Editor's Note:
This year we're trying something a little different with the Wednesday Weekly. We'll deliver the usual news, in-depth classroom feature articles and WMS alumni profiles you've been accustomed to reading in every other issue of the newsletter rather than every week. For the weeks in-between, the newsletter will feature the calendar of events and either a quick summary of the work happening at each classroom level or an overview of what's going on in each specials class (art, music, P.E., STEAM, Spanish, technology). Please
let us know what you think
!
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September 12
Back-to-School Curriculum Night - Toddler & Upper Elementary (9-12)
6-7 p.m.
Back-to-School Curriculum Night - Middle School
7-8:15 p.m.
September 18
Fire Drill
10 a.m.
September 19
Welcome Back/Peace Assembly
11:15 a.m.
Gym
September 21-25
The Delaware Contemporary
September 30
Online School Store Closes
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Toddler
Toddlers across all classrooms were heavily focused on team-building, cooperative work and settling into new routines during these first weeks.
Room 3 (year-round classroom):
Students worked on arranging flowers together, which reinforced the concept of taking turns and addressing friends by their names. They continued learning about butterflies, a study they began over the summer, and are eagerly eyeing the two remaining chrysalids left in their butterfly habitat.
Room 4:
Pets are Room 4's theme for the month of September, and toddlers have been talking and singing about pets and reading "Pete the Cat." For their first "Science Friday" activity, they enjoyed making strawberry play dough and then eating strawberries for snack time. They will also be focused on peace activities, including mindfulness and calming their bodies, as
International Peace Day
approaches.
Room 5:
Daily snack preparation has emerged as an early favorite in Room 5. Last week children peeled mandarin oranges and sliced watermelon and strawberries. Kitchen activities help children take ownership of the classroom while working on developmental skills such as hand coordination, using tools purposely and learning to do things for others. Putting away clean dishes and washing dishes after snack are other kitchen activities they will explore in the next couple weeks.
Room 6:
As most of Room 6's students are new, they have been working through some tears, separation anxiety and coming together as a group. They are starting off the year learning about the life cycle of an apple, from seed to tree, and the various parts of the apple. This week they began tasting different types of apples and discussing sweet and sour tastes.
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Primary
In all Primary (3-6) classrooms, students have been focused on learning rules and routines, welcoming new classmates and building community, completing assessments and establishing trust with their teachers.
Room 16:
Students began learning about monarch caterpillars and will follow the life cycle of monarch butterflies in the coming weeks. They are also learning peace songs leading up to
International Peace Day
, and meeting some of their specials teachers as they prepare to start art, music, STEAM, Spanish and P.E. classes.
Room 17:
Room 17 students have enjoyed singing songs and playing games to learn each other’s names. They're exploring ocean-themed books and practical life work as part of a new study on sea life, and they received a monarch caterpillar this week to kick off their focus on the life cycle of monarch butterflies. New kindergartners are already embracing their role as leaders in the classroom, and were excited to start specials classes this week.
Room 19:
Students in Room 19 have started their social curriculum activities, including practicing how to greet one another. They are also practicing mindfulness routines, which includes a singing bowl, breathing techniques and daily stretches. They've been introduced to the kindness marble jar to recognize acts of kindness, and kindergartners have paired up with new students to show them the ropes. Next week Room 19 students will begin the paper bag activity, when each child is invited to bring in five objects that tell about their families or interests.
Room 20:
Students in Room 20 began sea life-themed work, which will continue through the next few weeks. They will also be learning about monarch butterflies as they set up and observe a caterpillar/butterfly habitat. Observing, forming and classifying lines will be the focus of upcoming math work. Kindergartners are learning about becoming classroom leaders and looking forward to starting their first Writer's Workshop.
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Lower Elementary
The first weeks of school in the Lower Elementary (6-9) Program are busy as the children learn about each other and classroom expectations. They have been sharing their summer boxes, writing their "Hopes and Dreams" for the year, and producing iMovies that introduce their talents and passions to an eager Bloomz Room 11 parent audience. Melissa, Carol and Amy have been observing students and learning about their interests, ability to concentrate for extended periods of time, and problem-solving skills. During independent work time, teachers have been assessing them individually to discover their current reading, spelling, handwriting and mathematical levels, and using these assessments to create small instructional groups for children with similar strengths.
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Upper Elementary
Veteran Upper Elementary (9-12) students welcomed five new fourth-graders and one sixth-grader this year, and spent time during the first week of school helping them learn classroom routines. They dived right in with math, reading and spelling assessments, and discussed their summer reading assignment, "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio, as well as books each student chose to read on his or her own. Upper Elementary students also got started on their artwork for the Youth Peace Art Exhibition, and worked on self-portraits inspired by Pablo Picasso. Along with their middle-school peers, they are gearing up for their annual overnight trip in a few weeks - this year to the
South Mountain YMCA Camp.
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Middle School
As middle-schoolers quickly settled into the new school year, they were busy taking math assessments, sharing their summer reading projects, setting up Google Classrooms, assigning classroom jobs and organizing book club groups. They are also preparing to read "Refugee" by Alan Gratz, and have started discussing their social studies theme for the year - conflict - and brainstorming conflict-related topics they would like to study. In addition to beginning their Spanish studies and working on their artwork for the upcoming
Youth Peace Art Exhibition,
they are preparing
for the
Montessori Model UN,
a program our middle-schoolers and sixth-graders will be embarking on this year.
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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.
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WILMINGTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL
WWW.WMSDE.ORG
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