Welcome Message from Mr. Anthony: School Theme & Summer Improvements

Dear Families and Staff: 

Welcome back, Grey Wolves, and an especially warm welcome to our wonderful new families and staff joining the Wolfpack this year. We have had a fantastic start, made possible by the tremendous work of our business and operations teams throughout the summer, much planning and preparation by our faculty and Leadership Team, and the boundless energy and spirit from students and families this week!   

I hope that your summer was rejuvenating and full of family adventures. Summertime creates a curious headspace within educators: a time to breathe deeply, recalibrate, and reflect on the previous year while looking to the next. Whether you were lucky enough to travel afar or enjoyed time here at home, if you listened carefully, no doubt you would have heard the sounds of gears turning in every teacher’s head. It is this creativity and commitment to the profession that inspires me enormously as Head of School.

At WPGA, we anchor each year with a theme, something we conceptualize and then manifest to guide our school community in achieving our mission of “Shaping Lives of Inquiry, Action and Joy.” Past themes include Step Up, Hope, Gratitude, Speak Up, Connection, and Shine. For 2023-2024, our school theme is “Lean In.” Coined by Sheryl Sandberg in 2013 to empower women professionally, we embrace that message of empowerment and expand it to our entire school community of students, staff and parents.   

For our Wolfpack, we aspire to really lean into school life and personal growth. Let’s be engaged, commit wholeheartedly, be open minded, and push ourselves beyond temporary discomfort into the growth awaiting on the other side. Let’s join school clubs, student leadership experiences, the PVG, staff events, professional development opportunities. Be punctual, put our phones away, and be present.  

For faculty and staff, we aim to further strengthen our culture of professional growth and agency, encouraging each other to expand our own capacity as educators and school leaders. For students, leaning into challenging aspects of learning, supported by teachers and peers, will yield immense growth. For everyone, we embrace continuous reflection and goal assessment to help us evaluate our progress and lean into our strengths and opportunities to improve.    

Wellbeing is an important strategic priority, and we offer mindfulness and stress management tools to help students and staff lean into their emotions and build resilience in a healthy way, one that supports clear, respectful boundaries. We truly hope that every member of our Wolfpack will actively incorporate our school theme this year while leaning on each other for inspiration and support. 

In returning to campus, you have likely noticed numerous facility improvements. At the Senior School, the entrance has been transformed with new lighting, landscaping, and a beautiful landing for all to gather and feel welcomed. Three new study nooks on the main and upper floors provide quiet work spaces; several classrooms as well as the Dining Hall received upgrades.  

At the Junior School, the new Explorer Dome on our primary playground is being enthusiastically explored by our wolf cubs. This spectacular play structure is a must see! The Junior School also boasts the brand new Discovery & Reflection Studio, sure to spark inquiry and creative collaboration.  

Last but not least, we are so pleased with the new cedar fencing lining the school driveway, which not only looks and smells great but also keeps us safe. Thank you to our two Sangara families, parents of Kayden ‘26 and Madeleine ‘25, for contributing the lumber for this project.  

And, thank you to ALL our families, staff, alumni families, the PVG, and the Board who showed tremendous generosity and contributed to these projects through donations and fundraising initiatives in 2022-2023. It is through your valued partnership and collaboration that we are able to accomplish intentional and impactful projects every year, and we are beyond grateful.   

At WPGA, we aspire to be the best part of your day: a joyful place where we can be our most authentic selves. Perhaps I am biased, but I feel we have such a special, truly unique culture, and it is my wish that you lean into the many opportunities throughout this school year to feel it too. 

Here’s to a brilliant school year. I look forward to connecting with you in the days ahead.  

Sincerely, 

Stephen Anthony 

Head of School