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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
Information Night for Parents of Rising First-Graders
5-6 p.m.
Great Room
January 21
Admissions Open House
10 a.m.
Tell a friend!
January 25
Lockdown Drill
Approximately 11:15 a.m.
Information Night for Parents of Rising Primary (3-6) Students
5-6 p.m.
WMS Birthday Celebration
11:15 a.m., Gym
January 30-February 2
Toddler Conferences
(Classes continue as scheduled.)
January 31
First-round deadline for new families to apply for 2017-18 admission and financial aid.
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Head of School Lisa A. Lalama
This week, you should receive our 2017-18 re-enrollment packet in the mail. This is the time when we begin thinking about next school year. Yes, this school year is not even quite at the halfway point, but planning our staffing, our budget and the process of accepting new families into our community takes time, and so we need to begin our preparations early.
When my children were in school, receiving the information about the following year made me think about what I valued about the current year. This past week has given me so much to think about.
I had the opportunity to meet with a few groups of WMS parents and listen to their feedback about what works and what could be better. We also held two admissions open houses; it was interesting to hear why parents chose to tour WMS, listen to their questions and hear their dreams for their children. WMS families care deeply about their children's education, and they are actively involved in all aspects of their school experience.
What sets WMS apart from other Montessori choices? Why send your children to WMS when there are alternatives? WMS recognizes the fact that children are capable of so much, and we work to recognize the gifts in each child. Students are valued for who they are; they are offered experiences that help them to learn and grow. They are truly unique and that uniqueness is recognized and appreciated.
As you consider your plans for the next year in your child's education, it is a time of reflection - a time to consider how your child has benefited from being at WMS. As an independent school we are able to adhere to the Montessori pedagogy while incorporating other curricula into a student's experiences, meeting or exceeding the Common Core. We are able to be flexible, working to provide what is needed rather than what is mandated. We thoughtfully approach teaching and learning to best serve the children here today, not those who were here last year or will be here years from now. We are responsive and attentive, and we strive to meet the social, emotional and academic needs of the children who are in our midst. Other schools may say this, but are seldom able to do it because of the constraints that are applied from other entities.
We are WMS, and we are proud to have you as part of our community.
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News & Notes
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Lockdown Drill - Wednesday, January 25 at 11:15 a.m.
WMS will hold a school-wide lockdown drill next Wednesday, January 25 at 11:15 a.m. 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 o
f
a
ny 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 Nurse Paige or your classroom teacher.
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Child-Care Price Reduction for Parent Conferences
We recognize that the partnership between parents, teachers and administrator is essential to every child's education. We also recognize that finding child-care during meetings can be a challenge!
The cost for child-care during the time that a parent is in a conference with a teacher or administrator will now be $10 per child. This is true whether it is on a scheduled conference day, before school or after school.
This is a significant reduction from the previous drop-in cost, which was $25. We hope that this will help parents and teachers to schedule conferences at times that work for all concerned!
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Rossana Palermo - School Nurse
Please join us in welcoming Rossana Palermo to WMS. Rossana will be working in the nurse's office on Mondays and Tuesdays. She brings more than 40 years of experience as a nurse to WMS.
Paige will continue to work on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. To ensure that both Rossana and Paige receive any communications regarding your child's health, please email [email protected].
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Tomorrow's Leaders
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Featured Alumna: Amanda Nemecz, Class of 2003
 Amanda Nemecz, a 2003 Wilmington Montessori School graduate, began at WMS as a toddler and has fond memories of her first WMS teacher Linda Barclay. She attended the school through sixth grade, then went on to Springer Middle School, Brandywine High School and Virginia Tech, where she majored in biology and minored in Spanish.
While at Virginia Tech, Amanda began working toward her dream of becoming a doctor, taking a job as a scribe in an emergency department. After graduating summa cum laude in 2013, she applied for medical school. Now a third-year medical student at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Amanda is in the middle of her neurology rotation. She credits WMS with preparing her for the challenges of medical school. "WMS really taught me how to organize my time in a task-oriented manner," she says. "I learned everything I needed to know about time management from WMS and that really helped me throughout all of my education."
During her time at Jefferson University, Amanda has become involved with two groups -
Refugee Health Partners and
JeffHEALTH. Refugee Health Partners works with refugees in Philadelphia, specifically the Burmese and Bhutanese populations. While in her second year at Jefferson, Amanda served as advocacy chair for this organization, which provides refugees with health education and free clinics, and helps advocate for their healthcare. JeffHEALTH (Helping East Africa Link to Health) is a global health group that is linked with the Rwandan Medical School. This exchange program allows Rwandan medical students to come to Jefferson and work in the Family Medicine department, and in turn, Jefferson medical students go to Rwanda and work in rural villages on public health projects. In the summer of 2015, Amanda was able to travel to Rwanda with the program. She is now the student president of the program.
After graduating with her M.D. in 2018, Amanda hopes to find a residency in emergency medicine.
In her sixth-grade yearbook, she
was quoted as saying, "WMS has prepared me for whatever comes my way." Based on her many accomplishments, this has proven true.
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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 Communications.
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