W E D N E S D A Y W E E K L Y

September 17, 2014

In This Issue

News & Notes
Co-op Corner

Today's Learners

Tomorrow's Leaders

Upcoming Events

September 17 -

6 p.m., Back-to-School/Curriculum Night - 3-6 Parents
Child-care available for ages 3 & up. Contact Cass Winner to register.

7 p.m., Back-to-School/Curriculum Night - 5-7/6-9 Parents
Child-care available for ages 3 & up. Contact Cass Winner to register.

September 24 -

10 a.m., Pop-up Montessori Classroom at Brandywine Hundred Library - Tell a friend!

September 25 -

Rosh Hashanah -
No Classes. Pre-registered child-care available.

September 29 -

9:30 a.m., Montessori Monday Open House - Admissions.
Tell a friend!

October 1 & 2 -

School Photo Days

(Rain Date - 10/9)

October 1 -

7-8:30 p.m., Montessori 101 - Parent Education

School Photos - Schedule TBA (10/9 Rain Date)

October 2 -

9:30 a.m., Montessori 101 - Parent Education

School Photos - Schedule TBA (10/9 Rain Date)

Full Calendar

View more photos on the WMS Facebook page.

Message from Head of School
Lisa Lalama

Saturday, September 21, is the day the General Assembly of the United Nations has declared the International Day of Peace. The staff and students at Wilmington Montessori School recognize this day each year with an assembly to share the message of peace. This happened today as each child planted a pinwheel to create a visual symbol of peace.

As Maria Montessori so clearly stated, "Averting war is the work of politicians; establishing peace is the work of education." She recognized children as an important part of furthering the hope of the evolution of humankind. Each Montessori classroom strives to embody peace, through the interactions between children and adults and by promoting peace throughout the curriculum.

Your child's day has many opportunities to live this aspect of Montessori's mission. From our youngest students to our oldest, various cultures and customs are introduced. Children learn, not only about the customs of their home and society, but also about those of other lands and cultures. They learn that it is the human quest to meet our fundamental needs (food, clothing, shelter, safety, transportation and communication), and it is in working to meet these needs that we recognize our similarities.

As we establish the framework that allows children to understand that all living creatures are important and interconnected, we are setting the stage to encourage each child to be the peacemaker and the caretaker of our world. Yes, these are big goals, goals that your children accept willingly and enthusiastically.

Thank you for choosing a Montessori education for your child and for being an active part of our community as we work together to further the goal of peace in our world.

Wilmington Montessori School Celebrates the U.N. International Day of Peace - September 2014

News & Notes

Enterovirus D68

You may have heard in the news recently about the spread of a respiratory virus, particularly among children. We are aware of the situation, and continue to monitor it as it develops. At the time of this publication, there are no known cases in Delaware; however, according to health authorities, it is likely that cases will be identified in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we have asked our cleaning staff to take particular care with the disinfecting of surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, etc. In addition, hand washing and "respiratory etiquette" (coughing and sneezing into the arm) are good measures to reduce the spread of illness, now and every day. And of course, if your child is sick please be sure to keep him or her home to recuperate.

Thank you in advance for taking measures to keep our community as healthy as possible

If you have additional questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact Nurse Paige.

New Brownie Girl Scout Troop at WMS

Attention second- and third-grade girls! Chris Hansen and Elva Delport will be starting a Girl Scout Brownie troop. Interested students should plan to attend an introductory meeting on Friday, September 19, from 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 18 with a parent to learn what it is all about.

Regular meetings will be held at WMS on alternate Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m. There will be lots of fun activities that the girls will help select. Chris and Elva are experienced leaders and are excited to get the girls started right away with lots of fun.

Technology Tip - Emodo & Gmail Filters

Are your child's classroom Edmodo alerts ending up in the "Promotions" section of your Gmail inbox? Instructional Technology Coach Rose Feehan has created a brief tutorial to help you out. Check it out here, and contact Rose if you need additional assistance!

Co-op Corner co-op

Are you ready to go on The Journey with us?

Learn more about WMS and earn five co-op hours!

Friday, October 17 at 8:30 a.m.

Whether you're a current Wilmington Montessori School parent or just beginning to learn about Montessori education - it is time to step out of the observation room and into the classroom! Even if you've attended The Journey in the past, there are new things to discover this year...

During this event, you will:

Personally experience the Montessori educational process and better understand the teaching methods.
See first-hand how WMS prepares children for success in their educational journey.
Learn how each three-year program level builds and supports your child's development from introduction through sixth grade.
Find out about WMS's new technology and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) initiatives.
Open conversations with your child about classroom activities.
Realize the positive aspects of learning and succeeding at WMS.
Be more prepared to describe the distinction of a Montessori education to friends and family.

Childcare is available by registering with cass_winner@wmsde.org.

"I found the day to be extremely valuable in learning about the Montessori Method - which seems to be an extraordinary interdisciplinary approach to learning" - Parent attendee

Today's Learners

News from Room 20: Building Community
by 6-9 teachers Melissa Connelly & Carol Wiswall

We talk a lot about "building a community" in the first weeks of school, but what do these words mean, and what do they look like in a 6-9 classroom?

Each activity brings us closer to becoming a classroom community of learning. All of the decorative name tags and early projects on the walls and lockers help the children claim the classroom as their own, and then they determine classroom jobs as they take responsibility for their space and materials.

We play many cooperative games and discuss how we helped each other overcome challenges and solved problems together in positive ways. We practice role-playing typical situations that pop up in a room of 25 people, discovering how to talk through a problem respectfully and when a game of "rock-paper-scissors" or compromise can resolve a simple dispute. We set personal goals for the year through creating "Hopes and Dreams" and, more importantly, consider the hard work and personal responsibility necessary to make those dreams come true.

Following every activity, we add stones to our teamwork jar as we recognize the many acts of kindness the children share with each other and the moments when someone steps up and helps out above and beyond expectations to make it work. We learn to identify our own and others' feelings, noticing when we or our friends are overwhelmed (we call it our balloon getting too full) and how to release that air before it pops. Through these activities, children learn to take care of each other and become empowered to help each other solve problems together before asking for adult intervention.

The classroom creates their identity as a group of children who value C.A.R.E.S: cooperation, positive assertion, responsibility, empathy for others, and self-control. Now we are ready to learn!

Tomorrow's Leaders

Will Wright - Creator of SimCity, The Sims and Spore - Talks Montessori

From the American Montessori Society

Will Wright experienced the joy of discovery as a child in Montessori elementary school. He appreciates the way Montessori teaching methods and materials are designed to help children "understand deep principles of life and nature through play."

Young learners "can become interested in pretty complex theories, like Pythagorean theory, say, by playing with blocks. It's all about learning on your terms, rather than having a teacher explain stuff to you. And when kids discover these things on their own, what they learn sticks with them so much more."

Years later, Maria Montessori's methods inspired Will to invent an entirely new video game genre-non-violent, open-ended games in which players use sophisticated computer simulation tools. He prefers to call his games "toys" because they let individuals design and control their own creations. "I want my toys to let kids explore and discover their own principles."

SimCity players envision and build cities from the ground up. With The Sims, they create inhabitants for the buildings. Spore is a "universe in a box" that invites players to create a species, guide its evolution, and then send it out to explore a cosmos of worlds created by other players.

"Computer simulations can recalibrate your instincts, sort of like a telescope recalibrates your eyesight. What happens if you give kids a toy planet to evolve? What might they discover? What might they learn?"

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.

For more information, contact Noel Dietrich, Director of Communications.