Read on for information about our back to school plans for early childhood and lower school families.
Back to School Dates and Events
August 7 - Scheduling for intake conferences opens on Veracross at noon.
August 18 - Deadline to complete School Policy Forms in Veracross
August 20 - Welcome (Back) to Wellington
- 2-3 p.m. - New families can meet Head of School Jeff Terwin and Head of Early Childhood and Lower School Shelley Brown in Gard Gym before heading to classrooms
- 3-4 p.m. - Returning families are invited to visit classrooms.
August 21 - Parent / Teacher intake conferences
August 23 - First day of school!
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
View the car line traffic flow map here.
Early Childhood and Lower School
7:30-8 a.m. - Before Care in the rotunda. After 7:40 a.m., students will be on the ECLS Playscape or the ROHR (weather dependent).
8-8:15 a.m. - Arrival: Parents and caregivers may drop their student off through car line or park in the front parking lot, enter through the rotunda, sign in using SchoolPass, and walk their student to the classroom. If a student is dropped off after 8:15 a.m., you will say goodbye to them at the rotunda doors and they will walk independently to his or her classroom.
3:25 p.m. - Dismissal: Parents and caregivers may pick up their student through car line in the front parking lot. Students staying for Aftercare will be walked to the designated location.
View the car line traffic flow map here.
Car line tips and tricks:
- Please have patience, and pay attention to the teacher's directions. Over 150 students need to be safely loaded into cars.
- Display the placard you receive at your intake conference in the passenger side visor and pull it down when picking up your child(ren).
- Little Jags, prekindergarten, and kindergarten families use the third (curb) lane for arrival and dismissal. Teachers are unable to load your child into a car seat or buckle them into a car seat.
- 1st - 4th grade parents and caregivers will use the first two lanes (closest to the soccer field) for arrival and dismissal.
- Siblings always go to the youngest sibling’s carline, including middle school students who will join early childhood or lower school car lines.
- Ensure authorized pickups are updated in Veracross. Otherwise, the adult will need to present a state ID.
- Car line gets faster as people have more practice! Please have patience while people learn this process.
Beyond the Bell
Beyond the Bell encompasses all programming for early childhood and lower school students that takes place beyond the typical school day.
Before Care will be provided for early childhood and lower school students beginning at 7:30 a.m., in the rotunda. After 7:40 a.m. students will be on the ECLS Playscape or the ROHR (weather dependent). Doors to the classrooms open at 8 a.m. There is no cost for morning care for Little Jags through 4th grade students. There is no registration system for morning care; families should use Before Care as needed.
Questions?
Contact Gina Spicer, director of experiential learning, at spicer@wellington.org
Beyond the Bell encompasses all programming for early childhood and lower school students that takes place beyond the typical school day.
Wellington Aftercare is offered Monday-Friday from 3:25-6 p.m. Aftercare is included with tuition for Little Jags, prekindergarten, and kindergarten programs. For grades 1-4, Aftercare is a fee-based exploratory program in which students will have choices, including S.T.E.A.M. projects and supervised play. Locations vary and will be posted in the rotunda for parents and caregivers to view at pick up.
Register
Register for Aftercare by logging in to Veracross and clicking on the orange “Aftercare Opt-in” button at the top right of the parent portal.
Enrichment Classes
Students will be able to choose from an array of different classes after school. These classes will be open to all ECLS students regardless if students are enrolled in Aftercare. Topics, fees, and registration will be released at a later date.
Questions?
Contact Gina Spicer, director of experiential learning, at spicer@wellington.org.
Important Information & Policies
A helpful checklist for the first day of school can be found here.
No school supplies are needed.
Contact information for key faculty and staff can be found here.
The lower school dress code policy can be found here. (updated July 2023)
Early Childhood Details
Students in our Little Jags and prekindergarten programs are not required to wear uniforms; students should wear comfortable play clothes and shoes. All Little Jags and prekindergarten students will need an extra set of clothing that will stay at school. Please place extra clothes in a labeled ziplock bag. We also suggest your student bring a small blanket and/or small stuffed animal if staying for the full-day program. These nap items will stay at school through the week and go home each Friday to be washed and returned on Monday.
Snacks
All early childhood and lower school classrooms are peanut- and tree nut-free zones.
Little Jags and prekindergarten students will bring two healthy snacks each day (one for the morning and one for the afternoon). Snack suggestions can be found here.
Students in kindergarten-4th grade will bring one healthy snack for the afternoon. Snack suggestions can be found here.
Water bottles
Students will bring their own water bottle to school each day. No one-time use plastic water bottles will be available.
Intake Conferences
Intake conferences are a time to meet with your student's teacher. Students are not involved in this meeting. Parents and caregivers may choose to meet virtually or in-person with their student's teacher.
Important dates and deadlines
August 7: Scheduling for intake conferences opens on Veracross at noon.
August 18: Scheduling for intake conferences closes on Veracross at noon.
August 21: Intake conferences begin.