Summer Homework & Supply Lists - Wilmington Montessori School

Toddler

2022-23 Toddler Supply List

Dear Toddler Families,

Below is a list of items that your child should bring to class on or before the first day of school. We are happy to take items on the evening of the back-to-school picnic. Please be sure to label all belongings with your child’s first name and last initial.

All our best,
The Toddler Team

Supply List

Supply List

A recent photograph of your child for cubby identification
A recent photograph of your family for our family wall
Extra clothing - two to three complete changes of clothes – seasonally appropriate shirt & pants, socks, underwear (please send in lots of extra pants and underwear for students learning how to use the toilet!)
Sneakers for your child to walk/run/climb safely
Rain jacket and rain boots for playing outside in the rain or exploring the creek
Bookbag, lunchbox, and water bottle
One package of diapers, labeled with initials (Diapering students)
Two packages of UNSCENTED, ALCOHOL-FREE, HYPOALLERGENIC wipes
Sunscreen, bug spray, diaper cream
One washable, cloth nap mat with one non-permeable bag. Rest mats and bags can be purchased by clicking here and completing the form. Rest mats and bags purchased together are $35 and additional bags are $5.
FOR BRAND NEW 1-YEAR-OLDS: Sippy Cups - please send in a sippy cup in addition to the water bottle. We will keep the cup at school, and wash it with our dishes each day. Around 16 months of age, we will send the sippy cup home and transition to open cups.
Completed Positive Student Profile

Primary

Dear Primary Families,

Below is a list of items that your child should bring to class on the first day of school. The links included are suggestions of products we think might be the easiest for your children to manage. Please note that because your child’s classroom is a multi-age classroom, this request is split into three categories. In some cases, examples are provided. Please be sure to label belongings with your child’s first name and last initial.

All our best,
The Primary Team

Supplies for ALL Primary Students

One small backpack - small enough to fit inside a locker (approx. 6 inches wide and 11 inches deep) or cubby, but large enough to hold a folder, lunchbox, water bottle and small miscellaneous items - Please keep in mind that some backpacks are difficult for children to use if they are too large for their bodies. Backpacks should comfortably fit a child according to their size. Here is a helpful sizing guide for children’s backpacks.
One lunchbox small enough to fit inside a locker or cubby (maximum width 10 inches and depth 5 inches) - Example
One set of reusable eating utensils in their lunchbox every day
One reusable water bottle brought every day - Please make sure that your child is able to open and close their water bottle independently. Water bottles that provide a covered straw with a lid are the best options - Example
Two complete sets of change of clothing including underwear, pants/shorts, shirt, socks, hat, a sweater or sweatshirt and an extra pair of shoes (Velcro or slip-on preferred) to keep at school
One pair of rubber boots for the playground and for walks through the woods (to be kept at school)
One beach or bath towel to use indoors and out

Supplies for Preschool-Age Students Only (Non-Kindergartners)

Supplies for Kindergartners Only

Lower Elementary (6-9)

2022-23 Lower Elementary Supply List & Summer Homework
(For students entering first through third grades)

If you have questions, you may email Lower Elementary (6-9) Lead Teachers Melissa Connelly (melissa_connelly@wmsde.org) or Kirstin Forte (kirstin_forte@wmsde.org).

Summer Box Project

In addition to maintaining reading and math skills, another part of your child’s homework is a project inspired by Bobbi Katz’s “What Shall I Pack in the Box Marked Summer?” The poem highlights the fleeting joys of the season. Begin by sharing the poem with your child.

While returning students will be familiar with this project, we are making some small changes. In September, students will be given a NEW suitcase style box to hold their items. They will decorate the boxes in class with lessons and guidance on visual presentation and then share the contents with their classmates. This is a wonderful way for the children and teachers to catch-up and get to know one another.

Over the next few months, have your child collect artifacts that represent their summertime experiences. Here is a list of suggested items for your child to collect:

Brochures or maps from a trip
Trip itinerary
Rocks, shells or pressed flowers
Family photographs
Journal entries
Poems or other writings from the summer
Art, crafts, STEAM projects or other creative items
List of stories/books they have read during the summer

Summer Reading

Each 6-9 student is expected to read or be read to for 20 minutes at least five times per week. While children may choose any books that spark their interest, the New Castle County Library offers a list of suggested books, specific to grade. The public library is a wonderful place to find a great selection of books (for free!) and to participate in their summer reading programs. You can also borrow downloaded books such as for a Kindle or iPad. Scholastic Book Wizard is also a helpful tool for selecting books and determining the reading level.

The summer homework packet sent home with progress reports also includes tips for supporting literacy, suggested sight word activities and a 25 Day Reading Challenge. All of these are optional. If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher.

Math Review

All incoming 6-9 students will benefit from continuing to practice addition and subtraction. Incoming third-years may also practice multiplication facts.

Students with existing Prodigy accounts may continue to use it throughout the summer. The Summer Math Skills Sharpener series is a good screen free option for multi-skill math practice. This can be ordered online at www.summerskills.com. The book publishers recommend that parents/guardians purchase workbooks at the grade level the student just completed. If your child encounters a math problem or skill they do not know, please skip it.

Supply List

Below is a list of items that 6-9 students are expected to bring to school on the first day:

Four folders with bottom pockets
Plastic clipboard with flat clip (found on Amazon or something similar)
Classroom sketchbook (reuse last year’s if possible)
Additional sketchbook for Art class (reuse last year’s if possible)
One small backpack (lockers are 6 inches wide by 11 inches deep)
$7 for a recorder for music class (If you have previously purchased a recorder for music at WMS, please send it with your child in lieu of the $7.)
Wired headphones to be used with classroom devices (standard headphone plug)

Outdoor Learning:

A complete change of clothing (including underwear, pants, shirt and socks) as well as an extra sweater or sweatshirt
Poncho or raincoat to be left at school
Mud boots or outdoor shoes for the playground
Beach towel

Lunch:

Reusable lunch box
Washable cloth placemat
Reusable silverware (available on Amazon)

Upper Elementary (9-12)

2022-23 Summer Homework & Supply List
(For students entering fourth through sixth grades)

We hope your break is off to a great start! Summer is an excellent time to play and explore the world around you while also taking time to relax and rejuvenate. Keeping reading and math as part of your routine will help reinforce what you learned this past year and prepare you for next year.

Please contact Michelle Woods with any questions.

Culture

When we come together in August, our cultural studies will center around the question: What is culture? Begin thinking about what culture means to you, what makes a culture, and how does where people live or where their ancestors came from affect a region’s culture. Think about Dr. Montessori’s fundamental needs of humans (food, shelter, art/music/beauty, clothing, transportation, communication, defense/safety and religion). Talk to your families about those needs in the context of your lives today versus the lives of your great-grandparents or others you may know.

For example, culture to me means many of the things that we do in my family that are tied to the cultures and countries our ancestors came from. We share words in Italian, a language my grandparents spoke fluently. We learned the geography of the area in Italy they came from and have since learned more about that region of the country and the food they grow and eat. Or, it also can mean noticing the architecture of a certain part of a place you visit that may be different from where you live. Wilmington and Philadelphia’s architecture looks much different than the architecture in other parts of the country that may have been settled by people from other parts of the world. - Lisa

Summer Reading

All students are required to read Wonder by R.J. Palacio. This #1 New York Times Bestseller is a favorite of many. Award-winning author Rebecca Stead describes it as “Full of heart, full of truth. Wonder is a book about seeing the beauty that is all around us. I dare you not to fall in love with Auggie Pullman.”

In addition to Wonder, everyone must read three books* from a variety of genres and choose one book to present at the start of the school year.

Books will be presented through book talks in September. The criteria is included below. We encourage reading in any capacity, whether students read alone, with parents or siblings, with an audiobook or have books read to them.

Students may choose the genres and the titles.

For all three books, students need to fill out an index card with the following information:

Title
Author
Genre
Main characters
Basic plot including the main problem and the most interesting parts
Do not spoil the ending!

Book talks should be 1-2 minutes, share the information from the index card, and include why you loved or didn’t love the book. It is helpful to have the book available for others to see, if possible.

Possible Genres:

Adventure
Autobiography
Biography
Classic
Fantasy
Historical fiction
Informational
Memoir
Mystery/suspense
Mythology
Poetry anthology/collection
Realistic fiction
Science fiction
Short-story collection
Sports novel

*Books may be found at the local library. Please do not feel that you need to purchase any of them. We encourage reading in any capacity, whether students read alone, with parents or siblings, with audiobooks, or have books read to them.

Note: We will be discussing these books in September. Completing summer reading in June may interfere with remembering details. Hot August days are great days for curling up with a book.

Practicing Math Facts

Practicing your math skills and thinking a few times each week will help you retain what you have learned through the year. Ideas for how to practice are listed below, but you can be creative and come up with your own ideas as well.

Make and use flash cards to practice math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).
Play a game of War. You will need two decks of cards. Remove the face cards. When two cards are put down in play, the first one to compute (add, subtract, or multiply) them correctly takes the cards.
Use dice. Roll and compute your answer. Make an addition, subtraction, multiplication or division chart with all the fact families.
Play Math Baseball or other math fact games here.
Use dominoes to practice. You can use real ones or make them from paper. Each time a domino is placed down, compute.
Create 20 or more number cards with one number (1-10) on each card. Create 20 more cards with an equation sign ( + - x ) on each card. Place cards in two piles face down, one pile of number cards and one pile of equation sign cards. One sign card is flipped over. Each player chooses a number card off the top of the deck and players see who can figure out the problem first.

Montessori Model U.N. for Rising Sixth-Graders

We are looking forward to your first Montessori Model United Nations! Over the course of the summer you will read about the United Nations and become an expert on a specific chapter of the charter. This will help prepare you for the process of becoming a delegate in the fall and presenting at MMUN in the spring.

It is best that you do this work throughout the summer and not all at once. Creating a timeline or calendar to break up the work and make a schedule will help keep you on track.

Step 1:
Suggested: Read your “Welcome to the United Nations” packet (sent with progress report) to get a general overview of the organization. Highlighting or underlining the most important information in each section will be helpful as you continue with the next steps.

Required: Read the "Article 1, Preamble," and chapter of the U.N. Charter. Each of you has been assigned a specific chapter related to an organ of the U.N. Be sure you understand the purposes of the United Nations and the organ as stated in these readings. It might be helpful to discuss with a parent, older sibling or classmate as some of the language can be confusing. Your teacher will notify you as to which of the sections below you are assigned to:

The General Assembly
The Security Council
The Economic and Social Council
The International Court of Justice
The Secretariat

Step 2:

Create a lesson to teach your classmates about your chapter / organ of the U.N. To do this you must become an expert on your chapter, so it may be necessary to conduct additional research beyond your enclosed readings. Your local library is an excellent resource.

Lesson Requirements and Structure

Lessons must be 10-15 minutes in length.
Lessons must include visuals, as well as an oral presentation.

Consider the following:

How will you get and keep the class’ attention?
What information do your classmates need to know about your assigned U.N. organ?
In what order and what way will you present your information?
How can you make it fun and/or interactive - humor, a game, an activity with movement?
How will your classmates show their understanding throughout the lesson AND at the end? Some quick and easy ways to check for understanding include:
- Think - Pair - Share
- Thumbs up, thumbs down questions
- Describe the topic in exactly 10 words
- Give the A-B-C of the topic (three sentences, one starting with each letter informing about the topic)
- 3-2-1 (three things you found out, two interesting things, one question you still have about the topic)
- Use sticky-notes to describe key passages and/or write questions you still have about the topic
- Create pictures to represent what was learned

Supply List

Middle School

2022-23 Middle School Summer Homework & Supply List
(For students entering seventh and eighth grades)

If you have questions, please contact your child’s teacher for further information.

Room 10 teacher: Emma Mulrine

Summer Reading

Read Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds and be prepared to discuss it when we return. As you read, add at least 10 annotation sticky notes (with your own notes written on the sticky note).

Some ideas on where to place notes include:

A new vocabulary word
A profound statement from a character
A turning point in the story
A paragraph that you would like to discuss when you return to school
A surprising or important part of the story
A favorite part of the story
A connection that you can make to yourself or another text
Something that you would like to clarify with others
A question that you may have about that spot in the story

Read texts of your choosing. This can be a book, series of articles, or magazines. There is no project that needs to be completed, but please be prepared to share what you read, including a brief summary.

Math

Supply List

One large three-ring binder (between 2-3 inches)
Four three-hole punched folders - one each in blue, green, yellow, red
Four notebooks (green, red, yellow, purple)
Composition or spiral-bound is fine - whatever your preference!
Graph paper notebook
Binder dividers (at least 10)
Pens and pencils
Pencil sharpener
Earbuds or headphones (students using school devices will be assigned Chromebooks and iPads)
Pack of dry erase markers (whichever size your child prefers)
Complete set of extra clothes
Boots (to be left at school)
Beach towel (recommended for drying off after visiting the creek)