Dear Wellington Community,
Welcome back! I hope you had a restful and enjoyable break. There is nothing quite like the energy of spring in a school. The next few months will be some of the busiest of the year, filled with events, achievements, and preparations for what’s next. Let’s make the most of this time together.
A few reminders of expectations:
To help us finish strong, I offer these reminders to keep us on track.
- Dress code - It’s natural for routines to slip as the school year progresses, especially in following the dress code. Let’s reset as we return from spring break. Our division leaders and I expect every student to adhere to the uniform guidelines as written. They help create a sense of community, pride, and focus. As I often remind our students, there is still plenty of room within our guidelines for self-expression.
- Encourage students to be present and punctual - We all know that learning happens best when students are fully engaged. Being present and punctual are simple yet powerful ways to set the tone—and these attributes are building blocks for strength of character.
I thank our parents and caregivers for partnering with us in making sure students understand the importance of being in school and on time. - Walk safely - You may have noticed a new pathway along the main driveway, allowing community members to walk safely to Reed Road without having to walk in the driveway. With this new path in place, I strongly discourage walking or running on the driveway itself. I am very grateful to our campus facilities team for making this lovely campus enhancement and critical safety measure a reality.
Looking Ahead
As we look ahead to next year, the school is in a strong position and we have some good updates to share with you now and in the coming weeks.
- Admissions - I am pleased to share that our retention rate for next year stands at 95%—significantly higher than the average for independent day schools. We have also seen a record number of new student applications and we are approaching 100 students already enrolled for 2025-26, from Little Jags through grade 10. We are on track to open next year with the highest enrollment in Wellington’s history—a testament to the strength of our community and the education we provide. Please join me in congratulating our admissions team and thanking our incredible Blue Key ambassadors for their efforts in sharing the Wellington story.
- Strategic Planning and Curriculum Updates - Our strategic planning process continues at full speed, and I am pleased to report that the Board remains on track to adopt a new strategic plan at its May meeting. We look forward to sharing the plan with the community in the fall. Additionally, the division heads and I will attend upcoming WPA meetings to share updates and enhancements to the academic plans for next year, and we will send out a communication following with the information shared.
-
Parent & Caregiver Survey - Next week you will receive a parent and caregiver survey from the division heads to reflect on your family’s experience this year with the academic program and Wellington community. Please take time to fill this out for each of your children enrolled in the school. The division heads and I will read every response and your feedback will inform our upcoming priorities and areas of focus.
Closing Thoughts
Over the break, I learned that March 20 was International Happiness Day, marked by the release of the annual World Happiness Report, an interesting and worthwhile read. The report contains some sobering insights: happiness levels in the United States are at an all-time low, and an increasing number of young people report not having strong social support networks. It also highlights a gap—older generations report higher levels of happiness than younger generations.
What can this mean for us? I believe it reinforces that our young people need us and they need the joy and connection our Wellington community promises. They need the adults in their lives to be beacons of positivity, curiosity, and active engagement—this is how we model what it means to build meaningful connection and community.
At Wellington, we strive to model our core values every day: be curious, be yourself, be empathetic, be ambitious, be responsible. I know these values foster learning, authenticity, and joy—and I am especially energized when I think of practicing them as doing our part in making a difference in the happiness index!
Let’s have a great spring together. Thank you for all that you do for Wellington, and... Go, Jags!
Warmly,
Eliza McLaren, Head of School
P.S. If you're on LinkedIn, let's connect! You can catch more frequent updates about life at Wellington, and I'd love to see what you're up to as well.