WES students tend to run, not walk, through the front doors of the school, eager to begin each day.
Each student is greeted in a Morning Meeting, and eases into the day ahead, feeling part of the diverse and welcoming Washington Episcopal School community. The routine might be familiar, but every day is filled with adventures in learning, as students embrace academic rigor in an appropriately balanced and supportive environment. Our enriched after-school program offers exciting options such as chess, hip-hop dance, art, sports teams, study hall, Mad Science, and more.
Watch this video to see our students and faculty discuss all that WES has to offer!
To heighten awareness of and commitment to moral and ethical living, specific activities are a part of the school’s ongoing program and throughout the day. The faculty use Responsive Classroom® techniques and philosophy for classroom management.
Responsive Classroom® reinforces the WES mission to create a supportive and positive community of academically excellent and joyful students. The program recognizes that academic success is best achieved in a socially successful environment. The core values of empathy, respect, and responsibility are emphasized, alongside social skills, self-regulation, and conflict resolution.
Recess serves as a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated learning in the classroom. This free time offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that give WES’s students the necessary balance to develop a love for learning. All Early Childhood students have 2-3 daily recesses, a snack, and lunch to refresh and stay energized.
Lunchtime for NPK is generally 12:00-12:45 p.m. each day and mid-day for Grade 1 students. An optional Hot Lunch program is offered by the school with food provided by Vignola Catering. Families must sign up in advance for the program, and fees are included with the regular tuition bills. Students enrolled in the Hot Lunch program will get a boxed lunch for study trips.
Relationships between students in different grades allow all to develop deeper senses of compassion, tolerance, and empathy as well as a fuller understanding of the needs and experiences of others. Our students in Early Childhood frequently share recess on the playground with their Early Childhood peers. Annually, the students in Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten (NPK) perform at an All-School Chapel in December and then in the spring at the May Day Program. Students in NPK also experience weekly Chapel together. In Kindergarten, the students are partnered with Grade 5 student reading mentors. In Grade 1, students are partnered as a Chapel Pal with students from another grade. By the time our students graduate WES in Grade 8, they have a multitude of opportunities to mentor peers and be mentored by others.
The school believes that an important aspect of creating a productive school environment is appropriate dress. Students in Nursery, Pre-K, and Kindergarten have a relaxed dress code, but all clothing should have age-appropriate images and messages.
Beginning in Grade 1, students have a formal dress code which is comprised of Dress Uniform and Daily Wear. Dress uniform is worn on special occasions such as All-School Chapels, school picture day, school performances, certain study trips, etc. The Dress Code changes as students matriculate to Middle School.
Nursery/Pre-K/Kindergarten Dress Code
Children wear play clothes that are neat, comfortable, and easily handled independently. Parents and guardians avoid costumes, overalls, sandals, flip-flops, dressy shoes, party dresses or fancy clothing that might be damaged or cause tripping, and clothes the child cannot easily handle in the restroom.
Grades 1-5 – Dress Uniform
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ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DRESS ITEMS
Grades 1-5 – Daily Wear
All dress uniform components may be worn for daily wear.
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ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DRESS ITEMS
