PERSONAL APPEARANCE

Overview
 
All third through eighth grade boys (see guidelines for Primary boys in panel below) must wear one of several military uniforms on a daily basis, as prescribed in the Parents’ Club calendar (also see uniform inspection dates in panel below). In requiring that cadets wear identical, well-kept uniforms and maintain a specific standard of grooming, the military program also reinforces two cardinal principles that have served as part of the institution’s philosophical foundation: pride in personal appearance is a precursor to pride in performance; and all SAA boys are intrinsically equal.

Uniforms

•  Black, polished, lace-up shoes; black, calf-length (no ankle length or low-cut) dress socks without logos

•  Khaki trousers

•  Black web belt with brass buckle (white belt for 8th grade cadets)

• Polished round SAA brass collar ornament on right collar
• Round crossed-rifles brass collar ornament on left collar
• Nameplate on flap of right shirt pocket (centered, with top edge aligned with inside top seam, and shirt material smooth and flat beneath)
• Flat black rank insignia are worn on the left and right collars in lieu of the SAA brass and crossed rifles once rank has been achieved

Camouflage Fatigue Uniform: 

•  Athletic shoes (no cleats); white athletic socks, fatigue trousers

•  Black web belt (white belt for eighth grade cadets)

•  White Academy t-shirt or SAA Fall Family Fair t-shirt

•  Black, polished, lace-up shoes; plain black, calf-length (no ankle-length or lo-cut) dress socks without logos

•  Blue issue trousers with black web belt with brass buckle (white belt for eighth grade cadets)

• Polished brass rank insignia on the left and right collars (polished round SAA brass collar ornament on right collar and polished round crossed-rifles brass collar ornament on left collar before rank has been achieved)

•  Nameplate on flap of right shirt pocket (centered, with top edge aligned with inside top seam, and shirt material smooth and flat beneath)  

• Red-white-and-blue braid on right shoulder (yellow braid for eighth grade cadets)        

• Award ribbons centered over and resting upon top edge of left shirt pocket 

•  Plain black necktie

•  Dress saucer hat 

Dress Blue Uniform:

•  Black, polished, lace-up shoes; plain black, calf-length (no ankle-length or lo-cut) dress socks without logos

•  Blue issue trousers with black web belt with brass buckle (white belt for eighth grade cadets)

•  Plain white t-shirt (NOT SAA t-shirt with school seal or any other logo or print); plain white, long-sleeve dress shirt (NO button-down collars, colored buttons, or cuff links)

•  Issue dress blue jacket with:

• Nameplate on flap of right chest pocket (centered, with top edge aligned with inside top seam, and shirt material smooth and flat beneath)

• Polished brass ranks centered on both epaulets

• Polished round SAA brass collar ornament centered on upper right lapel and polished round crossed rifles brass collar ornament centered on upper left lapel (with apparent horizontal alignment when jacket is being worn)

• School shields centered on lower lapels with apparent horizontal alignment with center of lapel        

• Red-white-and-blue braid on right shoulder (yellow braid for eighth grade cadets)        

• Awards centered over top edge of left jacket pocket

• Academic stars are worn on the right sleeve of the jacket. Place the first star approximately two finger widths up from the black braid. Additional stars are worn 1 finger width's distance from the previous star.

•  Plain black necktie

•  Dress saucer hat

Black Uniform Shoes:

Shoes for the khaki and blue uniforms must be black, leather, lace-up, plain-toe, low-quarter style, and polishable with normal black paste or cream polish. Suede, corfam, patent leather, and other synthetic or natural fiber shoes and boots are not acceptable with either the khaki or blue uniforms. Uniform shoes must be kept polished and in good repair at all times;  shoes with holes, seams pulled apart or coming unstitched, soles or heels coming unglued and/or unstitched, missing, frayed or wrong length shoe laces must be repaired or replaced at the first opportunity but no later than one week following the occurrence of the damage. Also, “permanent” or paint-on “polishes” or other shining agents may not be used. Depending on daily scuffing and wear, shoes may need to be polished several times per week or even daily. Note: The only authorized black, athletic-style shoes (for use with the khaki uniform only) are sold in the Uniform Store.
 

Khaki Trousers:

Since one of the purposes of our uniform is to ensure the uniformity of the dress code, the only authorized khaki trousers are sold in the Uniform Store. Students may not wear trousers of any different style, color, or other characteristic.

 
Ribbons, Medals, and Other Awards:

Ribbons must be worn with the Drill Blue Uniform, neatly centered over, aligned with, and resting upon the top edge of the left shirt pocket; ribbons must be neatly and symmetrically arranged in rows of three.  Either medals or ribbons, but not both, must be worn with the Dress Blue Uniform. If ribbons are worn, they must be arranged above the left jacket pocket, as described above for the Drill Blue Uniform. If medals are worn, no more than six are authorized to be worn on the dress blue jacket without permission of the Commandant. Medals and ribbons are authorized to be worn together only by the members of the eighth grade class at Commencement. Medals may not be placed on the back or on the sleeves of the dress blue jacket during commencement or at any other time. Authorization to wear other pins and awards is at the discretion of the Commandant.

 
Uniform Schedule:

The annual uniform schedule is listed in the Parents’ Club School Calendar. Changes to the uniform schedule, as dictated by weather and events, will be announced in advance.

 
Unauthorized Uniform Modifications:

Modifications to the uniforms described at the beginning of this section without prior approval from the Commandant are unauthorized. Specifically, this precludes the use of metal taps on shoes and wearing unauthorized amulets, chains, necklaces, earrings, medallions, or other jewelry, boots, berets, scarves, unauthorized patches and cords, etc. Exceptions will be granted on an individual basis as per demonstrated need.

Haircuts:

Students are expected to keep their hair clean, short, and neat. Hair will be off the ears and above the collar, and the length will be such that a student’s bangs cannot be combed below the level of the eyebrows. Novelty haircuts and extreme modifications to traditional haircuts (including hair coloring and a shaved head) are not permitted unless approved by the Commandant or the Head of School.

Welcome to SAA! As you know, your son will wear a uniform during his time at SAA. Below is a breakdown of the Primary Uniform, as well as a Size Chart.

Daily Uniform (worn 4 to 5 days a week)
White San Antonio Academy T-shirt (available with short or long sleeves)
AND
Blue Uniform Shorts, Navy Blue Uniform Sweatpants, OR His own classic 5-pocket blue jeans

Friday Uniform (worn 1 day a week)
White SAA T-shirt or Fall Family Fair T-shirt (Fall Family Fair T-shirt can be purchased through the Development office during Back-to-School week), with camo shorts or pants. Primary boys may wear their own camo pants and shorts. Camo pants are also available for purchase in the uniform store.

AFTER the Fall Family Fair in October, your son may wear any San Antonio Academy T-shirt with his camo shorts or pants.

Shoes
Tennis shoes and white socks.

Uniform Item Available Sizes 

You will need more than one set of the daily uniform, but only one pair of camos. If you purchase more than you need, you may return any uniform pieces that are not washed, worn, or written on for a full refund. Many times the frequency with which laundry is done each week determines the number of uniforms purchased (Three - Four sets, on average).

Pre-K and Kinder parents, you will need a "back-up" uniform set of the SAA white T-shirt and blue shorts to keep in the class for accidents. I advise you to size up for the back-up, as your son may not need it, and you can have a uniform ready to go for the following year. Take this into account when ordering.

Uniform Ordering Information:

If you would like to order your uniforms ahead of time you can place your order online. The Uniform Store, located in Stribling House, is also open Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 2:30-4 pm.

Contact Jennifer Colglazier, Uniform Store Director
jcolglazier@sa-academy.org

AWARDS

Athletic team ribbons are presented to students who played on SAA athletic teams.

Presidential ACADEMIC Fitness Awards (pins and certificates) are presented to fifth AND eighth graders who: 
• Earn an overall grade point average of at least 90; AND 
• Score at the 90th percentile or higher in math OR reading on last year’s Stanford Achievement Test.

Scholastic Stars are awarded to students who have achieved 5 Dean's Lists or 5 Honor Rolls or Some Combination of 5 on both Dean's Lists and Honor Rolls.