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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; in community, in advisory, or in homeroom. This 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 ceramics, French/Spanish clubs, sports teams, study hall, school newspaper, yearbook 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!

Watch this video to see our students and faculty discuss all that WES has to offer!

Middle School Culture

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.

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.

Recess and Lunch

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.

Advisory 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.

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
Advisory programs offer the structure to meet students’ developmental needs because it is a place in school where students are intimately known as a “whole child.” These elements of connectedness have the potential to improve academic achievement and the overall school experience for Middle School students.*
*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.

Middle School 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 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.

Dress Uniform

  • 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

 

Daily Wear

  • 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

You may find this chart useful.

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