W E D N E S D A Y  W E E K L Y
Bi-Weekly Summer Issue - August 10, 2016
In this Issue


Upcoming Events
  
August 11
Camp Field Trip to Cape Henlopen Beach
Rooms 22 & 24

August 15-19
Camp Montessori
Week 9
Specialty Camps
Hands-on Art History, SuperCity LEGO, Showstoppers, Showstoppers Jr.
 
August 17
Parent Education Webinar: Separation Anxiety
7:30 p.m.

August 18
Camp Field Trip
Tubing on the Brandywine
Rooms 22 & 24 

August 22-26
Camp Montessori
Week 10

August 25
New Family Reception 
5:30 p.m.

Back-to-School Picnic
6 p.m.
Learn More
 
August 29-September 2
No child-care - back-to-school professional days and preparations 
Message from 
Lisa A. Lalama, 
Head of School
 
For more from Lisa, check out our Montessori Message blog!

The dog days of summer are here. Summer is winding down. It's time to get ready to return to school. 

At WMS, we have been quite busy this summer. Camp Montessori has been operating all summer with offerings of art, science, sports and friendship. Our building has undergone some renovations. The finishing touches will continue right up until school begins.  Several of our staff members have participated in professional development that informs their work and the work of our team. We've been busy.

As you read this, we will be getting ready for the back to school picnic where we welcome all of our WMS families to come together and spend some time getting to know one another. Some of you have been to the picnic many times; others will be attending for the first time. We look forward to seeing each of you, learning about your summer, and welcoming you into our strong community as we embark on our 53rd year of educating children. 

Welcome back!


  


 
 
News & NotesNews
Parent Education Webinar: Separation Anxiety - Next Wednesday (August 17) at 7:30 p.m.
 
The first day of school is coming!

For some children, the start of the school year can be difficult. Good-byes at the classroom door can become tearful, sometimes tantrum-filled, experiences. Parents often experience as much distress as their little one. Fortunately, this phase doesn't last forever, and it can be eased when the adults in a child's life work together in the best interest of the child. Join Toddler teacher Lynda Coan and Primary teacher Erin Winner for this back-to-school webinar covering the topic of separation anxiety. Erin and Lynda will share their expertise on the root causes of separation anxiety as well as their recommendations for helping children through this phase in a loving, practical and supportive way.

Register Now Button
Back-to-School Family Picnic
Thursday, August 25, 6-7 p.m. at WMS
 
Don't miss WMS's first community event of the year. Meet your child's teachers, classmates and other WMS families and staff and explore our campus and playgrounds.

Bring your own dinner or purchase food from one of our fabulous food trucks - Cafe Riveria (serving Italian Cuisine), Kapow Food Truck (featuring a blend of Thai, Korean and Hawaiian flavors) and
Visit www.wmsde.org to check for a cancellation notice in case of inclement weather. 

Note to New Families: Mark your calendars for our New Family Reception, starting at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the picnic. Look for more information in your email in the coming days!
 
Biannual Board Update

The latest update  from the Wilmington Montessori School Board of Directors is now live on the WMS website. 

The update features highlights of the school's progress on the 2013-16 Strategic Plan along with other news and information about the upcoming school year.
Today's LearnersLearner
Panda Camp Highlights: Travels and Transitions
by Cass Winner, Director of Extended Day & Camp Programs
 
The Panda group, which serves 3- and 4-year-old campers, has been studying world geography and weather this summer. The hallway outside their classroom is decorated with maps, passports and weather charts. These children are just starting to understand that the world is much bigger than the small circle around their home and school, and they are enjoying looking at pictures, hearing music and reading stories about faraway places. They also taste food from the places that they are studying, of course, and last week they even tried eating with chopsticks!
 
We always want to build stronger connections between home and camp, and to facilitate the participation of families in camp activities.  For the last two weeks, the teachers have sent Chu Mung, the Pandas camp mascot, home with each of the children for one or two nights. Chu Mung's adventures were shared on the circle and transcribed for the bulletin board outside the classroom. Some parents even took photos, which has delighted the children and teachers alike!   
 
At this time of year, many children are moving up from the Toddler program, getting acclimated to the more grown-up environment of a Primary class. The teachers worked to make that transition easier by holding an event that the Toddlers have all experienced: a Teddy Bear Picnic! Children brought teddy bears from home, made tea sandwiches in the shape of little bears, and held a parade and picnic.  
 
August is a time of transition for our young campers, celebrating the last weeks of summer but also preparing for the school year ahead. Our teachers are always there to meet the children where they are and guide them gently into the future.
Tomorrow's Leadersleaders
Featured Alumnus: Daniel Potter, Class of 2006
 
Daniel Potter graduated from Wilmington Montessori School more than a decade ago, but the love of music he discovered here has been with him ever since.

"I have many fond memories of performing in the various spring shows at WMS, such as 'School House Rock Live Junior.' Those shows were some of my first experiences with theater, and I went on to perform in many more productions during middle and high school," says Daniel as he reflects on his time at WMS.

After graduating in 2006, Daniel attended Wilmington Friends School. His love of music followed him as he sang in various school and extra-curricular choirs including the Delaware All-State middle and high school choruses from seventh grade through his senior year. He also continued his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, an activity he started at WMS. For his Eagle Scout project, he returned to WMS and worked on the outdoor stage.

After high school, Daniel attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He recently graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Math and was also nominated to Phi Beta Kappa. While at Williams, he completed a senior thesis on choral conducting for which he was awarded Highest Honors in Music. He also received the Shirley Stanton Prize in Music which is "awarded to the student who has best fulfilled his or her potential in music while at Williams." During his junior of college, Daniel spent the fall in Milan, Italy, where he stayed with a host family and studied music history and Italian language and culture while taking voice and organ lessons and singing in various choirs.

His summers have always brought him back to work at Camp Montessori. This summer, Daniel was a counselor for WMS's oldest campers, the Dragons, and he also helped lead the Scratch Programming specialty camps.
Having just graduated, he is still looking for jobs and hopes to find a position teaching music or math. He hopes to attend graduate school for choral conducting in the next five years.
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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