Welcome to the WPA!

As a parent or guardian of a Wellington student, you are automatically a member of the Wellington Parents Association!

Getting involved and volunteering your time at school events throughout the year is a great way to use your skills, meet new people, build lasting friendships, and support our children. Parent volunteers are always needed and most welcome. The WPA's goal is to support, promote, and strengthen the school community. Wellington has a wonderfully diverse community, and both values and celebrates individual voices.

We hope you will join us in our effort to support the school and the entire Wellington community. We still don’t know exactly what this year will look like, but we will keep you up to date on all events and activities. Please keep an eye out for WPA emails and join us for our monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

Varsey Laurelle P '32 '37, WPA President

John Dickson P '32 '35, WPA President Elect

25-26 Executive Committee

President:                                                                     Varsey Laurelle

President Elect:                                                             John Dickson

Vice President of Events:                                             DeAnna Raffel

Treasurer:                                                                    Tracy Godfrey

Secretary:                                                                    Cindy Cathcart

Standing Committees

Parent Connector Coordinator:                                    Janet Swarthout

Room Parent Coordinator:                                           Sara Schroter

Parent Affinity Groups:

     Parents Raising Black Students (MOSAIC):           Emlah Tubuo / Wendy & Letha Pugh

     LGBTQIA+ Families:                                              Lance Demaline Blair / Larissa Catapano

     Muslim Parents:                                                      Heba BenOmran

     AAPI Parents:                                                         Kerry & Krupal Gor

     Jewish Parents:                                                      Amy Grace Ulman / Joanne Strasser

     ¡HOLA! Hispanic Origin Latin American Parents:    Arlette Garay / Francesca Carpino

     Neurodiversity Parent Affinity:                                Hillary Bates / Amelia Menk Brown

     Single Parents:                                                       Asisa Chiles

Other Committees:

New Family Liaison(s):                                                Ryan VanNortwick

Athletic Booster(s):                                                      Rebekah Monroe

Pre-Loved Apparel Coordinator(s):                              Tracy Godfrey

Visual and Performing Arts Advocates (VAPA):           Rose Babington / TBD

Abbott Family Learning Center Coordinator(s):           Heather Chen

Lunch Bunch Coordinator(s):                                       Susan Littleton

Lost & Found Coordinator(s):                                      Amanda Roberts

Digital Citizenship Task Force Coordinator(s):            Kerry Gor 

Middle School House Parent Coordinator:                  Heather Pedigo

Staffulty Appreciation Coordinator(s):                          Sunny Munn & Kathleen Battle

Staffulty Appreciation Gift Wrap Coordinator:              Jenny Logan

Founders Day Chair(s):                                                DeAnna Raffel

Heritage Festival Chair(s):                                           Emlah Tubuo

Family Formal Chair(s):                                               To Be Determined

Other Contacts

WPA Staff Liaison:                                                       Melanie Eggleton

Annual Fund Coordinator(s):                                      Gretchen Roginson / Rachel Yantis

Sokol Store Manager(s):                                             Lauren Roberts / Jenny Logan

25-26 Parent Connectors

Little Jags:                                                                 Christine Saltsman

Prekindergarten:                                                       Kim Mermis 

Kindergarten:                                                            Jingjing Schneider

First Grade :                                                              Susan Littleton / Christine Saltsman

Second Grade:                                                          Amanda Fetters

Third Grade:                                                               Wendy Kirkland

Fourth Grade:                                                            Amber Merl

Fifth Grade:                                                               Sarah Milo

Sixth Grade:                                                              Susan Littleton / Kim Mermis

Seventh Grade:                                                        Sweta Patel

Eighth Grade:                                                           Quinn and Leah Porner

Ninth Grade:                                                             Jodi Kushins

Tenth Grade:                                                             Janet Swarthout

Eleventh Grade:                                                        Defne Kocak

Twelfth Grade:                                                          Jennifer Miller / Jackie Cios

Wellington is a community that encourages connections and engagement for everyone! Wellington has a vital need for parent volunteers. Whether you have 15 minutes or 15 hours to volunteer - there is a place Wellington can benefit from your talents and interests! Indicate your interest to help, and a WPA facilitator will reach out to learn more about your areas of interest and share immediate ways to get involved.

When you become a Wellington parent or caregiver, you automatically become a member of the Wellington Parent Association. All WPA meetings are open to the entire parent community and we welcome you to attend to listen in and engage on the important issues we discuss. Join us in person in Room C111 (Innovation Space) on the dates listed below. If you'd like to join remotely, please login to the parent portal at www.wellington.org/login, and go to your portal calendar for the Microsoft Teams meeting link. Please use your full name while connecting so we can verify you are a current Wellington parent.

Meeting minutes are shared on the WPA Veracross portal homepage, through our Microsoft Teams channel, or by emailing wpa@wellington.org.

The Wellington Parent Association supports its members in a variety of ways. The following affinity groups have been formed by WPA members, and Wellington parents are encouraged to get involved. A description and contact information for each group is included below. 

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Parents Raising Black Students Affinity Group (MOSAIC)

Opt-in to MOSAIC communications now!

Contact: Emlah Tubuo / Wendy Miller Pugh / Letha Pugh

MOSAIC is an affinity group for parents that are raising black students here at The Wellington School. Our mission is to provide support and community to our parents, to our children, and to the greater Wellington community. 

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LGBTQIA+ Families Affinity Group

Opt-in to LGBTQIA+ communications now!

Contact: Lance Demaline Blair / Larissa Catapano

The Wellington School’s LGBTQIA+ affinity group is for parents, caregivers, and allies who strive to build community in order to support one another and our children through their unique experiences at The Wellington School.

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Muslim Parents Affinity Group

Opt-in to Muslim Parent communications now!

Contact: Heba BenOmran

This group started organically in 2019 when a group of moms met for coffee one morning and created a What’s App group to stay connected and share ideas. We have expanded to support all Muslim parents, and we are looking forward to connecting with more Muslim families at Wellington. We welcome new ideas and opportunities to share our stories and unique experiences with the school community.

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AAPI Affinity Group

Opt-in to AAPI communications now!

Contact: Kerry Gor / Krupal Gor

Wellington’s AAPI Affinity Group was founded in 2021 with a mission to bring Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) families together, foster shared experiences, support increased cultural awareness at Wellington, and reinforce the value of diversity and inclusion within families. 

Alongside Wellington’s Administration and DEI committee, the AAPI Affinity Group knows that the deeply troubling and tragic events related to rising anti-Asian violence seen across the nation must be met with continued efforts to raise awareness, deepen understanding, and create a community of belonging. The AAPI Affinity Group is committed to being a part of this journey to make positive change and impact.  

In the 2020/2021 school year, the group’s pilot initiatives included: compiling the list of AAPI-relevant books and documentaries, cross-division parent conversations, and ink-painting/calligraphy activities in lower school.  For the current school year, the group aims to create a series of activities to engage families and the greater Wellington community that include Asian-cultural festival events (Mid-Autumn Festival, Diwali, Lunar New Year, among others), APPI history book donation, and group playdates. 

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¡HOLA! Hispanic Origin Latin American Parent Affinity Group

Opt-In to Hispanic Group communications now!

Contact: Arlette Garay / Francesca Carpino

Founded in 2022, HOLA has a mission of fostering a love of languages and being proud of speaking multiple - of any origin! We strive to encourage families to celebrate multicultural gifts. This group is to be hub for parents raising Spanish speaking or otherwise multilingual children. We will participate within the Wellington community to be a resource for one another as well as the school at large. Join us!

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Neurodiversity Parent Affinity Group

Opt-In to Neurodiversity communications now!

Contact: Hillary Bates / Amelia Menk Brown

We are a group that welcomes all parents and caregivers interested in exploring and celebrating a diversity of learning and processing styles such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism and others. We also work to build resources to create a supportive environment for those experiencing conditions that can challenge neurodivergent individuals in our culture, such as OCD, anxiety, sensory needs, procrastination, time blindness, etc. . .

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Jewish Parent Affinity Group

Opt-In to Jewish Affinity Group communications now!

Contact: Amy Grace Ulman / Joanne Strasser

Wellington's Jewish Parent Affinity Group is newly formed in 2023. We look forward to actively supporting the Jewish community here at Wellington. 

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Single Parent Affinity Group

Opt-In to Single Parent Affinity Group communications now!

Contact: Asisa Chiles

As single parents, or co-parents, there are often struggles that are hard to explain to other two-parent households. It’s nice to be able to have a community of people who understand. Please consider gathering with us to help normalize some of the daily tasks that can make co-parenting or single parenting seem tough. We will plan activities with families, as well as just parents, so that we can connect and build a stronger community, together.

Supporting Wellington has never been easier! Register your Kroger Loyalty or Giant Eagle Advantage card, then shop and scan.  It’s that easy! Registration is simple and detailed below.  Once you’re enrolled, there is no need to re-enroll annually, Wellington will continue to benefit year after year! 

Giant Eagle

1. Visit  www.gianteagle.com/AFTS
2. Sign in or create an account with your Giant Eagle Advantage card
3. Visit the My Schools Programs page (live link will be #3 under “It’s Easier to Register”)
4. From the Dashboard, “Manage Schools” under the “Apples for the students” box
5. Enter school code 4687 and click Add to confirm Wellington

Kroger

1. Visit Kroger.com and sign in or create an account
2. On the top right of the screen, select “My Account” under your name or Valued Customer
3. On the left, select “Community Rewards”
4. Enter AH318 to select and confirm Wellington School

Shop the Sokol Store in person during regular hours (Monday-Friday 8-8:25 a.m. and 3-4 p.m.) or special events. Special hours for the back-to-school events include Friday, August 15 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. and Monday, August 18 from 3:30-6 p.m.

Students in Little Jags through grade 4 must be accompanied by an adult. Middle school students may not access the store from 8:25 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Not available to shop in person? Shop online! Orders will be processed every Monday and available for pick up in the rotunda during school hours. New orders will be available beginning at 3 p.m. each Monday.

The Wellington Parents Association accepts donations of gently used dress code items to make available monthly for a discounted price during our pre-loved apparel sales. Drop off donations during any regular school hours at the donation bin in the rotunda. All proceeds support the activities of the Wellington Parents Association.

Important Change: The pre-loved apparel room is shifting to a mobile format that is accessible in the Jag Commons on the following sale dates. The items will be kept in storage between sales and will no longer be available for self-serve during regular school hours.

Questions & Volunteer Opportunities: Contact Tracy Godfrey at tracy@tronandtracy.com. 

SALE DATES IN JAG COMMONS

• Monday, August 18 - 4:20-5:45 p.m.
• Friday, September 5 - 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Friday, October 3 - 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Friday, November 7 - 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Friday, December 5 - 7:30-8:30 a.m. (includes ski apparel)
• Friday, January 9 - 7:30-8:30 a.m. (includes ski apparel)
• Friday, February 6 - 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Friday, March 6 - 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Friday, April 10 - 7:30-8:30 a.m.