Graphing Calculator...school supplies are killing me(rant)

[clh2]

The ti84 (and related calculators) will very likely see your kid through college unless they major in accounting or finance - in which case there are special financial calculators you invest it. Its a good calculator. We own three - mine from college and one for each of my kids - they are very sturdy - my kids just entered high school, but my daughter needed one as early as fifth grade. Look up how to program reducing radicals when your kid gets that far.

Our school has a lot of low income students, and therefore there is a challenge in that although the calculators are required and mandatory for Algebra and above, only about 2/3s of the kids have them - there are a few loaners - makes class really challenging.

Ours is a note that kids will be allowed to bring laptops in after Winter break, so I'll need two laptops for my kids. They don't HAVE to have them - but like the calculator - the ability of the haves to function will outpace those whose parents didnt spring for a laptop.

I can't even count the number of calculators that my DD has had to purchase in college. Her latest requirement was some sort of expensive financial calculator.

But as to school fees and what-not- we have always had to pay school fees for a public education, even as far back as when I was in kindergarten. So, I do not even give those a second thought. College is far more expensive than anything I ever had to pay for DD's elementary, middle and high school expenses.

 

[zoemurr]

It is $90 today at Staples (after rebate) and you can get another 20% off with this: http://www.staples.com/coupons Of course this is after our son talked us into the color version yesterday.

DD will be in BC Calc next year and has already gotten a great deal of use out of hers.

 

[StephMK]

DD20 had to get one in HS and I about fell over at the cost then too. However, she has used it all through HS and in college. I'm hoping she'll be done using it when DD#2 & DS need one next year. Then I hope DS & DD don't have math the same semester so they can share it. Our HS runs on a block schedule like college so you have a full year class in one semester.

I dread the fees too and the bus was super expensive when we had access to it. Boundaries changed so we no longer get bus service at all. They grandfathered in the kids to the "old" school but cut off bus service.

We paid $60 for a yearbook & $60 for DD to participate in sports. That fee also covers admission to some of the sporting events during the year. It was not required but I also paid $30 for DD to get a HS sweatshirt. For middle school, it was $30 for the yearbook, $35 athletic fee, and $5 for a student directory. Thankfully, there were no unusual school supply requests or additional fees. I think we got off lucky but then again, we are paying for DD to attend college and all those expenses.

 

[kymom99]

I got one for my son last year at Walmart for less than $100.

As far as fees go, my old principal used to ask the parents if they wanted a Yugo education or a Cadillac. That's where the fees make the difference. Our fees are no where near what you are paying though. My son, on the other hand, goes to private school. $6050 in tuition. $100 registration, $100 athletic fee, $340 supplies fee, and a calculator. But that is my choice.

As mentioned before, kids on free lunch pay no fees. Kids on reduced lunch pay a reduced fee.

 

[3dog2kidmom]

For sophomore DD in Honors Algebra II, we ordered the TI-84 from Amazon for $99, then paid for 2-day shipping so she'd get it right away. Other than that So far school supplies haven't been too costly, but the new softball bat ($250), softball pants and sliding shorts (tbd), socks ($30), running shoes ($90), are killing me, and now there' the homecoming dress, shoes, etc. to find as that is right around the corner. Sigh. Junior DS hasn't mentioned needing a calculator for his basic Algebra 2 class, and is in good shape with clothes and shoes he got last year. With the exception of some new football cleats and he'll need a shirt & tie for homecoming, he's pretty well set. Thankfully.

 

[Barry Browning]

Well I just dropped $3k for fall semester of college with books.So if you think this is bad just wait college will really make you cry.You are going to need a second job here been doing that for 10 years for 3 kids.

 

[McKelly]

I don't think you can compare college costs to public school costs. College is a choice.

 

[tvguy]

This should be the last semester of college for my youngest, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'm jaded I guess since I had those fees plug $11,000 a year per child tuition in private school on a total household income of less than $100k. Explains why I am driving a 27 year old car and why I didn't get my first smartphone until last week. But we knew having kids was a huge financial decision too.

Wait until you hit college. If they go away, public college can easily cost $12,000 a year....private $50,000 a year.

 

[tvguy]

I don't think you can compare college costs to public school costs. College is a choice.

Having kids is a choice too.

 

[scrapquitler]

I have to admit, this might turn into a rant....consider yourself warned

Ok so being a Michigan girl now living in Illinois, I still get sticker shock every July and August when I get that lovely little bill in my kids' public school registration packet that, upon full payment, allows my children to be placed on a class list and attend school come mid-August (another pet peeve, but I won't get into that here...)

So, with a brand new high schooler this year and a 5th and 3rd grader, my total so far (for PUBLIC school) comes to $1340 including the mandatory school supply list, class "supply fees", three $12 mandatory, school-issued locks for DS's various lockers, a $20 activity fee for DS's school ID, and bussing so my younger two can mandatorily safely cross a 4 lane road that is between us and the 4 blocks it takes to get to their school (school won't allow kids to cross alone nor provide crossing guards).

Ok, i'm (kind of) accepting of this. I don't like it, but accept it. Then I get a letter from Ms. Spanish II teacher saying send in $50 for a mandatory workbook. Then Ms. Honors Algebra teacher tells DS that they need a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator...by Monday. Ok, how much could a calculator be, I ask myself?

We walked out of Target today with a $124.99 TI-84 Plus calculator. Sigh.

I told DS not to open it yet because I need to see if I can get it cheaper somewhere else. I found it on sale for $99.00 at Office Max. Sigh.

Please, please someone tell me that this calculator will take this child through trig and calculus and whatever his crazy mathmatical mind will take him for the rest of high school and college?

This calculator has just about put me over the edge with this whole school fees thing...maybe its just me, but I can say that a few years ago, having to spring for all of these fees would have been impossible for my family. How does everyone do it??!!

My daughter is a freshman Chemistry major, about to take Calc 2, and that calculator is the one she has and still uses and needs.

At our high school, they suggested either a Ti83 or Ti84, but it was OPTIONAL. The school had some, but not enough for everyone to use. Problem was, if you use the school's you don't have it to use for homework.

One of my friends just bought this calculator for her son on Craigslist for $35, so you can find a bargain if you look at get lucky, At least it's a one time investment.


We don't have all these ridiculous fees here in CT. We have pay to play for interscholastic sports and there are a few things that we have to buy, but no bus fees, no 'registration fees' and certainly no book fees.

 

[McKelly]

Having kids is a choice too.

I agree. That's why I only had two...that's all we can afford!!

 

[dpswift]

It has gotten out of control. I thought that with DS # 5 starting seventh grade it would not be too bad because I had so much stuff from before. What a shock the first part of the list seemed ok, but then you get into all the 3 ring binders in different colors it gets out of hand.

In the lower grades tissues, hand soap, clorox wipes, and so on. It just goes on and on and then they would send home requests for money for parties.

 

[cjbcam]

My kids school does mandatory band and they assign instruments. So I have to buy a Sax for my daughter. I have no clue how I did not know about this since I'm always at the school and go to many of the assemblies never once seen the kids play instruments. I phoned the school to see if my daughter signed up for band the answer was no it's mandatory. Not only that but we have to get Yamaha brand. That was a shock and I have no clue how everyone can afford that.

 

[havaneselover]

My kids school does mandatory band and they assign instruments. So I have to buy a Sax for my daughter. I have no clue how I did not know about this since I'm always at the school and go to many of the assemblies never once seen the kids play instruments. I phoned the school to see if my daughter signed up for band the answer was no it's mandatory. Not only that but we have to get Yamaha brand. That was a shock and I have no clue how everyone can afford that.

Oh my gosh! That's completely crazy. I'm scared for whatever surprises lie ahead with my two.

 

[tvguy]

My kids school does mandatory band and they assign instruments. So I have to buy a Sax for my daughter. I have no clue how I did not know about this since I'm always at the school and go to many of the assemblies never once seen the kids play instruments. I phoned the school to see if my daughter signed up for band the answer was no it's mandatory. Not only that but we have to get Yamaha brand. That was a shock and I have no clue how everyone can afford that.

You don't have to buy a sax, most music stores will rent them.

 

[kymom99]

Very true, my son played trumpet for a few years and we rented. Had we continued, we would have paid something like $1200 total. I ended up buying a student trumpet for $40 on ebay. Worked just fine for what he used it for.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

A TI-84 will take her all the way through college

 

[SEA333]

Thanks for all of the replies!

I'm kind of scratching my head on all of the references about paying for college....of course we know that we will be paying much more in college tuition. Thats kind of a given.

What I didn't expect, especially coming from Michigan, where all three of my (subsidized wholely by my and DH's incomes) children were born and raised until 4 years ago, are the crazy amount of fees Illinois school districts are allowed to get away with charging, unless you have a free lunch/fee waiver in place. In Michigan, where I fully expected to raise my kids through adulthood, public schools do not do this. I get that it is my problem that we moved to Illinois, but it doesn't mean that I am happy about paying cadillac fees for a good old Buick education that was FREE for a similarly decent school district in MI.

My kids are slightly smarter than a box of rocks and will do well no matter what, but we are Midwesterners whose big aspirations are to send our kids to a Big 10 state college where they will get a perfectly fine degree in their chosen field. Ivy League will likely not be in the cards, so honestly, I still have to say that our "Public Prep School Tuition" as DH and I have now humorously dubbed it, still irks me.

Sorry...I just can't help but rant about this!! Thanks for the calculator advice everyone!

 

[snoopy5386]

East coaster here and I never heard of school fees until the Dis. Short of approx $30-100 of school supplies, school here is free.

 

[KCmike]

Office Depot acquired Office Max and will match any ad. I like to shop Office Depot.