W E D N E S D A Y  W E E K L Y
December 16, 2015
In this Issue

Upcoming Events


December 18
6-9 Winter Concert
9:30 a.m. in the Gym
All are welcome!

December 21-23
Winter Break
Pre-registered child-care only


December 24-January 1
Winter Break
No school or child-care.


January 4
School re-opens.

January 7
6-9 Maker Morning
7:45-8:30 a.m., Room 30
 

6-9 Information Night for Rising First-Graders 
5-6 p.m., Great Room 
  

January 14
Primary Enrichment Event - STEAM 
(for prospective students ages 2-5)
10:15-11:15 a.m., Primary Maker Studio


January 15
Application deadline for first-round financial aid decisions (2016-17)
  

January 18
Martin Luther King Day
Pre-registered child-care only. 

 
  
Happy Holidays
Message from 
Lisa Lalama, Head of School
 
Visit our Montessori Message blog for more from Lisa.
If you have traveled through the hallways at WMS in the past week or so you surely have noticed excitement in the air. The 9-12 students practiced holiday music, which they shared with the residents at Ivy Gables last week, while lower elementary classes are practicing for their winter concert. The aroma of latkes permeates the hallways. Our children are immersed in the many gifts this time of year brings. They have enjoyed the stories of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Eid, Diwali, Posada and other cultural traditions. One of the strongly held values of our school is embracing others, their customs, languages, traditions and histories. At WMS, students learn not only to build relationships within their classroom community, but also to recognize their connection with the world and the many cultures that surround them.

Maria Montessori built an educational pedagogy that has, as its foundation, the understanding of the reliance all parts of the universe have on each other. Our environment is dependent on the atoms, microbes, plant and animal species that exist within it. Our citizens are dependent on people in other countries throughout the world to have their needs met; they are dependent on us. At WMS we take the time to help children understand the interconnectedness of the world and its people. As we share experiences within our WMS community, we each learn how to exist in the larger world community. Our work is to learn to coexist peacefully in the world. As Dr. Montessori said, "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education."

We wish you and yours peace and look forward to seeing you again in January.



 
Co-op Cornercoop
Holiday Blessings

The darkest days of the year are brightened greatly by the Co-op volunteers at WMS. Our parents and families make so many extra possibilities available to our students. The set design and construction for the Winter concert, serving as Homeroom Reps, party planning, cleaning the classrooms and caring for pets over the winter break are just a few examples of the many ways families support the WMS teachers, staff and most importantly the students. We count the parent volunteers as a blessing for all. Thank you for your dedication, commitment and time throughout the year.
 
Chester County Book Company
Special thanks to the Chester County Book Company for their support of this year's Celebration of Reading. Their team stepped in at the last minute and saved the event, providing books and service just in the nick of time.

News & NotesNews
"Play and Learn" at the Brandywine Hundred Library
 
WMS has partnered with the Brandywine Hundred Library to offer Montessori "Play and Learn" to the community.

Led by Director of Early Childhood Education Sarah Williams and Admissions Director Shelby Kaufman, this free monthly class reinforces the learning partnership between parents and their young children. Parents and children learn about WMS and the Montessori Method in a comfortable, classroom-like environment with activities including Morning Meeting, songs, movement and work time with Montessori materials.

Please tell a friend to join us for our next classes on January 13 and February 10 starting at 10:30 or 11:15 a.m.!
FAST logo
Financial Aid Application Now Open

Our 2016-17 Financial Aid application is now open. All application materials, including 2014 tax returns, must be submitted by Friday, January 15, to be eligible for our first round of decisions. 

Because funds are limited and demand is high, late filing of materials may result in non-renewal of a financial aid grant.

For more information, please contact Nancy Oddo, Business Manager.
  

Smart Lunches Delivery Ending Friday

As of Friday, December 18, Smart Lunches will no longer be delivering to schools in Delaware.

If you have any questions, please contact Smart Lunches at 1-888-25-SMART or email info@smartlunches.com.

Register for Winter-Spring After-School Specials
for grades 3-6

After the holiday hustle and bustle are over, what's next for the kids? Try one of our new Winter-Spring After-school Specials. Laurie Muhlbauer will teach an art class for 4- to 6-year-olds, Heather will lead a new a capella group, Delaware Music School brings us their Rhythm Kids, and first- and second-graders can play basketball with Jill. 
 
Today's LearnersLearner
Art in the Elementary Program
by Art Teacher Laurie Muhlbauer
 
"If we try to think back to the dim and distant past... what is it that helps us reconstruct those times, and to picture the lives of those who lived in them? It is their art... It is thanks to the hand, the companion of the mind, that civilization has arisen."
-Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
Samples of art created by WMS Elementary students

At WMS, children begin to develop a sense of beauty, balance, shape, color and texture in their aesthetically pleasing toddler classrooms. They are provided with a variety of age-appropriate art materials for open exploration and development of fine motor skills. Art lessons become more formal in the Primary Program through weekly art instruction, more sophisticated materials and exposure to famous international artists.
 
In the Elementary Program, the art curriculum builds upon this foundation, with five major areas of focus: drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and fiber. During a three-year cycle, children explore materials in each of these areas and develop fundamental techniques for using these materials. They also gain a deeper appreciation for the personal and cultural meaning behind works of art and begin view art as way of communicating feelings and expressing oneself.

In the 6-9 Program, assignments/projects are driven by studies in the art room and are also often integrated with classroom cultural studies. However, when the children move up to the 9-12 Program, the projects are self-driven. Every child works toward completing four projects over the course of the year. Fourth- and fifth-graders are responsible for completing a drawing, a painting, a print, and a fiber/3D piece. Each child designs his or her own projects, deciding on size, material and subject matter.

Sixth-graders begin their final year at WMS by selecting an art goal. They are then responsible for creating a body of work, consisting of four pieces, that achieves their goal during the course of the school year. Some of the students' goals involve working with specific materials, some focus on a specific subject matter, and others focus on developing a specific art concept or technique. No matter which goal the student selects, it is important to him or her as an individual. Throughout all phases of a project, the children are encouraged to grow their skills and knowledge as a means of communication and expression within their own work and continue to utilize these skills when they critique a classmate's work.

Stop by the Art Room any time to see what your children are working on this year. It is amazing how each student develops as an artist over the course of a school year... and even more so over the course of their time at WMS!
Tomorrow's Leadersleaders

"I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think."- Steve Jobs
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.
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