Admission
Procedures & Timeline
Thank you for your interest in Washington Episcopal School! We encourage you to visit us - we think that you will be delighted by what you find. Please contact the Office of Admission to learn more about our Open House sessions or to schedule an individual appointment. We look forward to showing you the many features of The WES Way.
The application process is designed to assist the Admissions Committee in making the best placement decision for your child and for WES. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns throughout the process.
We ask that you complete the following steps before February 1:
Application and Fees: Submit the application with a photo of your child and the application fee. Please see WES At a Glance for current fee information. Families with financial needs may request, in writing, a reduction of these fees.
Testing: Please indicate on the Authorization for Testing form if you plan to have your child tested at WES or if you will arrange for your child's scores to be sent from another school or testing site. WES participates in a shared testing arrangement with other area independent schools so that your child should only be tested once within a twelve-month period. If you plan to have your child tested at WES, please include the testing fee. Testing requirements are listed below:
APPLYING TO
| TESTING REQUIRED |
| Nursery and Transition | None
|
| Kindergarten and Grade 1 | Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPSSI-III) |
| Grades 2-6 | Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC IV) |
Grades 7-8
| Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) or Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE). Registration information is available through the Admissions Office or online at www.ssat.org or www.erbtest.org. |
Recommendation: Give the Independent School Confidential Recommendation form to your child's current teacher. Please note there are two different Recommendation forms - one for Applicants to N- Grade 1 and one for Applicants to Grades 2-8. The teacher should mail the completed form directly to WES.
Transcript: Transcripts are only required for children applying to Grades 2-8. Arrange for your child's current school to send a copy of your child's transcript to WES. Please use the enclosed Transcript Release form.
Child Visit: Once we have received your application, the Office of Admission will contact you to schedule a visit for your child.
Applicants to Nursery, Transition and Kindergarten: Participate in a playgroup with other WES applicants.
Applicants to Grade 1: Spend a morning with our current Kindergarten class.
Applicants to Grades 2-8: Spend a day at WES in your child's current grade.
Academic Assessment: Applicants to Grades 1-8 are asked to attend a Saturday morning academic assessment. Please note that students applying to Grades 3-6 will be completing an assessment designed by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). It is not necessary for your child to take the ERB at WES if he or she takes it elsewhere. The Office of Admission will contact you with the dates for these assessments after we have received your child's application.
Parent Interview: A parent interview is recommended, but not required. Please contact the Office of Admission if you are interested.
Financial Aid: If your family wishes to be considered for financial aid, please file a Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) with School and Student Services by NAIS (SSS) by February 15, 2010. Please also send to SSS (and not to WES as requested in the past) the following required documents: a complete copy of your most recent federal income tax return (with W2s and all schedules included). Please confirm with the Office of Admission and Financial Aid that your SSS application was filed by the deadline. The PFS need only be completed once; you may request that it be sent to all prospective schools. Families can request a hard copy of the PFS application from the WES Office of Admission or file online at http://sss.nais.org. Turnaround is quicker with an online application.
