My Baby Starts School...

[sconnell]

Ok, so my little darling dear starts school (PreK in a PreK-12 grade school) and it just hit me that I'm new at this. I've been a student, a teacher, an aunt, a friend, but so far, I've never had a kid in school. I've got a school supply list and I'm ready to go. But, you know what? I'm questioning my ability to buy school supplies! lol.
List says, "2 plastic pocket folders (pockets in bottom with prongs)" I'm not 100% sure if they mean the kind that are like the paper ones or something else.
List says, "Small plastic school box (Approx. 8"x5")" Is this the normal size? Am I going to have to look for something with a ruler?
I want to do exactly what they want! Am I the only one who feels like I need to take the supply sheet over to the school and ask what they mean? (Fortunately, all I have to do is walk over since they are on the same campus as where I work.)
Am I the only crazy one , or are their other nervous moms out there? (Note: I'm not the worrying type, but today, it's hitting me. )

 

[runwad]

You're just hahaha, just kidding. My baby is starting Kindergarten but he has two older sisters so this is old hat for us...don't worry about having the supplies for the first day you can always get them after school starts if you're not sure on something, but I do know that what you listed is a regular school supply box size, and I should've copied your post cause I forget your question with the pocket folders, but yes I'm 99.9% sure they are talking about the paper ones, if it was a binder (vinyl folder) they'd of said 1/2" binder or 1" binder. Have fun

 

[pooksma]

I understand. We only have 1 baby and he starts K in September. Im a teacher myself and still unsure as to what school he will be attending(we applied for a school he's not zoned for) never mind supplies! I feel so guilty when I think I will be greeting other peoples kids on the first day and not standing with my own!

 

[ksloane]

List says, "2 plastic pocket folders (pockets in bottom with prongs)" I'm not 100% sure if they mean the kind that are like the paper ones or something else.
List says, "Small plastic school box (Approx. 8"x5")" Is this the normal size? Am I going to have to look for something with a ruler?
(Note: I'm not the worrying type, but today, it's hitting me. )

Since the word plastic is there, I'm thinking they don't mean paper. They make folders (I think I got mine at Staples) that are made out of a very thin plastic. They are more durable. In my daughter's case (she's going into 1st this year), they tried using the paper folders. These came home every day with papers, notes, etc. Well after taking one of those cheap paper folders in and out for a few week, they were rough looking...And we were careful, I can't imagine those that got on buses and got them in and out over and over. In other words, paper folders have a very shot life span with Kindergarteners. I've not noticed these plastic folders at Wal-Mart, but they may have them (I've never looked).

Yes, that's the standard sized box. You won't need a ruler.

You should have a much better year being there on campus. I also teach on a PK - 12 campus and love that I'm right there. Of course, my daughter would not let me even come with her the first day of Kg. She was too big for that. Of course, she had gone to Pre-K the previous year and been up there with me getting my room ready and helping her new teacher get her room ready for a week or more before school started.

 

[lauritagoddess]

I'd give them a call. My DS is starting pre-K in September at pre-K to 8 school where they wear uniforms. I've already called to ask questions about the uniforms. I haven't even gotten the supply list yet but I'm sure I'll have questions about it too. I just tell myself that I'm not the only one, lol.

 

[justkeepswimmin]

My dd is starting 1st grade today and it was actually a little harder than K for me as K was only just under 3 hours a day and she is now full day. I have a baby at home but the house has been so quiet this morning without her here.

I too am supply challenged. I went out this weekend and the list said "box of blank 3x5 cards". I debated with myself in the school supply aisle for like 10 minutes over whether this just meant a pack of cards or if I needed to buy a card box and fill it with the index cards. The good news is there were lots of other moms there with lists scratching their heads!

 

[NotUrsula]

Here's a tip: petition your school to make one of their fundraisers a "supply pack", much cheaper and easier than buying them separately, and everything the teachers specify is in them. You order at the end of the previous year, and they are delivered for the start of school. Most folks don't think about pre-ordering them for kindies, but it is usually possible.

Here's a good laugh: when DS was starting kindy, his list included "brads". I'm a cabinetmaker's daughter, and I could not for the life of me figure out what a 5 yo was going to do with a box of brads, but I bought them. When DH saw them, he asked why I'd bought nails, and I said, "These are brads, not nails." He nearly wet himself laughing, and pointed out that what I knew as brass paper fasteners are known in writing circles as brads. I had to get them at an office supply store, and the smallest box they had contained 200 of them. (BTW, the brads went with the blank 3 x 5 index cards, the children wrote their vocabulary words on the cards and then used the brads to make the stack into a word fan.)

 

[sconnell]

lol. I talked to several people before I bumped into the right person, a PreK teacher! The plastic folder is just like the paper folders with the prongs and pockets except plastic. The box is the standard size. lol. (Another thing, I wondered if they had to have the 16 count box of crayons or if more was ok, the first 2 people I talked to said that they had to have the 16 count, but the PreK teacher said at least 16 count, so 24 or 48 is ok. The giant box would be overkill though. (I've got 20 boxes of 24 count boxes where they were on sale for $.20 last year. I thought how weird that the 24 is cheaper than the 16 or even the 8 count! So I bought it up!)

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I agree, don't get too hung up on the exact wording. I did this last year when we got the supply list for kindergarten. The teacher specified that the folders had to have prongs, so we couldn't get DS the really cool folders (Batman, basketball, etc. themed) that he really wanted, just plain-color ones. Not once did the prongs get used, they just needed ones with the pockets. They were used to send schoolwork home, and to send information back and forth between parents (permission slips, school newsletter, school calendar, etc.) If you get the paper folders, the world won't end, you just might need to replace it sooner.

It's funny, the list is so specific about some things, and then not others. Ours specified to have 'hand cleanser', and all our Target had was boxes of individual packets of wipes. When we brought the supplies in, I saw that the other parents had brought either a big tub of wipes, or bottles of the bacterial gel. Ah, well...

 

[NotUrsula]

Now you see, I could have helped you add prongs to your folders because the prongs are just "brads", and after all, I've had 197 of the little buggers taking up space in my desk for 4 years now.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

 

[BuzzNutt]

My son starts K in Sept. There was a sale on school supplies a week ago and I bought out the store. I am not sure if we need any of the things I bought but I wanted to cover my bases!

 

[sconnell]

Ok, I'm headed to Walmart tonight everyone! Wish me luck!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Here's a tip: petition your school to make one of their fundraisers a "supply pack", much cheaper and easier than buying them separately, and everything the teachers specify is in them. You order at the end of the previous year, and they are delivered for the start of school. Most folks don't think about pre-ordering them for kindies, but it is usually possible./QUOTE]
Our school does the supply packs too and its wonderful. Last May we gave the parents club $20 for each kid's starter kit. and on the first day of school, well, that night we have an ice cream social on the play ground and the kids get their supplies. It works out well for all concerned, parents don't have to shop and all the kids get basically the same type of supplies - so there is no competition over who has this and who has that.

 

[campingcorgi]

We had one start first grade on the 17th also! We were shopping around looking for a particular brand of folders--never found them and had to go with a different brand.

Make sure you buy a few extra supplies--we are playing school right now with some of the extra things

 

[java]

How is this for a list item...
pre-reinforced wide ruled notebook paper(if unavailable just reinforce them yourself)


HELLO TEACHER!! I have 4 kids I don't have time to reinforce 100 pages of notebook paper right now... I suppose that could be a rainy day project for my older 2 but come on....
And here's a question. My son is in middle school so this year his list is divided by subject-(each teacher putting on their requirements) several ask for binders- all different sizes ranging from a 1 inch to a 3 inch. So do I have to buy 5 binders? or can I just buy one and section it off? Or maybe 2? What the heck and they get marked as missing assigments if they don't come in with their supplies day one!(oh and I found this on their district website so if you don't check that you won't know- they won't be mailing it out)

 

[sconnell]

How is this for a list item...
pre-reinforced wide ruled notebook paper(if unavailable just reinforce them yourself)


HELLO TEACHER!! I have 4 kids I don't have time to reinforce 100 pages of notebook paper right now... I suppose that could be a rainy day project for my older 2 but come on....
And here's a question. My son is in middle school so this year his list is divided by subject-(each teacher putting on their requirements) several ask for binders- all different sizes ranging from a 1 inch to a 3 inch. So do I have to buy 5 binders? or can I just buy one and section it off? Or maybe 2? What the heck and they get marked as missing assigments if they don't come in with their supplies day one!(oh and I found this on their district website so if you don't check that you won't know- they won't be mailing it out)

 

[I Believe n Fairies]

My dd starts kindy on Aug 9th. She is more than ready to start, but I am the nervous one!!

We got our supple list when we enrolled in April. I've carried it around with me since then, when I saw something hard to find, I picked it up. I'm almost done. The only thing I still have to get is a BOX of Expo Dry Erase Markers. Mind you, there will be approx 17 students in the class. Will she actually go thru 170 markers in 180 days??? Our list was VERY brand specific, too.

We only have about 2 weeks of summer left.... But we'll be in WDW in Sept, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!

 

[babynurse1]

My baby is starting K this year too. Don't worry if you don't have exactly what's needed on the first day, they don't do much. The teachers usually send out a confirmation list the first day. (some parents don't do school shopping until the second week of school)
As for the brand specific, I talked to the principal one day and mentioned this. He said it's because Elmers glue really does work better than xyz, and Fiskars scissors last longer and cut better than xyz. He said they don't have a contract with the companies , they're just trying to help the kids out and not have parents buying 10 prs. of scissors in one school year.
On a side note, I have had a little person at home with me for the past 13 years and I won't know what to do! . A friend of mine said "Don't worry you get used to it real quick!"

 

[pooh4evr]

My DD got on the bus today at 8:45! We did great no tears from either of us I am just so proud of her and excited for her to be starting a new adventure! DD#2 starts preschool tomorrow so they'll both be gone what am I going to do!! Well for a couple of hours anyway DD#2 goes 3 mornings a week while kindergarten is 5 full days from 9-4 so I guess I look for haer around 4:30. Maybe my house MIGHT be dare I say it CLEAN !!