WMS Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament
Please join me in congratulating the three Odyssey of Mind teams who participated in the state finals competition at Smyrna High School on March 23. I was there to watch the exciting events! I am proud of them! Thirty schools participated and all of our students were outstanding! Two of our teams will represent Delaware at the 2013 World Finals at Michigan State University this May.
Participants in the State Tournament were:
"Pet Project," Division IA - 2nd place
Charlotte Davey, Jordan Ranji, Alex Ropars, Adin Shweiki, Ariel Shweiki
Coached by Dave Ropars, Kerry Shweiki, Susie Ventresca
"The Email Must Go Through," Division I - 2nd Place
Lauren Aussprung, Evan Bastianelli, Sarah Breger, Annabelle Damude, Lauren Jones, Jackson Politis, Isabel Snyder
Coached by Natalie Wolf Aussprung, Leslie Bastianelli, Suzanne Jones
"The Email Must Go Through," Division II
Rachel Aussprung, Grant Farabaugh, Dylan Garvin, Katie Krawczuk, Michael Lober, Dharini Simon, Juliana White
Coached by Natalie Wolf Aussprung, Laura Farabaugh, Tonya Garvin
Re-enrollment Reminder
We are now accepting new students for school year 2013-14. Some of our current families have not yet re-enrolled. I urge you to do this now to ensure your child's placement for September. Some classrooms are close to full already so it is very important that we receive your paperwork and deposit so we can secure your child's space. If you have questions, please contact me ASAP at 475-0555 or marie_dugan@wmsde.org. As usual, my office door is always open.
Board News
Congratulations to Meredith Amado and Drew Matalonis, who have been elected to the Board of Trustees. They began their term at the recent Annual Meeting. Special thanks to Susan Thomas who retired from board service after nine years as a member. We are grateful for her dedication and commitment to Montessori education and WMS's children and families, as well as her important contributions to the school's strategic goals. Her son Jonah is in the 7-9 class, and she also has two sons who are WMS alumni.
Auction 2013
The excitement is building for WMS's Lucky Pair Auction & Casino Games Night on Saturday, April 20. All of our staff members are coming with tickets donated by supportive parents. Plan to bring friends, grandparents and alumni! Tickets are available in the lobby and online. Some items will be featured in the lobby from now until the day of the auction. Thanks to everyone who is helping and to co-chairs Cathy Capper and Kerry Shweiki.
Historic Visitor
Lakshmi Kripalani is a Montessori legend for many reasons. Now 92 years old, she studied and worked with Maria Montessori herself as young teacher in Karachi, India, during the 1940s. Stop by our Holi celebration on Tuesday, April 9, after 11 a.m. to meet Lakshmi in the Great Room. Lakshmi was given a lifetime achievement award by the American Montessori Society in 2010, and we are honored welcome her to WMS. To learn more about Lakshmi, check out this video interview on YouTube. Many thanks to Seetha Raju for chairing this year's Holi celebration!