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

Bi-Weekly Summer Issue - July 12, 2016

In this Issue

Today's Learners

Tomorrow's Leaders

Upcoming Events

July 11-15

Camp Montessori

Week 4
Specialty Camps -
Books & Cooks, LEGO Ranch, Poetry

July 14

Camp Field Trip to Brandywine Creek State Park for Kangaroos, Tigers, Meerkats, Dragons

July 18-22

Camp Montessori

Week 5
Specialty Camps -
Tumbling, Yoga, Team Spirit, Chemistry, Stitchworks

Limited Spaces Available

July 21

Camp Field Trip to Linvilla Orchards for Tigers & Kangaroos

July 21-22

Overnight Camp

for Dragons

July 25-29

Camp Montessori

Week 6

Specialty Camps - The Best Pet Yet, Earth Art, Games Galore, Ballet
Limited Spaces Available

Full Calendar

Campers were eager to try out the shiny new gym floor when the gym reopened on Monday. Later this summer, the walls will be repainted, and a new stage curtain will be installed.

Message from

Head of School Lisa A. Lalama


	Read more of Lisa on the Montessori Message blog.

It is now mid-summer. Many of us have looked forward to this time when life slows down a bit and the promise of vacation looms. At Wilmington Montessori School, Camp Montessori is in full swing. Children are enjoying our wonderful campus, going on great field trips, and learning to dance, act, program computers and many other things. What you may not know about are all of the other great things happening this summer.

Thanks to our generous supporters, we are using the summer months to give some parts of our building a face-lift. When you come to the school this summer, you will notice a construction zone in the lobby. Our main entrance has been temporarily moved to the Great Room, and the lobby is being renovated. From the demolition, which began right after school ended, to the construction of a new front desk, an improved nurse's office, a beautiful entrance to the library and a new video production space, we are seeing changes happen daily. We are also making changes to the gym including a new floor with a special surprise, new stage curtains, lighting and sound. These improvements are made possible by the Longwood Foundation as part of our arts integration initiative. You will be so pleased to see the changes and enjoy them during future performances.

Where, you may be thinking, are the teachers as all of this is happening? While most of them aren't coming to WMS daily, they are working to learn more about STEAM, the arts and technology. Seven staff members attended the Kennedy Center's Arts Integration conference in June. They had the opportunity to learn from the best and consider how to incorporate the arts into daily experiences for children. Others will be participating in a STEAM and arts integration online conference. All of us are reading Meaningful Making, a book written by Stanford University FabLearn Fellows that explores project ideas, articles, and best practices from educators at the forefront of making and hands-on education. When we come back together in August, we will have the opportunity to share what we've learned and work together to create the best learning experiences possible for our students.

At WMS, summer is a time to reinvigorate ourselves and update the physical spaces in which we teach and learn. We look forward to sharing these enhancements to our educational programs and our facilities with you when you return in September.

Today's Learners

Learning Through Dramatic Play
by Cass Winner, Director of Extended Day & Camp Programs

"I'd like some coffee, please."

"Coming right up!"

"Here's your money!"

A 3-year-old and a 4-year-old stand across the table from one another in the classroom, one wearing an apron. They take turns playing the roles that they have seen their parents or family friends play, customers or employees at the neighborhood coffee shop.

In a Toddler classroom, children are flipping burgers on a grill, acting out a holiday cookout in the backyard. Another child holds out a plate and is served a burger. These little ones are still learning to talk, so there may or may not be a clearly articulated "thank you," but their big smiles tell the whole story.

What's going on here? Why do we spend time on dramatic play - all the way up through the spring performances of our sixth-graders?

Dramatic play is about many things. It develops language, vocabulary, confidence, imagination and social negotiation skills. It allows children to try on personalities that may be different from their own. It helps them develop storytelling concepts like sequence, dialogue, plot, articulation and clarity. It helps them learn to resolve conflicts using subject matter that is not as emotionally intense as "real life."

This is not only true for Toddler and Primary students. A dozen of our Meerkat campers (third- and fourth-graders) have created and are rehearsing their own play: "Halfway Ever After." It is the reason that drama programs are part of schools all the way through the college level. The older campers may not have dress-up areas, but they still engage in role-playing games. All the same principles apply to these games, plus the added layer of strategy, planning, and simultaneous retention of multiple details and factors.

At WMS, we celebrate the human imagination, and we know that the fun our children are having is building a better future for all of us.

Tomorrow's Leaders

Montessori in the Heart - David Lamiet, Class of 2007

Have you ever met someone who has always known what he wants to do when he grows up? 2007 WMS alum and current toddler camp counselor David Lamiet is one of those people.

After graduating from WMS and seeing how much his mom Colleen (a former WMS assistant teacher) enjoyed being in the classroom, David decided to join the Camp Montessori Counselor in Training (CIT) program when he was 14. During his training, he interned in the toddler classrooms. David remembers loving it from the moment he stepped into the room and has returned every summer, finding each year more exciting than the last.

Now preparing for his senior year at Barry University in Miami, David says it was a "no-brainer" for him when he decided to major in Early Childhood Education. During his time at Barry, he volunteered at Feeding South Florida, the leading domestic hunger-relief organization in southern Florida. He also has worked as an assistant toddler teacher at the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. David will start his internship at Beachside Montessori Village in Florida in the fall with plans to attain his Montessori certification. His dream is to someday return to work at WMS as a lead teacher.

WMS has been one of the biggest influences in his life. Looking back on his time as a student, he fondly recalls a sixth-grade overnight trip to New Jersey where he and his classmates camped, kayaked and enjoyed sitting around a campfire on the beach. Along with having a great time on the trip, he enjoyed the opportunity to help plan it and raise funds for the travel expenses.

David says he really loves the Montessori style of education because it is child-centered, which means that the focus is on making sure each student gets the best opportunity to succeed. He also speaks highly of his co-workers at Camp Montessori and the WMS staff as a whole. "They are all great teachers and mentors, and they continue to teach me how to be a better teacher," David says. "Also, everyone here is really creative and fun-loving, which makes for a really great and unique environment."

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.