Pass the Fingertip Test

During the development of a schools uniform dress code, there is typically some back and forth that leads to an common understanding of the policy between the school board and the larger community of parents and students.  Once the policy is adopted, enforcement can be a constant battle for school administrators everywhere.  Recent articles included in the "in the news" series show many examples of battles between administrators and students, and in some cases, a larger group in the community.

A policy with clearly stated expectations and guidelines makes it easier for parents to understand so they can guide the student's choices when shopping.  Consistent enforcement by different teachers make clear examples of what's acceptable and what's not acceptable.

The length of a girls hemline for shorts, scooters, and dresses is a huge area for consternation.  Many schools have tried to set a simple easy to understand rule of thumb which is commonly referred to as "the fingertip test".   A young lady passes the fingertip test when the length of the skirt is below the fingertips of the student while standing with her arms extended straight down.  The same test works for jumpers, scooters and shorts. Maybe its a backlash to the mid-thigh trend we've been seeing for the past few seasons, but this fall, I noticed a trend of several retailers offering new longer lengths. Lands End's fall school uniform catalog features girls skirts in 3 lengths: above the knee, top of the knee and below the knee.  The French Toast fall catalog page on girls skirts feature both "the long and short of it" featuring two knee length skirts and one long skirt.  This can make shopping easier if your school has adopted the fingertip test as a rule of thumb to guide enforcement.

Below are some examples of new longer skirts:

Lands' End
 Girls' Plus Solid Pleated Skirt (Below The Knee)

French Toast
Kick Pleat Skirt

Lands' End
Little Girls' Solid A-line Skirt (Below The Knee)

French Toast
Knee Length Straight Skirt

Lands' End
Little Girls' Box Pleat Skirt (Below The Knee)

What do you think of these knee length and longer styles?

Video Pick: A Global Perspective on School Uniforms

This video pick is from Euronews. It is a great piece highlighting use of school uniforms in different countries around the world.

Kids Socks: the Retail Round Up Series

KidsSocks.com is based in New York and was founded by two fathers. According to an article in the NY Post, they acknowledge that most folks don't think of ordering socks online. But as they point out, no one bought shoes online before Zappos, so they set out to offer all the best brands on an organized and easy to navigate online experience.   From the time I've spent on their website, I think they have succeeded.  You can browse the site by gender, style or by brand which allows you to find what you need easily.

Kids Socks carries many brands such as Trumpette, Puma, Jeffreries, Tic Tac Toe, True religion, Skechers, blind mice, Novelty socks, and Pork Chop.  It can be your one stop shop for socks, tights, and leggings.  If you're looking for back to school basics, you'll find quality items tights by Jeffreis and Tic Tac Toe to match school uniform colors. If your school's uniform policy does not place restrictions on the kids socks and tights, you'll find plenty of colorful choices and playful patterns to allow kids to add a bit of playful self expression to their style.

The site offers free shipping on orders over $30.  They also offer a "100% money back guarantee for all products returned within 365 days of receipt of the product." The customer is responsible for shipping both ways on returns.

Uniform Mom participates as an affiliate with Kids Socks, so they have provided me these special coupon codes to share with you:

Podcast on Student Standard Attire

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) produced a podcast series called Today's Middle Level Educator.  One episode, published in October 2009, featured a conversation with Ernie Rambo, an educator in Las Vegas Nevada. The episode is titled "School Uniforms: Jeans or Jackets"?

The description reads:

"Ernie is a classroom teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has been directly involved with the implications of the Uniform issue.  Jack and Ernie examine the advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms and talk about questions the teachers might have regarding the uniform issue and how to address student concerns."

The podcast is just over 17 minutes but is worth the time if you are a school administrator or parent at a school considering implementing a student standard attire policy.

Video Pick: How to Glam Up Your School Uniform

Here's another video pick.   This one's from beccaaslipglosslove where she shows us her ideas on how to glam up a school uniform.  The description of her video states the following:

"I know that not all schools that have a uniform will allow these changes but this is what I have found I can do at my school. If you know you can not do certain things with your uniform, don't do it. This is for people that have a uniform and can't find ideas. I hope it helps somebody. :)"

Lands' End Uniform Girls Solid A-line Skirt, a review

I noticed this little skirt online during the clearance sales.  I was placing an order for something else and added this in as an add on to reach the $50 threshold for free shipping. I prefer to get scooters for my daughter with the built in knit shorts, so at $9.99- the price on this was too good to pass up.  

It is navy with an adjustable waist and a side zipper. It has a cute detail of the 2 button tabs and a pleat on one side. It also has a pocket only one one side.  The length on this skirt hits my daughter right above the knee.  I've washed it several times already and the polyester/rayon blend resists wrinkles and looks great right out of the dryer. She likes it; in fact, this is the skirt she choose to wear on the first day of school this year.

This solid a-line skirt I got is still available at that clearance price in slim and plus sizes (see details below).This season, Lands' End is offering quite a few styles of skirts in a longer length. This little girl's skirt is now also available in a below the knee length.

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Lands' End Backpacks for School

When we began shopping for my daughter's first school backpack, I checked out a few options online.  I read an article somewhere where a Mom said her kid goes through several back packs per school year.  She was buying inexpensive backpacks with the latest character at her local discount store.  After some quick math, you realize that you could end up spending more money on these poor quality items in one school year, than you would if you bought one quality bag, especially if you grab one on sale.

The next thing I realized is that most backpacks that you find at major retailers only come in one size.  These bags are sized for older kids and adults.  If you have a younger child with a smaller frame, it will look larger than them and will hold more stuff than they should physically carry.  You occasionally see smaller preschool sized bags, but the in between sizes are harder to find.  Several retailers make quality back packs sized appropriately for elementary and middle school kids such as Lands' End, LL Bean, Pottery Barn and other specialty stores.

(c) Rene Shonerd.
All Rights Reserved.

Last summer, after viewing a few online that I thought my daughter might like, we visited the local Sears store to check out their selection of Lands' End backpacks.  She liked the aqua one we saw online, but they only carried it in the larger size.  Even she agreed, it was too big.  We settled on a smaller white one with a pink and orange polka dot pattern.

The design of the bag itself is basic and fully functional with everything you would need in a school bag.  It has two zipper compartments.  A bigger one in back to hold her folders, a change of clothes, or even her lunch bag.  The smaller area in the front of the bag is useful for smaller item like crayons and playdate cards. The bag has a strap with a snap closure across the front which is useful to to clip on another bag, as well as a smaller loop near the top.  Another must-have feature is the mesh water bottle holder on the side. In my opinion, the most critical feature in a backpack is the straps.  This bag has nice wide straps with padding; the length of the straps can be adjusted to fit your kid as they grow.

My daughter used the bag everyday for school last year.  She also used it everyday for camp this summer. As you can see, most of the fabric on the bag is white and it still looks clean. I'm very pleased that it has held up beautifully for an entire year.  Since it is not yet showing signs of wear, I bet it will make it through at least another year and will be replaced only when she tires of this pattern.

For the 2013 Back to School season, Lands' End has all new, redesigned, best backpacks in class. Below are two examples of the different styles. Find the right backpack and lunchbox for any size kid --shop today.Plus, receive free shipping on your orders over $50.

Solid ClassMate Medium Backpack - Red, ClassMate® Medium Backpack is designed & tested to carry everything your kid needs for class and more. Additional features not listed above include: no-tip design; water-repellent finish; plus an ergonomic design with padded shoulder straps & back panels for comfort. 600-denier polyester body with 1200-denier base. Spot clean. Imported. 18"Hx12 1/2"Wx6 1/2"D. 1670 cu. in.

School Uniform Solid FeatherLight Medium Backpack - Aqua Pool, FeatherLight™ Medium Backpack is designed & tested to carry everything your kid needs for class, while lightening their school load. Additional features not listed above include: no-tip design; water-repellent finish; plus an ergonomic design for comfort. Spot clean. Imported. 18″Hx12″Wx7 1/2″D. 1500 cu. in.