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W E D N E S D A Y W E E K L Y
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Bi-weekly Summer Issue - August 8, 2018
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In this Issue
Upcoming Events
August 6-10
Camp Week 8
August 9
August 13-17
Camp Week 9
1-4 p.m.
August 16
August 20-24
Camp Week 10 (last week of camp!)
August 23
All camp groups: WMS Carnival
August 23
New family reception
5:15 p.m.
Great Room
Back-to-school picnic
6- 7:30 p.m.
WMS campus
August 30
Welcome back classroom visits
10-11 a.m.
Individual classrooms
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Back to School
Message from
Head of School Lisa Lalama
We are nearing the end of summer, and everything around us points to going back to school. Stores are filled with all the items your students need (and may not need) to set them up for a wonderful school year: clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes, Post-it Notes, pencils and more. Who doesn't love the thrill of a new year? Kids, parents and teachers alike are enticed by new accessories to accompany them on this year's school journey.
Even as a staff member, it's nice to have some new things for the school year, but the best preparation that any of us can make for the year ahead is taking some time to reflect on why we do what we do. Is it to stand in front of a classroom of children and impart great facts and pearls of wisdom? Is it to make sure that a child performs well on a given assessment? Or is it for other more elusive reasons?
Teaching is a profession that is done in service to others. It is a job that is more art than science. Teachers care deeply about the students they serve. They want to do right by them and help them move along a continuum of intellectual, social and emotional growth. They know that some students will sail along smooth seas while others are battling the wind at every turn. Teachers and schools know that in order to serve the children in their midst, knowledge is just the beginning. They must be people of strength, courage and understanding who get to know the children, discover what each one needs to succeed, and find ways to honor and encourage them in the things that they love as well as the things that present a challenge.
Schools are charged with preserving the spirit of the child who expectantly and excitedly enters the classroom on the first day. They must ensure his sense of self not only remains intact but grows a bit stronger as the year goes on. They are places where learning is engaging and interesting and done on individual rather than group timelines. They are places that nurture. They are homes away from home.
As your family prepares for another school year, know that you have chosen a school dedicated to nurturing your child's spirit and enthusiasm for learning and life. You have chosen a school where the teachers believe in and adhere to the Montessori philosophy, which reminds us each day to allow children to lead us to their learning, not the other way around. You've chosen a school that is committed to each of your children as individuals as well as to the collective community that makes us WMS. Enjoy your last weeks of summer. We look forward to seeing you at the picnic on August 23 at 6 p.m.
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News & Notes
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Placement Letter Delay
Due to a last-minute staffing change for the 6-9 Program, we have been delayed in sending out classroom placement letters. The letters will be mailed today, so please expect to find them in your mailboxes soon, and thank you for your patience. Additionally, Lisa usually writes a personal note on each placement letter - please accept her apologies that she is unable to do so on this year's letters due to the last-minute reprint. She looks forward to welcoming everyone back to WMS in person.
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ERB Testing Results Mailed in July
2017-18 ERB standardized-testing results were mailed to parents/guardians during the first week of July. If you did not receive your student's testing results, please contact Assistant Head of School Laurie Orsic to request copies.
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School Store To Open This Week for Spirit Wear
Don't miss out on this school year's first opportunity to stock up on WMS spirit wear. Stay tuned to our
Facebook page to find out when the
school store is officially open, and order your WMS logo t-shirts, hoodies and baseball caps.
The spirit wear store will be open for limited purchase periods throughout the year. If you have any questions please email
[email protected].
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More Than Just Target Practice: Archery's Long Legacy at Camp Montessori
Archery has been a mainstay of the Camp Montessori experience for more than a decade. Introduced by late counselor and long-time WMS staff member
Mark Bomgardner, archery was first featured as a regular part of the Dragon program.
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Mark took us out every Tuesday and Thursday, and we shot in the morning," recalls current counselor and archery instructor Alexis Szkotak (WMS '12), who attended WMS and Camp Montessori from 2003 to 2014.
Eventually, archery became so popular that it was offered for one week each summer as a specialty camp, led by Mark. Alexis said part of the appeal of archery with Mark - a former archaeologist - was the history lessons he would share throughout the course of their archery instruction.
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Mark's knowledge of the ancient world was so fascinating to me," she said. "It's actually what made me want to study Latin in high school."
When Mark was no longer able to run the archery program, WMS alum and former camper Daniel Potter (WMS '06) stepped in to lead archery camp from 2015 to 2017. This year, Alexis and Mitchell Juers, a WMS staffer and camp counselor, completed their archery instruction certification and assumed the archery program helm.
In Archery I, which was offered in June, beginner archers learn basic skills such as using the bow, learning the parts of bows and arrows, safety rules, hitting targets from different distances and aiming techniques. At the end of this specialty camp week, campers are challenged to shoot moving targets and play games like tic tac toe to hone their aiming skills.
Older campers (Meerkats and Dragons) have enjoyed a chance to explore archery a few times over the course of the camp season through camp electives, and some are looking forward to advancing their knowledge and skills at next week's Advanced Archery II specialty camp.
The advanced group will explore shooting at different size targets and moving targets, learn how to use compound bows (which have additional strings to help with aiming), shoot Mongolian style and use slingshots and blow dart guns, among other activities.
Each summer, the Dragons used to compete in an archery tournament. The top scorers proudly burned their names into a wooden plaque, which was displayed in the Dragon classroom. While Alexis and Mitchell haven't recorded top scores for this year's archery campers, they hope to bring back the tradition next summer.
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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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