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 & Gerrie Brand

22-23 Executive Committee

President:                                                                    Sara Schroter

President-Elect:                                                           Gerrie Brand

Treasurer:                                                                    John Dickson

Secretary:                                                                    Bryn Pelok

Parent Connector Coordinator(s):                               Sarah Owens

LS Room Parent Coordinator(s):                                 Elizabeth Doolittle & Cheryl Fries

New Family Liaison:                                                    Gerrie Brand

Events Coordinator(s):                                                Becca Andorfer & Hina Patel

Volunteer Coordinator(s):                                            Karen Minton

22-23 Year-Round Leaders

Athletic Boosters:                                                        Melissa Kramer

Sokol Store:                                                                 Amy Rupp & Janet Swarthout

Pre-Loved Apparel Sales:                                            Cindy Ray & Varsey Laurelle

Parents Raising Black Students Affinity Group:          Jackie Butler & Emlah Tubuo

     (MOSAIC)                                                               

LGBTQ+ Families Affinity Group:                                Lance Demaline Blair & Joanne Strasser

Muslim Moms Affinity Group:                                       Hana Abdelbaki & Hadele Banna

AAPI Affinity Group:                                                     Sherry Liu & Urvi Patel

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

Abbott Family Learning Center:                                   Elizabeth Bernard

Lunch Bunch:                                                               Amanda Roberts

Annual Fund:                                                               Amber Merl

21-22 Parent Connectors

Little Jags:                                                                  Joya Elmore

Prekindergarten:                                                         Dana Qunibi

Kindergarten:                                                              Amber Merl

First Grade:                                                                Gerrie Brand

Second Grade:                                                           Kim Mermis

Third Grade:                                                               Jenny Logan

Fourth Grade:                                                             Sara Schroter, Amanda Roberts

Fifth Grade:                                                                 Amber Merl

Sixth Grade:                                                               Janet Swarthout

Seventh Grade:                                                          Defne Kocak

Eighth Grade:                                                             Anneliese Adkinson

Ninth Grade:                                                               Kate Spirko

Tenth Grade:                                                              Nutan Ruegsegger

Eleventh Grade:                                                         Chasity Kuttrus        

Twelfth Grade:                                                            Jennifer Brello

Wellington is a community that encourages connections and engagement for everyone! While this year may look a little different, Wellington still 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.

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 and Emlah Tubuo

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

Contact:

Gerrie Brand and Erica Braswell (2021-2022 School Year)

Lance Demaline Blair & Joanne Strasser (2022-2023 School Year)

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Muslim Moms Affinity Group

Contact: Hana Abdelbaki & Hadele Banna

The Muslim Mom 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. The group wanted to create an Annual Wellington Iftar Dinner and we planned our first event which was supposed to take place during the 2019/2020 school year. Unfortunately, and due to COVID, the dinner had to be canceled but the group continued to connect virtually for the 2020/2021 school year and we had lots of fruitful conversations around the needs of our kids.

We are looking forward to connecting with more Muslim families at Wellington and we welcome new ideas and opportunities to share our stories and unique experiences with the school community.

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AAPI Affinity Group

Contact:

Ying Wu and Urvi Patel (2021-2022 School Year)

Sherry Liu and Urvi Patel (2022-2023 School Year)

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. 

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 online! Orders will be processed every Monday and available for pick up from Willie Gage at the front desk in the rotunda during school hours. New order will be available beginning at 3 p.m. each Monday.