I went to the school ... ( about the school supplies list )

[Mskanga]

And I was basically told that they don't know what the kids in sixth grade are going to need because the teachers will not be there to get things ready until two weeks before school. That's when they print out the letters saying what teacher they get and the homeroom number, and if we are lucky we get the letters a week before they start.
Lucky me one of the 6th grade teachers was there and she gave me a heads up on what they are going to need since they are very specific with some things.
Last year the parents had a huge problem because of this , imagine going to the stores the last week of August , along with another 1000 parents in the district , and try to find those supplies when the store shelves are practically empty.
Some things you can buy in advance, but others you cannot.
If they know what they needed last year , why can't the parents get a heads up sooner?
I offered my help to put a plan together to let the parents know , but it was basically going in one ear and out the other.
But then the teachers will be the first ones to complain if the kids don't have the right supplies the first week of school.

 

[hentob]

Is this a public school? I wonder what the kids do that are poor or that parents could care less about?

Having a list of school supplies would NEVER fly here. My son had to bring in a folder this year. One folder. Would you believe that some parents complained!?!?! These were the same ones that could afford the $4 for a pack of cigs, though. Priorities.

Hentob

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That is just terrible! It is an example of the school working against the community instead of for it. Keep pushing maybe you can get it going for next year.

That is kinda of what happened here. Schools started putting there lists out at WalMart/Target/OfficeMax and then people in other districts like me would call the school to say hey, so & so's list is here why can't I have mine. Now they all do it.

 

[stinkerbelle]

whatever happened to showing up to school with pens/pencils, calculator, and a three ring binder w/ loose leaf paper in it?

I LOVED school supply shopping when I was a kid...still do, I could browse in Staples for hours...

my father always took us shopping for this stuff AFTER school started...I never heard of a list being published before hand...we always got all that information on the first day of school.

my how things have changed

 

[Pinnie]

Please remember one thing, some districts haven't finalized teaching assignments yet.

I know that "I" will be teaching kindergarten in the fall but a number of my co-workers haven't received their assignments yet. Many teachers have specific units they teach and have specific folders, Trapper Keeprs, etc. that they require but the school can't give out the supply list until the final assignments can be made.

While it would be ideal to have them made by now, funding issues, class count, and other factors are taken into consideration.

pinnie

 

[The Mystery Machine]

FYI...

Target started putting out the supplies (here) & I bought some. Let the school shopping BEGIN!


Wow our teachers got there assignments 2 weeks ago.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I need to say that I wish I had parents that even cared what school supplies their child needed. I do not know your school system but I can tell you in mine we are NOT allowed to ask for school supplies in the elementary grades.I provide everything except pencils and paper. WE do get 6 crayons per child but I am sure if you have kids that you know that little ones like more than just primary colors.
IF you think that the teachers are holding back information or simply do not care you are wrong. I am SURE they would like to know who they have in advance too and for more than just the reason that they could give out lists for supplies. Sometimes they do not let them know who will be in their class because the class list changes dramatically over the summer. If you have a lot of rental units in your city then the class they would start with in June would be totally different in Sept. Kids need to be rearragned to keep the class balanced. Certainly it is not a case of schools working against the community. That really is a little strong in relation to school supplies.

 

[Karel]

In our elementary school, we get a list with their last report card - and it is quite a list. But it's nice to have and each grade asks for a few different items.

When my son started middle school, I had no idea what he needed and it was frustrating. He went to school the first day empty handed and sure enough, each teacher wanted different things.

Have you every tried shopping for school things after school has started?? The sales lady in Target stared at me like I had two heads when I asked for loose leaf paper. It's a seasonal thing and they don't stock it year round. Left me wondering what you do if you run out in December.

This year we'll try Staples and hopefully will have a better choice of notebooks than the bright pink with kittens and hearts all over them.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I am sure you all know this but just in case, take any sale fliers to Wal Mart and they will match the price. If for example, Staples has an item like Crayola Crayons for 25c for 24everyone will run to Staples and then they will run out. Instead take the flier to Wal Mart they will usually have the same item and most likely plenty of it. I know last year I was buying supplies for my class and went to Staples one hour after they opened and they were out. I went to wal mart down the street and not only did they have the crayons but they were 13c for 24!!! I guess I have a love/hate relationship with Wal Mart.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Around here, they always have generic lists per school and grade posted at all the supply stores... I guess the schools provide the stores with them? Anyways. They are not out yet.

In my hometown, the PTA at schools started compiling school supply boxes for parents... they would contact each specific teacher, get the exact list, and then purchase all the items in bulk, wrpa them up in a box, and sell them to parents that didn't want to bother shopping for them. Mom said it was the greatest thing a person had ever come up with. THe week before classes started, you just went to the school cafeteria and picked your box of supplies up. You ordered them over the summer, I think... sent out a mailout.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Originally posted by Bella the Ball 360
That really is a little strong in relation to school supplies.

Let me clarify. In my area, we are the ones responsible for providing the teacher with the supplies. Pencils, paper, dry erase makers, kleenex, etc...
I was being specific TO MY AREA, not yours.
In the past the school would give it out at the last minute which was just insane at the stores. Now the lists are put out and it has helped tremendously. The parents pushed for it!!!

Edited to add..
We have a ton of Catholic schools & a district on year-round and they would swoop in and get all the "good" stuff before us. So our community figured something out that works for all.

That is what I mean.

 

[hentob]

I have to ask again--Are these public schools? And if so, how do they deal with the parents that say "Uh, yeah right. Shove that list where the sun don't shine. I pay school taxes!".

Yup, that would be the Battle Cry around here

No kidding, some parents around here won't even buy crayons or pencils.

Hentob
........who was once upon a time a teacher and has heard "I pay school taxes" one too many times.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Public & Private!

 

[Mskanga]

IF you think that the teachers are holding back information or simply do not care you are wrong. I am SURE they would like to know who they have in advance too and for more than just the reason that they could give out lists for supplies. Sometimes they do not let them know who will be in their class because the class list changes dramatically over the summer.

I don't think knowing in advance who is going to be on your list of students has any effect on what the kids are going to need as far as supplies. What I think they do have a problem with is that this school used to be only K-5 , now for the last two years it has been K-6 and sixth grade alone is another ball game but I think they could have learned their lesson from the last two years. They know the basic things they will need , why not let the parents know in advance? If the parents then decide to ignore the request or not buy the supplies , that's their choice.
While I realize that there are parents out there who don't really care , there are far more out there who do.

I know that the assignments are not finalized yet , they never are until the week before, but the basics are always there. I will speak to the principal when I see him this week and see if there's any kind of plan that we can put together , I have helped out with many other things in school, I can help with this too.

 

[Mskanga]

Our school is public and it does supply with some things , but that comes from the PTO , not the school.
As a taxpayer I want my money to pay for academic instruction , not for supplies, I will gladly pay for those if you let me know what I need.

 

[aprincessmom]

DD is in public school now. When she was in a private school we didn't supply anything except tuition and the child.

When she moved into public school I had to supply crayons, markers, erasers, rulers, scissors, glue, kleenex, disinfectant wipes (to clean the desks after snack time), soap for washing hands in the classroom, folders for storing classwork and writing journals. The school provided 3 pencils for the year...which, when you are 7 years old, doesn't really cut it because they get lost easily.

This does not include the invariable lists of materials that came home for projects which are sent home throughout the school year. We are also asked by teachers to send in more than what our child needs to help cover for other children whose parents may not be able to afford to outfit them properly in the school supply area.

I was told to wait this year to buy her supplies as the teachers in the school she's going to this year have very specific supplies (down to brand names). Keep in mind this is only 3rd grade. I have some things that came home with her from last year (e.g., scissors, ruler, calculator) and have been stocking up on things like tissues, wipes, and the like when they are on sale but I haven't bought any journals, notebooks, etc. I can only imagine the rush around school time. UGH!!!!

 

[cynsaun]

My girls are in year round school and just started back on Monday. About $125 and a HUGE headache later, we were all set. Of course, we had to drive all over town to find the specific things that the teachers wanted. Can I tell you how hard it is to find an aqua folder when the stores are just starting to put out the back-to-school supplies?

edited to add: The $125 was only for school supplies, not clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc!

 

[Cindy B]

I worked in a middle school, 6th grader, and actually, students were ok the first day of school without many supplies.

the only tricky thing was the acordian folder. Fortunately Target, Staples, OfficeMax, and Walmart all had them.

Our kids (public school) got thier supply list in thir report cards. Actually, most of the supplies are pretty easy, and we have most of it. The only "new" thing is a set of inexpensive headphones for their personal laptop use. (Each student is assigned a laptop which they use weekly)

I need to get some things, but working in the school definetely helps.

 

[disneyjunkie]

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[MI mom of 3]

I got my 7th grade sons list in his report card. My youngest son will be in 6th grade and I still had the list from last year. They never change so I was all set. Did most of my shopping this week at Target. The kids freaked when I brought them all home. "NOOo NOOO it's not time yet!!"

I am a para pro in my son's school. Those lists are just guidelines, I'm not sure about other states but in Michigan public schools cannot require you to purchase anything. The school must provide anything they want you to use. Now let me say I have always sent in everything they needed. I can afford to get my kids what they need adn I love school supply shopping.
However, I was in a class last year where the teacher was going to start lowering kids grades for every day they were late bringing in a notebook that she required. I had to remind here that that is against state law. She said she didn't know.

Good luck getting your lists. I remember the years when it would come home in a packet of information on the first day of school.