Westminster Schools of Augusta
Back to School 2025
Dear Westminster Families,
In one month, we will be kicking off the 2025–26 academic year. Can you believe it? It’s hard to imagine how quickly summer has flown by! While your families have hopefully been enjoying some well-deserved rest and fun, things at Westminster have been buzzing with preparation and planning for what promises to be a truly exciting school year.
First things first! This past May, Mr. Matt Rich, our HS Director of Student Life, and I met with our HS student leadership team to discuss our School’s theme and the theme verse for this coming year. Great conversations were had about student culture and the student leaders’ vision for what the year could be. This was followed by similar conversations with my leadership team. I am delighted to share that, following our theme of Rooted in Christ from last year, our NEW 2025-26 school theme will be FLOURISHING TOGETHER! We landed on these two words as we embraced Hebrews 10:24-25 as our theme verse for the year.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
It was powerful to hear this group of high school student leaders unanimously express, “We want this verse to define how we live this day in light of that day,” meaning eternity. What a beautiful reminder to live with an eternal perspective, encouraging and exhorting one another in love, and pressing each other toward excellence in all things.
This is a beautiful picture of what it truly means to Flourish Together as a Westminster family. May God be honored as we grow in grace, deepen our fellowship, and flourish as a community, further rooted in Christ.
In this spirit, we can’t wait to welcome everyone back, and we’re especially excited to share some great changes and new initiatives that are in store this year! From program enhancements and campus improvements to fresh faces on our faculty and leadership teams, we are eager to get started!
Here are just a few of the exciting things already underway:
- Summer Camps. Our June summer camps were a great success, thanks to the exceptional leadership of Ruth Collins and Michele Chiswell, whose energy and organization made it one of our best yet. We’re also excited to have Ruth Collins as our XD (Extended Day) and Summer Programs Director.
- Faculty & Staff Hiring. As is common in a growing school, we’ve had some natural transitions this year due to retirements and relocations. In response, we’re excited to welcome a strong group of new faculty and staff who bring fresh energy, passion, and expertise to our Westminster community. We look forward to introducing them to you soon.
- Pamplin Hall renovations. Including two large classrooms (to create a third section of first and fourth grade for reduced class sizes), a new library space, and offices, is nearing completion. This year, we are especially excited to launch our newly designated Innovation Lab on the lower level of Pamplin Hall, which will serve all Lower School students. Over the summer, we have thoughtfully equipped the lab with a variety of STEM resources to support hands-on, inquiry-based learning that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and innovation.
- Leadership-Team Planning. Our leadership team, including our new Head of Upper School, Mr. Bryan White, held a productive retreat as we continued refining our 5-Year Strategic Plan. Key topics included discussing GPAs for high school, enhancing SAT/ACT and college prep strategies, simplifying uniform guidelines, finalizing the year-long calendar, creating a collaborative pre-planning schedule for faculty and staff, making minor handbook updates, building student course and class schedules, and much more.
- Admissions Growth. Our new Head of Admissions, Mrs. Stephanie Carter, and her admissions team have been hard at work welcoming new students. We currently have 620 students, to match the school’s highest enrollment. We are grateful for the families the Lord is bringing to our broader Westminster family.
- Athletics. Our new Director of Athletics, Coach JD Chaplain, has been hard at work already, developing athletic schedules, collaborating with coaches, and preparing for a smooth and successful transition into fall sports as we kick off the new school year in August. His leadership style and organization are already making a positive impact on our athletic program.
- MinistrySafe Training. At Westminster, the safety and well-being of your children is one of our highest priorities. As part of our continued commitment to creating a secure and nurturing environment, we are training all faculty, staff, and coaches through MinistrySafe this school year. This program provides practical instruction to help our team recognize, respond to, and prevent potential risks of abuse, ensuring that every student on our campus is protected and cared for.
- PARENTS: In addition to employee training, an important process for ensuring student safety is maintaining up to date and accurate student records. Parents have a checklist in the Parent Portal for each student with important information and back to school forms. While filling out forms for each child each year may feel like a tedious task, please know that the purpose behind many of the forms is student safety. We kindly ask that when you have a moment, grab a cup of coffee, and take some quiet time to complete the back to school checklist for each child. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and very valuable for our staff as we prepare to welcome your student back to campus in August.
- Booster Club. You can purchase Spirit Wear for your whole family on Monday, August 11, from 12:00 - 3:00 pm in the Knox Hall cafeteria. Come get your Westminster Wildcat gear to show your school spirit! Payment will be accepted via cash, card, or Venmo.
We know everyone is getting excited for the first day of school! This season is often filled with anticipation, and sometimes a bit of anxiety, as students prepare for new routines, teachers, and experiences. To help ease the transition and answer many of the common questions we receive, we want to share with you our 2025–26 "What Every Wildcat Should Know". This guide includes everything you need to know from orientation details, teacher assignments, and school supplies to lunch account funding and much more. Our staff has worked diligently to create this all-in-one resource, and we encourage you to take a few moments to review it. You may find it helpful to save and pin this digital document to your computer desktop for convenient access. It contains clickable links that can be easily referenced throughout the year whenever you need important information.
In addition, we encourage all parents to regularly check the Parent Resource tab in Blackbaud and visit our website at wsa.net for the most up-to-date information throughout the school year.
What Every Wildcat Should Know
Finally, as is applicable, please click on the letters for each of our division principals to hear from them as they share thoughts of preparation for the upcoming year specific to their division.
Are you looking for Ways to Get Involved? At Westminster, we believe that every family can play a meaningful role in the life of our school. Whether you’re able to give your time, resources, or prayers, there’s a place for you to make an impact. Click the button below to see our flow chart guide on how you can partner with us based on your passions and availability. From volunteering in the classroom or supporting fine arts and athletics, to praying for our school or contributing financially, every act of support helps us flourish together.
We are truly excited for the year ahead and look forward to welcoming your family back to campus very soon. Until then, have a wonderful summer and may the fall find our hearts be united, our prayers focused, and our lives lived in such a way that our children find following Jesus winsomely attractive and worthy of lifelong commitment as we pursue what it looks like to Flourish Together! (Hebrews 10:24 - 25)
For God’s glory alone,
Dr. Shawn Brower
Head of School
Single Hero
