Wednesday Weekly - July 15, 2020

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY

July 15, 2020

Back on Campus!

UPCOMING EVENTS

July 22

Virtual Admissions Open House

Noon

Tell a friend! Participants must register to receive the Zoom link.

August 12

Virtual Admissions Open House

Noon

Tell a friend!

August 21

Last Day of Summer Camp

August 24

Virtual Admissions Open House

Noon

Tell a friend!

August 24-31

All-Staff Professional Days/Classroom Set-up

No camp or child care.

September 1

First Day of School

Full Calendar

Camp Montessori is in full swing. It is so nice to have children back on the WMS campus. In my travels, visiting camp cohorts, I came upon a student I haven’t seen since March and greeted her, asking how she was doing. Her reply made me laugh out loud: “I’m good. I’m so happy to be out of the house!” She was expressing the very thing that all of us are thinking. A change of scenery certainly can lift one’s spirits.

Though things are not exactly what we would call normal at WMS, it is incredible to once again witness the resilience of our students and staff. Starting on the very first day of camp, children readily adapted to their new routine of being greeted at their car by a masked staff member, having their temperature taken and heading into school. They had lots to share and were happy to be back among others - children and adults.

As camp is getting into its new rhythm, we continue to prepare for the school year. We’re participating in webinars and calls, and learning as much as we can about the guidelines from the Office of Child Care Licensing , NAIS , the CDC and other organizations that are providing up-to-date information for schools and child-care facilities. Teachers are busy adapting lessons, thinking about them in the context of both in-person and online learning. Our facilities crew is working to ensure that we have a well prepared and safe environment inside and out, from cleaning our air filtration system to disinfecting high touch, high traffic areas throughout the day. Nurse Kathy is overseeing our health and wellness protocols, working with school nurses throughout the state on behalf of our students at WMS. And we are all working together to make sure we are ready for school in September.

Though it is mid-July, we will continue to put practices into place, plan for various contingencies and keep you informed about our preparations for 2020-21 school year at WMS. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and visit our website for updates about our policies related to COVID-19 and the upcoming school year.

Lisa A. Lalama

Head of School

NEWS & NOTES

Back-to-School/Extended Day Survey

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our survey regarding back-to-school and extended day options. Your responses will help shape our plans for the fall, which we will continue to share as more information becomes available.

COVID-19 Policies

WMS's COVID-19 policies for both camp and the school year are based on guidelines from the CDC and Delaware's Office of Child Care Licensing . We are continuing to monitor those sources for information to adjust our policies and practices as needed. In addition, we are waiting for the state to share information about schools reopening in Delaware - this will depend on the level of COVID-19 spread throughout the state in early August. Right now, our plan is to open on September 1 as shared on the school calendar .

Reminder: Please update your child's Magnus account!

Thank you to all of our returning families who have updated their annual forms in Magnus . For those who have not yet done so, please log onto Magnus Health, and update all of the annual forms - they are now past due.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is particularly important that we have updated health information for all of our students.

We understand you may not be able to make appointments with your student’s physician to complete some of the health forms due to the current strain on the health-care system and Delaware's state-wide stay-at-home order. We are not asking you to focus on retrieving and completing health appraisals, immunization records, and allergy/asthma action plans right now. However, we would like to ask that you do your best to complete all of the other electronic forms available in our school’s Magnus Health system.

We greatly appreciate you submitting all of the forms that you can complete today! With your help, we will be able to stay as close to our “normal” enrollment timeline as possible.

Please update Nurse Kathy at [email protected] with any future appointment dates so that she may be able to adjust dates and manage system alerts. As always, please don't hesitate to contact her with any questions or concerns.

UPDATE YOUR FORMS HERE

Summer Photo Challenge

Whether you're attending Camp Montessori or enjoying summer fun and learning at home, we would love to see how your family is spending this time off school!

Share your photos on Instagram using #WMSsummer2020 or email them to Noel Dietrich , Director of Advancement & Communications.

Families that participate in our summer photo challenge will be eligible for a random drawing for some WMS swag!

Thank you to Jeannie McMullen, mom of Finn, a student in the Toddler Program, for the submission included here!

Admissions Open Houses

Throughout the summer, we are offering a series of virtual open houses to prospective families, allowing them to explore WMS from the comfort of their homes. If you have friends who are still looking for a school for their child for this fall, please let them know about these events!

Questions can be sent to Paula Sharpe, Director of Enrollment Management.

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.