or more.
The dance party is a fundraiser for next year's sixth-grade trip to New York City and the GCAP conference. GCAP stands for Global Citizenship Action Project. While in New York, students attend the conference, visit the United Nations and visit a country's mission. We also see a Broadway show and ice skate at Rockefeller Center.
We hope you will come out to support the fifth-grade class and have some fun with us on November 10! This event is fun for all ages so bring the whole family.
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Hurricane Relief Thank You
Thank you to all the families who donated so generously to the school's hurricane relief efforts. WMS boxed and sent 17 boxes of assembled care kits, additional personal hygiene supplies, children's books and games to be distributed to those in need. Special thanks to the WMS Board for donating funds to cover shipping costs.
WMS strives to inspire students to participate in community service, which is a crucial part of the WMS mission:
We empower children to be knowledgeable and responsible contributors to the global community.
We greatly appreciate the support of WMS families as our school staff and students endeavor to fulfill this commitment.
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Halloween Costume Guidelines
Halloween parades will be held
tomorrow, October 26
(9:15 a.m. for Primary classes and 11:15 a.m. for Elementary students). In order to make the day fun for all of our students, we ask that children's costumes meet the following rules:
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No weapons of any kind are allowed as part of a costume.
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Costumes should not depict blood, guts or gore.
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Hair color and makeup should be applied at home and not brought to school.
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Since we have very young children at our school, please make sure that costumes are not frightening to small children.
If you have questions, please contact your child's teacher. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!
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Today's Learners
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Learning Life Skills Through Physical Education
by Jillian Hallissey, Physical Education teacher
During the initial weeks of Physical Education (PE) class, Elementary students have had one main focus: teamwork. Through carefully planned activities, students have been faced with various obstacles to overcome as a group. Teamwork is one of the most important life skills students can learn through a comprehensive PE program. By learning and practicing teamwork, students realize they must respect each other's opinions and abilities in order for the group to succeed.
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Lower Elementary students tackling the Hula Hut Challenge
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If you have an Elementary student, ask him or her about the Pyramid Challenge, Titanic or the Hula Hut Challenge. These activities challenge students to work as a group to achieve a common goal. For instance, in the Titanic activity, students must strategize with their group to move each player to safety using various pieces of PE equipment. The difficult part of this task is that students are not allowed to touch any part of the wood floor, which is the freezing water. Students have an opportunity to discuss different ideas and then test them out in a trial and error process. If an idea doesn't work successfully, they try out another plan. They learn to cooperate and must listen to all ideas in order to succeed in a timely manner.
A new team activity this year is the Pyramid Challenge, which involves stacking different-sized PE equipment in a tower from largest up to the smallest. In this challenge, students are asked to successfully move their entire pyramid to a different location. However, you may only move one piece at a time, always taking and stacking from the top. Only smaller pieces can fit on top of larger pieces, never larger on top of smaller. Again, through communication, teamwork, some trial and error, and perseverance, all student groups successfully complete the highest level of this challenge.
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One team's completed Pyramid Challenge
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One of the main goals of a successful Montessori education is to educate the whole child. Gone are the days when PE was strictly just playing a forced competitive dodgeball game or completing a grueling rope climb. In today's PE, the objective is to allow students to learn and explore different activities throughout the year, while being able to find something enjoyable in each class. In order to educate the whole child in terms of PE, we must look at how we can develop students' personal and interpersonal skills in addition to their physical activity levels. Any given day, if you were to pop into a PE class at WMS, you would be able to see students exhibiting teamwork, cooperation, effective communication, problem solving, self-discipline, sportsmanship and even conflict management.
Through a comprehensive PE program, students are able to learn valuable life skills that will benefit them into adulthood. As an adult, if you reflect on your own personal experiences in the workplace, you realize that working with others efficiently is a must. The more that we instill these skills at an early age, the better accustomed students will be as they grow into teenage years and beyond.
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 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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