W E D N E S D A Y  W E E K L Y
April 11, 2018
In this Issue


Upcoming Events


April 9-13
ERB Testing*
(3rd-6th grade)

*Please be mindful of students taking ERB tests this week - move quietly through the hallways near elementary classrooms and the Learning Commons.


April 12
8-8:45 a.m.
Room 26


April 14
Tickets on sale online and in the WMS lobby at drop-off and pick-up times through Friday


April 18
9:30 a.m. & 5 p.m.
Tell a friend!

4-6 p.m.
Sanford School


April 19
7:45-8:30 a.m.
Room 30

9:30 a.m.
Gym


April 25
Annual Meeting
7 p.m.
Great Room


May 1
Moms' Day


Delaware's poets laureate Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Al Mills, known as the Twin Poets,
visiting WMS last year

The Power of Poems
Message from
Head of School Lisa Lalama
 
for more from Lisa.
April 4 is Maya Angelou's birthday, which was noted by the Google doodle , and this year April 4 also marked the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. For some reason I had never noted the coincidence of those events. As I read and listened to their words during the past week, I was once again inspired by the way they both used words - one a poet, the other a preacher and activist.

April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate and honor poetry. Many people say they don't like poetry or that it is too fancy or hard to understand. It is often a misunderstood form of literature, though one that is accessible for people of all ages. Who doesn't remember all the childhood rhymes recited again and again? And who can't cite an example of poetic language, whether a poem, prose or favorite song?

Both Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King Jr. were poets - one recognized as such, the other an orator who used language in beautiful descriptive ways. Share a poem or 10 with your children this month, and don't forget to carry a poem with you on April 26 for Poem in Your Pocket Day. Whether it is the poetry of either of these icons or that of Shel Silverstein, A. A. Milne or Robert Louis Stevenson, celebrate the language and the beauty of poetry. Until then, dream and enjoy this poem by Langston Hughes - it's one of my favorites:

Dreams
by Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.



News & Notes News


Auction Week is Here!

Our annual auction and gala is  this Saturday, April 14,  and if the bidding during last week's online auction is any indication, your bidding arm will get a good workout at the live event.

If you haven't done so, purchase your tickets   for  the live auction, Growing Together: a Garden Gala & Auction
  • You may also purchase auction tickets in the WMS lobby through Friday this week at drop-off and pick-up times. 
  • Purchase tickets for the 50/50 raffle in the WMS lobby or on auction night (you don't need to be present to win).

  • Be fashionable: prizes will be awarded to the individual and couple with the best garden-themed outfits.  
  • Visit our Facebook page to preview selected auction items or stop by the WMS lobby, where many gifts are already on display.   
Have a question? Want to donate a gift? Email  auction@wmsde.org.
 
makerMake Yours a Maker Morning - 
April 12 & 19


J oin your child for Assamese (Indian) chia and mango smoothies and try your hand at our Maker materials at the upcoming Primary and Elementary Maker Mornings.

Primary: Thursday, April 12, 8-8:45 a.m.
Elementary: Thursday, April 19, 7:45- 8:30 a.m.

(Photo courtesy of Beamingbaker.com)

concertEscape to Dreamland at the Primary Spring Concert - April 19

Next  Thursday, April 19 , join the Primary students at  9:30 a.m. in the gym for an auditory treat: a spring concert of  Dreams and Lullabies

Enjoy the soothing sounds of the Primary classrooms' young voices as they sing lullabies, including an Assamese song they learned as part of WMS's arts integration initiative and focus on the culture of Assam, India.
Today's Learnersleaders2
The Concept of Infinity: Using Concrete Objects to Introduce Abstract Concepts in the 6-9 Classroom
by Lower Elementary Lead Teacher Kira Messinger



During their elementary years, students are introduced to some pretty big concepts. In a Montessori classroom, concrete objects often pave the way for abstract concepts. One such abstract concept we teach in the 6-9 classroom is infinity.

The concept of infinity is so abstract, many adults have trouble wrapping their heads around it. So how can we approach such a challenging concept with children? Lower Elementary teachers help children advance toward the concept of infinity by way of a concrete lesson called Infinity Street.
The view along Infinity Street 

Though not strictly a Montessori lesson, Infinity Street was developed by Montessori teachers and uses many of the same color concepts and materials that can be found on the Montessori math shelves. Infinity Street has two main goals: to help students understand how to read large numbers, and to introduce the concept of infinity.

Reading and writing very large numbers is inherently fascinating to children. They take pride in being able to string together a group of numbers and create meaning out of that number by giving it a name.

The Infinity Street story begins with a felt or paper house. This house is on Infinity Street and contains three family members, a Unit (the smallest family member), a Ten and a Hundred. Each member of the Simple family, as they're known, is represented by a different color (red, blue and green). The students assign each family member a single numeral from one to nine and read their names all together, as the Simple family prefers. For example, if Hundred is assigned the number three, Ten assigned nine and Unit assigned four, their names are read as "three hundred ninety-four."

The Simple family's next-door neighbors, the Thousands, live in a slightly larger house and their three slightly larger family members have the same names (Unit, Ten, Hundred). Their house has a little mailbox on the right with their family name and a comma, which introduces students to the use of a comma to break up large numbers. The Thousands and their neighbors to the right like when you say their names all together, such as "two hundred thirty-six thousand, three hundred ninety-four."

Next comes the Millions family, Billions family, Trillions family, and so on, with each house and family getting slightly bigger than the previous one.

Room 19 students create numbers
on Infinity Street.
Infinity Street can be as long or short as the teacher or students desire. In Room 19, we created numbers in the duodecillions (10^39)! Ask your Lower Elementary child to read a number this long aloud for you - you will be impressed!

Even when we placed the final house on Infinity Street in Room 19, the students learned that Infinity Street actually goes on forever and ever, without end.

By way of the concrete Infinity Street, the children can begin to imagine more and more houses, and how big they would get if they went on forever. They begin to imagine the abstract concept that is infinity.


 

The Wednesday Weekly shares WMS news and events that are relevant to the families in our community.  

Please send submissions to wednesday-weekly@wmsde.org 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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