Moving from pre-school to Kindergarten (or Year 1 as they call it here) is quite a big deal, not least as the girls graduate to the uniform you see here. An idiosyncracy of New Zealand is that the kids move up to Year 1 the day after they turn 5, regardless of when it is during the year.  So we had our transition in September of 2012 to Ms Ongley's class, with a whopping 6 kids in it.  Girls who come in after June 30 complete the year and then do another full year, those before June 30 may end up only doing six or seven months of Year 1.  Got it?

And now on to the uniform: A full tie - with Windsor knot - for 5 year olds?  Still beyond my capabilities.  And what you are viewing is the summer form, with light blue Orphan-Annie-workhouse-drab as they key component.  We wear this from October to April, and then the winter uniform, which has a navy jumper and light blue button down, is actually quite a bit cuter.  Although the initial financial outlay is a bit steep, over time I figure the cost per use makes it a wise investment.  Not least because no one but me in the family is a morning person. I am typically dragging people into the car half-dressed and grumpy (me AND them.)