WMS Return-to-Campus FAQ

WMS’s Board and staff are preparing to start the school year on campus this September. However, as you know, these are unpredictable times and we cannot predict the status of COVID-19 in our community over two months from now. Knowing that, we are also preparing home learning plans, with changes and enhancements based on your feedback.

We will continue to follow government and licensing recommendations. Should the timing of our return to campus need to change for any reason, we will communicate with you as soon as possible. As always, we appreciate your flexibility and patience.

September 1, 2020 - view our calendar.

We're beginning our school year a few days earlier than we typically do in order to build in days off during the year. This allows us to extend established breaks, providing time for facility maintenance and cleaning and for teachers to receive more extensive professional development regarding online learning and health and safety regulations as they evolve.

Wilmington Montessori School has put a number of safety measures into place and will continue to research best practices and follow licensing guidelines. Our most up-to-date policies can be viewed here.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, WMS has remained in close communication with Delaware’s Office of Child Care Licensing, along with other schools in the region and beyond. In addition, we continue to receive information from the Delaware Division of Public Health and CDC, while also considering the specific needs of our WMS community.
 

The classroom community will be notified that there was a diagnosis of COVID-19. The classroom will be closed for deep cleaning, and students will be moved to another classroom within the building. That closure will be in effect for three days. The Delaware Division of Public Health will be notified, and WMS will immediately follow all guidelines put forth by them.

As the year begins, the WMS building will be limited to staff and students only. For the first time in the history of WMS, parents and family members are asked to remain in their cars, in the car line, and not enter the building unless there is an urgent need. We look forward to welcoming you back into our building when it is safe to do so.

WMS was founded by parents and values the involvement of parents in their children’s education. Each year, WMS requires our families to participate in the Co-op Program by completing their annual co-op hours, which over the past two years has been 25 hours per family per school year.  We will be putting those requirements on pause for the 2020-21 school year, due to considerations regarding COVID-19. We know that we will begin the year allowing only students and staff in the school building, and we are uncertain about when that may change. Therefore, your family will not have a co-op requirement for this year only, although we know that you will continue to be involved in your child’s education in whatever ways possible. We will also continue to provide parent coffees, education, and support through various webinars and online sessions as an extension of the Co-op Program. We hope you will join us as often as your schedule allows, and volunteer if possible when opportunities present themselves. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with you and your family. Co-op as you know it will resume in the 2021-22 school year!

Field trips are an important part of students’ learning, offering first-hand experiences related to the curriculum. We will begin the school year with no outside field trips planned for students. As protocols for business, museums, parks and other field trip destinations change so will our policies. Teachers may plan trips, waiting to determine the ability to carry out the plan based on these protocols and guidance from the state in which the trip will take place. 

The opening times for each program level are the same: Middle School, 8 a.m.-3:15 p.m.; Elementary, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Primary, 8:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m.; Toddler, 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m.. However, all children will be dropped off and picked up from the areas designated for their program level. In the case of multiple children from the same family, the children will be picked up at the location of the youngest child’s designated pick up spot. WMS teachers and staff will meet students at their cars and safely escort them into the building. Toddlers will be dropped off and picked up at the entrance behind the pool house at the toddler playground. They will enter the building near the fish tank in the Aspen Wing. Primary students will enter the building via the Great Room and be taken to their classroom. Elementary and middle school students will enter the building at the front entrance of the school. Signs will be posted to ease confusion.

Face coverings will be worn as recommended by the Office of Child Care Licensing. Current recommendations are as follows:

• Children under 2 - Masks/coverings should not be worn at this age.
• Ages 2-5 - Masks/coverings are recommended.
• Ages 5-12 - Masks/coverings are strongly recommended.
• Over 12 - Masks are required. All WMS staff will wear masks.

For ages 2-12, for which masks are recommended but not mandated, parents are welcome to send their child to school with a face covering.