Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Spring break looks different for every family, and I think that is part of what makes it special. Some families stayed close to home, enjoying slower mornings and two weeks without a schedule. Others headed somewhere new. Our family drove to Florida, which turned out to be equal parts adventure and reality check. Two boys came down with strep throat in the first two days, a good reminder that travel with children is really just being a family in a different location. There were also the moments worth keeping: the simple pleasure of picking out a snack at a rest stop, fireworks above the castle at Magic Kingdom, and that feeling of being fully present together with nowhere else to be. Whether your family rested, explored, or navigated something in between, welcome back!
Learning Highlights from February and March
- In February, every classroom and special area joined together for a divisional deep dive into Celebrating Black Voices. Each class researched an individual, created a poster, and students made their way through the hallways on a scavenger hunt, matching numbers to the stories behind them: 143 miles traveled by Harriet Tubman; 7 gold medals for Simone Biles; 6 roles that defined Josephine Baker as actor, singer, dancer, pilot, resistance fighter, and civil rights activist. If you have not yet walked the halls, please take a few minutes this week to do so and admire both the work and the people behind it.
- While our upper school students spent spring break traveling to France and Puerto Rico (with Ecuador, Poland, and Norway in May), our ECLS Jaguars have been doing their own exploring a little closer to home. By the end of this month, our students will have visited the Columbus Zoo, traveled to Whole Foods to trace the path food takes from farm to table, headed to Highbanks Metro Park for outdoor science, and participated in gymnastics classes. Our fourth graders have their own big trip ahead: two nights at sleep-away camp this week, which feels plenty adventurous when you are ten years old!
- One of the most meaningful learning highlights this month has been the connections forming across our division through reading. When students read to someone else, whether older or younger, it creates an authentic audience and a genuine reason to care about the words on the page. Our first graders visited our Little Jags to read aloud, and a kindergarten class put on a readers’ theater, practicing fluency and the kind of expression that only comes when you know someone is really listening. Ask your lower school student what they have been reading lately; you are likely to hear advanced vocabulary, thoughtful connections, and a real enthusiasm for both fiction and nonfiction.
Mark Your Calendars!
Teaching Tomorrow - How Wellington Approaches Digital Responsibility: April 21
Join the Digital Citizenship Parent Group on Thursday, April 21, from 8:30-9:30 a.m., in the Doerschlag Den. Technology is changing quickly, and Wellington is thinking carefully about how to prepare students for the future. Director of Technology John Kruzan and Shelley Brown, assistant head of school for academics and head of early childhood and lower school, will help us learn more about Wellington’s approach to technology, including our work with artificial intelligence and digital literacy from preschool through grade 12. We will share how these skills grow over time and how we are connecting today’s learning to the expectations students will encounter in college and beyond. Learn more about the Digital Citizenship Parent group here.
Mindful Movement (Ages 2–3.5): April 21
Families with young children are invited to join us for Mindful Movement on Tuesday, April 21, from 10-11 a.m. Designed for children ages 2 to 3.5 years old and their caregivers, this playful session blends developmentally appropriate yoga, stretching, and sensory activities to support growth and connection. This program is free and open to the public, so feel free to invite friends and neighbors to join you. Register here.
Kindergarten Play: April 24
8:30 a.m. in the BPAC
Grandparents and Special Friends Day: May 1
Early dismissal on this day for all at 11 a.m.
Prekindergarten Play: May 15
8:30 a.m. in the BPAC
Early Childhood Culmination Morning: May 20
8:30 a.m. in the BPAC
Lower School (Grades 1–4): May 22
8 a.m. in homerooms
No School/Memorial Day: May 25
ECLS Field Day (students only): May 26
ECLS LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: May 28
Fourth Grade Moving Up Ceremony at 8:30 a.m.
ECLS early release at 11 a.m.
As much as those spring break moments stay with you, and they do, what I find myself looking forward to most is the return to the ordinary rhythm of school days. The morning meetings, the small group math sessions, the moments when something finally clicks for a child, and you can see it on their face. These are the days that do the real work of moving students forward, and there are still plenty of them ahead. April and May are full of the kind of learning that quietly and steadily prepares students for what comes next. Before we know it, our students will be stepping into a new grade level, and the days between now and then are not just a countdown. They are the thing itself.
We are glad to be back together. Let's make the most of it.
Best,
Shelley Brown
Head of ECLS
Assistant Head of School for Academics