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Student Life

Campus Life: Embracing Joy and Adventure in Education

WES students tend to run, not walk, through the front doors of the school, eager to begin each day. Students begin every day with a morning meeting, which eases them 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. Whether on the playground, in the classroom, in the Art Studio, on the stage, athletic fields, or on study trips down the street or across the Atlantic Ocean, a day as a WES student is never routine or ordinary – it is a constant adventure!

Bethesda Elementary School Student Life
Responsive Classroom & Honor Code

WES is committed to encouraging responsible and caring behavior in students. To heighten awareness of and commitment to moral and ethical living, specific activities are a part of the school’s ongoing program. WES has a formal Honor Code and the faculty use Responsive Classroom® techniques and philosophy. There are clear policies regarding student online behavior. All of these form the foundation for student life and WES’s social curriculum.

WES Honor Code
The Honor Code is a pledge signed by each student in Grades 2-8 at the beginning of each school year. It is discussed in class meetings and provides a guide for attitudes and behavior shared by the entire school community.

Responsive Classroom
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 and Lunch

All Elementary students have 2-3 daily recesses and lunch to refresh and stay energized. Recess serves as a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated learning in the classroom. This free team offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that give WES’s students the necessary balance to develop a love for learning. The Elementary students frequently share recess on the playground and athletic fields with each other.

Lunchtime is mid-day for Grade 2-5 students. Students sit communally in a cafeteria type environment by class. There is also an optional school lunch program.

Cross Grade Friendships and Leadership Opportunities

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. Exploring new student life and leadership opportunities for students has been a particular area of recent focus in the Elementary Grades. These are just a few of the leadership opportunities WES provides Elementary Students:

  • Student Advisory Group (Student Government) 
    All Grade 2-5 students were invited in September to run for class representative. Two students from each classroom are elected to participate with one serving in the fall and the other in the spring.
  • Grade 5 & Kindergarten Reading Buddies
  • Admission Ambassadors

By the time our students graduate WES in Grade 8, they have a multitude of opportunities to mentor peers and be mentored by others.

Elementary Dress Code

Our students start their day focusing on their relationships with their peers and not what each other is wearing. Uniforms allow students to more easily build school spirit and showcase their individualism through their personality and achievements. Grade 2-5 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.

Grades 1-5 – Dress Uniform

  • White collared button-up only, long- or short-sleeve
  • WES tie (required when the student chooses to wear pants)
  • Navy blazer (optional for students wearing WES plaid jumper)
  • WES plaid jumper
  • Tan chino pants 
  • Solid black or white sneakers may be worn

Grades 1-5 – Daily Wear

  • Polo shirt (white, light blue, navy)
  • Tan or navy skirt/skort or tan or navy chino pants/shorts
  • WES plaid or navy jumper
  • Any WES sweatshirt worn over a polo shirt

You may find this chart useful.

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Address: 5600 Little Falls Parkway Bethesda, MD 20816 | Phone: 301-652-7878