Can I gripe about School Supplies?

[NotUrsula]

My daughter needs 72 SHARPENED pencils. That's about $18 worth of pencils if I buy them sharpened. And 72, really? They come in packs of 10. Who the heck came up with 72?

72 is a multiple of 12: it's 6 doz. IME, pencils are ordinarily sold in pkgs that are either 12 or 24 count. Maybe the sharpened ones come in packs of 10, but why not have your DD sharpen them at home? I'm sure that she can handle that chore; it's her stuff, after all.

 

[wendydarling826]

Wow. Do parents complain this much about the cost of their kids' sports team fees and equipment or is it just school supplies? For those who do not participate in school fundraisers - do you also refuse to support fundraisers for sports teams and activities like cheerleading? I'm curious.

 

[Pigeon]

Wow. Do parents complain this much about the cost of their kids' sports team fees and equipment or is it just school supplies? For those who do not participate in school fundraisers - do you also refuse to support fundraisers for sports teams and activities like cheerleading? I'm curious.

I don't normally gripe about the cost of school supplies, just the impossibility of finding arcane items.

I don't do fundraisers of any sort. I write a honking big check to the PTA as a direct contribution on back to school night and I'm done for the year.

I also make significant direct contributions to the school music department and to the regional youth orchestra. But no fund raisers.

 

[Anthony1971]

We have 2 fundraisers during the year and they send those *&^$% scholastic book flyers home once a month trying to get us to buy books all year.

Good luck. I would think for a private school they would just raise tuition $100 and get rid of the fundraisers. I would sign up for that one.

Not to go into fundrasers but lets just say we pay over 1,000 a year in mandatory ones
our tuiton went up 400.00 and the registration fee (paid every year) went up 50 this year plus a new obligation to buy either 3,000 worth of store gift cards through the school paid for by cash or check only or pay 300.00 to buy the obligation out.

 

[cheap traveler]

I am very lucky, after parent complaints about the strange things on our lists (5 refill packs of baby wipes, PER KID) and sharing supplies (I bought my kid Crayola, she shouldn't be using roseart) the school took care of it.

This year, each kid had 5 items on their list. Notebooks, folders, colored pencils, pencil sharpener, and supply box for DD7/loose leaf paper for DD9. That's it.

Of course, I will send extras, like tissues, glue sticks and bandaids, just to help the teacher out. Plus, if I don't like the pencils the school supplies, I will send my girls the good Ticonderoga pencils I have.

 

[Alexle2007]

Wow, I guess we are lucky. My son's list is extremely reasonable and it does ask for 12 sharpened pencils and when I asked the principal yesterday if they really needed to be sharpened and he explained that if every child in the class had to sharpen pencils on the 1st of school, figure out how much time would be expended and wear on the sharpener. So I am cool with sharpening them.

If you really want to get pre-sharpened pencils, Staples has a box of 48 on sale for $6. I almost went that route.

I, also, pick up lots of extra stuff since we have a teacher shopping day in the middle of the school year so what better time to pick up items then when they are on sale I have a large storage container almost filled already. I pick up glue sticks every time I see them on sale since the lower grades especially pre-k are always in need of them.

So ready for the school year start!

 

[brertoad]

Wow. Do parents complain this much about the cost of their kids' sports team fees and equipment or is it just school supplies? For those who do not participate in school fundraisers - do you also refuse to support fundraisers for sports teams and activities like cheerleading? I'm curious.

I think you missed the original poster's point.

They charged her $90 for a "school supply kit" that was worth maybe $25.
She isn't complaining about the cost of the supplies, she is unhappy about getting ripped off. Where did the other $65 go? Why did they not disclose this was a solicitation for a donation?

I'm sure most parents want to make their own decisions about what additional funds they contribute in the form of a donation or fund raiser, rather than being tricked into making a "contribution" under the guise of purchasing needed supplies.

The fund-raising must be really profitable to the companies running them, I wonder what real benefit the schools are getting for all the trouble. If we had kids, I wouldn't let them go door to door trying to sell stuff. I remember when I was in elementary all the stupid fund-raising BS, and my dad would end up peddling the wares at his work, where I'm sure co-workers felt obligated to buy the garbage, and ultimately how much does the school even get?

Only fund-raising thing I ever look forward to is Girl Scout Cookies, and we miss out since we don't know any GS families.

 

[Alexle2007]

The fund-raising must be really profitable to the companies running them, I wonder what real benefit the schools are getting for all the trouble. If we had kids, I wouldn't let them go door to door trying to sell stuff. I remember when I was in elementary all the stupid fund-raising BS, and my dad would end up peddling the wares at his work, where I'm sure co-workers felt obligated to buy the garbage, and ultimately how much does the school even get?
.

We actually are doing away with all of selling of stuff at my son's elementary school this year. We didn't want our kids to be little salespeople. We're just doing activities such as the Fun Run, Purse Bingo and Penny Wars. And trying to do a better job of reaching out to businesses for contributions. So glad not to have to see candy order forms or Yankee Candles or whatever!

 

[QVCshopper]

72 is a multiple of 12: it's 6 doz. IME, pencils are ordinarily sold in pkgs that are either 12 or 24 count. Maybe the sharpened ones come in packs of 10, but why not have your DD sharpen them at home? I'm sure that she can handle that chore; it's her stuff, after all.

Through Saturday, Walgreens has sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga pencils 10/.99 cents. Buy $7 worth and you're done. Add two of your own if you're feeling like it.

As for our list, I hit various stores during their sales and spent about $20 for all the supplies my two kids need for the year (2nd and 3rd grade). Didn't think that was too bad. We are reusing our backpacks and lunch boxes, and I don't really do the back to school clothes shopping. So, $20 and we are set for the new school year in our new district (we just moved, partly to get into this better district). Hope it was the right decision.

 

[phewms]

Go get the list for the next grade level now. It will give you a chance to buy what you need at the sale (clearance possibly) price. A few items may change, but the overall savings can be huge.

This would only give me a basic idea as the list changes annually.

 

[phewms]

Welcome to Catholic School and their ripoffs!!!!

I can assure you, that list would have easily been bought at WalMart for $30 tops. (probably more like $25 with the school sales)


Steer clear of their fundraisers. My "fave" is the one where they sell dollar store crap for $10 or their "Raffles" where the same people always just happen to win (the ones where the parents are always up the principal's butt)

I had my daughter in Catholic school for 5 years: K thru 4th ONLY because we were in a bad school district. I finally moved and she is now in public school. BEST move I ever made and her educational experience is so much better now. Don't believe the hype that your child is getting a better education in Catholic school --- they're definitely not.

Based on my resident location, I am zoned to the best schools in the district. The Elementary schools are not bad, but the MS and HS leave a lot to be desired... to me anyway. So he would be in private school by the time he reached 6th grade.

His current school starts Spanish at Pre-K3. DS have already missed 2 years (not a huge deal) but if he were to start in the 6th grade, he would miss 8 years. This is just 1 example of why he is starting in K.

Anyhoo, I do believe that my child would get a better education here compared to public. In my district, anyway.

 

[RoyalMom]

Sad truth is that, for many of these numbers, you're buying supplies for the kids who won't bring any. Many times, teachers will pool things like crayons, paper, and pencils, turn them into a community pool, and issue them as needed during the year. Good side - might help a kid whose family might not have the bucks to buy a full slate of supplies. Bad side - you're paying for what's really someone else's responsibility.

Yeah. I went to the trouble of labeling all of DD7s school supplies last year only to find that the special folders she chose, and all the rest were pooled in a community supply box. I went the extra mile to get special items for her, all according to the list they furnished and THIS is what happens? It is infuriating!!!!



It really takes the fun out of school shopping. I honestly wouldn't mind grabbing extra stuff, but let my kid have her own!

 

[phewms]

My daughter needs 72 SHARPENED pencils. That's about $18 worth of pencils if I buy them sharpened. And 72, really? They come in packs of 10. Who the heck came up with 72?

In the public schools here, I heard 1st and 2nd grades need an insane quantity of pencils too and get this ----- EACH INDIVIDUAL SUPPLY HAD TO BE LABELED WITH THE CHILD'S FIRST AND LAST NAME!

Yes! Each pencil. Each crayon. Each eraser. My god.

 

[phewms]

Wow. Do parents complain this much about the cost of their kids' sports team fees and equipment or is it just school supplies? For those who do not participate in school fundraisers - do you also refuse to support fundraisers for sports teams and activities like cheerleading? I'm curious.

I actually started this thread to vent about the fact that I was encouraged to purchase a prepackaged supply list (before the actual supply lists were finalized - that's the most important part) only to find out that I paid triple the amount going this route than purchasing in stores. Lesson learned.

My son is very active in Baseball as well as Swimming. I have never felt like I was ripped off in purchasing equipment, mainly because I choose what I want. The fees are comparable to his school tuition in that "it is what it is".

I support the fundraisers that I have time and/or money to support.

Please do not enter my thread and turn it into something negative. School supplies and sport fees/fundraisers are two completely different things.

 

[phewms]

I think you missed the original poster's point.

They charged her $90 for a "school supply kit" that was worth maybe $25.
She isn't complaining about the cost of the supplies, she is unhappy about getting ripped off. Where did the other $65 go? Why did they not disclose this was a solicitation for a donation?

I'm sure most parents want to make their own decisions about what additional funds they contribute in the form of a donation or fund raiser, rather than being tricked into making a "contribution" under the guise of purchasing needed supplies.

The fund-raising must be really profitable to the companies running them, I wonder what real benefit the schools are getting for all the trouble. If we had kids, I wouldn't let them go door to door trying to sell stuff. I remember when I was in elementary all the stupid fund-raising BS, and my dad would end up peddling the wares at his work, where I'm sure co-workers felt obligated to buy the garbage, and ultimately how much does the school even get?

Only fund-raising thing I ever look forward to is Girl Scout Cookies, and we miss out since we don't know any GS families.

Thanks Brertoad! Totally missed the point!

 

[runwad]

That's what gets me too. Have to have specific color folders for each subject, then have to write name, grade, teacher, room number on the folders so they can't be reused. Have to have 70 sheet wide ruled notebooks in colors to match those folders, and again have to have all this info on the front cover so when there are 60 pages left in that notebook at the end of the year I can't just turn around and send it for a different child or the same child in the next grade.

Some specific requirements I can understand. Crayola really is better than no-brand crayons and markers. Elmers gluesticks work better and don't dry out as quickly as store brands. Foil-wrapped pencils clog up sharpeners. Those things don't bother me, but the micromanagement of notebooks and other supplies where there is no functional difference annoys the heck out of me!

Hey Colleen, I've gotten around that by putting a big white label in the corner of the folder with all the info they want. Then the next year, viola, slap another label on top of that one for the next kid.

 

[brertoad]

Thanks Brertoad!

Anytime!

 

[mrssmith06]

my kids will be at a new school this year and they too do the 1st day schools supply order and I refused. I looked over it and added it up and decided there was no way I would pay for that. But it even says on the ordering website that although its convienent, if your looking for the cheapest option, they may not be the right choice. Yeah, no kidding!! lol... I just went and bought it all myself, tax free this weekend.

 

[luvmy3]

Instead of writing all that information on the front of notebook. Use a 2" x 4" white address label and write it on there. That way next year just put another one on top of that one.

You are a genius!! I have been known to just scribble out the subject or the name of my child who used it the previous year. There is no way I'm going out to buy 5 more notebooks just because 5 pages in the previous year was used.

The teachers at our school who asked for a certain color of folder or notebook used them to help keep the kids organized and on task. She could tell them to pull out their math folders and tell at a glance if everyone did. Same thing in the lower grades to help make sure they all took home the right homework notebooks or folders. As long as they request easy to get colors and don't get picky about the details that won't matter, I don't mind this at all.

I don't mind the color coded subjects but here we have had some hard to find colors. The problem is that we have a very large district, and are surrounded by 4 others. We have 1 Target, 1 Walmart, a couple Staples and a couple Office Depots. Sometimes finding the right color binder required calls to family in other parts of the state! That is crazy, and if it happens again this year I'm going to send in whatever darn color I want

The relief is when they get to middle school, at least here. That is when the kids just need binders and loose leaf, pens and pencils.

 

[ten6mom]

Yeah. I went to the trouble of labeling all of DD7s school supplies last year only to find that the special folders she chose, and all the rest were pooled in a community supply box. I went the extra mile to get special items for her, all according to the list they furnished and THIS is what happens? It is infuriating!!!!

It really takes the fun out of school shopping. I honestly wouldn't mind grabbing extra stuff, but let my kid have her own!

I bought a "heavy duty" binder for my first grader this year and attached a sticky personalized name label to it. The binder that came back the first day of school was not the same one I sent him with. Where it ended up is a mystery but honestly the label was pretty visible.... brightly colored on a plain white binder.... so how did this happen? The teacher didn't notice anything and whatever parent it ended up with must have just removed the label???