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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
6-9 Winter Concert
9:30 a.m.
Gym
December 19
3-6 p.m.
December 21-22
Winter vacation
*December 23-January 1
Winter vacation - school closed
Happy holidays!
*The building will be closed with no Saturday access during this time.
January 2
Teacher professional development day - no classes
Pre-registered child care available
January 3
Classes resume
January 5
January 10
4-8 p.m.
Panera Bread
(Market Square Shopping Center - near Trader Joe's)
January 11
9:30 a.m. & 5 p.m.
Tell a friend!
January 12
Deadline for WMS sibling applications
January 18
Parent Education - The Journey
8:30 a.m.
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WMS Pride
Message from
Head of School Lisa Lalama
Over the past two years we have been working hard to prepare for an accreditation visit from members of the American Montessori Society (AMS). We began by examining our school from top to bottom, from facility to pedagogy. Last week a team of Montessorians from around the U.S. visited WMS to verify the information we have provided in our accreditation report, which must be submitted every eight years in order to maintain our accreditation status with both AMS and Middle States. It has taken every stakeholder's effort to get to this moment. The team was here for four days. Oh what a visit it was! From Sunday's welcome reception to meeting with alumni, current parents, WMS sixth-graders, lead and assistant teachers, administrators and everyone in between, the AMS accreditation team had a full slate.
As we prepared for the visit, our goal was to help our visitors see the pride we have in our school. We all know what makes WMS so special: the community. We each can speak about the people we have met, friendships we've made, lessons we've learned and the sense of belonging that comes from being a part of WMS. Many people have said that they aren't sure if WMS attracts good people or grows them. That question is not an easy one to answer and may not need an answer. No matter the response, the fact is that we are a unique and wonderful school, welcoming and nurturing those who are a part of our community. We are proud to call ourselves WMS.
We want people outside our community to come in and feel what it is that makes us so special. We want them to feel that they're a part of our community even if they are only visiting for a short time. The team left us with three words that they said describe WMS at its essence: love, community and faithful (to Montessori education and our mission). Thank you for being a part of WMS and making it all it can be.
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News & Notes
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Calling All WMS Alumni: Join the Amazing Race & Alumni Social!
On Tuesday, December 19, from 3 to 6 p.m., WMS will host the Amazing Race & Alumni Social for alumni of all ages. Catch up with old friends and reminisce about your time at WMS as you take on an Amazing Race-style challenge and test your WMS knowledge around the trivia table. There will also be dinner, raffles and prizes!
*Co-op support is needed for this event. Please see the sign-up sheets on the Co-op bulletin boards or email [email protected] if you would like to help with this event.
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Register Today for 2018 Winter and Spring After-School Specials
Take advantage of WMS's 2018 winter and spring enrichment lineup - registration for After-School Special Programs is now open! Upcoming classes include animation, basketball,
hip hop dance,
running club, Science Explorers, steel drums, tennis,
theater,
tumbling and
yoga
. Specials are geared toward specific ages - check the
WMS website for more information and to register online.
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Enrolling WMS Siblings for the 2018-19 School Year - First Round Deadline Quickly Approaching
by Director of Admissions Tiffany Harrison
I am delighted to announce that the
admissions application is open for 2018-19 school year. I want to ensure current families that they are given priority in the admissions process.
Please submit applications for WMS siblings by Friday, January 12 to be given priority in first-round decisions. New families have begun to submit their applications for 2018-19. Spaces are extremely limited in the Toddler and Primary Programs. We currently have a waiting list for several of our Toddler programs, and I am confident that this will happen again next school year. Feel free to
contact me if you have any questions about enrolling a WMS sibling.
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Eat at Panera and Help Raise Funds for the 2018 Sixth-Grade Trip
Mark your calendars: on
Wednesday, January 10, from 4 to 8 p.m., Panera Bread at Market Square Shopping Center (near Trader Joe's) will
donate a percentage of its sales to support the annual sixth-grade class trip to New York City. Eat delicious soups, sandwiches, bread and more to help WMS's current fifth-graders meet their fundraising goal!
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Order DVDs of the 6-9 Winter Concert
O.K. Video will be recording this Friday's 6-9 Winter Concert. Following the concert, DVDs will be available for purchase online at
www.okvideode.com, or you can pick up an order form in the lobby or at the performance. All forms can be returned in the glass box in the front lobby.
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Today's Learners
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Teaching Upper Elementary Students How to Observe Through Art
by 9-12 Lead Teachers Joanna Breger, Margo Long and Shelley Robyn
Scientists study the world. They make accurate observations to recognize patterns, gain knowledge, and create explanations and investigations based on physical evidence.
Observation is a skill that must be explicitly taught. Through structured observation, students slow down, look, concentrate and identify what they see. Students in the 9-12 Program have been developing this skill through the integration of the arts.
 After reading "Art Is..." by Bob Raczka, the students were asked to observe paintings from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In their first observation, they simply identified what they saw in the paintings. Next, they were asked to observe their painting for specific lines and shapes. Subsequent observations yielded additional details regarding quantity, size, value and color.
After honing their observation skills using works of visual art, the students began to draw from the elements of art as they described their observations in other areas of the curriculum.
Students applied these skills during a science lesson to observe and record changes as crystals were forming from salt solutions in the classroom. In cultural studies, students worked to determine possible environmental problems depicted in photographs by identifying the details in each image and drawing conclusions. In math, students use their observation skills on a daily basis to find patterns, make conjectures and identify relationships in their work.
Observation skills also develop into to visual literacy - the ability to read, write and interpret visual texts, including books, websites, videos, and even smiles and gestures. As readers, students observe textual details, such as italics, bold type, underlining and punctuation to identify important information and/or emphasize meaning. Diagrams, charts and pictures are other visual tools that help students better process and understand complex information. Additionally, Upper Elementary students learn to read beyond the words in the text to draw conclusions, support assertions and internalize and synthesize information.
By using works of art to hone observation skills, students are strengthening their visual literacy and, ultimately, their understanding.
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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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