May 26
Deadline to Submit COVID Test Results to Nurse Kathy
Virtual Science Night - Birding (for ages 1-6)
6:30 p.m., Zoom (Register to receive the link)
May 31
Memorial Day
No school or child care.
June 1
Virtual Admissions Open House
Noon
June 3
Primary Field Day
June 4
Elementary/Middle School Field Day
June 7
Virtual Admissions Open House
Noon
June 8
Graduation
9 a.m.
Open to families of graduates only due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Note: We request that all WMS families plan to drop off by 8:45 a.m. on this date to avoid conflicts with the graduation ceremony. Toddler drop-off will be held at the FRONT entrance that day only.
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Virtual Science Night - Birding for Early Childhood Students - TONIGHT!
Please join us tonight (Wednesday, 5/26) at 6:30 p.m. for our virtual science night for Toddler and Primary students.
We will identify some backyard birds, discuss their important characteristics, learn some bird dance moves and play a round of bird-themed bingo!
For those who attend, STEAM Education Coordinator Paula Sharpe and Instructional Support Specialist Trish Harkins will share some special materials they created to attract some birds to your backyard!
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Spirit Week 2021 - Help our planet and show your school spirit next week! |
Dear Parents,
This year, Spirit Week will include many of the same fun activities and dress-up themes we have had in the past, but with a twist.
The 9-12 students have been learning about world problems like pollution, plastic, pesticides, global warming and more. We wrote speeches about these causes to persuade others to help us protect the environment. We voted as a group to support the use of organic pesticides and facilitate an e-waste collection. We thought that, as a community, we could work together to solve these problems.
Spirit Week will be hosted by the 9-12s from June 1-4 (next week). Students are invited to participate in the following themed days to raise awareness for the global issues mentioned above:
Tuesday, June 1: “Look Alike Day” - Your child and their friends can partner up and match each other’s clothing.
Wednesday, June 2: "Elaborate Hair and Clothes Day" - Get creative! Do whatever you want with your hair and clothes.
Thursday, June 3: "Pajama Day" - Wear your pajamas and bring a stuffed animal to school.
Friday, June 4: "Spirit Day" - Wear your WMS clothing!
Further information about a Delaware Food Bank fundraiser and e-waste collection will be shared on Bloomz.
Sincerely,
The WMS 9-12 Class
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Reminder: WMS policies regarding face-coverings and other COVID-19 protocol will remain in place through the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
All children in Primary and older, as well as all adults (regardless of vaccination status), must remain masked on campus. We will continue these procedures through the end of the school year and will be in touch if there are any changes as we enter camp and look forward to the fall.
Thank you for helping to keep us all safe!
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COVID-19 Testing - Next Results Due Today (Wednesday, May 26) |
Our last COVID-19 testing deadline of the 2020-21 school year is TODAY (for those NOT attending camp). If your child is attending summer camp, they will be required to submit a test result by June 11, followed by bimonthly testing due on the 1st and 15th of each month (beginning with the July 1 due date).
Your child's next test results are due at 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, May 26, in order for your child to attend school tomorrow, Thursday, May 27. Results must be emailed to Nurse Kathy at nurse@wmsde.org as soon as they become available. If you are sending a screenshot, please include the date tested.
Important: Please understand that if no results are forwarded to Nurse Kathy, your child will not be permitted on campus. If your results are forwarded after 4 p.m. on the due date, you may experience a delay in drop-off in the morning. A last-minute result may delay or prevent your child from attending school; time must be allowed for communication to the staff members conducting screenings in the car line.
Upcoming required due dates are as follows:
- Today Wednesday, May 26 (test on or after Thursday, May 20)
- Friday, June 11 (test on or after Saturday, June 5), for families attending Camp Montessori
You are still welcome to have your child tested more frequently and may forward the results to Nurse Kathy. If your child receives a COVID-19 vaccine, please notify Kathy as well so we can update our records.
Thank you, and please contact Nurse Kathy if you have any questions!
More Information about WMS COVID-19 Testing Requirements
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Upcoming COVID-19 Testing Events
Wednesday, May 26
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Siegel JCC - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 27
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Elsmere Park - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Dickey Park - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, May 28
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Hockessin United Methodist Church - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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Dickey Park - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 29
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City of Love Church at Brandywine - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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Townsend Fire Company - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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STEAM/Maker Studio - Lower Elementary (6-9) |
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Students in the 6-9 Program (both on-campus and virtual learners) have continued learning about space, astronauts and the International Space Station (ISS). Students created their own fabric patches for their first mission just like NASA astronauts do. Next, we learned about a day in the life of an astronaut and their jobs on-board the ISS. Our on-campus students planted food, worked with robots and coded using hands-on coding materials. They designed, built and launched stomp rockets.
Our virtual learners created constellations using pipe cleaners, and made their own straw rockets and NASA patches. Next, they observed cloud photography taken by NASA astronauts and took their own cloud photographs. Students will learn about water filtration on the ISS and create their own water filtration systems just like real ISS astronauts.
Everyone observed live video of the ISS orbiting Earth. You can watch a live real-time video of the ISS orbiting the Earth here.
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To wrap up the school year, 6-9 students have been enjoying a unit on capture the flag, which combines many of the skills they have developed throughout the year including team-building, communication, speed, strategic thinking and creativity.
The 9-12 students have also been busy. They started with a team-building unit and worked their way though kickball, tennis, soccer, capture the flag, core strength, hand eye coordination, a game show unit, relay races, hula hooping and more.
The Middle School class has been working on individual skills and accomplishments like holding a plank for 30 seconds, yoga, core activities and learning stretching techniques to improve flexibility.
Next week, all of our Primary, Elementary and Middle School students are looking forward to participating in field days as class cohorts.
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Art - Upper Elementary (9-12) |
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Our Upper Elementary students are having a blast finishing up the school year in art class. They are working on projects they have chosen themselves, including many sculptural projects, beading, storyboard drawing, painting series and graphite drawing. 9-12 students have also been visiting the art room during their regular class time to work on illustrations for a writing assignment. |
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For their spring music studies, the Middle School students have been composing, performing, dancing, improvising on drums, and analyzing the power of music and lyrics to pacify, persuade or protest. We listened to “Nina Cried Power,” by Hozier, which references singers of the 1940s through 1970s (such as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples, John Lennon and more) whose songs ignited resistance to war and injustice. We discussed the purpose of music and how it can reflect or drive values and beliefs. The students each chose a protest song about an issue that was important to them, shared its meaning with the class, and created this collaborative playlist. Then they each composed protest song lyrics (either an original song or a new verse to an existing song). Some students recorded themselves performing it. Song topics included: war, bullying, homophobia, cruelty to animals, government hypocrisy, police brutality and Black Lives Matter.
In class, as an ensemble, they performed “Blowin’ in the Wind” on their choice of guitar, ukulele, keyboard, xylophone or steel pan, using the I, IV and V chords of the G-major scale. They also explored dance as an expression of cultural identity and unity, trying out the steps to Jerusalema (South Africa, 2020), La Bamba (stomping rhythms on a wooden platform, to replace the drums forbidden to enslaved Africans), Pata Pata (by South African musician and activist Miriam Makeba) and the Gumboot Dance (originating from enslaved gold-miners in South Africa.)
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Spanish - Primary through Middle School |
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This week, students in the Primary Program are taking "field trips" to Spanish-speaking countries through arts, dance and crafts presented by the 9-12 students at the Hispanic Cultural Fair. Each student will leave the fair with a craft bag related to the country they "visited" to complete at home.
6-9 students (on campus and virtual) are learning about popular sports in Hispanic countries. They learned that fútbol (soccer) is extremely popular in South America. They are also learning about important Hispanic athletes. The unit will culminate in a game of fútbol for the 6-9 students.
9-12 students have worked hard to put together this week's Hispanic Cultural Fair. They are sharing information about Peru, Guatemala, Panamá, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina with younger students through a variety of activities including scavenger hunts, dance lessons and more.
Finally, after learning about celebrations in Spanish-speaking countries, Middle School students will present their knowledge to the 9-12 students.
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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 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.
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WILMINGTON MONTESSORI SCHOOL
WWW.WMSDE.ORG
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Copyright © 2021, All Rights Reserved. |
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