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. 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.

All Middle School 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.

Lunchtime is mid-day for Grade 6-8 students. Students sit communally in a cafeteria type environment by class. 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.

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:

• Chapel Pals
• Student Admission Ambassadors
• Safety Patrols
• Student Government

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.

Dress Uniform

TOP

• Shirt: White oxford cloth; long or short sleeves; white plain T-shirt only may be worn beneath oxford shirt
• Blazer: Navy

BOTTOM OPTIONS

• Trousers: Tan twill; belted at the waist if there are belt loops
• Skirts: WES plaid; hemline to be no shorter than mid-thigh and waistbands cannot be rolled; shorts may be worn under skirts if they do not extend below the hemline
  

ACCESSORIES

• Tie: WES striped; girls may opt-out of tie
• Belt: dark leather
• Socks: plain white, navy, or black
• Shoes: school appropriate and are completely black, brown, navy, or tan*

Daily Wear

All dress uniform components may be worn for daily wear.

TOP

• Shirt: Oxford cloth light blue or white; long or short sleeve; white plain T-shirt only may be worn beneath oxford shirt
• Optional WES sweatshirt

BOTTOM OPTIONS

• Skirt: WES plaid or navy; hemline to be no shorter than mid-thigh; shorts may be worn under skirts if they do not extend below the hemline
• Walking shorts: Tan or navy twill; belted at the waist if there are belt loops   
• Trousers: Tan or navy twill or corduroy; belted at the waist if there are belt loops

ACCESSORIES

• Tie: appropriate, of student’s choice; girls may opt-out of tie         
• Belt: dark leather     
• Socks or tights: plain white, navy, or black
• Shoes: any appropriate school shoes
• Optional Leggings: black or navy, worn with socks such that no bare leg is showing and may be worn only with skirt