Our community takes great care to ensure that our school’s environment is conducive to learning. When students wear comfortable clothing suitable for both classroom work and outdoor play, it ensures their comfort and good health and supports an optimal learning environment.

This dress code has been developed in dialogue with parents, students, teachers, and staff, and we ask that each parent supports us with our intention of prioritizing physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. 

Religious and cultural exceptions will always be affirmed.

All Ages

• School clothing should fit comfortably, and allow freedom of movement.Torsos, buttocks and underwear should stay covered. Hands should be free for working. 
• Shoes should be comfortable and suitable for running. Light-up footwear, heels or clogs are not permitted.
• Clothing should be weather appropriate. Appropriate rain gear with a hood or hat is essential on rainy days. 
• Long sleeves and long pants / skirts/ leggings etc. are required from October through March. Extra layers may be kept at school in case of inclement weather. Jackets and hats or hoods are required when the weather dictates.
• All clothing and school materials must be without writing, advertisements, violent images, or media figures. A small, single matchbox sized print/ logo is OK. This includes but is not limited to lunch bags and backpacks. Shirts that commemorate a Waldorf school event, such as the Greek Games, may be worn.
• Fashion rips or tears are not permitted.
• Perfumes and scents are not permitted.
• Electronic devices are not permitted. This includes but is not limited to cell phones, smart watches,wearables, tablets, gaming devices, music devices, and headphones/ earbuds. Students may wear digital watches from 4th grade onward, but smart watches are not permitted in any grade. Medical devices will always be affirmed.

Early Childhood

• Please refer to your parent handbook for specific guidelines for young children.

1st - 3rd Grade

• Children should keep an extra set of weather-appropriate clothes and footwear (rainboots are ideal!) at school, both for added warmth and for dry changes.
• Indoor shoes are required; please ensure they fit well to enable safe movement. Avoid open-back clog-type shoes.

1st - 5th Grade

• Makeup and hair coloring is not allowed.
• Jewelry should be small so it cannot be caught during activities.

6th - 8th Grade 

• Clothing associated with an ongoing sport or activity in which a student participates may be worn.
• Jewelry such as necklaces worn outside clothing and larger earrings must be removed to ensure safety in all movement activities and classes.

Movement Class Specific - All Grades

• Sneakers are best for moving, running and playing games. Rain boots may be worn on rainy days only. Fashion boots, sandals, and crocs are not acceptable for movement class.  
• Appropriate rain gear with a hood or hat is essential on rainy days.

Eurythmy Performances

• Students should feel comfortable in their clothing, and be unrestricted in their movements.
• Solid colors are preferred.
• Torsos should be covered, even when arms are raised above heads.
• Skirts or dresses (knee length or longer), long, ‘skirt-type’ pants, or pants are required. Long sleeves are preferred.
• No jeans, tee-shirts or sweatshirts please.

Strings, Choir, Band Performances

• Black skirts or pants, dark shoes, and solid colored tops are required. 

Our school schedule, from the morning greeting onward is carefully crafted to support each student’s social, emotional, physical, and academic development. Punctual regular attendance at school not only supports learning and develops healthy habits for students of all ages, it also demonstrates care and respect for fellow students and teachers. It is important to consider that our education is live, story based, active and social in nature. Therefore, missed lessons do not translate easily into homework assignments / lesson plans. The start time for all classes is 8:30am. Students arriving late disrupt the class, impacting not only the tardy student but also the rest of the class and the teacher. 

If your child will be late to school or absent, we ask you to please contact both the school office and your child’s teacher to let them know.

Tardies

When the bell rings at 8:30am, students should be with their classmates in their designated arrival spot. Doors are locked shortly after arrival time, so tardy grade school students must check-in at the office for a late pass before joining their class. Early childhood teachers will communicate late arrival procedures to families in those classes. In cases of chronic tardiness, parents will be notified and a meeting may be set up with the Pedagogical Director and the child’s teacher. Depending on circumstances, a Family Attendance Agreement will be established. Failure to comply with this agreement could result in the student missing class events or disenrollment, at the Pedagogical Committee’s discretion. 

Absences

Students arriving after 10:15 am or leaving before 12:45 pm and not returning back to school are considered absent for that school day. If, in conversation with the teacher, the Pedagogical Director deems that a student’s attendance is having a negative impact on their education, a notification will be sent home. Depending on circumstances, the teacher and Pedagogical Director will determine whether or not a Family Attendance Agreement needs to be established. Failure to comply with the Family Attendance Agreement could result in missing class events or disenrollment, at the Pedagogical Committee’s discretion. 

We strongly encourage families to use school breaks for family trips, although we recognize that extenuating circumstances may sometimes result in a student missing school. We also recognize and support specific cultural opportunities that may arise for some individual families, such as place- based educational experiences and cultural immersion work. 

If an absence of more than two days is planned, please request a Pre-Arranged Absence Form that must be completed with as much notice as possible prior to the planned absence.

Core Value Statements

• May our actions convey respect, responsibility, and integrity.
• May we strive to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all members of our school community, and in doing so, cultivate and nourish an enduring school community.

Expectations of Conduct

• Students and adults are expected to be courteous, inclusive and respectful to all members of the school community and to the general public; to respect the differences and rights of others; to use clean language, to avoid harassment, intimidation, bullying, or in any way endangering or harming others, physically or emotionally. Harassment, intimidation or bullying (repeated harassment or intimidation) will not be tolerated. This can take many forms including, but not limited to:

• Intentional teasing
• Persistent verbal abuse
• Physical violence and/or threat of physical violence
• Prolonged and aggressive exclusion of another from a group activity
  
• Interference with the property of others
• Slurs, rumors, jokes, innuendos or demeaning comments
• Offensive drawings or cartoons
• Pranks, gestures, physical attacks, threats or other spoken, written, physical or electronically transmitted messages or images.
• Sexual harassment of another individual, defined as: verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors.
• Incitement or coercion of others to carry out any of the above points 

• Students and adults are expected to treat their own and others’ belongings with respect and to conduct themselves in a respectful manner on the school property, our neighboring areas and the places we visit.
• Students and adults are expected to respect the learning environment of the school; to engage fully in the work of the class, not to disrupt unnecessarily, to bring issues forward in an appropriate manner and to be timely in arrival, departure and turning in assignments and paperwork.
• WHWS does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.