Wednesday Weekly - September 7, 2016

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

September 7, 2016

In this Issue

News & Notes

Tomorrow's Leaders

Upcoming Events

All September

After-School Read Alouds

3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays this September

Learn More

September 8

Coffee with Lisa for 9-12 Parents

8:30 a.m.

Coffee with Sarah for Kindergarten Parents

8:45 p.m.

September 9

Coffee with Laurie for 6-9 Parents
8:30 a.m.

September 13

Curriculum Night

3-6 Parents- 6 p.m.

6-9 Parents - 7:15 p.m.

Free child-care is available for Primary & Elementary students - please contact Cass at least 48 hours in advance to sign up!

September 15

Curriculum Night for Toddler & 9-12 Parents

6 p.m. Free child-care is available for Primary & Elementary students - please contact Cass at least 48 hours in advance to sign up!

Full Calendar

Welcome Back!

Message from

Head of School Lisa A. Lalama


	Read more from Lisa on the Montessori Message blog.

It was a busy summer at WMS.

The lobby was renovated; the library has been rearranged and renamed the Learning Commons; we now have a green screen to make movies; new carpets were installed throughout the entire building; the gym floor was replaced, new stage curtains hung and the walls painted in bright new colors; the classrooms were cleaned from top to bottom and have been rearranged just waiting for the first day of school.

Each year, September is a chance to begin again, to greet those familiar faces and welcome new friends. As we reconnected at the family picnic and during the classroom visits last week, we were able to catch up with each other as well as meet new members of our community.

The excitement is palpable. Welcome! WMS is a community like no other. We are so happy to have you here and look forward to another wonderful year.

The video below is the first movie to be filmed in our new green screen studio! Watch WMS students share why they were excited to begin the 2016-17 school year.

Green Screen Video: Why WMS Students Love Coming Back to School

News & Notes

WMS Learning Commons - Grand Opening

WMS is hosting an extended "Grand Opening" of its beautifully renovated Learning Commons/Library. Please join us throughout the month of September for read alouds in celebration of the start of school, libraries and books, and dogs, dogs, dogs! Readings will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3:30 to approximately 3:50 p.m. Guest readers will include WMS community members Anna Quisel, Dan Sanders, Stephanie Simms, Jonathan Whitney

and many more!

Beyond the Classroom - Extended Day Programs at WMS

Ever wonder what happens when your child's class ends?

WMS provides four kinds of programs for children when regular school classes are not in session.

Before-school care is available from 7 a.m. until school-day classes begin.

After-school care is available from the time classes end until 6 p.m.

Parents can register for these options for the entire school year (three or five days). If you need occasional drop-in care, please contact Cass Winner at cass_winner@wmsde.org. Primary and Elementary groups have enough space that it should always be possible; however, Toddler classes are quite full, and we will not usually be able to accommodate drop-ins. Drop-in before-school or after-school care costs $25.

"School's Out" Child-Care is available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on most days on which WMS or the Brandywine School District classes are closed. The cost is $55 for a full day or $25 for 3.5 hours or less. Parents can register for this through the Extended Day portion of the website (click here for the direct link to the form) or by emailing Cass. Registration should be at least a week in advance of the day that you need. You are welcome to register for several days (or the whole year) in advance, but you must contact Cass to cancel if your plans change. It is important for us to know how many children will attend so that we can plan for supply purchases and staffing.

Before-school, after-school and "School's Out" child-care programs provide a balance of planned activities and free work/play time, and are led by year-round staff who are an integral part of our teaching and learning community.

After-School Specials are weekly special enrichment programs offered on a semester basis. They include classes like Science Explorers, Drama, Art, Soccer, LEGO Films and Sewing. Anyone in the listed age range may enroll in these programs, even students from other schools. Registration for these programs will open later this week!

Tomorrow's Leaders

Featured Alumna: Kiera Dobbs, WMS Class of 2006

When Kiera Dobbs graduated from WMS in 2006, she never thought that her time with the Binomial Cubes and Fraction Circles would end up leading her to becoming a math major at the College of Wooster in Ohio, a calculus grader and an Applied Mathematics Research Experience consultant with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

While at WMS, Kiera enjoyed planning the sixth grade trip, art class with Laurie Muhlbauer and exploring WMS's woods, trails and creek. She relishes the empathy and kindness that she not only experienced at WMS, but also took with her when she left.

After graduating from WMS, Kiera attended Springer Middle School and then Mount Pleasant High School. While attaining her math degree, she also minored in computer science and Russian studies, received a Claire Boothe Luce Research Scholarship, did Knot Theory research, was a Russian Department Language Assistant, a teaching assistant for Operations Research and, last but not least, did a month-long summer language intensive study abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia. This year, she is beginning work on her master's degree in Applied Math/Operations Research at Miami University in Ohio.

When she is not busy with school, research and internships, Kiera enjoys cooking in crockpots and power lifting.

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.