Wednesday Weekly
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May 22, 2013
Marie's Message    
Marie Dugan, Interim Head of School
Weekly news and notes from Head of School Marie Dugan 


The 2012-13 school year has been an amazing year for all of us at WMS. As I look back at the last 10 months since I returned, many wonderful things have happened, beginning with the generous anonymous challenge gift of $1 million dollars. It began a remarkable revival of the school. We have reset our direction into the future, clarified our core values, and strengthened our financial stability and enrollment. And our teachers and staff will end the year with a well-deserved and substantial bonus. The upcoming 50th anniversary year is looking great. We have a lot to celebrate! I couldn't be more happy. 

 
Above: The Honorable Jane Maroney, a member of WMS's Advisory Board, visits Room 3.

Last week, members of WMS's Advisory Board and Board of Directors joined us for Board Visitation Day.  We began with a "Meet and Greet" in the Great Room, followed by classroom visits and a discussion about the school's 50th anniversary. Thank you to everyone who was part of this wonderful morning!

 

Thank you to each member of our community who believed that we could be where we are today. It has renewed my strong belief in the importance of Montessori parents. I thank our board members for their tireless work, leadership and oversight this year. I thank our teachers and staff for their dedication and commitment to continue to make WMS the model Montessori independent school in Delaware; there is no other like this one! Last, I thank each parent who has supported this joyful place for our children.

 

I look forward to the end-of-school activities, especially graduation on June 4. I will be here next year, as we move forward into the future with new leadership.     

 

Dolores Morra Lane

Remembering Dolores Morra

Many members of our community fondly remember Dolores Morra, who retired last June after 17 years as a WMS preschool teacher. Sadly, Dolores passed away in November, but her memory lives on at our school. In honor of her love for WMS, the main road into the school will be re-named "Dolores Morra Lane" for the 2013-14 school year, thanks to a donation by the Szkotak and Orth families. A plaque will also be placed at Dolores' special tree, next to her classroom (Room 6), with her favorite saying: "We are all exactly where we're supposed to be in the universe at any given point in time." 

Mark Your Calendars
May  

23WMS Lacrosse Students and Parents Game and Pizza Party
After school  
 We Kids Rock! Concert
3:30 p.m., WMS outdoor stage (or Great Room, in case of rain) - Free and open to the
public!

More info
24Elementary Field Day
Volunteers needed! - More info     
27Memorial Day
Building closed. No school or child care.    
29Preschool Field Day  
309-12 Concert
Dress Rehearsal - 9:30 a.m.
Concert - 7 p.m.
Gym 


June
   
4Last day of school!
Graduation - 10 a.m. in the gym - All are welcome!
5-14Pre-camp child-care days - Register online or contact Cass for a paper form by no later
than
 May 30. Summer's almost here! 
8 Family Fitness Day at Retro Fitness - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. -  
17 Camp Montessori Week 1 begins - sign up today
 
kidsrockWe Kids Rock @ Wilmington Montessori School - Tomorrow!
May 23, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
WMS's woods/outdoor stage if weather permits or WMS's Great Room in case of rain
We Kids Rock

Join us for a free concert on Wilmington Montessori School's outdoor stage and enjoy fun, interactive rock 'n' roll for the very young and young at heart! This event is open to the public, so tell a friend and share our Facebook event.

To learn more about We Kids Rock, visit www.wekidsrock.com.
 
End-of-School Reminders


Co-op 
As the school year draws to a close, don't forget to submit your co-op hours by the last day of school to avoid getting a bill. Co-op hours can be submitted online (preferred) or by using a paper form, available next to the main co-op board across from the library or the board at the top of the Aspen Wing.

Questions? Email [email protected].

Graduation
All members of the WMS community are invited to celebrate the graduation of the class of 2013 at a ceremony on June 4 at 10 a.m. in the gym!

There are also a number of co-op needs surrounding graduation, including assistance with the celebratory breakfast for graduates and their families and help with the ceremony itself. Your help is needed to make this a special day for our sixth-graders!

Visit the co-op board across from the library to sign up or contact Melissa Sugzdinis for more information. 

Key Cards 
If you will not be returning to WMS for the 2013-14 school year, please turn in your keycard at the front desk during the last week of school.

Re-enrollment
If you haven't re-enrolled for the 2013-14 school year and still plan to, time is running out! Classrooms are quickly filling up and placement meetings will begin in the coming weeks. Children whose families have not submitted re-enrollment paperwork and deposit will not be placed.

Please contact Theresa Conaty as soon as possible with any questions about re-enrollment.

School Calendar
Our 2013-14 school calendar is now available online. This calendar includes dates on which school is open and when breaks occur. We hope this will assist you with your planning for next year. Our school events calendar for next year will be available in a few weeks.
Camp Montessori
Highlighted Specialty Camp:
Virtual Worlds, Future Cities

What will the world of tomorrow look like?
Register your child for Virtual Worlds, Future Cities camp, and you'll find out!  Campers will look at what thinkers and dreamers through the years have created, then use technology and their own imaginations to design a city of the future.  Camp runs from 1-4 p.m. from July 29 through August 2.

To learn more about Camp Montessori or register online, visit www.wmsde.org/camp.

 

Box Tops for Education Reminder

Be sure to turn in your Box Tops before the end of the school! There is a collection box by the front desk and envelopes outside each classroom. And keep collecting over the summer to earn money for WMS with products that you purchase every day (just be sure to check the expiration date before submitting). 

For a full list products eligible for the Box Tops for Education program and other ways to raise money for WMS through your everyday activities, visit www.wmsde.org/shop4WMS.
 
Community Service
World Wildlife Fund Logo
Bake sale to raise funds to save endangered species - Friday

Front Lobby, 3 p.m., Friday, May 24
by the students of the 7-9 Program 
 
Help the students of the 7-9 Program raise money for the Kids Endangered Animal Fund (KEAF) by purchasing yummy baked goods. All proceeds will go to the World Wildlife Fund. Please help us save endangered animals!   

Helping Delaware's Hungry Children (Donate peanut butter to our "wall"!)

by Avani Vasudevan and Sarah Breger   

 

Watch our wall grow outside Noel's office!

 

Don't forget that the 9-12s still are collecting peanut butter for the Food Bank of Delaware. Our wall is only six jars high. (Well, we now have two rows that are three high for safety reasons!) We can do much better! Children are still hungry. Add your jars to the wall until May 31.  Our goal is to have peanut butter reach the ceiling. Thank you!  

News & Notes
Summer Math Workbook

Don't Lose Those Math Skills - Pre-order summer math workbooks and save $3!    

 

Hard to believe it's already time to plan summer homework.


Most of us are aware of the academic slide that occurs when children take three months off from learning during summer vacation. To combat this loss of skills, it is important not only to give children enrichment experiences in different areas of interest (like those available at Camp Montessori), but to also encourage reading, writing and math work.    

 

One recommended summer math review option for students just finishing K-6 is the Summer Math Skills Sharpener series. These books are meant to be used three or four times per week for 10 weeks. Most lessons take about 20 minutes. More information about these workbooks, including sample pages and curriculum overview, is available here. (Your child's teachers will also provide information on this and other summer homework recommendations.)


This year, Summer Math Skills Sharpener workbooks can be ordered directly from WMS for $17 (usually $20 if ordered on your own). Shipping is free. Orders through WMS must be turned in by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, and will arrive before the last day of school.

Order for the grade-level your child has just completed. $17 per book is payable by cash or check made out to WMS at time of order. Please specify classroom number and grade-level book desired. Orders and payment can be submitted at the front desk.    

 

Please direct questions about ordering through WMS to Lori Beth Levin or email [email protected].

Retro Fitness Family Fitness DayretrofitnessFamily Fitness Day at Retro Fitness Concord Mall -
June 8  
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 
Bring your family to Retro Fitness (located in back of Concord Mall through a separate entrance near the Sears Automotive Center) for a day of teamwork, friendship and physical activity.  

Family Fitness Day will be a day of fun for all ages (even toddlers are welcome but may not be able to participate in some activities) that will include "Family Fitness Bootcamp" run by professional trainers, family fitness challenges (with prizes), freebies, a visit from the Talleyville Fire Company and all-day access to the gym. The event's theme is Disney's The Incredibles, which will be showing in the Retro Fitness theater throughout the day. Wear your WMS gear and be sure to stop by WMS's table in the vendor area to say hello! Please note that your "family" can include friends, as well as relatives.
 
Admission for children 10 and under is free. Tickets for ages 11 and up are $8 if purchased in advance or $10 at the door. To purchase advance tickets or for more information, please contact Noel Dietrich by Friday, May 31.

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, Communications Officer.
 


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.