Subject: Letter to Parents regarding the Homecoming Dance
From: "Michael Woods" <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 Oct 2015 13:58:32 -0400

October 15, 2015

Dear Upper School Parents,

We anticipate a great Homecoming Day this Saturday and a great Homecoming Dance that evening to cap our Spirit Week.  I am sure you have either enjoyed or were aghast at the varying clothing choices your children have donned for our themes this week, and more variety is to come.  They are having fun with all of it.  As we want the fun to continue through to the end of the Homecoming Dance, this letter is meant to apprise you of the rules and logistics of our dance.

The Homecoming Dance will be held this Saturday, October 17, in the Dining Room from 8:30pm – 10:30pm.   All students should arrive before 9:15pm.  Please note that no student will be admitted after 9:30pm (without prior approval by the Dean of Students).   Moreover, once in the dance no student may leave and reenter the building.   Please help your child plan to arrive promptly by reminding them of this time-line for the evening.  Please be clear with your child about how and when they will be picked up after the dance.

On Invited Guests:  Students who wish to bring a guest to the dance must register the guest with Ms. Parker, the assistant to the Dean of Students, before the dance.  A student may bring one guest to the dance; they must arrive together and check-in with the chaperones at the door.  Their guest must bring their high school photo ID.  The Sidwell host student is responsible for the behavior of his/her guest throughout the evening.

On Alcohol and the Handbook:  We remind students of the rules governing on-campus social events.   We include the reminder against drugs, alcohol, and violence as well as the reminder that they must abide by our community’s values written on page 4 and on pages 13-14 in the Handbook for Parents and Students.  Prior to the dance, the school asks that you review these policies at home with your child; and also that you review the school’s discipline policy on student drug and alcohol use, written on page 48.  We will use the Breathalyzer when warranted and parents would be summoned to pick up their child in such a circumstance.   While I do not anticipate any problems at this dance, I urge you to review this policy.

Two Special Requests for all Parents:  Please know specifically how your child is getting to and from the dance and other events.  We encourage you to be emphatic with your son or daughter that they should not be driven by anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol, no matter how little they appear to have consumed.  The recent deaths of area teenagers are stark and painful reminders of the consequences of driving under the influence.  We suggest you make it clear that you would be willing to come and get them as an alternative means of travel.

On a similar note, we discourage parents from hosting teenage parties in which alcohol is served or even readily available.  As you are probably aware from recent news, local jurisdictions have pursued parents who have hosted such parties.  Moreover, we urge parental clarity on this issue with all of your guests and parental vigilance for the duration of your gathering.  If you are hosting many teenagers, you should consider inviting other parents to assist in a more active adult supervision.  In addition, we ask that any “After-Parties” begin after 11:30pm.  We do not want the allure of an after-party to encourage students to leave our dance early.

We expect them to have a great time Saturday night.  Thank you for your attention and feel free to contact me if you have further questions.

Best,

Michael Woods

Upper School Dean of Students

(202) 537-8160

[email-masked]

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