Dear Laker Community,

There are some times in life when a new opportunity feels less like a beginning and more like coming home. As I begin my first year at Windermere Preparatory School, I am excited to join the Laker community and, especially, to join the Middle School team.

I am originally from Boston, and this year marks my 30th year in independent school education and my 11th year as a Middle School Director. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to teach, coach, advise, and work alongside students, families, and faculty in Rhode Island, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. I am especially happy to be back in Florida, where I have lived for most of my adult life. I have certainly missed the palm trees!

What I love most about working in Middle School is the opportunity to mentor, support and educate students during such an important time in their development. These are years of tremendous growth as students become more independent, discover who they are, and learn to navigate increasingly complex academic, social, and personal challenges.

One of the things that drew me to Windermere Prep is the philosophy and framework behind the IB Continuum and its emphasis on the process of learning. I believe learning is about much more than the final product or grade. The questions students ask, the mistakes they make, the connections they build, and the ways they reflect on their own learning are what matter. The process matters. It is about helping students develop the confidence, curiosity, resilience, and sense of belonging they need to thrive. This philosophy will be central to our work in the Middle School this year through the IB Middle Years Program (MYP). We want students to engage deeply with their learning, make meaningful connections, ask thoughtful questions, and understand not only what they are learning, but why it matters. We want them to be challenged, take intellectual risks, and recognize that struggle, reflection, and mistakes are essential parts of learning, and not stumbling blocks on the way to the grade at the end.

Just as importantly, we want every Middle School student to feel that they belong.

Middle School can be complicated. Students are navigating friendships, discovering new interests, dealing with changing bodies, gaining independence, and building a greater awareness of themselves and the world around them. Our responsibility is to foster a Middle School where students feel known, supported, challenged, and valued. Relationships matter. Homeroom matters. Student voice matters. The everyday moments in the classroom, hallway, stage, on the field, and around the lunch table matter.

Our new theme, Lakers are … Inquirers, Inclusive, and Innovative, captures much of what we hope to cultivate in our students. We want them to be curious enough to ask questions, inclusive enough to appreciate perspectives different from their own, and innovative enough to approach challenges with creativity and confidence for continued success beyond the walls of WPS.

We also know that students do best when school and home work together. Middle School students are becoming more independent, but they still need the support and guidance of the adults in their lives. We look forward to building strong partnerships with families through open, honest, and trusting communication.

As I begin this new chapter at WPS, I am excited to get to know our Middle School students and families and to work alongside our faculty to build a community where students can learn, grow, take risks, and thrive.

This move is even more meaningful because my two children, who are in 2nd and 7th grade, are also beginning their WPS journeys this year, which means I get to experience WPS not only as a school leader, but also as a parent.

I am incredibly grateful for the warm welcome I have already received and ecstatic for the year ahead.

Here’s to a wonderful year! Go Lakers!

Ms. Sarah Visagie

Director of Middle School