VCS - Middle School Dress Code

Middle School Dress Code

Vacaville Christian Schools bases its dress code upon two criteria: Biblical standards of modesty (I Timothy 2:9, Romans 12:1) and the desire for a neat, clean and attractive appearance. Students should not dress in such a way that would detract from the educational process or mission of VCS. This would include logos, pictures, or verbage that could be considered negative or contrary to a Biblical guideline. (This includes skulls, secular rock band logos, and gang colors. VCS does not allow the wear of professional sports team logos because they are often affiliated with gang designations.) Parental review and support before a student leaves for school are important aspects of meeting dress code standards.

VCMS students will honor God, honor others, and honor themselves by coming to school:

Ready to learn
Prepared to lead
Projecting a positive image that stands out as distinctly different from the secular world
Clean, neat and groomed
Modestly and tastefully dressed

Examples of appropriate Dress/Appearance:

Shirts

Collars and buttons are the key components (except for VCS T-shirts and turtlenecks).
Collared, button down shirt/blouse (buttoned high enough so that no cleavage is showing) Boys may leave 1-2 buttons open at the top of their shirt.
Polo Shirt (minimum of 2 buttons to be buttoned or as many as is deemed necessary to insure modesty)
VCMS approved school distributed t-shirt (For example: class shirts, choir, retreat, sports team, yearbook, etc..)
Turtleneck sweaters

All shirts must be long enough to fully cover the torso. If arms are extended or raised, or one is bending over or sitting down, no skin should show at the waistline. Collared button down shirts/blouses worn with an undershirt/cami must be buttoned to a level where no cleavage shows. T-shirts worn underneath dress code shirts must not exceed length of dress code shirt with the one exception of a girl's camisole. T-shirts or non-dress code shirts may not be worn over collared shirts, excluding sweaters. Visible cleavage is not permitted. Students must wear a dress code shirt under any sweater, sweat shirt, jacket, or other garment worn that covers the top part of the body.

Pants

Full-length, well-fitted jeans or solid color, twill pants are acceptable.
Any pair of pants that is worn out, patched or with fraying, rips, tears or holes is not allowed.
Sweatpants, and/or pajama bottoms are not acceptable.
Any form of writing or symbols (including patches) on the pants is not allowed.
Shorts with the hemline no shorter than 3 inches above the knee.
Jogging shorts, sweat shorts, athletic clothing, spandex, and basketball shorts are not allowed.
Girls may wear Capri pants that are free from fraying, patches, rips, tears or writing.

All pants must fit the student, neither being too tight nor too baggy. Boys must wear pants that fit them at the waist, being secured to the waist to prevent underwear from being exposed. (no baggy or sagging pants allowed)

No warm ups, sweat suits or athletic type warm-ups are allowed for boys or girls. MS athletic teams may wear their team uniforms (or team warm-ups) on game days at the discretion of head coach and approval of the Athletic Director and the MS Principal.

SKIRTS/DRESSES

Modest length skirts and dresses only (hemline to be a maximum of 3 inches above the knee - measure from a kneeling position).
Skirts must be worn with a dress code shirt (collared, polo or school t-shirt)
Dresses must be completely modest at neckline. (no cleavage) Dresses may not have tank-top or spaghetti strap tops unless there is a shirt under them.
Slits in dresses and skirts must abide by the 3 inch hemline rule.

ADDITIONAL DRESS CODE GUIDELINES

Students may wear sweatshirts with the exception of those bearing pro-team insignias, and those bearing verbage/logos/designs contrary to a Christian image.
Students may not wear clothing from a different school (other than college clothing).
Clothing displaying skulls, secular rock band logos, and gang colors are expressly prohibited.
Hoods that are zipped, tied, buttoned, or closed to cover the face are not allowed.
Fingernail polish may be worn by girls only. Wearing black polish is not allowed.
For girls: Make-up should be applied conservatively and tastefully to create a natural appearance. Girls wearing excessive make-up will be asked to remove it.

HAIRSTYLES

Moderate and reasonable hairstyle, clean and groomed neatly.
Neither unnatural hair coloring (red, blue, green, pink, purple, etc...), extreme cuts, spiking, Mohawks, nor shaved in designs are allowed for boys or girls.
Hair coloring should be consistent throughout, not contrary to a natural color distribution. Subtle changes in under-layer colors are allowed.
Boys may have facial hair that is short and kept neatly trimmed.
Boys' hair will be cut above the collar and may not fall below the bottom of the ear or below the eyebrows as it is naturally worn.
Girls' hair will not cover the eyes.

A student who is out of dress code with regard to hairstyle or length will be required to correct the situation within 48 hours and will receive a consequence for not being in dress code. Since hair does not grow substantially overnight, keeping a watchful eye on hair length and getting regular haircuts (as necessary) would be advisable. If you are considering coloring your hair, it is highly recommended that you speak to MS Administration ahead of time to ensure your plans are clearly within dress code standards

ACCESSORIES

Girls may wear earrings (a maximum of 2 per ear). For safety reasons, the size of the hoops must be too small for the student's 2nd and third finger of their hand to fit through. Additionally, dangling earrings may not exceed 1.5 inches in length.
Boys may not wear earrings.
Other visible body piercing, such as nose rings, tongue piercings, gauges, and eyebrow rings are not allowed, nor may a band-aid or clear spacer conceal them.
Only VCS issued hats may be worn. Hats must be worn brim forward and may not be worn inside school buildings.
Bandanas, do-rags, hairnets, or shower caps are not allowed for either boys or girls.
Chains are not acceptable.
Jewelry or accessories with protruding objects that could cause potential harm to another student may not be worn. (i.e., spiked bracelets/dog collar necklaces/safety pins on clothes).
Visible tattoos are not allowed for boys or girls.
Fingerless gloves are not allowed for boys or girls.

FOOTWEAR

Shoes must be worn at all times. (Closed toe and closed heel with the possible exception of dressy ladies' shoes worn with a skirt or dress.)
Combat or steel-toed boots are not allowed.
Slippers are not allowed.
VCMS students may not wear flip-flops or shower shoes.
During warm weather, sandals with a back strap may be worn

Consequences for not Adhering to Dress Code Policies

The dress code expectations apply in the classroom and on school property any time the student is on campus for school or any school-sponsored activities (on or off campus). PARENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE TO SEE THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE DRESSED PROPERLY WHEN THEY LEAVE FOR SCHOOL. If a student's shirt is out of dress code, a complying shirt will be issued by VCS and the student's tuition account will be billed $15. If a student's pants/ skirt/ shorts are out of dress code, we will issue VCS PE shorts ($15) or sweatpants ($20) for them to wear the balance of the day and the student's tuition account will be billed. If a student is out of dress code more than three times in a semester, they will be required to wear VCS uniform apparel (VCS red, white, or blue polo shirts and blue or khaki cotton twill pants or shorts) for the balance of the semester.

Required PE Clothing
A VCMS physical education uniform will be required of all boys and girls enrolled in the PE program in grades 7 & 8. 6th grade PE students will wear their regular school clothes for PE activities. All PE uniform clothing should be marked with first and last name. PE uniform clothing should be taken home every Friday to be washed and returned the following Monday. Failure to dress out in appropriate PE uniform will result in the reduction of a student's PE grade.

Clothing for participating in Sports
All clothing should be modest, neither too tight, short, or baggy. Tank tops and spaghetti strap tops are not permitted. Shorts that are shorter than 3 inches above the knee are not to be worn in public settings (like carpool) although may be required for certain sports within the gym, MPR, or on the track. Coaches are responsible for monitoring and enforcing this standard.

Chapel Days (Tuesdays)
Only polo shirts, buttoned up shirts / blouses, or turtlenecks (long or short sleeved) may be worn on Chapel days. T-shirts are not considered acceptable dress for Chapel. Dresses are appropriate as long as they meet the length and modesty guidelines. Wearing a T-shirt on Chapel days will result in a dress code violation.

Swimming Wear (MS Retreat, Grad Night Party, etc...)
Boys may wear modest, boxer style swim trunks or board shorts. Girls' swimsuits must be a one-piece or a tankini, that is modest in style.

Special Event Attire (Graduation, etc...)
BOYS: The following are appropriate attire for a special events:

Suit and tie
Slacks with shirt and tie
Dress Shoes (no tennis shoes/ athletic shoes, sandals or flip flops)

GIRLS: The following are appropriate for a semi-formal event:

Bodice:

Relaxed Dress Code:
Occasionally administration my grant a relaxed dress code day for the student body. This will be announced through homeroom and through our VCMS e-bulletin. Students may wear a non-collared shirt as long as neither writing nor emblems appear contrary to the mission or image of the school. Standards of modesty, piercing, jewelry, sagging and neatness still apply. This is not a free dress day and pajama bottoms or sweats may not be worn.

Spirit Week Dress Code:

On theme days such as Wacky Wednesday, 50's day, Western day, Twin day, etc..., students are encouraged to dress in the theme of the day. If they choose not to participate in the theme day, normal dress code rules apply. VCS standards of modesty always apply.
On Spirit Week Fridays, all MS students are asked to dress in their class colors, and specifically in their class T-shirts. If they do not wear their class spirit shirt or class camp shirt, they must adhere to regular dress code standards. The only exception would be if students created well made spirit t-shirts to be used during a rally or Spirit Week. There can be no rips or tears in the shirts and it must display appropriate spirit related text or artwork. Students may use the washable colored hair spray on their hair if desired. If they choose not to participate in the class colors day, normal dress code rules apply to them. VCS standards of modesty always apply.

While the dress code list is specific in many ways, we could not possibly list all the potential clothing and accessories that students may or may not chose to wear to school. Therefore, final decisions on whether or not a student is in dress code and meets VCS standards and expectations for student appearance are left solely to the interpretation of the school administration. NOTE: PARENTS SHOULD CAREFULLY READ THIS POLICY to avoid buying clothing that cannot be worn at school. If parents wish to confirm that shirts, skirts, shorts, and pants or slacks are within dress code, they may be brought to the school for approval by an administrator before the tags are removed, so that any non-conforming clothes may be returned to the store before they are worn for the first time.

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