I just did the Staples back to school run.

[ceemys]

Sometimes the lists are good and easy like the list you gave or maybe with the addition of something specific like red pens or colored pencils or a pack of index cards and sometimes they're impossible. One time Oldest DS came home with a list that was a page long (I swear there were 30 items on it) and he had to have everything on it by the next day or get a reduced grade on his homework for every item that was missing. I was so mad as the list was impossible to fill by the next day as some of the items were VERY specific (and pricey!) and all the stores in the area were sold out - because she handed out that same list to I'm estimating 180 kids in one day . Not to mention the hassle of having to spend my entire evening driving from store to store to try and find everything. (is there an emoticon for exhausted?)

reduced grade on homework oh that teacher would be in so much trouble in this school district...

WOW. they would be in trouble in this schoold district also! Is that a public school or private? I try to have my kids stuff, but if it is hard to find, then I just get it later.

 

[Aliceacc]

Wet erase markers are the kind they use on overhead projectors.

Right. And some teachers have the kids rotate doing their homework on overhead sheets, then explaining their work to the class.

 

[3boymthr]

WOW. they would be in trouble in this schoold district also! Is that a public school or private? I try to have my kids stuff, but if it is hard to find, then I just get it later.

Public HS. They can tie pretty much anything that comes home the first week to the kids' homework grades. Notes the parents have to sign - homework grade. Book cover - homework grade. Supplies - homework grade. Not all teachers do it but some do. Drives me crazy because they're grading the kids on what the parents do or don't do. IMO they should give the kids a week to allow the parents who may be out of town or work evenings or more than one kid time to get to this stuff (and that's totally ignoring the cost factor which also drives me crazy because on the supplies front I love to space it out over the course of a month or two).

OTH like Aliceacc some of the teachers are really great on the supplies front. DS' math teacher one year was great. She had a small supply of the really expensive calculators (the $100+ TI ones) the kids could borrow/share until their parents could afford to buy them one of their own. Her deadline for getting your own - January .

 

[rebeccalb10]

The only crazy thing on my DD 5th grade list was 2-subject notebooks. Which are only made by 2 or 3 companies, only come in college rule and NEVER go on sale.

I bought 3-subject wide rule for a third of the price. Any complaints & I will rip the center out!

 

[aprilgail2]

Public HS. They can tie pretty much anything that comes home the first week to the kids' homework grades. Notes the parents have to sign - homework grade. Book cover - homework grade. Supplies - homework grade. Not all teachers do it but some do. Drives me crazy because they're grading the kids on what the parents do or don't do. IMO they should give the kids a week to allow the parents who may be out of town or work evenings or more than one kid time to get to this stuff (and that's totally ignoring the cost factor which also drives me crazy because on the supplies front I love to space it out over the course of a month or two).

OTH like Aliceacc some of the teachers are really great on the supplies front. DS' math teacher one year was great. She had a small supply of the really expensive calculators (the $100+ TI ones) the kids could borrow/share until their parents could afford to buy them one of their own. Her deadline for getting your own - January .

I remember in grade school I forgot to sign my daughters organizer one night and she got lunch detention for it! Poor kid put it on my desk like always for me to sign like every night and for some reason I ended up closing it and giving it back without signing it. I felt terrible!

 

[dreamin_disney]

We didn't hit the sakes this year. Dh bought dd sine mechanical pencils and that's it. She starts high school today so once we get the list we will go shopping. I wish they would post a list online. The school has a website with school info and each teacher has a page for hw info and contact message for teacher/ parents.