Dear Wellington Community,
By now, I hope you are fully in Thanksgiving Break mode and preparing for quality time—and meals—with family and friends. With Thanksgiving just two days away, I am struck by two things:
- Time flies in the life of a school on the move—we have had a terrific fall.
- My gratitude for the Wellington School and community is vast.
It is true that days zoom by, sometimes faster than we’d like, but it is also proven that practicing gratitude helps us feel a sense of presence and awareness. As I lean into my gratitude for Wellington, I connect to the heart of what makes our community special: our shared appreciation for the intersection of curiosity and excellence, passion and purpose, self and community. At all important intersections, trusted guides help us see the breadth of the journey from the past to the present moment to the potential of the future. At Wellington, those guides are our teachers, so I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to all of the outstanding educators who guide and support our students every day.
Share in gratitude! Personal messages mean the world to educators. If you have a note of thanks you’d like to share with a teacher, please send it to them and CC me, or send it my way and I will forward it to them.
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Earlier this fall, we launched A Bold Leap: 2032, Wellington’s strategic plan that will guide us to our 50th year. Now, the exciting work is underway as we pursue the plan’s shared purposes:
- To make Wellington the best place to teach and learn for those seeking a highly-connected, future-focused learning community.
- To elevate the standard for educational excellence and student engagement.
- To strengthen Wellington’s financial foundation.
We also completed the search for our next Upper School Head and excitement is high around the addition of Marty Frazier to our leap (get to know Marty, read the full announcement here).
Wellington’s first Learning Showcase brought students from preschool through grade 12 together to share their curiosity and creativity with families, peers, and community guests. Nearly 70 student presenters across 27 stations stepped into the role of teacher, demonstrating projects that highlighted engineering, world languages, theatre production, history, and more. Thank you to those incredible teachers and students for sharing their passion for learning with us and to Assistant Head of School for Academics Shelley Brown for coordinating the powerful event. Enjoy photos from the event here.
The Wellington Fund Day of Giving marked historic results! Over 500 donors contributed $443,000 to strengthen the people, programs, and purpose-driven education we so treasure. This record-breaking vote of confidence in our school and our teachers is an inspiring testament to our collective dedication to nurturing students who are curious, authentic, ambitious, empathetic, and responsible. Thank you!
All of this work takes the partnership of dedicated parents who show appreciation for educators and understand the critical importance of the collaboration between home and school. At Wellington, our parent partners are all in, and the teachers, staff, and I are extremely grateful.
Indeed, we are a school on the move, and there is so much more to talk about and celebrate. Let’s do just that at the next Coffee with the Head of School on December 17 at 8:30 a.m., where I will share updates on the strategic plan and campus master plan. For those who can’t make it, look for an email update from me shortly after.
Grateful for the Wellington Way
This time last week, several hundred of us attended a special gathering in the Gard Gymnasium to honor the lifetime achievements and profound impact of Coach Artie Taylor. As we celebrated the official dedication of the newly named Artie Taylor Court—made possible by a generous philanthropic gift from a Wellington family and with the full support of the Gard family—the Wellington Way was on my mind. In our very first conversation, Artie defined the “The Wellington Way” to me as striving to be better and helping others become better. For him and all Jags, the Wellington Way is more than an idea, it is a way of being. Last week, this spirit of community, support, and shared purpose was on full display, and I know we will all carry that moment in our hearts forever.
This holiday, I will be taking time to reflect on all that we are fortunate to share as one dedicated learning community. Thank you, Wellington, for your heart and your spirit.
Happy Thanksgiving, and… Go, Jags!
Eliza McLaren, Head of School