Student Life

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.  There are clear policies regarding student behavior both in and out of the classroom. These form the foundation for student life and WES’s social curriculum.

All Middle School students have 2 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 time offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that give WES’s students the necessary balance to develop a love for learning.

Lunchtime is mid-day for Grade 6-8 students. There is an optional school lunch program.

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.

Middle School Advisory

WES Middle School students are assigned and meet weekly with the same group of Grade 6, 7, and 8 students and a WES faculty member. The faculty member serves as the advisor, and the group members, as a whole, provide each other academic and social-emotional support and mentorship. Faculty advisors casually “checking in” with students as well as initiating activities that foster stronger bonds within the group, develop strong moral character, and implement community outreach. Additionally, the advisor develops a personal and accessible relationship with each student’s families. To serve as a liaison, the advisor monitors each student’s academic achievement and helps students set reasonable, yet challenging goals.

For students, the Advisory Program gives them

• A “safe place” to grow socially
• A community of learners
• A place to be known by establishing relationships with peers across the Middle School

*Excerpted from the Association for Middle School Education, “Creating a Culture of Connectedness through Middle School Advisory Programs,” by Sarah Brody Shulkind, Jack Foote (https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/279/Culture-of-Connectedness-through-Advisory.aspx)

Leadership Opportunities

These are just a few of the leadership opportunities WES provides Middle School students:

• Student Government
• Student Admission Ambassadors
• First Friday Community Service Projects

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

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 6-8 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.

Daily Wear

When dress uniform is not required, students may dress in accordance with options for daily wear. All dress uniform components may be worn for daily wear.

Grades 6-8:

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

Dress Uniform

Dress uniform is required for select dates throughout the school year. These dates will be communicated in the Thursday NEWES and in division-specific communications.

Grades 6-8

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

You may find this chart useful.