Sidwell - Dress Code?

[Anonymous]

Did the Sidwell Lower School tour this morning. Both my husband and I just loved the place (the facilities, the classroom arrangement, the teaching philosphy) and it not for the $28K price tag we would be rushing to send in Part I of the application. We have two more to go (Beauvoir and WIS) and well see how they compare.

There was one little thing that both of us noticed and it was the dress of the students - they were all wearing playground clothes and some looked very dishevelec (for lack of a betty). Is there some sort of unofficial dress code - is everyone asked to wear "pants" and T-shirts?

[Anonymous]

I will repeat what the AD said this morning before the start of the tour - call the school with questions.

[Anonymous]

There is no dress code, as far as I know, beyond torn clothing or clothing which is "revealing" or inappropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: There was one little thing that both of us noticed and it was the dress of the students - they were all wearing playground clothes and some looked very dishevelec (for lack of a betty). Is there some sort of unofficial dress code - is everyone asked to wear "pants" and T-shirts?

Most schools recommend play clothes so that the kids can, well, play. Clothes are likely to become torn, stained from paint and other art projects, and soiled on the playground. Most schools have PE or gym time daily, so smocked dresses with tights and slacks with cashmere sweaters might not work so well -- though I'm sure some children dress that way. The admssion playdate for Sidwell asks parents to dress the kids in comfortable play clothes. Don't know how well it will go over if your DC shows up in the latest fashions from Papo d'Anjo.

[Anonymous]

OP--I don't mean this in an unkind way--I think you may end up preferring Beauvoir!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP--I don't mean this in an unkind way--I think you may end up preferring Beauvoir!

Op here, I actually think your post was kind compare to some of the others. We are visiting Beauvoir on Monday and will see. BTW, I won't cross Sidwell off the list just beacuse of the clothes that the kids wear.

[Anonymous]

Not to get off track, but OP you might want to look at WES or Norwood too. Beauvoir, Sidwell and WIS -- not a lot of wiggle room imho.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell definitely encourages kids to dress down and the students follow that advice. You should see the middle-schoolers. I don't care about clothes at all so its fine with me.

[Anonymous]

Count your blessings!! Kids who choose to wear jeans and a t-shirt to school means not worrying about whether your child will be shunned for wearing Fuggs (fake Uggs) and other silly issues. Schools that encourage kids to be creative and hands on should also encourage appropriate attire, by which I mean clothes that the wearer does not need to constantly be worrying will get dirty. In fact, it is one of my favorite "tests" to see if the philosophy touted on the web site is actually in practice at the school.

[Anonymous]

Fuggs vs. Uggs is an issue at Sidwell too.

[Anonymous]

My daughter wears Fuggs to Sidwell and she has not had any grief about it. Most of the kids wear Fuggs -- at least in middle school.

[Anonymous]

The "student dress " discussion is interesting. I personally was very turned off when we toured schools by the student attire at GDS and Sidwell. I think sweats, torn clothing, worn and faded t-shirts, etc... are appalling attire for school. We did not end up applying to those schools but (of course) for much larger reasons, although that certainly fed into and from those reasons (philosophy, values, etc...). I think messy dress = a messy mind and messy behavior. To me, its disreputable and disrespectful. There is a time and a place for such clothing and school is not it (imho and I know many differ, which I respect). I found that the top schools (starting at N/PK) that seem to follow the "messy = messy" "neat = neat" idea/philosophy are St. Patrick's, WIS, and Beauvoir.

I am not denigrating others' choices, but I did want to say that I think the attire issue results naturally from pedagogical perspectives - that is, they reflect philosophical teaching principles and, as such, wider philosophical beliefs and personal values. Quite a bit can be determined by attending to student attire while touring a school.

That idea naturally leads to reflections on school uniforms and what they imply: hiding the true nature of the school/student or reflecting the deeply held belief that students must blend in fully and not demonstrate individuality. Since most NYC schools have uniforms, unlike Washington schools, and have higher name value and Ivy League acceptance rates one must wonder....but anyway.... I digress... I have just always found the NYC uniform thing odd when compared to WDC.

[Anonymous]

It is suggested that the students, at least in K, wear pants on the days that they have PE. Kindergarten has PE three times/week.

[Anonymous]

At Beauvoir students are requested to wear sneakers on PE days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to get off track, but OP you might want to look at WES or Norwood too. Beauvoir, Sidwell and WIS -- not a lot of wiggle room imho.

Norwood does have a dress code: http://www.norwoodschool.org/aboutus/index_norwoodhandbook.asp#Dress_Code

It caused a lot of angst when DD started school, but now I quite like it. No more arguments about whether she can wear flip flops, Crocs, nail polish, etc. to school.