W E D N E S D A Y  W E E K L Y
November 19, 2014
In This Issue


Upcoming Events

November 20
Homeroom Parent (HRP) Meetings
11:15 a.m. or 2:15 p.m.
Read More
 

November 26
No classes.
November 27 & 28
No school or child-care. Happy Thanksgiving! 

December 4
WMS Reading Celebration!
3:30-7 p.m.
Learn More

December 8
Montessori Monday Open House
9:30 a.m., Tell a friend! 

December 10
First State Ballet Theatre Artist-in-Residence Performance
Time TBA 



Holiday Shopping Reminder
As you make your holiday purchases, don't forget you can support WMS through shopping on Amazon.com, at Target, and in a number of other popular stores. Click here to learn more!

Message from Head of School 
Lisa A. Lalama

 

WMS'sGrandfriends' Day is right around the corner. At this time of year, we are reminded to think about what we are grateful for; grandparents, grandchildren and the other special people in our lives we call "grandfriends" all come to mind. I think of my own grandparents and their love for my brothers and me. As I have gotten older and had children of my own, I have been honored to watch them develop relationships with their grandparents and many special grandfriends. It is nothing short of amazing. Children are fortunate to have these people in their lives; the adults are just as lucky. It is a two-way street. Not only are these wonderful adults bringing love and life to the children - the children bring the same to them.

 

Over the years, I have enjoyed many Grandfriends' Days at WMS. Inviting these special visitors into the classroom enriches everyone's day. I have learned about the jobs they held, where they have lived, who their parents were, the hard times that they lived through and who their heroes are. It has certainly broadened my life experience and has provided the children with lessons that cannot be taught in school. This is the thing about school - if we approach it as a place to simply learn to read, write and to do arithmetic we are missing important lessons. School is a place for children to flourish, to learn from one another, to invite others in and hear of their experiences, to ponder ideas bigger than themselves and to synthesize all of this into their ongoing learning and growth. It is quite simply an idea that Maria Montessori placed at the center of her educational pedagogy: We must take note of those who came before us. It is through their lessons that we can grow and move forward.

 

Thank you to all of those Grandfriends in the WMS community! Your lives are lessons to each of us. We are so happy you are here to share them with us. 

 

 

 



News & Notesnews
grandfriends
Grandfriends' Day - This Tuesday!


Grandfriends are special people in our children's lives - aunts and uncles, family friends, grandmothers and grandfathers, and even great-grandparents. On November 25, this group is invited to spend a fun-filled morning at WMS and experience a glimpse into the daily school life of their grandchildren (or other friends). Attendees will enjoy refreshments, activities with students, a special musical performance and more. RSVP today!

Event Schedule:
8:15-9 a.m. - Registration in the lobby
8:30-10 a.m. - Elementary classrooms open to grandfriends for visits
9-10 a.m. - Preschool and toddler classrooms open to grandfriends for visits
10-11 a.m. - Reception in the Great Room including refreshments, music and more!
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WMS Reading Celebration reading
 

Join us on Thursday, December 4, from 3 to 7:30 p.m. as we celebrate reading with an evening of fun for WMS families! Activities will include readings and crafts to enjoy, books and pizza for purchase, a raffle and more! 

 

 

Coffee and Juice Needed for Grandfriends' Day
Tuesday, November 25

 

 

We are looking for contributions of "coffee to go" cartons and/or juice to share with our grandfriends on Tuesday. Sign up on the sheets on the Co-op bulletin boards or by way of [email protected].
 

Contributions can be dropped off in the Great Room before 9:45 a.m. Thanks! 

Today's LearnersLearner
Toddler Playground Construction
by Room 3 Teacher Lauren Harris

 

In recent weeks, some of you may have noticed a variety of construction trucks by the soccer field, behind the gym. Construction on the new toddler playgrounds began on October 29. These outdoor spaces are being reconfigured and designed to create an inviting, enticing area that will be open for exploration and discovery; they will be an extension of the Montessori classroom. 

This process began a year ago, when the toddler teachers were approached by Marie Dugan (who was then serving as Interim Head of School) and asked to come up with ideas of what our ideal outdoor areas would look like. After lots of collaboration and brainstorming, the group came up with a list of what we would like to see. By late spring, the board had approved the use of funds from the Marie M. Dugan Fund for the Future Comprehensive Campaign for this project, and we began to look for ways to implement our ideas. 
In July, a design/educator team from a company called Nature Explore visited WMS. During their two-day visit, the team measured our spaces, listened to our thoughts and came up with a beautiful design that went hand-in-hand with our ideas and the Montessori philosophy. This "outdoor classroom" was made up of messy building areas, climbing spaces, an outdoor art section, musical instruments and more!

Now that we had a design, we needed to find a landscaping company that would implement the plan. Bill Duncan from White Oak Landscaping seemed to best understand our end goal and had some wonderful ideas of his own to add to the plan. 

Since the work has begun, we have already seen the old playground begin to transform into the beautiful outdoor classroom that we planned.  The toddlers will be able to experience playing in a "Hobbit House," climbing up hills and sliding down slides embedded into the hill, creating art at a stone table, splashing in water running from a sluiceway, riding cars and trikes along a paved roadway and manipulating natural materials for building. 

Everyone is eager to see the finished product in the next month or so.  The toddler outdoor classroom will be a wonderful addition to the already beautiful grounds here at Wilmington Montessori School.  

Tomorrow's LeadersLeaders
New Alumni Committee

Calling all WMS alumni/past students! WMS is forming an Alumni Committee and is looking for some local alumni who are passionate about WMS and reconnecting with other past students. If you are interested on joining the committee, please email 
[email protected].
 

We want to know what our alumni are up to, and we would love to hear from our alumni parents as well. How did WMS impact your life or your child's life? Do you have any old photos or news to share?

Please send any and all info to
 [email protected]
 

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2013 Constant Contact All-Star Award Logo The Wednesday Weekly shares WMS news and events that are relevant to the families in our community.  

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