Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Life] >> Public and Private School Support



Message

MrsTracy72 -> Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/19/2008 2:54:24 PM)

I just got home from vacation and noticed that Walmart had their back to school sale already. I have three kids to shop for this year so we took our lists and got just about everything we need. One thing that shocked me was that for my 2nd grader, I had to get two packages of twistable crayons. I could not believe they specified those crayons. I am only going to send one pack in the beginning of the year because last year, some of the supplies went into a box and kids who didn't have all of their supplies got to take from that. I am all for helping people out, but at the same time, I do alot of that and it is expensive to keep buying things for other people when I have to budget every penny that comes in and goes out myself.



garsyt -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/19/2008 3:22:57 PM)

Me! Me! Me!!

Now I'm not nearly done but I've been getting a little here and a little there - mostly catching things on sale at various places. I've spent a grand total of $7.80 and have bought 50 folders, 80 pencils, a cheap 3 ring binder, 10 single subject notebooks, 3 packages of filler paper, 3 24 count crayons, 6 erasers, 6 glue sticks, and one bottle of glue. I know my kids won't use ALL those folders so I'll just keep them around for next year. I'm considering picking up a few extra things so we can supply the craft supply bins for our new cub scout pack too.

Blessings,

Garsy



artemis -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/19/2008 4:25:01 PM)

I'll probably go next week and buy things for my classroom. I know back-to-school time is expensive for parents, so I try to keep my list of required supplies to a minimum. It's expensive for teachers, too, though [;)] I usually spend ~$75-100 setting up my jr. high classroom and I know that my friends who teach elementary school usually spend a couple hundred dollars...



stampinlady -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/19/2008 10:16:01 PM)

I'm trying to figure out what a high schooler needs????????? Dd is a freshman this year and I've yet to see a list. Dh gave me that "look" and said, "It's high school!" Hmmmmm, should I have slapped him? LOL.[&:] Last year ds had supply boxes already made up and we just had to purchase them. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet.



garsyt -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/19/2008 10:31:05 PM)

Here we don't get lists for high school. Most of the time, from what I hear, the teachers will tell the kids what they need that first day and expect them to have it the next. [&:] Kinda irritating if you ask me! So I'll just buy a bunch of the basics - single subject notebooks, folders, pencils & pens, for my eldest and get what's on the lists for the little guys.

Blessings,

Garsy



MrsTracy72 -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/19/2008 11:01:14 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: stampinlady

I'm trying to figure out what a high schooler needs????????? Dd is a freshman this year and I've yet to see a list. Dh gave me that "look" and said, "It's high school!" Hmmmmm, should I have slapped him? LOL.[&:] Last year ds had supply boxes already made up and we just had to purchase them. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet.



Does the school have a website that you can go to? That is what I had to do for my son. He is in middle school and I have not yet seen their list, but it was on the website so I printed it out. My daughter brough home a list with her report card, and it had a list starting from 4K through 5th grade, so I didn't have to go searching for my other daughter who will be starting school in the fall.



artemis -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/20/2008 8:13:21 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: stampinlady

I'm trying to figure out what a high schooler needs????????? Dd is a freshman this year and I've yet to see a list. Dh gave me that "look" and said, "It's high school!" Hmmmmm, should I have slapped him? LOL.[&:] Last year ds had supply boxes already made up and we just had to purchase them. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet.


He's right [;)] It's high school and they usually don't have a list. Like Garsy said, the teachers will give a list of what is needed for their classes and you'll have to buy them the first week. Most of it will just be folders, pens, pencils, etc., but there's always the weird teacher who asks for a sack of potatoes or 37 magnets [8D] In secondary schools, since everyone is taking different classes, even schools that print a list won't be entirely accurate and individual teachers will add or subtract from that list for their own classroom.



stampinlady -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/20/2008 1:16:04 PM)

quote:

He's right


He usually is.[8D] I guess when you've been buying school supplies for 8 years it just becomes habit! I'm sure the first day will be a panic run on Target or Staples,lol.



Kath -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/20/2008 11:24:44 PM)

We haven't gone shopping yet but I did see that Walmart had all their stuff out.

quote:

I'm trying to figure out what a high schooler needs????????? Dd is a freshman this year and I've yet to see a list.


I doubt if you will get a list, it seems like each teacher has their own requirement. It's safe to get a bunch of pens, pencils, a scientific calculator (I think it's called that, it's one that does algebra equations) and one subject notebooks. Here many teachers ask that the notebook be turned in once a week so they can grade the notes. Folders, backpack, some sort of trapper thing.

quote:

Dh gave me that "look" and said, "It's high school!" Hmmmmm, should I have slapped him? LOL.

Only if you think it will knock some sense into him [8D]*

quote:

Most of the time, from what I hear, the teachers will tell the kids what they need that first day and expect them to have it the next.

That's exactly what happened to us. I was not happy.

quote:

Does the school have a website that you can go to? That is what I had to do for my son. He is in middle school and I have not yet seen their list, but it was on the website so I printed it out.


That's nice. Our schools don't do that (We have been in 3 different highschool districts)


I saw some cool stuff at Office Depot so I'll probably take Linz there for some of it.

*just teasing, as I'm sure Deb knows. Neither one of us I'm sure advocates violence



stampinlady -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 10:26:42 AM)

quote:

*just teasing, as I'm sure Deb knows. Neither one of us I'm sure advocates violence


Well, maybe sometimes ..... .[8D]

I do think I will need to buy dd a scientific cal. because I don't think she has one. I'll stock up on the rest.



artemis -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 10:48:44 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: stampinlady

quote:

*just teasing, as I'm sure Deb knows. Neither one of us I'm sure advocates violence


Well, maybe sometimes ..... .[8D]

I do think I will need to buy dd a scientific cal. because I don't think she has one. I'll stock up on the rest.


My jr. high checks out graphing calculators to all the pre-AP students. The high school I used to teach at checked out graphing calculators to all pre-AP and AP students and had a class set for regular classes. I wouldn't spend too much on a calculator until you know if one will be given out at school. Of course, plain scientific calculators aren't all that expensive...



kernsfamily -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 10:58:14 AM)

Was in Wal-Mart over the weekend....i saw that they did have plenty of "back to school" supplies out and ready to go...

though, we always get the "pre-packaged" school supplies through the PTA....it's been our experience that it costs no more, and saves time.....

my wife is actually the "chair" of the School Supply initiative for this school year...she's having an almost 85% participation rate....

we were at the mall yesterday, and got 2 of the kids a few new outfits for school.....



buckifn -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 11:41:09 AM)

quote:

I am only going to send one pack in the beginning of the year because last year, some of the supplies went into a box and kids who didn't have all of their supplies got to take from that. I am all for helping people out, but at the same time, I do alot of that and it is expensive to keep buying things for other people when I have to budget every penny that comes in and goes out myself.


I think you should make that point clear to the teacher. It's ridiculous that as a homeowner our taxes keep going up to pay for the schools, yet the school's keep demanding more and more from the parent's. There are a whole lot of families facing the same situation you described and I think it's unreasonable to ask them to cover for someone else.

If enough parent's complained the procedure would stop.



Auben -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 11:47:09 AM)

We won't have any good sales until next month so I only look longingly while the boys are in Toys.

For high school it helps to have a college-ruled notebook for each academic class (generally 3-6 notebooks), paper, a 3-ringed binder or two, pencils and pens.

Specialty items like scientific calculators or art notebooks generally don't go on sale much so picking them up in the first week or two won't hurt.



artemis -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 12:16:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: buckifn

quote:

I am only going to send one pack in the beginning of the year because last year, some of the supplies went into a box and kids who didn't have all of their supplies got to take from that. I am all for helping people out, but at the same time, I do alot of that and it is expensive to keep buying things for other people when I have to budget every penny that comes in and goes out myself.


I think you should make that point clear to the teacher. It's ridiculous that as a homeowner our taxes keep going up to pay for the schools, yet the school's keep demanding more and more from the parent's. There are a whole lot of families facing the same situation you described and I think it's unreasonable to ask them to cover for someone else.

If enough parent's complained the procedure would stop.


But that's not the teacher's decision. Most of the funding is earmarked for one program or another, and can't just be moved around to another department. At my old school, I got $75/year total for classroom needs. That didn't even buy the whiteboard markers I needed for an entire year, let alone kleenexes, art supplies, classroom materials, decorations, etc. At my current school, the foreign language department (4 teachers) gets $800/year, but we have to buy our own copy paper and printer ink, which takes over half of our budget. I haven't had a pencil sharpener in my classroom for 2 years because we don't have the money in our department funding and I refuse to pay for it myself [8D] On the other hand, I have 4 overhead projectors in my classroom because they belong to the foreign language department and can't be given to another teacher outside of our department. At one point I also had 3 DVD players, just for my classroom. No paper towels or chalk, of course, but 3 DVD players [8|]



danas_mom -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 12:47:48 PM)

Here is a good ongoing list of school supply sale prices. The light gray entries are expired sales.

The only thing I have yet to buy is some paper towels (.59 each this week at Walgreens, they were out yesterday so I'll check back), kleenex, waterless hand sanitizer, and new backpacks. [:D]



Kath -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 1:15:13 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: stampinlady

quote:

*just teasing, as I'm sure Deb knows. Neither one of us I'm sure advocates violence


Well, maybe sometimes ..... .[8D]


[sm=tonguehappy.gif]

quote:

I do think I will need to buy dd a scientific cal. because I don't think she has one. I'll stock up on the rest.

You can get one for like ten bucks at walmart.

quote:

I wouldn't spend too much on a calculator until you know if one will be given out at school.

That would be nice, our school didn't give them out.

quote:

a 3-ringed binder or two


That's right, I forgot about the binder. The trapper thing has a binder in it I think.

quote:

There are a whole lot of families facing the same situation you described and I think it's unreasonable to ask them to cover for someone else.

I think it's unreasonable too. I wonder, here in NE if a family can't afford to send a child on a school trip and they are on the free lunch program the school has to pay, I wonder if it's the same for school supplies.



zoebob -> RE: Who shopped for School Supplies Already? (7/21/2008 1:30:45 PM)

Office Depot has a scientific calculator for $6.99 with a $7 mail in rebate. However, we have a thread about all this in parenting: HERE so I am closing this thread.

Do not send me PM's about this
Do not discuss this in the public forums.
IF you ahve any questions please contact community@salemwebnetwork.com



Page: [1]



Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.5 ANSI