Tag Archives: Schoola

I am #GivingStyle to my Daughter and Giving Art & Music Supplies to Schools by Shopping At Schoola

October 1, 2014Fashion & Styleeducation, Fashion, GivingStyle, SchoolaAlicia

School’s in full swing and a pleasant change from last year, Madelyn is picking out her own school outfits, a few days a week at least. It’s a good thing I’m not a matchy-matchy kind of person or I’d come close to fainting every morning when she walks down stairs. You would think she is pattern blind sometimes because she loves mixing polka-dots with stripes and stripes with a pattern. She’s eight though and can pull off the funky look. My favorite of her recent outfits is when she wore a shirt over a dress. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo but it was the dress above, which she got from Schoola, with a short, loose fitting blousy shirt. She might have gotten the idea of layering a shirt over a dress from my sister because everyone knows I’m not brave enough to do that. My wardrobe consists of black pants, black shirts, a few sweaters.. mostly black, a couple of dresses, and black shoes. I’m super fashion savvy right?

While Madelyn’s not a shorts and t-shirt kind of girl, she dresses up for any occasion. She also spends a lot of time outside. Did you ever ride a bike in a dress? Madelyn has mastered it! She enjoys riding her bike, swinging, doing homework or art on the back patio, and lucky for me, she loves to water the potted plants. A few days ago she and I were about to water the plants when a package from Schoola.com arrived. You read about Schoola.com here a few weeks ago. Madelyn was super anxious to open the box so I let her go inside and open the box while I got the hose. I wish I was there when she opened the box because I heard a squeal and a gasp and then nothing for 5 minutes. I called in to her and she said “mom, don’t come in my room – I have a surprise for you”. Five minutes later she walked daintily down the stairs holding the tip of the skirt of her beautiful new Soprano dress in her right hand while gently dragging her left hand down the handrail.. just like I imagine she will do on prom night.. but she won’t actually get to leave the house that night. 😉 Of course I didn’t have the camera ready and you can’t redo moments like and she’s not a fan of posing for photographs so I’m sharing the photos I took of her watering the plants.

Schoola.com offers parents an affordable way to dress their kids in stylish gently used clothes while donating to schools art and music programs.

40% of the proceeds raised from purchases made on Schoola.com goes to buying art supplies music instruments and supplies as well as new books for libraries at schools across the country. Parents like you and I can donate our children’s gently-used clothing. Learn how to donate clothing to Schoola here.

Schoola makes it easy to find exactly the pieces you’re looking for with their sorting feature. You can first sort by gender, then choose your child’s age range, then size, and even drill down to color, brand and price. You’ll find clothes from The Gap, Zara, Old Navy, The Children’s Place, and even designer clothes like Madelyn’s Soprano dress. Madelyn’s outfit (above) cost just $20.70 and $8.28 of that went to help schools art, music and pe program all around the country! Schoola.com even has a great selection of items for high school kids! I found an Old Navy sweater for just $5.98 and a Hanes fleece pullover, Sebastian’s favorite thing to wear these days, for just $2.98!

Go through your kids closets, figure out what they need, grab a cup of tea and head to Schoola.com to shop for clothes!

25% off Schoola.com through 10/12/14!

Get 25% off your Schoola.com purchase when you use promo code givingstyle through October 12, 2014!

Save 20% at Slightly-Used Children’s Clothing at Schoola.com!

August 15, 2014Kid Styleback to school, coupon code, discount, Schoola, Used Children's ClothesAlicia

What’s hanging in your child’s closet?

My daughter’s closet used to house clothes that she hadn’t worn for two or more years. It’s not because I didn’t want to get rid of them but because my husband didn’t want to part with them. He’s sentimental and does not like to get rid of things. He’s not a hoarder by any means. It’s when I came up with the idea of hanging a few of her infant and toddler dresses on a cute rack on her wall that he was able to pack the rest of her old clothes in a bag to donate them to our local donation center. That was before Schoola.com.

Schoola.com launched during the 2012/2013 school year after Stacey Boyd, a parent, former teacher and school principal, saw how music and art programs in schools helped children who struggled in academic classes.

Today, Schoola.com is 3,000 schools strong. Schoola brings new paints to art classes, new instruments to the orchestra, new books for the libraries. Quality clothes get a second life. Parents help parents. Schools help schools. Schoola makes all this happen by giving children the tools they need to succeed.

The elementary, middle, and high school my kids have attended offer great art and music programs. Every year come back-to-school time, my kids look forward to art and music and sports most of all. I can’t imagine that there are so many kids in the U.S. who, because of lack of funding, are not able to experience the joy and pride and art and music bring to the lives of my kids.

How you can help

Schoola wants to make sure that all schools have the funding they need for these programs and they have created a way for you to not only support programs at your own local schools, but for you to save money on back-to-school shopping as well.

All you have to do to support KIPP Academy is to request a donation bag from Schoola and they will automatically donate $1 to KIPP Academy, just by you requesting the FREE bag. Send your child’s used clothes to Schoola and your child’s school will earn $2 for every $5 made when they sell your donated items.

Through August 20th, you can save 20% on your Schoola.com purchase when you use code BacktoSchoola20 (limit one use per customer)!

Watch the video below to learn about KIPP Academy and your purchases from and donations to Schoola will help fund a music program for the school:

In addition to helping your child’s school, now through August 16th, you can also help KIPP Academy in the Bronx fund their music program through the 20 Days of Schoola program.

Besides the greatness that is helping raise money to fun a school’s art or music program, you can put your child in some adorable, fashion-forward clothes when he or she goes back to school this year!

Here are a few pieces available on Schoola.com today

This post is brought to you by Schoola, the best place to buy discounted kids clothes all while give back to schools in need. Click here to learn more about Schoola. Click here to see what people are saying.

Save A School’s Music Program While Saving Money on Used, Brand-Name Back To School Clothes at Schoola

July 30, 2014Educationchildren's clothing, Fundraising, SchoolaAlicia

How you can help:

1) Shop on Schoola. For every transaction that is tracked via my unique referral code, Schoola will donate $1 to the school you selected to support.

2) Request a Schoola donation bag. For every person who requests a Schoola donation bag via my unique referral code, Schoola will donate $1 to the KIPP Academy. PLUS – when you donate the clothes and fill out your child’s school information, $2 of every $5 made will go back to KIPP Academy, a win/win for KIPP Academy AND for your child’s school!

My son didn’t show an interest in music until he tried out for middle school band. He was trying out to play drums but ended up being assigned the trumpet. While he wasn’t thrilled about his band director’s choice of instrument for him, it took just a few weeks for him to warm up to the trumpet and since starting middle school he has absolutely blown me away when he plays the trumpet. It’s been so great to watch him gain confidence and be proud of himself because of the progress he’s made and the amazing performances his class put on three times a year give me chills.

Sadly, there are many schools that don’t get funding for art and music programs so the students don’t get to experience the pride and joy of creating beautiful music and performing what they’ve worked so hard to learn and accomplish, in front of hundreds of proud parents.

Schoola, an online shop dedicated to recycling brand-name children’s clothes, with 40% of the proceeds going to schools in need, including your child’s school, gives parents like you and I the ability to give schools that aren’t normally provided enough funding for art and music programs, the funding they need to create a program that their students will benefit from in amazing ways for years to come. What parent doesn’t want to save money on brand-name clothes for their kids and help a school develop and maintain a music or arts program at the same time?

I can’t believe how quickly my kids grow, especially my daughter. Do girls really grow faster than boys? It seems like every two months I have to buy her an entire wardrobe because she’s outgrown the old one. Schoola gives kids the opportunity to wear brand-name clothes for much less than what you’d normally pay. That is great, but this opportunity is about more than being able to buy slightly worn brand-name clothing for my kids for way less than what I’d pay at the store; it’s also about having the opportunity to teach my kids that giving back to those in need is so important.

Shopping is something we all do.

Our kids all need clothes.

Feel good about how your purchase will help kids at KIPP Academy and other schools by shopping at Schoola!

Watch the video below to learn about KIPP Academy and how Schoola is going to help them fund a music program:

How YOU can help KIPP Academy raise funding for a music program:

1) Shop on Schoola. For every transaction that is tracked via my unique referral code, Schoola will donate $1 to the school you selected to support.

About KIPP Academy and their fundraising goal

KIPP Academy’s goal is to raise $25,000 to fund a music program.

A small school in the Bronx, KIPP Academy works hard to support kids who need all the help they can get. Ninety-five percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch. More than one in seven receives special education services. Music helps KIPP Academy reach and engage every child who enters its doors. The slogan on the Music Room wall sets the stage—All of Us Will Learn Music. No matter what backgrounds they come from or what challenges they face, they learn lessons together that will serve them the rest of their lives.

The 20 Days of Schoola starts July 28th and ends August 16th, 2014, so head over to Schoola and request a donation bag and/or shop for clothes for your child to help raise money for KIPP Academy’s music program and your child’s school!