What do you do with your child's paperwork?

[corie161]

So, I am generally a tosser, of paper especially. I have been busted more than once, throwing either something that my DD or DS deemed important, or worse yet something that they were supposed to bring back to school and I didn't know about it.

I need to find a system of handling all the papers they bring home from school, so that I don't throw away something that's important. Just yesterday my DD had a sheet from a science packet that said incomplete. When I asked her about it she said she need to bring back a packet. Well, needless to say, I have no idea where this packet is, most likely it was tossed in the circular file. I wrote a note to the teacher and have requested a new one, telling him that it more than likely was thrown. Part of the issue is my DD not being overly organized when it comes to this stuff and she needs to work on that end of the deal.

I do keep special projects that they do, in a tote, but not all their day to day papers. So I'm interested in how other households handle the paper flow.

 

[N.Bailey]

I just deal with it immediately upon seeing it. If it's something I don't need to send back, it goes into the trash. If it needs signed and returned, I just do it right then. If however it's something like yearbook forms, or picture forms that are sent a little in advance, I keep them right here at my computer so they're within easy reach when I need them. I fill out what I need at the time it's due and then toss the rest.

For school work, the kids are responsible for taking care of that themselves.

I do keep all papers of school work that come home in a folder till the end of the school year. I then go thru the folder and decide what I want to keep to remind me now (and to give to them at a later time) of that school year.

In our area, I guess there is a senior project where all students must complete a portfolio in 12th grade. We were told that to complete that portfolio, they'd need to keep things from all the high school years. I could have a complete portfolio from k thru 12th. LOL

 

[packetminnie]

I have a bin for all graded papers. I have a folder for all papers that need to go back. I have a binder w/dividers for everything else. I have a hole punch and everything goes in the binder. I clean out the binder every semester. Yes it is a lot of stuff. I have learned the hard way that if I throw away that memo from the principal from the 1st wk of school I will need it in Nov.

 

[Beth76]

My son's in K so there's not much in the way of homework that needs to be turned it. But he brings home sooooooo many paper it's driving me insane. I can not keep up with it. Like the pp said, I deal with it as soon as he comes home. I pull everything out of his backpack. I have a folders that I keep in a plastic file folder. I have folders for PTO info, general school info, general classroom info, classroom activities that we need to work on. I also have a big clear plastic storage bin that all of his projects, graded school work goes into. He does a lot of "free draws" which most go into the recycle bin.

But even as I say this I have a huge pile of papers on my desk and one on the kitchen table. I've lost a small project that he's been working on. I know I'll find it somewhere and it's not due anytime soon. But I'm just completely overwhelmed by all of this.

ETA: And to top it off I have a huge stack of stuff from when I was in school that my mom just brought over from her house. It has all my old report cards and stuff like that. What the heck am I supposed to do with that.

 

[SamRoc]

I wrote this before but on another thread. I have a neighbor who actually puts her kids papers in the oven!! I of course dont suggest doing that! But I still couldnt believe she did, considering it was such a fire hazard. As for me, i recently purchased a shredder, and shred anything with my kids names on it. But i do save important papers, and have a filing cabinet (2 drawers) with just school papers in it.

 

[N.Bailey]

My son's in K so there's not much in the way of homework that needs to be turned it. But he brings home sooooooo many paper it's driving me insane. I can not keep up with it. Like the pp said, I deal with it as soon as he comes home. I pull everything out of his backpack. I have a folders that I keep in a plastic file folder. I have folders for PTO info, general school info, general classroom info, classroom activities that we need to work on. I also have a big clear plastic storage bin that all of his projects, graded school work goes into. He does a lot of "free draws" which most go into the recycle bin.

But even as I say this I have a huge pile of papers on my desk and one on the kitchen table. I've lost a small project that he's been working on. I know I'll find it somewhere and it's not due anytime soon. But I'm just completely overwhelmed by all of this.

ETA: And to top it off I have a huge stack of stuff from when I was in school that my mom just brought over from her house. It has all my old report cards and stuff like that. What the heck am I supposed to do with that.

You wait till they get a little older and look back on some of the things they'd done in the early years. I have a Christmas list that my daughter made in kindergarten, 9 years ago. I can't remember most of it, but I recall 2 items on the list, Tommy Hill Figure clothes and High Hell shoes. I know there were MANY funny ones on the list.

One paper she wrote about her summer vacation, we stayed in a sweet.

Every time I pull things out to look at them (and it's rare), I do always reminisce for hours on end. The kids really get a kick out of reading things they'd done in the early years too.

 

[All American]

1. Get stackable paper trays.
2. Label one with daughter's name.
3. Label the other with son's name.
4. Put trays in an area they will pass coming in the house from school (our's was on the kitchen counter by the fridge).
5. Have your kids put the paperwork in their tray.

There, now it will end up in one place without you having to search for it. Every day, go through the paper. Toss what you can. If it needs to be signed, sign it and return it to the tray for your child to pick up on his way to school.

There are alot of kids in my family, and this system worked great.

 

[corie161]

I should say that I do have a process for handling the paperwork. I immediately go through the book bag, any memo type things from the school for things in a future date go into a binder. Artwork goes into a tote. Graded papers generally go to the trash, but in this case, the paper apparantly hadn't been graded, and I thought it was and was tossed. In this particular case she had missed a day of school because of a trip we took and she had the homework in advance to work on in the car. I think it was scattered around the vehicle, I assumed she didn't need it and threw it.

I think from now on I'll throw everything into a large envelope box, in case something needs to be found again, after I thought they were done with it.

 

[HOGFAN]

grocery bag in the closet then to the recyclers at the end of the year

 

[barkley]

since my kids (and i) have been chided (and instructed to re-do) by teachers,work "never turned in' only to not only realise the work has been turned in but also returned with 'a' as the original grades...as the kids get their school work back, i put it into a pile. about once per month i go through it and batch it by kid and subject. a few weeks before the end of the grade period i make a point of asking the teacher for a written list of all missing paperwork-i go through the pile and pull out the papers they have submitted, had graded...and personaly turn it into the teacher with a notation on their handwritten list (which i've kept a photocopy of).

i understand teachers can be overwhelmed, but after more than a few years of teachers insisting my kids have not turned in things, going through their piles of graded returned stuff and finding not only one but as many as 3 submissions of the same assignments (all with the same high letter grades)-i figure, just like with tax stuff-i'm gonna file and keep it in case an audit is needed.

 

[RitaZ.]

1. Get stackable paper trays.
2. Label one with daughter's name.
3. Label the other with son's name.
4. Put trays in an area they will pass coming in the house from school (our's was on the kitchen counter by the fridge).
5. Have your kids put the paperwork in their tray.

There, now it will end up in one place without you having to search for it. Every day, go through the paper. Toss what you can. If it needs to be signed, sign it and return it to the tray for your child to pick up on his way to school.

There are alot of kids in my family, and this system worked great.

We use the same system, which works great. The triple trays are on top of what I call "the school supply cabinet", next to the electric pencil sharpener. We keep everything that's school related in it: supplies, pencils, hole punchers, pipe cleaners, construction paper, etc. You name it, it's in there.

I don't save everything though. Now that my kids are older, I'll save good stories, drawings, special projects, etc. At the end of the week, I go through the trays and ask them what they need and what gets thrown out.

 

[KarenB]

My DSs are in high schol now, but beginning in about middle school, this is what I have been doing. I have a box for each child. I look at their papers and toss them into their box. I keep everything. Then once the last report card comes home and school is officially over, I go through each box, keeping what I want to keep. By middle school there is not much to keep anymore, usually art projects and I like to save creative writing pieces.

Karen

 

[aprilgail2]

I have big rubbermaid containers that I keep all her projects in and artwork, report cards and other interesting papers, everyday stuff like math, spelling etc goes in the garbage the end of the week. I have one rubbermaid container for birth-first and just started another one for second grade. I have her hospital bracelet, first outfit she wore, blankie, her nukky etc in there too...

 

[tiggerlover]

I file all of DS's papers in the roll top desk, I just keep piling it up in case he needs it to refer to during the year. At the end of the year we go through the papers and keep what he deems important in his special box, the rest gets tossed.

 

[pkasbohm]

I keep the kids report cards and that is it unless it is something they did special for mothers/fathers day. Everything else goes in the trash

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

My daughter brings 3-7 sheets of work home every day. Honestly, I think it would be cheaper to buy those kids a laptop!

I have a rubbermaid container that has its lid removed, and it slides underneath my bed. I look at the papers every day and then give them to her to put in the box. At the end of the nine weeks, we'll toss the ones we don't want to save.

 

[elizke]

I've tried to start a new system this year, and I'm still tweaking it but it is better than before...

I go through the papers for both kids, and each paper goes to....

1. Recycling (most papers)

2. Stackable paper trays (needs to be referenced or returned soon)

3. Large bulletin board on door in kitchen (spelling lists for the week, project assignments, and one or two pieces of recent artwork each kid.)

4. Binder notebook (year-long reference information like schedules and teacher contact info)

5. Or signed and back into the backpack.

It's working very well. The best part is the bulletin board. I bought a large cheapie from Walmart and painted the wood frame white to go with the kitchen.)

My area of "still needs improvement" is the ones I decide to keep for good. All my forever saves are a huge mess.

Most of my improvements were inspired by Binny and this thread....(thanks Binny!)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1176766&referrerid=&highlight=back+to+school+challenge

 

[mickeyboat]

The girls usually bring home papers in their folders, weekly. When I get home on Fridays, I go through those papers, either address what I need to address immediately, or return it back to their folders to deal with later.

I take their graded papers, and hang them on the bulletin board in the kitchen, displaying the best or cutest ones. Then I take the papers from last week and toss them. The kids will usually sit down some time over the weekend and show us their work.

Denae

 

[jodifla]

My DS is still a preschooler, but I keep everything for the year in a drawer, then clean it out at the end of the year. I keep some stuff for every year for the scrapbook.