W E D N E S D A Y  W E E K L Y
March 15, 2017
 
In this Issue


Upcoming Events

March 17
DIAE Artist in Residency Day


March 20-24
Spring Break
No school.
Pre-registered child-care only.
Spaces still available in Dance Dream Discovery Mini-Camp! 


March 27
Online Auction Begins


March 27-31
Spirit Week


March 28
Webinar - Standardized Testing
7:30 p.m. 
Register Online 


March 31
Early Registration Deadline for Camp Montessori
Register Online
 
Message from 
Head of School Lisa A. Lalama 

Read more from Lisa on the Montessori Message blog.
 

Today, the WMS Board of Directors and WMS Advisory Board were invited to visit our classrooms while school was in session. Though most of these dedicated people have been a part of the WMS community as students or parents, for some it has been a while since they have seen a classroom in action. Each year, Board members enjoy watching children work and being a small part of the classroom experience. Our Board members are invested in WMS. Although many no longer have children at WMS, the reason they are on the Board is because they care about the school; they are passionate about WMS, its work with children and its contributions to the field of education.

WMS goes beyond teaching the academic basics that are available in every other school. We teach children to look beyond the walls of the school they inhabit and examine the world around them. They think about the wonder of our world and the challenges that confront us as global citizens. They ask questions and consider solutions to the problems that are facing them. Today our Board had the opportunity to experience the culture of WMS that encourages the questioning and thinking of our children. When we return from Spring Break, we will all experience Spirit Week, an annual week-long event that raises our community's awareness of the sixth-graders' project from their participation in the Global Citizenship Action Project. Working together, our students are making an impact on the world today that sets the stage for their contributions as they grow and assume even more responsibility for the world we entrust to them.


 
This morning, Board members had the opportunity to visit Early Childhood and Elementary classrooms. Many spent time watching the 9-12 students practice their poetry presentations in preparation for a visit from The Twin Poets on Friday.
 
News & Notes News
Sixth-Graders Lead Spirit Week to Raise Funds/Awareness for Save the Rain
by Addie, Eva & Lydia (WMS Class of 2017)
 
The Global Citizenship Action Project (GCAP) is an annual conference that brings middle-school age Montessori students together with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The activities teach students about what it means to be good global citizens. We learned what different organizations are doing to make the world a better place. During the
Save the Rain  presentation, we made posters that are now hanging on school walls in Tanzania. In addition, we visited the U.N. Mission of Venezuela and learned about the country. We also toured the United Nations and learned about what the U.N. does and how it helps the world. During our free time, we went ice skating at Rockefeller Center and saw
Wicked on Broadway.

Every year, the sixth-grade class chooses an organization to support, based on the presentations they see at the GCAP conference. This year, we selected Save the Rain, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the world's water for those who don't have enough of it. Save the Rain goes to villages in developing African countries to build sustainable rain collectors that will last the village and all of its families many generations. Just $15 can pay for water for a child in a poor village and for all of his or her descendants. Save the Rain also raises awareness of the issue of freshwater scarcity, educating people about the fact that people across the world walk for up to five hours a day for water that isn't even clean. More people die from unsanitary drinking water each day than from cancer and malaria combined.  

During Spirit Week, we will ask participants to make $5 donations to Save the Rain. We will go to classrooms to teach younger students about Save the Rain and water scarcity. We will alter the presentations, making them age-appropriate for each classroom. One part of the presentations is a water walk. Since people with water scarcity walk many hours each day, we decided to replicate this. Each class has an assigned walk, each student carrying a bucket filled with a specific amount of water. As they walk carrying the heavy bucket, the students realize how difficult this would be, carrying gallons upon gallons of water and walking many miles each day, leaving no time for school. We look forward to working with students and sharing some of what we learned at GCAP in New York City this year.

Schedule for Spirit Week - March 27-31:
Monday: Pajama and stuffed animal (please bring a new toothbrush to donate to a good cause)
Tuesday: Twin Day
Wednesday: Mismatch Day/Crazy Hair Day
Thursday: Halloween Day
Friday: WMS Spirit Day (wear your new Spirit Week t-shirts or other WMS spirit wear!)
A uction Newsauction
 
Break out your denim now! April 8 is quickly approaching. Tickets for the Blue Jean Ball A uction & Gala are now on sale at  www.wmsde.org/auction . Don't delay - get your tickets for the social event of the year today. Bidding for online items will open up on  March 27.  
 
Don't miss out on your chance to win these featured gifts:
  • Hamilton tickets
  • Hotel stay at the Ritz Carlton-Pentagon City
  • Firefly concert tickets
  • Amazon Dot
  • One-of-a-kind classroom gifts
  • Restaurant gift cards
  • Unique pieces of art
  • And so much more - stop by the lobby to see some of our gifts on display!
Online Auction Information:
Items marked "Online Bidding Only" will not be moving to the live event for bidding. On April 6, the highest bidder on any "Online Bidding Only" item will be the winner. Items marked "Online to Event Bidding" will start bidding on online and then moved to the event with the starting bid set to the highest online bid. Items marked "Event Bidding Only" will be available to preview on the auction website, but will not be accepting bids online. To bid on the "Event Bidding Only" items, join us on the 8th!
Spaces still available in Dance Dream Discovery Spring Break Mini-Camp
 
Jump into spring with the Dance Dream Discovery Spring Break Mini-Camp! There are still a few spots left for boys and girls in this camp filled with music, movement and make-believe! Costumes, props, and all sorts of magical things will spur your child's imagination and make his or her mid-week wonderful. Camp runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon. Register online at www.wmsde.org/springbreak.
Spring After-School Specials
After-School Specials aren't over yet!  It's time to register for Tennis, Soccer Shots, A Cappella, Running Club or Steel Drums!

 
Standardized Testing
Webinar: Standardized Testing at WMSwebinar
Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Presented by:
Lisa Lalama, Head of School
Laurie Orsic, Assistant Head of School

Each spring, Wilmington Montessori School students in third through sixth grade take the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) CTP IV achievement test. This test measures student achievement and is used by independent schools throughout the country.

Achievement tests serve a variety of purposes. Join us to learn how WMS uses the test results and what those results can (and cannot) tell you about your child's school performance and learning. We will share the components of the test and our approach to standardized testing.

Register Now Button 


 
Camp Montessori
Early Registration Deadline Coming Soon
The early registration deadline for Camp Montessori is two and a half weeks away! 

Families registering for five or more weeks of camp before March 31 will receive a 10% discount.

New this year - 
Electives: All campers entering first through eighth grade will now choose electives at the beginning of each week. Electives are special, small-group activities that allow campers to spend more time doing exactly what they most like to do. Some examples include Chemistry, Into the Woods, Poetry Slam, Sports and Games, Wilderness Builders and making friendship bracelets.

Free Early Morning Child-Care: Parents may drop off as early as 7 a.m. at no additional charge

Specialists: Wilmington Montessori School's specialists in S.T.E.A.M., art and environmental science will bring their expertise, enthusiasm and specialized materials to the  Core Camp groups.
 
For more information, email  [email protected]. 
 

 
Today's Learners learners
Supporting the Toddler
by Lead Toddler Teacher Lynda Coan

As a Toddler teacher, I am often asked, "What can we do at home to support our child?" The first thing to consider is what is happening developmentally for a toddler during these formative years. Dr. Maria Montessori explained that humans are born as incomplete beings with boundless potential. Our life task is to work toward self-completion. This process is never more visible than during the toddler years. Simply put, the toddler is trying to discover who she is and how she can connect to this new world. For a toddler, this means learning how to participate in simple, everyday experiences. However, at this young age, the toddler is still in need of adult assistance in many situations.

With limited reasoning ability, the toddler relies on habits, patterns and repetition to make sense of her world. She needs adults to create these patterns by establishing consistent systems that allow her to be an active participant.

"The key point to remember is that we do not want to miss the child's independent streak just because she still needs our help," Dr. Montessori wrote. "It is at precisely this time, when all acts of self-care are still difficult for the child, that she is so interested in participating in them."

The toddler has an innate desire to imitate activities she sees adults doing. This desire needs to be met with encouragement. Unfortunately, we, as adults, get used to doing everything for our infants. Moving out of this role and replacing it with one of collaboration is a challenge. We need to step back and watch our toddler to see where her interests lie. Then, we must provide opportunities for these interests to be practiced.

Unlike adults, a toddler is not purpose-driven. Her focus is on learning to coordinate the required motor movements rather than completing the task. However, we need to be cautious not to downplay the importance of this process; it is through this process that attention, patience, concentration and persistence are born. Your toddler is developing the foundation on which she will approach learning later in her education.

As the toddler starts to show more interest in everyday activities, we simply need to include her at whatever level her capability allows. In the home, this partnership naturally presents itself in the areas of self-care and household chores. In the Montessori classroom, opportunities are replicated through Practical Life exercises.

When a toddler is engaged and focused on an activity, it is important not to interrupt. A toddler's concentration is very fragile. Even our praise works as an interruption, breaking the concentration from the activity and shifting it to the adult. Praise also sets up unrealistic expectations that everyday accomplishments deserve acknowledgement. Instead, a quiet smile is the best response to a child seeking adult approval.

"At any age, developing an inflated idea of self leads eventually to isolation and loneliness," Dr. Montessori said. "Self-confidence for all of us is a result of our genuine achievements, not someone else's assessment of them. Adults cannot give children self-esteem. They must learn it for themselves through their own efforts."

Another area in which a toddler needs adult help is in developing self-regulation. Unfortunately, a toddler cannot tell us directly when she is tired, hungry, bored or overstimulated. Instead she will become silly, irritable or destructive. We need to be on the lookout for these messages as well, and be willing to help the child by responding promptly and firmly. If needed, it is OK to put away materials that are being misused or remove a toddler from a situation. This is how a child learns respect. A toddler needs adults to help regulate unwanted behaviors until she can manage them independently.

In conclusion, a toddler is in the process of self-construction. She needs to be encouraged to engage in everyday experiences, be allowed to work uninterrupted and given guidance to develop self-control. Through her own efforts, the toddler will develop a healthy sense of self and find her place in the world.

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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