Tomorrow 13 students will graduate from WMS. They have the honor of graduating as we celebrate our 50th year as a Montessori school. Amazing. WMS has been here for 50 years, honoring the students who have spent the early part of their educational journey with us. They will leave us to attend middle schools in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They will bring with them all that has shaped who they are today, including many memories from WMS.

As the sixth-graders talk about their experiences here at WMS, there are themes that occur from year to year. They understand and appreciate the sense of community, the feeling of belonging. They recognize that they learn from teachers, books and each other. They know their "job" is to be curious, to wonder and to ask questions... lots of questions... and to keep asking them until they have the beginnings of the answers they need. Then, they think a bit and ask more. They know that they live in a huge world, and that they are a part of this world and can make a difference - and they do. They recognize that education means so much more than time spent in a lesson. It is the essence of who they are and what they strive for. They have begun the process of educating themselves and learning what it is that matters to them and how they can make a difference. They will continue this process in the years ahead, hopefully for a lifetime. We wish them well and look forward to hearing from them often and learning where their learning takes them. 

Please join us for the ceremony tomorrow morning at 9:30 in the gym to wish our graduates a fond farewell as they move on to the next part of their educational journey.

Four 9-12 students have been recognized for the essays they wrote and submitted to the Letters about Literature writing contest. 

Each student chose an author to write to about a book or poem that has affected them personally. Sixth-graders Annika Delport and Cameron Hoechst, and fourth-graders Kathryn Farabaugh and Aniyah Barnett, all received Honorable Mentions for their letters. 

We celebrate all of our 9-12 readers and writers!

3,835 Reported Co-op Hours!  

3,835 Co-op hours have been submitted so far this year. That number shows what an extraordinary commitment parents and families have to WMS and its students. Co-op has accomplished so much and enriched the children's school experiences every day, from large-scale projects, such as the auction and other community events, to smaller and just as important kindnesses, such as buying milk or taking care of classroom laundry on a weekly basis. On behalf of the students and WMS staff, thank you.

Please submit your Co-op hours for this year by July 1. If you are in need of hours, see Laurie Orsic, Director of Family Relations & Professional Development, or contact her at laurie_orsic@wmsde.org. 

Thanks!

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Co-op Help Needed!

Complete this year's required number of hours or get a head start on next year.

Volunteers are needed for the following end-of-year and summertime tasks: 

• Assist with classroom clean-up.
• Assist with the WMS information table at the Rockwood Ice Cream Festival on June 28 and 29.*
• Assist with the WMS information table at the Arden Fair on August 30.*
• Do you have basic sewing skills? The 7-9 team is looking for someone to make a simple Montessori material that will help children learn about U.S. coins and their values.

For more information, see Laurie Orsic, Director of Family Relations & Professional Development, or contact her at laurie_orsic@wmsde.org. Thanks!

WMS Introduces New Software for Managing Student Health Information

We are pleased to announce that we are now using the Magnus Health Student Medical Record (SMR) to collect student health information for the upcoming school year. Magnus Health SMR is a secure and easy-to-use website for submitting health information. All your child's health information will be collected, stored and managed in one location. This allows us to provide more efficient and consistent health-care services to your child on a daily basis.

• Document collection: Our first step is to streamline the process by eliminating forms for your school. Forms will come directly to Magnus, and you will always have access to current year forms for any of your other needs (camp, vacation, doctor, etc.). Most health information only needs to be submitted once and then updated as needed.
• Daily care: Submitted information is easily updated during the course of the year, ensuring the school is informed of current health needs and can make the best decisions when caring for your child. Information includes a complete health history, emergency contacts, allergies, medications, conditions and more. Important forms may include permissions, action plans, consent to treat, etc.
• Forms that will be replaced with or managed by this system include: Health Appraisal; Emergency and Contact Information; Action Plans for Asthma, Seizures, and Allergies; Medication Administration; and more. 

Magnus' privacy and security policies mean your child's information is far more secure online than in paper format. User authentication and tracking, data tracking, and military-level security ensure only authorized users have access to confidential information.      

You will be receiving additional information soon, but in the meantime feel free to check out www.magnushealth.com/parents or contact Nurse Paige for more information. 

Also, stay tuned for information later this summer about our new Blackbaud software and how it will be used to manage student information and educational communications at WMS.