topic Re: Back to school supplies in Community Chat

Back to school supplies

Abrowneyegirl — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:36:17 GMT

Are back to school list the norm now or just in certain areas?

My friend (who is the Queen of thrifty shopping) has 3 children and each child has a different back to school classroom supply list based on age.

It is a list of things parents are expected to purchase to supply teacher with, from pencils to tissues and even cleaning wipes.

She completed one list and spent $208, she has 2 more to go, and she is thrifty and she bought the bare minimum. I looked at the list and noticed it even specifies the brand name- no cheap crayons for this bunch. !?!?

All this in addition to buying the supplies her own children like backpacks, paper, pens, calculator, etc.

What is really disturbing is we are in one of the wealthiest school districts in the state. We have indoor and outdoor pools but can not supply cleaning wipes and hand sanitizer? .........wow

Is this the norm?

Re: Back to school supplies

I am still oxox — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:43:09 GMT

Back to school? It is July 7 school here ended about 2 1/2 weeks ago

Re: Back to school supplies

Sooner — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:43:31 GMT

These lists are totally out of control. And yes, expensive things!

Those lists make me wonder when I hear about underfunded education, just what are they spending money on? I cannot imagine how on earth any kid needs the extensive array of markers and colored pencils and colored paper and on and on that these lists have.

And scissors? What do they do? Throw it all away at the end of the year?

Re: Back to school supplies

Suziepeach — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:45:56 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
Back to school? It is July 7 school here ended about 2 1/2 weeks ago

@I am still oxox school starts here (Cherokee County GA) August 1st.

Re: Back to school supplies

I am still oxox — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:48:22 GMT

@Suziepeach

I am in Suburban NYC, school here starts a day or two after Labor Day

@Suziepeach wrote:
@I am still oxox wrote:
Back to school? It is July 7 school here ended about 2 1/2 weeks ago
@I am still oxox school starts here (Cherokee County GA) August 1st.

Re: Back to school supplies

riley1 — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:53:37 GMT

@I am still oxox - back to school items have been in the stores where I am for about a month already.

Re: Back to school supplies

Lisa Y — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:54:57 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
Back to school? It is July 7 school here ended about 2 1/2 weeks ago

@I am still oxox Thank you for saying this! As a teacher who finished 2 1/2 weeks ago, I would like to enjoy my time off before the Back to School buying frenzy. It’s like Christmas in July: what’s the rush? Does anyone really need to buy school supplies right now?

I’m going to sit on my patio and read the newspaper and enjoy my vacation. (Rant over 😊)

Re: Back to school supplies

Suziepeach — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:59:28 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
@Suziepeach

@I am still oxox , if memory serves me that's when we started back in the good ole cave days, LOL

I am in Suburban NYC, school here starts a day or two after Labor Day

@Suziepeach wrote:
@I am still oxox wrote:
Back to school? It is July 7 school here ended about 2 1/2 weeks ago
@I am still oxox school starts here (Cherokee County GA) August 1st.

Re: Back to school supplies

Abrowneyegirl — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:59:41 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
Back to school? It is July 7 school here ended about 2 1/2 weeks ago

LOL, I asked the same question.

The list of supplies go out very early as many parents need time to shop/stock-pile the needed items. My friend can not afford to spend several hundred dollars in school supplies all at once (I am sure many can not) she needs to budget it out over months. The $200+ she spent to date was only for 1 of her 3 kids. Add in clothes and shoes.....$$$$

When you look at the expensive of it, I think it is wise to give parents plenty of lead time.

Re: Back to school supplies

phoenixbrd — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:26:28 GMT

The list is provided by the individual teacher...there is no norm and the list is merely suggestions. Usually there are sales at the beginning of the school year and many of the commonly requested items can be found deeply discounted (also the Dollar Store provides school supplies). A brand might be suggested by the teacher because they are a proven product....but if it creates a financial hardship, a brand name would not be a priority. Teachers frequently spend their own money in the classroom and I would be happy to hear that they are providing a list to help children be successful in their learning in the classroom. A wealthy school district does not always predict availability of supplies in the classroom. This can also vary from school to school within a district, depending on how the school decides to spend the budget.

Teachers work hard to create a productive learning environment for their students. You might want to suggest to your friend to go online and print out the National Standards for the grade level for her children. This will give her information regarding the grade level expectations for the year and guidance for curriculum. She could also make weekly visits to the library with her children to encourage their reading. Both of these activities are free and will benefit her children. She is being a good mom and is giving her children an example that an education is a priority. Kudos to your friend for her efforts.

Re: Back to school supplies

CelticCrafter — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:05:03 GMT

$208 to supply only the classroom x's how many students in the class? That's a bit much to expect from parents who will then have to buy all the personal supplies for their own kid.

Re: Back to school supplies

millieshops — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:14:29 GMT

@I am still oxoxLast night I walked to Dollar Tree and was surprised to see the big back-to-school signs in the window - graduation in this town had been exactly 2 weeks ago.

Of course,, when I walked inside I realized I'm really behind the times - there were already Halloween items on some of the entry display shelves!

Re: Back to school supplies

San Antonio Gal — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 15:43:19 GMT

I purchased back to school items last school year for my 2 grandchildren (kindergarten and 2nd grade) and yes, there were a lot of items required. This included lysol wipes, hand sanitizer, paper towels, etc.

Re: Back to school supplies

deepwaterdotter — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:20:32 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
These lists are totally out of control. And yes, expensive things!

Those lists make me wonder when I hear about underfunded education, just what are they spending money on? I cannot imagine how on earth any kid needs the extensive array of markers and colored pencils and colored paper and on and on that these lists have.

And scissors? What do they do? Throw it all away at the end of the year?

I remember my mother gathering up all our supplies at the end of the schoolyear and keeping them for the following September. We would reuse supplies in good condition, either for ourselves or a younger sibling. I grew up in what would be considered a 'lower-class' neighborhood, so I think most of the families did the same thing. Somehow we muddled through.

Re: Back to school supplies

Sooner — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:30:47 GMT

Schools here were out in mid-May or before. Colleges and common schools. They will start in early August.

Re: Back to school supplies

lilypadfrog — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:33:01 GMT

I remember being told to bring two #2 pencils to school. The school supplied everything else, from books to paper. Yes, it was 60 years ago but I think the supplies list is too extensive.

Re: Back to school supplies

Sooner — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:34:56 GMT

I had to give paper (a sheet at a time) and loan a pencil to several kids who came with nothing. Sometimes without coats or even shoes.

Re: Back to school supplies

haddon9 — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:39:58 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
Back to school? It is July 7 school here ended about 2 1/2 weeks ago

Same here. Kids in my local school district don't go back until after Labor day.

As for supplies I really don't know if familes are supposed to provide basics like classroom cleaning items, I would think the schools would here....it's not a poor district and we pay a lot in school taxes!

Re: Back to school supplies

stevieb — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:44:20 GMT

@CelticCrafter wrote:
$208 to supply only the classroom x's how many students in the class? That's a bit much to expect from parents who will then have to buy all the personal supplies for their own kid.

It really is... On top of the fact that the bulk of tax dollars collected in many jurisdictions go directly to support the local school system... I can, perhaps, see contributing something to the 'common good' of the classroom, on top of what one has already paid in taxes and fees, and will pay for their own children's supplies but I can't see being mandated to do so, right down to being told what and how many... $200 bucks per kid seems like an awful lot of Handi Wipes and glue sticks...

Re: Back to school supplies

SahmIam — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 17:37:20 GMT

My answer regards MY school district:

* Lists come out on the last day of school for Fall. They are including in an email to parents from the Principal wishing everyone a nice summer. Usually Walmart will have them in specific location when they set up their school supply aisle in August.

* The lists are the SAME for the specific grade no matter what school you go to. However, the lists CHANGE via each grade level. So, what you buy for a 2nd grader will differ from the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Same with middle school and highschool. In highschool, the list has add-ons depending on the track your child is in (general, Honors, Honors STEM, etc),.

* ALL grades include extras such as papertowels, tissues, hand sanitizer, etc.

* The number of items includes what your child will use PLUS AN EXTRA AMOUNT for the school supply closet. Example: your list may say 10 gluesticks. This means that every child in the 4th grade will bring in 10 gluesticks. In my sons' school, that meant that there were 1000 glue sticks provided by the 5th grade (25 students in each class x 5 5th grade classes). Same with notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, etc. Understand that you can see the class list for all grades with the handout. So my sons' school received 7000 glue sticks when he was in 5th grade (if everyone brought in their share). ALL supplies are due in the day before or day of the first day of school.

What happens to left over supplies? The teachers divide them up and take them home.

The gathering of supplies has caused MAJOR issues in my county; the richest in my state. When you see what a parent is paying for 1 child and they have 3 and they are EXPECTED to bring ALL of the supplies for each child into the school and THEN are asked to BRING IN MORE halfway through......yeah, it's a MAJOR issue.

This plays out more so in elementary than middle and high. However, high school brings a whole new element with required tablets, laptops and calculators.