RANT School Supply list - Page 2

[jennlyn]

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[dubfam]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

I wonder if they want K to wait because they don't really need anything?

But the letter says they will give us a supply list on the first day of class, so it really sounds like we will be buying stuff. Besides, I can't imagine not having to buy school supplies, where would they come from? Doesn't everyone in public school have to buy supplies?

[Bekka]

DS is starting KG:

he needed 4 boxes of 24 crayola crayons
one plastic supplies box
one pair fiskars scissors
10 yellow #2 pencils
1 bottle 4 oz. Elmers school glue
1 pkg Crayola markers
1 large box tissues
1 pkg gallon size ziploc bags (boys)
one sturdy plastic folder
4 or 5 jumbo Elmers glue sticks

Not too bad. Maybe it will give you some hints. I don't remember how much it all cost, but they like had crayons for 27c a box or something like that. Cheaper now.

[CarrieMF]

But the letter says they will give us a supply list on the first day of class, so it really sounds like we will be buying stuff. Besides, I can't imagine not having to buy school supplies, where would they come from? Doesn't everyone in public school have to buy supplies?

As I mentioned earlier out K class has everything supplied. It is part of the school budget to supply everything for K. All they need is a backpack, lunchkit & shoes.

Your best bet would be to find a parent who has had their kids in that K class in the last 1-2 years & find out from them.

[susaD]

We got the school list two weeks early… and all I can say is ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!. Please explain to me why I have to buy four reams of copy paper for the school office (as noted on the list). A four pack of dry erase markers and an eraser. Three tubes of handy wipes. Hand sanitizer (ok that I can live with) color specific folders. One yellow, red, blue, purple ECT. Toilet paper! Paper towels. Pens and pencils for the teacher!

Not to mention I purchased all this last year as well. This is a charter school. The classes only have 10-15 kids. If I do the math that’s 10 kids x one four pack of markers = 40 markers, same with the paper and the handy wipes and the erasers Just what are they doing at the end of the year with the stuff that did not get used. Selling it black market!

. This does not include the art supplies, paper and pencils for my child and NOT the office.

This is completely out of hand, when I called the school on it they said the extra supplies go to kids whose parents can not afford the supplies list. PEOPLE I CAN BARELY AFORD THE SUPLIE LIST. As it is I have to send my kid to school with out some of this stuff for the teaches office so I can afford the supplies he needs. And to top that off the school keeps track of what you did not bring in and if you don’t fulfill the list they hold you child report card un till you do!

[LuckyMommaToo]

My daughter is entering first grade this year. Last year for K, all we had to provide was a backpack and a folder. The (public) school provided everything else, mostly funded by the Booster Club. If you know any parents with kids a little older who go to the school, they will be your best resource.

-e
 

[MeepyCat]

Originally Posted by susaD 

We got the school list two weeks early… and all I can say is ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!. Please explain to me why I have to buy four reams of copy paper for the school office (as noted on the list). A four pack of dry erase markers and an eraser. Three tubes of handy wipes. Hand sanitizer (ok that I can live with) color specific folders. One yellow, red, blue, purple ECT. Toilet paper! Paper towels. Pens and pencils for the teacher!

In my school district, they ask parents to do this because the municipal school budget doesn't run to copy paper for the office.  And it's not like they don't need it - they print worksheets and permission slips and calendars and notes to send home.  The black market for dry erasers is pretty dead.

I haven't heard of schools holding report cards hostage though.  Usually, they give out the list, parents buy what they can afford, and if you don't bring your share of copy paper, oh well.  I'm pretty well aware that some of the crayons, paper and pencils I send in with my kid are being used by kids whose parents have more trouble coming up with the money.  I'm okay with that.

There are a couple of ways to stop this from happening - PTA fundraisers are the big one.  If you happen to be well-off, you could approach your public school about donating a big wodge of school supplies, so that they don't have to ask parents and kids to bring them in.  Or you could lobby your local government for better educational funding, so that the school could just afford to order whatever supplies students were expected to need - I adore that idea most of all, but it's hard work, and it doesn't pay off in the immediate short-term.

[CarrieMF]

The coloured folders are common.  They will probably have all red for math, all yellow for reading, etc type of stuff.  Each subject is the same colour.  It makes organizing much easier.

[CatsCradle]

My daughter goes to a private school but we still had to buy some stuff that was non-academic related.  Stuff like copy paper, Kleenexes and hand sanitizer benefited her kindergarden class only.

Some of the things that we had to get which I know are pretty common across the board:

File folders (I learned my lesson last year that the plastic ones are better than the paper/card ones)

Pad of construction paper

Pack of dry erase markers (these were used a lot on the dry erase boards and the little hand-held boards)

Elmers glue

Scissors

2 reams of copy paper

Hand sanitizer

Pack of glue sticks

Pencils

Box of gallon size Zip Lock bags

Kleenexes (or any brand) (I'm sure this is highly needed during cold season!)

We didn't get the list until the weekend before school started, but the primary reason was so that inventory could be done of last year's supplies that remained in the classroom so that they could either reuse or reduce the various requirements. 

My suggestion would be to go ahead and get stuff like glue and glue sticks, pencils and file folders now while they are on sale.  I needed these things at home too, so even if say, the glue sticks aren't on the list, it is likely that your kindergartener will have homework or projects to do at home where these will come in handy.  We go through a lot of glue sticks!

[EmsMom]

School supplies often go on sale after the school rush, especially in drugstores like CVS, Riteaid, etc.  One year I bought enough notebooks, folders, etc to last for several years.  And the prices were about 75% off.  Totally worth it to write yourself a note to haunt the drugstores around the third week of Sept and for a couple of weeks afterwards... Staples has also been running some amazing sales, I imagine just as loss leaders.  For just a few dollars I have copy paper, lined paper, pens and pencils, erasers, etc.  What are people doing for book covers?  I used to use grocery bags (when I could still find heavy ones) but my kids school doesn't want those:  booksox are expensive.  Was thinking of using fabric. 
 

[alaskanmomma]

I have never heard of that :\ I would stock up on the things you KNOW he'll need like crayons, glue sticks, safety scissors, backpack, lunch box, kleenex, etc. If those things don't end up on his list(but bet they will, they seem to be the standard), you can always keep them at home for art time :)!

[kristah1000]

Where I teach the supply lists usually go out with the report cards in June, and the kindergarten ones are mailed at the same time. As a teacher, I would rather have the supplies that first week so I can get everything labeled and ready to go. I wouldn't want to be doing that after the first week!

Also I find here everything goes on sale after the first week of school because everyone is usually finished buying and they have a lot to get rid of.

Also the copy paper was something I considered putting on my next list...we use a lot of it, and last year I bought my own. Teachers pay so much out of pocket, and I know I really try to only put things on the list that we will absolutely use. Dry erase markers are going on my next list because I bought a class set of individual whiteboards (out of my own pocket) for them to use and they used my expo markers all year. I kept having to replace them because they forgot tout the caps on, or pushed down too hard and ruined them. I ended up buying a student set and my own set that they weren't allowed to use. Another thing we do is send extra supplies that didn't end up getting used home so they could be saved for next year. I had a student almost every year I have taught not bring supplies due to financial need, and I ended up buying certain things myself.

[Peony]

We go to a bare bones private school and still have to provide what would be considered office supplies. I guess I just consider it normal these days of severe budget cuts. After school activities (or at least some of ours) require donations of supplies so I stock up periodically through the year in preparation. 

[lilyka]

That sucks.  Do you know anyone who was in K last year?  Perhaps they could give you a basic list.  otherwise I would buy the basics and save your receipts.   Worse than missing the deals is everything being sold out.

[mar123]

You might be shocked, but there will be very little to nothing left at the end of the year. I easily go through 30-40 dry erase markers in a year. More with younger kids because when they use them, they press really hard and wear them out really fast!

I find the younger the grade, the more specific the list. I teach high school; I require paper, a binder, something to write with. (A binder because of all the hole punched handouts I use. But if you really, really want a notebook and folder, that's cool too) But I don't have to deal with little ones coveting what the other children have.

My two high schoolers don't get the list until the first day of school, but it was pretty easy to figure out what they would need. Some teachers were specific and we had to spend about an additional $30, but I spend more on my own classroom.

If your child is going to be at a school for a while, you might want to see about donations. We cannot ask for towels, wipes, sanitizer, but we have it donated. We also have major companies (refineries actually) in the area that give us money for things like that or for major things we need that benefit the students. There are lots of grants out there for schools. We have a person who secures all of that for us. More than pays for her salary. (High school PTAs are not really active in our area).

[EarthyMamaofDaisy]

At my kids' school grades 1-6 have their lists posted on the school website early during the summer.  But for some reason the kindergarten list gets mailed to the parents about a week or two before school.  It makes me so mad too!  I'm glad I didn't go ahead and buy things without knowing for sure what he'd need because what he needs is completely different than what my daughter needed two years ago in kindergarten, with a different teacher but same school.  And they asked specifically for Crayola twistable crayons, which cost $3.99 instead of the regular 24 pack that you can often find on sale for 20 cents!  We rent a very cheap house in a very expensive school district so I'm guessing they don't think price matters too much to most parents.

[Caneel]

Our son started 1st this week and no list of individual supplies needed.  In fact the teacher told us at orientation night and had a note in the packet to please not send anything along as it clutters their desks and creates issues between the kiddos.  Our district is really struggling (public school) so I was really surprised we didn't need to provide anything. 

The teacher did have a wish list of sorts for items that parents could provide for the class if they wanted - dry erase markers, dry erasers, germ gell, etc.