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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 12
Admissions Open House
Tell a friend!
9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
October 17
8:30 a.m.
Learning Commons
October 19
8:30 a.m.
October 22-25
Sixth-Grade Global Citizenship Action Project (GCAP) trip
New York City
October 25-26
Toddler conferences
(all classes still in session)
October 26
Halloween parades
9:15 a.m. - Primary
11:15 a.m. - Elementary
Gym
October 27 & 30
Primary/Elementary conferences
November 1
Picture make-up/retake day
Information night for parents of rising fourth-graders
5-6 p.m.
Great Room
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Message from
Head of School Lisa A. Lalama
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WMS offers so many ways for current and prospective families to learn more about our school. Last week WMS held its first 30-Day Celebration, an opportunity to check in with new families. Parent ambassadors, staff and new families gathered in the Great Room to learn more about each other and the school. As you may know, we also regularly visit two local libraries to share information about Montessori education. Those spaces are set up as Montessori Primary classrooms, and an abbreviated class runs once a month during the school year.
This week we are hosting two open houses for prospective families to visit and learn more about WMS as a choice for their children. We are eager to lead families through our classrooms, explaining the benefits of a Montessori education - particularly, the reasons why WMS is the best place to experience an authentic Montessori education that provides the best opportunity for academic, social and emotional growth for each student.
Finally, we are hosting an opportunity for current WMS families to experience WMS's educational process from the Toddler through 9-12 Programs. The Journey will be held on October 19 at 8:30 a.m. Attendees spend time at each age level, observing the classroom, attending a lesson specific to that level, and asking questions about what they saw and experienced. It is truly a bird's eye view into how our classrooms function and the benefits your children gain each day.
We hope that you will join us for a Journey at some point this year and that you will encourage others to learn more about WMS at an open house or at the local library. We'd love to share the program your children experience each day with you, your friends and neighbors.
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News & Notes
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WMS Middle School
Coffee & Questions
Next Tuesday morning, October 17, at 8:30 a.m., pour a cup of coffee and meet with administrators in the Learning Commons to learn more about our plans to expand WMS through eighth grade.
We were excited to share the news last week about extending our school to include seventh and eighth grades, beginning with the 2018-19 school year. Earlier this week, we welcomed current PRIED students to WMS for a special morning celebration, with live music, baked goods and a special art project - a banner that is now hanging in the school lobby. We welcome your questions about the process and what it means for current and future WMS families.
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We Need Your Science Explorers! Register TODAY for Toying Around
Calling all budding scientists! Explore the world of physics and chemistry that exists in toys. Science Explorers' upcoming after-school special,
Toying Around With Science
, will put a spin on some classic favorites and introduce kids to some new "totally tubular" toys. Boomerangs, yo-yos, kaleidoscopes and roaring cups are all part of the fun. SIGN UP TODAY to ensure we have enough students enrolled to bring this exciting class to WMS this fall!
Tuesdays, 5 weeks (10/24-12/5), $130
(no class 10/31 or 11/21)
3:25-4:20 for ages 4-7
4:20-5:20 for ages 6-9
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This Thursday: Attend the
Salt Maker Faire
Join us tomorrow, October 12, from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. in the Great Room, for our Salt Maker Faire
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Our Primary and Elementary students have been learning about rocks and minerals in the Maker Studios and we are excited to share our knowledge about salt - a rock we eat! We will be tasting salt, tasting Maker Studio-made pickles, painting with salt and exploring a salt sensory table. Please come join the fun.
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Fire Drill Next Tuesday
WMS will conduct an announced fire drill next
Tuesday, October 17, at 11 a.m.
Announced drills occur during the first two months of school, allowing teachers and students to prepare and practice evacuation procedures without the element of surprise. If you are in the building at that time, please evacuate to the closest congregation area, line up at a star and follow directions from one of our staff members. Please remember to set a good example for our students by leaving in a quick, quiet and calm manner.
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Tomorrow's Leaders
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From Woods to Wetlands: Catching Up with Sandra Demberger (WMS '06)
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| Sandra as a WMS sixth-grader in 2006. |
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For alumna Sandra Demberger, there is little doubt the many days she spent in the woods as a WMS student blazed the path to her career in environmental science. Her fondest memories of her time at WMS include sitting outside on logs, writing poetry, building forts, and taking in the outdoors and her natural surroundings.
"If I had gone to an elementary school where I sat in a desk all day," she said, "I'm not sure how I would have turned out."
Sandra knew early on that she was destined for work that involved spending time outdoors. Following her graduation from WMS in 2006, she attended The Tatnall School. She carried her love of the outdoors through high school and enrolled at the University of Delaware (UD) to study environmental science in 2012.
"I was always unsure of exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do good for the world from the get-go," Sandra said. "At Tatnall, people said 'Oh you're from WMS, you're a tree-hugger.'" As it turns out, she admits, there may have been some truth to that.
Part of UD's draw for Sandra was the opportunity to study abroad. After exploring the Amazon in Brazil and rainforests in Costa Rica, she knew she was on the right track in pursuing environmental science. During her junior year, Sandra attended a career night, where she connected with a representative from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). This interaction landed her an internship with DNREC the summer before her senior year, which led to an internship with Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) following her graduation from UD in May 2016. This March, PDE hired her as a monitoring fellow, a role in which she evaluates the health of valuable wetlands.
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Sandra at work for the Partner-ship for the Delaware Estuary, planting plugs at the Lewes Canal living shoreline.
(Photo credit: Maddy Lauria, Cape Gazette)
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During the summer months, Sandra spends nearly 80 percent of her time in the field, which may involve anything from assessing and monitoring coastal wetlands to constructing living shorelines. She also assists with mussel and oyster physiology experiments, installing rain gardens and recycling oyster shells from local restaurants.
Sandra stays connected with many of her WMS classmates through her parents, who still count many WMS families among their closest friends. Her mother often reminds her that she has her WMS days to thank for her successes in life. "My mom would always say if I did a good job at something, 'It's because you're a Montessori kid,'" she said.
Even if she didn't have her love of the outdoors and appreciation of nature to trace back to WMS, Sandra will always wear one relic of her WMS days proudly: a scar on her forehead from one field day, when a shopping cart race led to a run-in with a dumpster. That day ended in stitches - one of many days at WMS that has left a mark on Sandra's life.
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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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