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!

Sara Schroter P '30 '35, WPA President

Varsey Laurelle P '32, WPA VP & President-Elect

23-24 Executive Committee

President:                                                                    Sara Schroter

Vice President/President-Elect:                                   Varsey Laurelle

Treasurer:                                                                    John Dickson

Secretary:                                                                    Jenny Logan

Standing Committees

Parent Connector Coordinator:                                    Janet Swarthout

LS Room Parent Coordinator:                                     Cheryl Fries

Parent Affinity Groups:

     Parents Raising Black Students (MOSAIC):          Jackie Butler & Emlah Tubuo

     LGBTQ+ Families:                                                  Lance Demaline Blair & Alexis Hansen

     Muslim Parents:                                                      Hadele Banna & Bebe Hida

     AAPI Parents:                                                         Sherry Liu & Kerry & Krupal Gor

     Jewish Parents:                                                      Taylor Pressler Vydra & TBD

     ¡HOLA! Hispanic Origin Latin American Parents:    Arlette Garay & Holly Tong &

                                                                                     Lisette Benitez Pagniano

     Neurodiversity Parent Affinity:                                Hillary Bates & Nancy Tewksbury

     Single Parents:                                                       Kourtney Willis & TBD

Other Committees:

Volunteer Coordinator(s):                                            Karen Minton

New Family Liaison(s):                                                Gerrie Brand

Events Coordinator(s):                                                Becca Andorfer

Athletic Booster(s):                                                      Rebekah Monroe

Sokol Store Coordinator(s):                                         Amy Rupp

Pre-Loved Apparel Coordinator(s):                              Varsey Laurelle & Tracy Godfrey

Visual and Performing Arts Advocates (VAPA):           Defne Kocak & Jenny Johnson

Abbott Family Learning Center Coordinator(s):           Karen Minton & Heather Chen

Lunch Bunch Coordinator(s):                                       Amanda Roberts & Susan Littleton

Lost & Found Coordinator(s):                                      Amanda Roberts

Annual Fund Coordinator(s):                                       Amber Merl

STAND Representative(s):                                          To Be Determined

Digital Citizenship Task Force Coordinator(s):            To Be Determined

WPA Staff Liaison:                                                       Melanie Eggleton

23-24 Parent Connectors

Little Jags:                                                                 Jingjing Schneider

Prekindergarten:                                                        Michelle Weingartner

Kindergarten:                                                             Kristin Hummell

First Grade :                                                               Wendy Kirkland

Second Grade:                                                           Amber Merl

Third Grade:                                                              Heather Chen

Fourth Grade:                                                            Kim Mermis / Susan Littleton

Fifth Grade:                                                               Stacee Buechel

Sixth Grade:                                                              Amanda Roberts

Seventh Grade:                                                        Jodi Kushins / Janet Swarthout

Eighth Grade:                                                           Janet Swarthout

Ninth Grade:                                                             Defne Kocak

Tenth Grade:                                                            Jennifer Miller

Eleventh Grade:                                                       Kate Spirko

Twelfth Grade:                                                          Nutan Ruegsegger     

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 the Edwards Conference Room 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)

Contact: Jackie Butler & Emlah Tubuo

Opt-in to MOSAIC communications now!

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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LGBTQ+ Families Affinity Group

Opt-in to LGBTQ+ communications now!

Contact: Lance Demaline Blair & Alexis Hansen

The Wellington School’s LGBTQ+ 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: Hadele Banna & Bebe Hida

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: Sherry Liu & 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 & Holly Tong & Lisette Benitez

Founded in 2023, 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 & Nancy Tewksbury

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: Taylor Pressler Vydra & TBD

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: Kourtney Willis & TBD

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!  Additionally, link your Amazon account and shop from Amazon Smile and Wellington will receive a percentage of the sales.  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! 

Amazon Smile

1. Visit https://smile.amazon.com/ch/31-0977200. This link is unique to Wellington. 
2. Sign in and accept Wellington as a beneficiary of the Amazon Smile donations.
3. When you’re ready to shop, please log in either through the link above or from smile.amazon.com.  Once you’re registered, Amazon will remember your preferences moving forward.
4. In order to receive credit, shopping must be completed through either of the two links above.  Credit will not be received if you shop from the mobile app or if the top left banner says “Amazon Prime”.
5. It may be a good idea to bookmark the unique shopping link.  Amazon Prime Smile will appear in the top left to confirm Wellington will receive the donation.

Amazon Smile App

1. Open the Amazon app on your phone
2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features
3. Select "Wellington School" as your charity
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app

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 3-4:30 p.m.) or special events. 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.