By: Missy Terjung, Perimeter School parent and former School Ministry Team member

Over the last month or so, all of us have been forced to simplify our lives in ways that we never imagined could be possible. We’ve learned to make meals using ingredients we already had at home. We’ve learned to give gifts with the excess we have in our homes. We’ve spent time cleaning out closets full of things we don’t use or need. We’ve played games and pulled out chalk, puzzles, and other activities that we might not have thought about or had time to do before. We’ve spent money on far fewer items because finances and shopping opportunities are more limited than before. And the list goes on. We are living a simpler life … because we have to.  

As we are hopefully approaching the return to a “new normal,” I know many of us are saying, “I hope some things don’t return to exactly the same as they were before.”  

Maybe it’s our pace of life. Maybe it’s the complexity of our schedules. What if we continue to simplify, even with what our students wear to school? 

It’s hard to think about being in an actual school building and doing "normal” school things right now … because we’re not. But, sometime soon we will be, and we want to be diligent in our planning and prepared for when that time comes.

As we begin to think about what’s on the horizon for Perimeter School, we want to share the heart behind why we are rolling out a revised, simpler dress code for the 2020 - 2021 school year and beyond and how this new dress code will hopefully free our students’ and teachers’ minds to allow them to focus on the things that are most important.

Clarity

The goal of these dress codes changes is to simplify, provide clarity, and bring freedom. We have done research, planned, and prepared for these dress code changes for over two years. These changes come as the result of hours and hours of meeting with other schools, our own administration, the School Ministry Team, teachers, parents, and yes, even students!

One consistent message that we heard from every group during our research was, “We aren’t really sure what can be worn and what can’t.”

Understanding and enforcing the dress code guidelines has been difficult for everyone … parents, students, and teachers. Therefore, our goal for the new dress code has been to take the guesswork out of it … to allow students to focus on learning and teachers to focus on teaching, not monitoring a dress code.  

Freedom

So, are more rules really the answer? While we often see them as constraining and limiting, rules aren’t a bad thing! When we look at why God has given us commands to follow, it is because they are for our own good. He is doing it to protect us and because He knows what is best for us. When we know the guidelines that He sets for us, we have the freedom to live within those guidelines. Where there is ambiguity, there is confusion. Clarity brings freedom. 

SAfety

The safety of our students is another reason for simplifying our dress code. We have a large church campus, and (normally) many people are on the church property every day. Having a dress code with just a few colors helps teachers to easily spot all of their students and keep an accurate headcount.

When the students are away at an off-site event, it is even more important for teachers and parent chaperones to be able to pick them out of a crowd. Therefore, making our students easily identifiable and keeping them safe was a top priority when thinking about our dress code.

CONSISTENCY

To give you a few of the highlights - one of the new items you will notice is a brand-new plaid. This plaid was chosen in an effort to distinguish our school from other local schools as well as provide consistency in our school colors.  

Another new change is to the Dressy Enrichment Attire. There is just one coordinating option for the girls and one for the boys. You will also notice all around fewer, simpler options for sweatshirts, belts, socks, and so on.

THe Heart behind the dress code

Ultimately, we have all chosen to be a part of this covenant family because we have bought into the culture, the leadership, and the spirit of the community. While none of us are perfect, the goal is always to do what is best for the school and the greater covenant community in a Christ-centered way.  

Sometimes, when decisions are made and we don’t have all the information, we can easily feel slighted, judgmental, or even hurt. I want to encourage you to trust in the leadership of our school and the research and time spent evaluating the entire dress code.

Whether or not you fully agree with (or even like) all the changes, I ask and encourage you to commit to supporting our school.

Our hope and prayer is that you will not see these as another set of rules to follow but that you will feel blessed and free to live within the new, simpler guidelines.  

And I want to leave you with two final but very important thoughts …

First, there is no need to stress about figuring all the changes out now - you have the whole summer to clean out closets and prepare for next year!

Second, if your family has been impacted financially due to the current economic circumstances and these changes will be a financial hardship to you, please contact Karen Henderson to discuss options for financial assistance. Our true prayer in all that we do is to bless, not burden, our covenant families.

These changes and all others are detailed in the updated dress code. We have also provided a Q & A to help answer some of your questions and a visual guide for what is approved for our dress code and what is not. Please take advantage of these resources.