Let the parents fight over school supplies start....

[Mskanga]

I got my dd's letter yesterday and she got the teacher that told me what supplies they would need , for next year.
Coincidentally I saw her at the store last night and told her that dd would be in her class this year. I asked her if the supply list had changed and she said no, it was still the same she had told me. Well, nothing was mentioned in the letters of what is going to be needed , and most parents do not know the specifics of what they need.
You would think that the school would learn the lesson from last year over parents complaining that they couldn't find the supplies because they were not told on time, but no, they will have the same problem this year.
Let the fights begin, maybe they will learn something for next year!

 

[Pop Daddy]

long post

 

[Mskanga]

It was to wake you up Jason! LOL

 

[Pop Daddy]

Originally posted by Mskanga
It was to wake you up Jason! LOL

actually your on a roll this morning with them, so this 'long post' covers all of them

 

[Mskanga]

Anyway , anything over two words is a long post for you....ROFL.

 

[RitaZ.]

I know it's a major inconvenience, but sometimes those general supplies lists are really useless. If the schools hire new teachers or if the teachers want to implement some changes before school starts, then getting the supplies so early doesn't really help, as we will probably have to buy more supplies once schools starts.

My kids started school yesterday. My DD's teacher is very organized, so she got her supply list on Friday when we went in to meet her. I was able to get her supplies without problems on Saturday. My younger DS's hasn't gotten a supply list yet, I just sent him with what I consider "the essentials". I sent his teacher a note asking her if he needs anything else.

As for my 7th grader, he came home with HIS list yesterday. After dinner, I went with him to buy what he needed. OMG, Walmart was a mob scene and they were out of just about everything we needed. We just walked out and decided to give Kmart a try, which wasn't crowded at all. We got everything we needed except for graph paper and a ruler. A lady came up to me and asked me if I knew where the graph paper was, she told me that she had seen me ask at Walmart for graph paper. We bought what we found at Kmart, then went to Eckerds, they were closed. So, I decided to give Walgreens a try. The other parents that I had run into at Kmart looking for graph paper were now at Walgreens. Anyway, we found everything that he needed and hopefully that's the end of it.

 

[Mskanga]

That is exactly what happened last year in our school, the first day of school the kids were given a list to buy four specific color notebooks with the matching folders for each quarter for every subject, fine and ultra fine point markers, index cards, colored pencils and markers and a bunch of other things.
Of course parents went crazy trying to find notebooks with matching folders because the store was out of everything, and the kids were told for everyday that they came to school without it, they would take credit away from them.
The parents were furious and even had a meeting on open day with the teachers to resolve the issue. They were told that next year ( this year ) the kids would be given a note with all they needed when school was over in June along with the report card, which never happened.
Four out of the six 6th grade teachers are the same , and according to the one my daughter got , everything is the same this year. I just don't know why even two weeks before school starts, they don't tell the parents what they need and make it a bit easier for everyone.

 

[Kallison]

I just buy the same stuff every year. I have a xerox box here filled with supplies and extras for the coming school year. If a teacher wants a specific color folder and notebook and I can't find it -- well then we just write RED on the blue folder. I'm not going to knock myself out to find an orange duo-tang folder. I work in a middle school and about 1/3 of the kids show up without even a pencil and they are not penalized.

 

[RitaZ.]

If a teacher wants a specific color folder and notebook and I can't find it -- well then we just write RED on the blue folder.

LOL

I work in a middle school and about 1/3 of the kids show up without even a pencil and they are not penalized.

Some teachers are very strict on what supplies the students are required to have and will penalize the students that don't have them.

 

[Cinders]

Around here the supply lists can be found at the local WalMarts as you enter the store. We have a new WalGreen's and they too had the lists about 3-4 weeks ago. School started today and the only thing the boys did not have was the special math paper the school makes them use. The school was supposed to have it available at registration but registration was a disaster. The school presented us with a sheet of info about our students to proofread......name, grade, address, emergency numbers and relatives. Usually we have a card to fill out. These pre-done sheets were so filled with mistakes I suggested to the person collecting them they fire the person that created them. It took more time to find and correct all the mistakes than it would have to just fill out a new card. The school never gave the bus drivers their students lists so noone had any idea when the buses would arrive at their houses. Funny how when kids make mistakes they get in major trouble but when the school screws up its no big deal.

 

[dizagain]

Don't wanna rub it in, but...I'M DONE!!! We did get supply lists in the report cards and I had everything pretty much bought well before my girls started school last Thursday. I only had one major issue this year. Our school PTA sells "wrap packs" with all the required supplies for each grade. Well my girls and I actually enjoy shopping for the stuff (early with no crowds!) and I don't buy the pre-pckaged stuff. Well, I heard one teacher complaining that she just knew she had a trashy class with no good parents because there were only seven kids with the wrap packs. Excuse me? Wrap packs as a status symbol??? No, she isn't one of our teachers...thank goodness. That was a first for me....I don't think I've ever been considered trashy and no good as a mom before. Hey...I even followed their crazy supply lists to the letter! Oh the joys of starting back to school. Have fun, everyone and I hope it's a great year!

 

[LadyAurora]

Here in FL we had a "Tax-free week," which is a week of no sales tax on items needed for school. I guess they do this every year before school if the state isn't in the red. Anyway, only about half of the schools had their lists ready in time for the sales tax break. Many parents were in the store complaining loudly, but if the school doesn't provide the list until after the week is over, what can the store do? I just advised the parents to purchase the basic stuff (paper, folders, pens, etc.) while there was no tax.
You would think the schools could be on the ball in the case of a big opportunity like this...and it was announced with plenty of notice.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

This reminds me of my years in school when the local Eckerds would sell X packages of notebook paper for like $1 each or something. But you could only buy X number of packages. So my mother would load up myself, my 2 sibs and several neighbor kids and send us each through the line with the amount of paper we were allowed to buy. We'd do this several times over and that way we all had enough paper to last the entire year. I'm sure the cashiers thought it was awfully odd to see a 4 year old stumbling through the line with notebook paper and handing him a bill to pay for it.

TOV

 

[sjh801]

Originally posted by Kallison
I just buy the same stuff every year. I have a xerox box here filled with supplies and extras for the coming school year. If a teacher wants a specific color folder and notebook and I can't find it -- well then we just write RED on the blue folder. I'm not going to knock myself out to find an orange duo-tang folder. I work in a middle school and about 1/3 of the kids show up without even a pencil and they are not penalized.

I'm one teacher who would call you smart and resourceful! It would be nice if everything were color coordinated and super organized, but this is life. We all do the best we can. Parents need to do what is best and works for their children. I would never expect parents to abide by a supply list as if it were set in stone. I have never made a supply list of "required" items and it never causes a problem! We work with what we have. I suggest items that the students may bring. Then I focus on the important things...

like teaching and learning.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

I hate buying school supplies.


My sister is lucky. The schools in her district send out letters stating that a parent can send the PTA money and they will buy all the school supplies for their child. The PTA buys the supplies in bulk, the parents don't have to worry about school supplies and the PTA makes a little bit of money.

 

[PigletsPal]

Originally posted by gottaluvPluto
I hate buying school supplies.


My sister is lucky. The schools in her district send out letters stating that a parent can send the PTA money and they will buy all the school supplies for their child. The PTA buys the supplies in bulk, the parents don't have to worry about school supplies and the PTA makes a little bit of money.

GOD BLESS THAT PTA!!!!!

How lucky can you get. I thought I was very smart this year and bought a bunch of stuff and still had to go out last night to Wal-Mart and to Eckards and I'm still missing one item that I'm on the way out the door now to fine.
I DON"T enjoy school supply shopping I would rather have a trip to the GYN DR instead...........

 

[PigletsPal]

Originally posted by gottaluvPluto
I hate buying school supplies.


My sister is lucky. The schools in her district send out letters stating that a parent can send the PTA money and they will buy all the school supplies for their child. The PTA buys the supplies in bulk, the parents don't have to worry about school supplies and the PTA makes a little bit of money.

GOD BLESS THAT PTA!!!!!

How lucky can you get. I thought I was very smart this year and bought a bunch of stuff and still had to go out last night to Wal-Mart and to Eckards and I'm still missing one item that I'm on the way out the door now to fine.
I DON"T enjoy school supply shopping I would rather have a trip to the GYN DR instead...........

 

[CookieGVB]

Originally posted by dizagain
Well, I heard one teacher complaining that she just knew she had a trashy class with no good parents because there were only seven kids with the wrap packs. Excuse me? Wrap packs as a status symbol??? No, she isn't one of our teachers...thank goodness. That was a first for me....I don't think I've ever been considered trashy and no good as a mom before. Hey...I even followed their crazy supply lists to the letter! Oh the joys of starting back to school. Have fun, everyone and I hope it's a great year!

If I heard a teacher refer to her students or their families as trashy, I'd have confronted her, and complained to the principal. Totally uncalled-for comment on her part.

We were in Staples last year at the last minute, and it looked like Toys "R" Us on Christmas Eve!

As far as supplies go, I think I'm pretty well set with my sons. We have marble and spiral notebooks, homework pads, graph paper, folders, pens, pencils, colored pencils, erasers, rulers, book socks, a calculator for the 8th grader, white out pens...if they're missing anything, I can't think of what it could be!

 

[browneyes]

I had this fight 2 1/2 weeks ago. My kids have been in school since August 2nd.

Walmart has a list of school supplies that the schools fax to them. Walmart usually puts these lists out about 2 weeks before we get our letters from the school telling us the teachers' names and what supplies are needed. They didn't have my dd's school list ready until after we got our letters, and had Open House at the school (which was the Thursday before school started). It was worse than last minute Christmas shopping when we were trying to get the things on my dd's list. It didn't help we got the list during the No-Tax weekend too.

 

[Jeafl]

Fortunately, it's pretty easy in our district. We are given a printed list of what each grade needs with the last report card from the year before. Then, in the middle of summer they send you another copy of the same list. Also, every store, Walmart, KMart, Target. Walgreens, Staples, Office Depot, etc. has copies of the list as well. Since most of those stores have flyers advertising sales on school supplies starting in early August, we just pick everything up then.

It took me awhile to figure out that I should epick up extra pencils, markers, paper, etc. at this time of year. We always get the letter from teachers around Christmas saying they need to replenish those supplies. The prices are much higher then, and things are much harder to find.