Hello from summertime! As summer moves into full swing, we wanted to remind you of all the things WCDS is offering over the next month. With ever-changing guidelines and regulations updated sometimes by the day, it’s a little tough to […]
After 90 years, we still embrace the essence of WCDS, but we continue to grow and improve as a school. We want to be an independent school in service to our community. We want to share all that we learn […]
Today Liz comes to you from sunny Long Beach, California to debrief one heck of a conference from the National Association of Independent Schools. Simon Sinek closed the show with a discussion of finite vs infinite games, really a mindset […]
As WCDS rests and rejuvenates during a much needed Spring Break, Liz comes to you from San Diego as she debriefs a trip to High Tech High, the school featured in the documentary, Most Likely to Succeed. She talks about how […]
If you are teacher, you already know that every hero needs to connect with a mentor before embarking on the journey. A guide who sees the possibility in you before you see it for yourself, the mentor does not travel […]
It’s Valentine’s Day, so what better time to talk about finding passion than today? In our newest Head Space, Liz is joined by a few friends to speak about finding the things your children love and asking why. The sooner […]
If you look around the web as much as I tend to do, you’re seeing quite a few Year in Review pieces. These articles have always been odd things to read an educator, since we’re only nearing the half way point and really just […]
Recently Liz had the chance to sit down with her father, Dr. Don Hofreuter, to discuss her own personal journey with Wheeling Country Day School. In this clip, they talk about the Doc’s significance in Liz accepting the Head of School position […]
You have heard the term “helicopter mom” I am sure. It certainly has worked its way into our vernacular. Sneaking in right behind it is another term, “the snowplow mom.” The former hovers nearby to make sure all is well. […]
Open water. To me, those two words are synonymous with surpassing all expectations. Confused? Let me back up. I was on the crew team in college. I was the coxswain. No, I didn’t have my hands on an oar. My […]
Every inch of campus was packed with smiles and hugs. It’s our favorite day of the year…we love Grandparents Day at WCDS. This week, Liz speaks about her three pieces of advice to grandparents. “Plant the seed in the right […]
WCDS will open the library one Saturday each month for family fun! Join Dr. Christina Fisanick each month at 10:00 AM for activities, story time, and more. Each of the activities are free and open to the public as well as […]
This week we celebrate our first day of school at WCDS as Liz leads our faculty in a rendition of the 3 A’s: Appreciation, Apology, and Aha! Our students will end many of our days with this or similar exercises. It […]
You’d have to look way back to October 2016 to find the first announcement from Wheeling Country Day School bragging up Mrs. Margie Howells as a state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. After months […]
It seems a perfect, unseasonably chilly summer day to share this message from Liz, yesgirls how nude teens. She reminds us that every day, whether the sun shines or the rain falls, , every day the blue skies are closer […]
It’s 8:40 in the morning and there have already been two countdowns at WCDS. The first was for the launch. This morning I started my day in the field in front of the school. I was there to witness the launch team […]
For the past few weeks, our Junior Kindergarteners have been on a trip around the world! With Ginnie, the Ostrich acting as celebrity traveler, house guest, and tour guide all in one, they set out to China, Egypt, Italy, and […]
We’re back! Our regionally renowned summer programs are here for another year with lots of new offerings like Disney Days Dress Up and Play, Ultimate Hide and Seek, and BattleBots Robots and Coding as well as camp classics like Stop Motion Movie Making, Pottery, […]
Today, Liz takes a moment to thank all of you who supported our school during Celebrate: WCDS 2018. Without your help, we would never be able to develop the learning environment or the programming we love here, and we so […]
Liz is back to talk about why, as a head of school, as a teacher, as an alumni, she finds abundant reasons on the faces of fourth graders to keep giving to Wheeling Country Day School. https://youtu.be/E3iorRkZOWE […]
This week, Liz calls on all parents to come and experience the joy we are so fortunate to live every single day at Celebrate: WCDS, March 24th, 2018! Get your tickets here! It’s Possible Here! https://youtu.be/PreEnrLogZk […]
In the spring of 2017, Senior Kindergarten teachers, Linda Krulock and Claire Norman, began a new unit of exploration. Three young students had expressed an interest in movement, specifically movement from two-wheeled vehicles… ‘How did they keep from falling over?’ […]
In the fall of 2012, we began noticing an alarming trend among a subsection of students at Wheeling Country Day School. Despite our best intentions and our willingness to adjust or omit outdated classroom practices, some students just seemed unable […]
In our newest Head Space, Liz and Joe speak about Dr. Steven Guy and executive functioning issues. Last week, Dr. Guy came to WCDS to discuss EF difficulties with parents and teachers, as well as how to change out mindset […]
If you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed with the thought that your child may have learning or attention issues, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, one in five children in the United States deals with these issues. The good news is, […]
This week, Liz invites parents to come visit campus on Jan. 10 to hear her State of the School, as well as a slightly more important topic, the State of our Children. https://youtu.be/R2hCMMiaJzs […]
Educators and parents concerned with the long term education of students with learning differences can search this list of schools within the LD Independent School Network. The list is provided by the International Dyslexia Association, and while each school can vary greatly […]
In this practical (and personal) post from an educator with The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, classroom teachers are given advice on how to help their emergent readers, even without a Ph.D. The article talks about what the educator […]
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The International Dyslexia Association has provided families with an invaluable resource for understanding Dyslexia on a physiological level as well as a personal one. This free to download handbook offers clinical definitions and descriptions of the disorder and useful information on […]
In this special article from the Child Mind Institute, learning specialists from around the country discuss just what ‘Executive Functions’ are and how these organizational skills affect more than just the messy bedroom, especially within the mind of a child with […]
This week, Liz talks about the experience of interviewing WCDS teachers and their commitment to your children. It was a proud day and one we’re excited to share! […]
Liz talks about our progress reports at WCDS and the time our teachers take to write deeply about our students. https://youtu.be/Rqz0gmcBass […]
“Nobody hangs hard times on the wall.” It’s a poignant line from a song that struck a cord deep within me when I first heard it. It rested in the back of my mind and walked with me through my […]
Liz reminds us all that when it comes to learning, there is no bad weather, just bad clothing choices! Hello from Gibraltar Island on Lake Erie! https://youtu.be/VuG1aQocics […]
This week Liz speaks from aboard the Bio Lab, the research vessel from OSU Stone Lab on Gibraltar Island at Put in Bay. The 5th graders spent a night on the island working as junior environmental scientists, and during this […]
This week Liz expands on our Parent Night discussion and prepares us for Parent Teacher Partnership Meetings by challenging us to role model good questions. Start by asking our favorite question here at WCDS: Why? https://youtu.be/NmzlGMMflTU […]
Dear Mom and Dad I want to invite you to the school’s open house that we call Parent’s Night. This tradition gives parents a chance to walk in the footsteps of their child or better yet to sit in the […]
In the latest Head Space, Liz Hofreuter talks about how WCDS challenges the status quo and asks the difficult questions of education. She also calls for parents to be part of the conversation. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/e0A7ghcsdDo […]
In our first Head Space video of Fall 2017, our Head of School, Liz Hofreuter, challenges us all to hold onto the summer mindset and let it flow throughout the school year. Take a breath, be present, and enjoy. […]
A few years ago I wrote a piece as Ella started school for the first time. I spoke directly to her future teachers and envisioned a path forward through school and life addressing the adults who would most profoundly influence […]
We hear it all the time: ‘When I grew up, we lived in the stream! We ran around until the streetlights came on or until mom yelled it was time to come in.’ That feeling of childhood freedom is what helped […]
Partly due to last week’s bonus crisis of complete global collapse and partly due to Miss Stella’s overwhelming knowledge of Star Wars canon, this week we decided to break from tradition and spring a completely stand alone bonus Jedi crisis! […]
*Full Disclosure Alert! This post was held for clarity and the post script near the end. It will accompany May the Fourth special Star Wars edition of the WPG, as well as our newest podcast.* ‘Instead of getting fed up […]
In just a few short years, the center has expanded its educational impact throughout the valley. In addition to serving the students of WCDS, tutors are also serving five other area schools. A partnership with West Liberty University allows student […]
‘And now we can’t rip it up because we already made the contract!’ Truer World Peace Game words were never spoken, Gianna, and after a few years of overseeing this whole experiment, it’s a pretty familiar sentiment among inexperienced players. […]
Wheeling Country Day School’s mission guides students to “Think, Create, and Communicate” readily in their everyday worlds. Our students are encouraged to ask questions, brainstorm collaboratively, and ultimately take action, in order to improve our campus and surrounding community. […]
Thanks to the generosity of EVERY WCDS donor, our school has continued to expand our educational footprint and share our story on both the local and national stage. In March, Luke Hladek and Elizabeth Hofreuter each presented at the National […]
It’s only been about 11 months since our last iteration of the World Peace Game, and here we are again taking on problems that would make President Bartlett sweat. We have some new crises this year, including a potentially catastrophic space […]
I have an amazing opportunity to observe parents and children everyday. I love people watching. I always have. Let me introduce you to some of the regulars I see at every ball field, dance class and school dismissal. The meanderer, […]
You can still purchase your own Composite Canvas (24×36) ‘WCDS Tree’, debuted at Celebrate: WCDS and featuring each student at Country Day! Contact the office for details! […]
The feature video from Celebrate: WCDS was played before our annual Paddle Raise, an opportunity for immediately impactful gifts to be given in the moment. Your tax deductible donations are still being accepted at all levels. Please contact the office for […]
They fixed the sidewalks. It was a great deal of work to make curbs in our town more accessible. It caused a great deal of traffic and turmoil. The change and inconvenience caused many to question the timing, resist the project […]
The #NAISAC theme “make your mission matter” leads me to ask if I am making my personal mission matter. Why am I a Head of School? For whatever personal reason I accepted the position at Wheeling Country Day School in 2009, […]
I sit here in the Klingenstein Center #NAISAC workshop on “Leading Change” and I am struck that other industries need to take a lesson from ours. I am sitting in a room filled largely by other Heads of School, all […]
*This article by Mrs. H-L was originally published in the newest issue of Mothers Always Write magazine I see you struggling. You won’t tell me what weighs heavily on your heart. Maybe you don’t know, but I see it. You wear […]
On this, the occasion of Grace’s 13th birthday, I write to her. Grace, I love you unconditionally. There is nothing else I can tell you more important than that. I have been telling you since you were eight weeks too […]
I have been thinking a lot about my girls and the lessons, intended and unintended, that they are learning from me. I have always said my goals for my daughters were kindness and curiosity. Within those two qualities were […]
Mornings are tricky for me as a mom. While we have a solid morning routine, the smallest thing can derail our entire family. Today’s catastrophe was a hair cowlick compounded by a missing hair tie. While I was impressed that […]
My daughter and I met The First Lady. We were one of 112 invited guests to the East Dining Room for a state dinner. It happened, didn’t it? It did. I have the pictures to prove it, so it must […]
Below is our newest article for Weelunk, and one our school family gets first dibs to check out. We hope you’ll consider coming next Tuesday, January 24th at 6:30. Let’s Talk About Bullying. You may have noticed billboards around town […]
At WCDS, we try to continually facilitate an environment in which students can think about ways to personally affect their community and world. Now obviously a fourth grader is not going to run for president or open a school in […]
Helping students overcome weaknesses and harness strengths by giving them the strategies to appreciate their unique talents. […]
Our newest Head Space video features our Head of School, Liz Hofreuter, discussing how WCDS uses grades as feedback in the ongoing process of learning. ‘What does a grade mean to you?’ https://youtu.be/93Y6ove0SFk […]
In our latest installment of our new series, Head Space, our Head of School at WCDS, Liz Hofreuter, talks about Grandparents Day 2016, the role of grandparents in a the lives of our young students, and how it’s not about […]
As I woke last Friday for Grandparents Day to the realization that yes, the temperature drop will, in fact, directly coincide with the buckets of rain heading into the area, I found an odd smile creep across my face. Maybe […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJquMBGCjG4 […]
*This post is part of a series on Annual Report updates. More in the series include A Reggio Emilia Classroom… and Mapping the World By Heart* Way back in the day (in 2012), the fifth graders here at WCDS began implementing a […]
*This post is part of a series on Annual Report updates. More in the series include Robotics is Alive at WCDS and Mapping the World By Heart* “…a hundred ways of listening, of marveling, of loving a hundred joys for singing and understanding […]
*This blog post was originally written June, 2016. A new post about this year’s launch is tentatively slated for December, 2016. Fingers crossed! 3…2…1…WOOO!!! An idea that really began as a side project with the simple goal of aerial photography […]
David Strauss remembers his time at Wheeling Country Day fondly. But not for the reasons that many would think. David’s voice is animated as he remembers playing make believe under the tree on the beloved Country Day hill. Or how […]
Nathan Musser came to Wheeling Country Day School in 1984 as a preschooler, around the same he started violin lessons at the age of three. He attended WCDS through 5th grade during which time he continued to develop his love […]
Former Wheeling Country Day School student Michele K. Sommer and her students’ are published in the Harvard Educational Review. Congratulations to alumna Michele Sommer whose article, “The Cream Does Not Always Rise: The Plight of Visual-Spatial Learners and the Power […]
*Sarah is the first installment in a new series of interview style Alumni Spotlights. Name: Sarah L. Posin, MSc., RPA (Master of Science and Registered Professional Archaeologist) Schools (after WCDS): Mount de Chantal, 2003; Marshall University, 2007; University of Sheffield, […]
In the Inaugural Head Space, a new WCDS Media series devoted to continuing the conversation among our Wheeling Country Day School family. Our Head of School, Liz Hofreuter, talks about the gift of failure and the power of keeping the […]
Many apologies for the delay! But this week you’re in for a treat with a double episode and blog. Enjoy! So our first week, Joe and I (Luke again) saw a bunch of ‘handshake deals’ that made the kids feel […]
WCDS participates in ‘Roots for STEM’ project to increase early childhood participation in higher-level thinking and creativity. Throughout this school year, Wheeling Country Day School has received funding from The Sprout Fund and Remake Learning Network to increase early childhood […]
Hello and welcome to the new weekly blog from Mr. Hladek and Coach Joe about the World Peace Game! You’ll hear from each of us on here, depending on the week. In addition to the blog, we will be podcasting each […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiHvk8jwEhA […]
Wcds parent education nov2015 from Mrs. HL This slide is supported by Safari. Recommended Reading: Mindset:The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel, Ph.D. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World […]
Parent Education Presentation at ISACS from Mrs. HL This slide is supported by Safari. […]
Established in 1929, Wheeling Country Day School is a non-profit, independent school for children ranging from preschool through fifth grade. It is fully accredited by the Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS) and is a member of the […]
Traditionally, elementary school teachers have been isolated from other teachers spending the majority of their day alone with students. This egg crate model of teaching has been the way it’s done in elementary education since we were in school. Teachers […]
My wise friend Bill Hogan recently shared a line from “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”: “Everything will be all right in the end … if it’s not all right, then it’s not yet the end.” I am grateful to him […]
You have heard the term “helicopter mom,” I am sure. It certainly has worked its way into our vernacular. Sneaking in right behind it is another term, “the snowplow mom.” The former hovers nearby to make sure all is well. […]
Aunt Betty died. I know you do not know my Aunt Betty, but I am confident that each of you had (or have) an Aunt Betty in your life. In recent years, our visits consisted of my sitting at her […]
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging! […]
As we turn the calendar to 2011, we find ourselves thinking about resolutions for the New Year. While there are many topics we could consider, we have dwindled our list down to three items. Allow us if you will to […]
Traditionally, elementary school teachers have been isolated from other teachers spending the majority of their day alone with students. This egg crate model of teaching has been the way it’s done in elementary education since we were in school. Teachers […]
My wise friend Bill Hogan recently shared a line from “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”: “Everything will be all right in the end … if it’s not all right, then it’s not yet the end.” I am grateful to him […]
You have heard the term “helicopter mom,” I am sure. It certainly has worked its way into our vernacular. Sneaking in right behind it is another term, “the snowplow mom.” The former hovers nearby to make sure all is well. […]
Aunt Betty died. I know you do not know my Aunt Betty, but I am confident that each of you had (or have) an Aunt Betty in your life. In recent years, our visits consisted of my sitting at her […]