Wednesday Weekly
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November 28, 2012
Grandfriends Pink Tower
Marie's Message  


G
randfriends Day has always been one of my favorite WMS events, and this year was no exception! The day began as children invited their Grandfriends into their classrooms, proudly introducing them to their classmates, showing off their favorite work and allowing them to experience a morning as a Montessori student.

Following the classroom visits, Grandfriends headed to the Great Room, which was overflowing with visitors. The loving atmosphere mirrored the feelings of support for the children of the school. Grandfriends Day committee member Lori Beth Levin welcomed everyone and introduced Kelly Rhodunda and the wonderful performers from our 
7-9 class, who sang their hearts out. The audience joined in at one point to sing along and play instruments. I hope you all will join us on December 19 at 9:30 a.m. to watch students in the 5-7 and 7-9 programs perform these songs and more in their holiday concert titled "The Big Chill."


As the children returned to their classrooms, Anna Quisel welcomed everyone, and offered greetings from the board, followed by her introduction of me. I shared my own joyful experience as the grandmother of Hugo (age 14) and Max (age 6), along with information about the current state of Wilmington Montessori School. Several Grandfriends asked questions and shared comments about their wonderful experiences during their classroom visits. It is clear that this was the happiest day of the school year for everyone!

A gallery of beautiful photos from this special day, taken by Heather Siple and Noel Dietrich, is now available on the WMS Facebook page for you to enjoy! 

 

You are invited!

Please be sure to join us at 5 p.m. on December 6 (next Thursday) for the school-wide Holiday Cultural Pot Luck dinner. This is an event that is happening through the PTO, and everyone is invited. More details are provided later in this issue. Welcome to the holiday season, a time to enjoy some time with our school community!

 

WMS Alumni Column

This column will be launched next week. Please send Noel Dietrich information about an alumnus you know, along with his or her email address and phone number, so our writers can contact them. 

WMS to open new preschool classroom!

 

WMS is growing! With so much interest in the Preschool program, we are close to opening a fourth preschool classroom to a new group of children between the ages of 3 and 5 this January! Know someone who may need a spot? 

Contact theresa_conaty@wmsde.org
. Spaces are limited. 

Mark Your Calendars
December  

3            Montessori Monday - Admissions
              9:30 a.m., Meet in the lobby 
              Tell a friend! 
              
Learn more about admissions events.
  
6            PTO Meeting
              9 a.m., Great Room
              Learn more about PTO activities
              on Facebook
 
              Holiday Cultural Pot Luck
              5-7 p.m., Great Room
              Details

9            WMS Ice Skating Party
              3:15-5:15, Skating Club of Wilmington
              Details

10          Home School Enrichment Program
              Open House  
              9:30 a.m., Meet in the library
              Know someone who is home-schooling?
              Tell them to check our program out!
 
14          Parents' Night Out
              6:30-9:30
              Details

19          5-9 Winter Concert
        
              9:30 a.m., Gym

20-21     Winter Vacation
              No school. 
              Child care open.
              Please register in advance.

24-31      Winter Vacation
              Building closed - no school or 
              child care. 

January 


1            Winter Vacation
              Building closed - no school or 
              child care

  

2            All-Staff Professional Day
              No school. 
              Child care open.
              Please register in advance.

7            Montessori Monday - Admissions
              9:30 a.m., Meet in the lobby
              Tell a friend!
 
11          Alumni Pizza Party
              (for current sixth-graders and all
              WMS alumni and former students)
              6:30-8:30 p.m.
              More info coming soon!

16          Admissions Open House
              9:30 a.m., Meet in the library
              Tell a friend!
              Learn more about admissions events.

21          Martin Luther King Jr. Day          
              No school.
              Child care open.
               Please register in advance.   
 
25           The Journey
               9:30 a.m.
               Advance registration is required.
               RSVP to theresa_conaty@wmsde.org
Co-op Corner

Weekend Warriors Day

  

How do you get over 40 hours of work done in one morning? With a group of dedicated volunteers!

Last Sunday, November 18, volunteers gathered to do small projects at WMS. Liz Madden, Director of Educational Programs, led a group of parents who helped clean out and re-organize downstairs classrooms. One of the rooms is being prepared for a new preschool room to open in January. The other rooms will be used as breakout rooms where teachers can lead small group lessons and will also be used by our five Odyssey of the Mind teams and Girl Scouts.

In other inside spaces, walls were spackled, door stops were
 replaced and kitchens were cleaned.  Outside, bushes were trimmed in toddler play areas, river rock was spread outside the gym to help drainage, playground benches were fixed, and the swing set on the elementary playground was scraped of rust, protected with a rust-preventing primer and painted!    


Many thanks to our hard-working volunteers:  Liz Madden, Stephanie Simms, Jessica Yanis, Pam and Jeff Politis, Meredith and David Amado, Kerry Shweiki, Nora and Jim Lober, Anna Quisel, Susie Ventresca and Dave Ropars.

 

Look for another gathering of the Weekend Warriors later this winter. WMS can use your help! 


Important Update on Co-op Purchases

 

Currently, all WMS families are responsible for 30 hours of co-op service, which can be completed through a combination of time spent and materials purchased in support of classroom and school-wide activities. For the remainder of this school year, the exchange rate for materials purchased for co-op credit will be changed to one hour of co-op credit for every $20 in purchases. Receipts are still required for purchases and must be turned in to Lori Oberly, Front Desk Coordinator.

 

If your family is unable to complete their co-op requirements for the year, incomplete hours will still be charged at the rate of $30 per hour.

 ________________________________

To find out about more current co-op opportunities, check your classroom bulletin board and web page. School-wide opportunities are posted on the co-op bulletin boards near the lobby and at the top of the Aspen wing and on the school website.

If you have ideas, questions, comments or need help finding co-op jobs that match your interests and availability, please contact us at co-op@wmsde.org.

 

Parent Education
Encouraging Our Children Toward Independence 

Parenting Tips
by Certified Parent Educator (and WMS Great-Grandmother) Yvonne Nass


Laughter is such a wonderful, contagious gift.
No one laughs quite like a child. Their honest, beautiful belly laughter brings joy to our hearts and a smile to our face.

When is the last time you laughed together over a silly mistake instead of getting angry? It is those small moments of sharing the same "joke" that bring us closer. Laughter should never be at the expense of another.

Keep a joke and riddle book at your dining table and laugh together often. 

News & Notes
Delaware Stars Logo

WMS maintains highest rating with Delaware Early Childhood Program

 

Wilmington Montessori School received a five-star rating again in 2012 for the Delaware Stars for Early Success Program.

Director of Educational Programs Liz Madden and Admissions Officer Theresa Conaty attended a celebration of the program with Governor Jack Markell and Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn on Tuesday. WMS was one of the select few early childhood programs in Delaware with the highest rating and was the only Montessori school with this five-star rating. In a letter from the governor, WMS was applauded for our "hard work, leadership, and the focus we bring to our children's learning and development."

 

Delaware has put an emphasis on early childhood education during the past year, fueled by funding it received through a national grant of $20 million dollars last December. The speakers at the event mentioned how crucial brain development is from birth through age 6 and how a quality program with a focus on an individualized curriculum and observation of each child is fundamental to a child's future success. 

"At Wilmington Montessori School, we already focus on so much of what they emphasized today.  We teach to each child's individual needs and our teachers are trained professionals who are experts in early childhood learning," Liz Madden said. "The state is finally catching up with what we've known as Montessorians all along; education does not begin in kindergarten - it begins at birth."

Town Meeting minutes & Board updates
 
Did you miss the Board's Town Hall Meeting on November 15?

Check out the minutes online, as well as other updates from Board committees on the Board Portal at www.wmsde.org/board
skating
WMS Ice Skating Party
December 9

The weather forecast for next week includes temperatures in the 60s, but it's always winter at the Skating Club of Wilmington! 

Join us for a WMS Ice Skating Party on Sunday, December 9 from 3:15-5:15 p.m.

Map and directions to the Skating Club of Wilmington

Bring your entire family (the $8 per person fee includes the cost of ice skate rentals) and a snack to add to the WMS party table.

Please let us know if you'll be attending by emailing theresa_conaty@wmsde.org.

We hope to see many of you there!


potluckHoliday Cultural Pot Luck
December 6
 
Join the WMS community for a Holiday Cultural Pot Luck Dinner on Thursday, December 6, 2012 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the gym. Please share a dish that you serve during the holidays in your home. Parents, staff, students and siblings are all welcome! Crafts will be available for children. 

 

Celebrate the holidays, as well as all of the families and cultures in the WMS community. Please let us know if you plan to attend by registering below:   

Register Now Button

Co-op opportunities for this event are posted on both co-op boards.  
 
parentsnightoutParents' Night Out

December 14  


Wish you could have romantic dinner? Get together with other WMS parents? Go holiday shopping without the kids?    


On Friday, December 14, WMS will offer a Parents' Night Out from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.! Child care will be available in a comfortable and fun setting for your children!


Kids will enjoy a pajama party, pizza for $1 per slice, a movie (with parent permission) and, of course, fun and games. If your child would like to run and play in the gym, please make sure he or she wears sneakers with the PJs!

 

Fees: $25 per child (up to two children) and half price for any additional children.


Child care is available for all WMS students, as well as non-WMS siblings ages 4 to 13.  

Advance registration is required - this event could be canceled if there is a lack of interest.

Email  cass_winner@wmsde.org by Monday, December 10 to register. 
Limited spaces available.
Passive Fundraising at WMS - Holiday reminder!
 

I just wanted to send you all a quick note to remind everyone about how you can passively raise money for WMS while holiday shopping for your family. Click here to visit the Wilmington Montessori School website page where you can find information and all of the necessary links to retailers that offer donations based on a percentage of your purchases. Many online retailers are represented here through Amazon.com, Escrip, Goodshop, and Box Tops for Education, as well as brick and mortar retailers like Target and local restaurants such as Morro, Blue Parrot, Dead Presidents, and more through GoodDining - everything you need on one page under the headline "Raise Money For WMS While Shopping." Many thanks to Noel for setting this page up!!!! 

 

Please bookmark this page for future use or keep the individual links in a folder on your browser's toolbar with a title like "Shop for free money for WMS." Better yet, forward this message to friends and family so they can join in too.

 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and please keep WMS in mind throughout the holiday season. Your purchases can go even further to help out our school.

 

Thanks for your help,

Stephanie Wolynetz

School Store Holiday Shopping

Is WMS gear on your child's holiday wish list? Or perhaps it's on yours?

WMS merchandise is for sale from the school store! Some items may take time to be ordered, so get your requests in ASAP!

We're also looking for parents to help inventory and sell items during December. Contact
Noel Dietrich for more information.
Junque 'n' Treasures Sale Update:

The Rummage Sale gives thanks for all the wonderful donations from the WMS community (past and present) received thus far.  Please keep 'em coming and help us reach our goal of making this our BEST sale ever!   

Please drop your items off in the bins outside Room 24 or in the front lobby area. Before donating items, please review the donation requirements at www.wmsde.org/rummagesale. Please make sure your items are clean, in good condition, and do not include winter clothing, adult clothing or well-worn shoes, especially sneakers (all-weather and rain boots are OK). Thank you!  

Remember, you can get a 2012 tax write-off if you bring in your donations before the new year! The sale will be held on Saturday, April 27, with a pre-sale on Thursday, April 25. 
________________________________ 

  

Featured Junque 'n' Treasures:

  

Egyptian Rummage
Walk like an Egyptian in the Land of Pharaohs!
More Rummage
Dazzling treasures abound at the Rummage Sale!
 

Stay tuned to the Wednesday Weekly and WMS Facebook page for updates on this event and featured treasures as the sale approaches!


The Wednesday Weekly promotes 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.
 


Our Mission

Wilmington Montessori School is a collaborative learning community rooted in Montessori principles, inspiring the joyful discovery of self and a passion for learning and independent thinking. We empower children to be knowledgeable and responsible contributors to the global community.