Montgomery is excited to introduce a new uniform policy. The policy document is organized by grade level and gender and also includes photographs of many of the uniform elements. All students must be in compliance with this new policy for the opening of school in September 2013, but any new uniform purchases should be the new uniforms. During the 2012-2013 school year, students may wear either the new or the old uniforms as appropriate for their grade. There are certain elements of the new policy that will be enforced beginning in the Fall of 2012, so please read below for more details, and refer any questions to Susan Marotta, Lower School Head, or Jon Hall, Middle School Head. Here are some helpful instructions from Lands' End as well. Just click on the banner above to go directly to Montgomery's online ordering site at Lands' End.
You may also access the current uniform policy here for reference.
Why Does Montgomery Require Uniforms?
Montgomery School believes strongly in the value of our students wearing uniforms to school. Across the country, more and more schools are adopting this approach, as it teaches the students to dress as part of the community, helps to diminish
socio-economic differences between students, limits distractions and prepares them to come to school dressed to work and play hard.
Students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade dress in the uniform appropriate for their grade level. The uniform is part of School policy. Occasional exceptions occur, such as certain field trips and “Drop the Dress Code” days. Students will be notified in advance when these exceptions apply. In all cases of student dress, the principle of neat and clean will apply; clothes must fit properly and not have holes, frayed edges, or obvious safety pins. Parents will be called and asked to bring a change of clothes if a student is not dressed appropriately. Students will be held accountable to be in uniform by faculty and administrators. Jewelry is limited to stud earrings, wristwatches and religious medals (tucked inside the shirt) and one bracelet per wrist, at the teacher’s discretion.
Why are We Making Changes to our Uniform Policy?
Our current uniforms have been in use since our move to Chester Springs in 1988, supplied through Flynn and O’Hara, and this company has been great to work with for these many years. However, we have developed our new policy in response to feedback over the last several years, as well as our desire to improve the look and comfort of the uniforms that our students wear. Fabric technology has changed greatly in the last 20 years. Our girls currently must have both a fall/spring and a winter uniform, and we have had feedback over time that the light colored fall/spring uniform is difficult to keep clean. Parents have also noted that the white shirts are hard to keep clean, that white is not the best or necessarily the most flattering color to accommodate the changing bodies of adolescent girls, and that they would like to have other color shirts available. We have also always been conscious of the fact that there has been a discrepancy between the level of formality for our middle school boys and girls, and our new policy seeks to provide more options for the boys.
When Should I Purchase the New Uniform?
Montgomery's new uniform policy will officially be in place beginning in the Fall of 2013 but in order to make this transition to our new uniform as easy as possible for all our families, we began phasing it in beginning in March 2012. If you need to purchase any new uniforms, you should purchase the
new uniform items from Lands' End. The MSCA Rack will continue to have many gently used items available for sale, including current jumpers and kilts, white shirts, blazers, etc. After the switch to the new uniform in the Fall of 2013, the Rack will continue to sell khaki pants, white shirts, blazers, & fleeces, all of which will be in compliance with the new policy, even if they have a retired logo.
When Will This New Policy Be In Effect?
The new policy will officially take effect on the opening day of school in the Fall of 2013. However, there will be elements of the policy that will be enforced as of the Fall of 2012 as noted below:- Students must wear dress up attire on Fridays and on other special days as announced (see below).
- Kilt, skort and jumper hemlines may be no more than 3 inches above the knee.
- Students may wear brown or black shoes only, no slippers or moccasins.
- Middle School girls may wear only classic black or grey ugg-like boots during winter months, or shoes as noted above. Please refer to the pictures of allowable boots at the bottom of the uniform.
- Spandex shorts may not be visible below skirts or jumpers.
- All students are required to wear a white shirt on picture days in the Fall of 2012, so please plan to purchase at least one white uniform shirt for your child.
Dress up Fridays
This is for chapel purposes, as the School gathers for all-School chapel every Friday morning, and on other special occasions such as Open House events. Middle School boys must wear a navy blazer and School tie with a white button-down dress shirt. Uniform shorts are acceptable during the warmer months (which will be defined at the discretion of the Middle School Head). In addition to the regular rules for shoes and socks, all Middle School girls must wear the Land's End pewter heather V-neck cardigan during the winter months, a white uniform shirt with school logo and a uniform skirt or skort.
All Lower School students should wear white uniform shirts on Fridays. Girls may not wear pants on Fridays.
Middle School Outerwear
At the discretion of the Middle School Head, Middle School students will be permitted to wear Montgomery sweatshirts and jackets on Thursdays, but on no other day will any type of sweatshirt, sweater or jacket be allowed aside from the sweaters and fleeces that are part of our uniform, as indicated on Landsend.com.
Where Can I Purchase the Uniform?
You may download the attached policy which details our new uniform policy, and includes photos of many of the new items. All of our uniform pieces are available for purchase at Lands’ End through
www.landsend.com. Flynn and O’Hara will no longer stock uniforms for Montgomery School. Samples of the new uniform pieces, as well as copies of the new policy, will be available in the back of Bell Hall for several weeks so that parents can see, touch and feel them.
When ordering from Lands’ End, please go to the School Uniform section and log in to the Montgomery School site to locate all the approved articles of clothing. Certain items will require the new Montgomery logo, and will indicate so in the description of each item, at a cost of $5.50 per item (7 -10 additional days for embroidering). There are a few items that are not available through Lands' End (burgundy and grey tights, burgundy and grey knee socks) that are approved uniform items and you are welcome to purchase them at other retail outlets. Over time, Lands' End my decide to carry additional items, and we will keep you informed about any changes.
Is There a Local Lands' End Store?
Sears in Exton Mall has a Lands' End department where you can try on items that they have available there for sizing. You can also use their phone to place your order to avoid shipping charges. Returns may also be made to this same department at Sears. Lands' End offers discount sales throughout the year. We will be sure to give notice to our parents regarding sale offers, through Schoolhouse News.