Is it too soon to discuss school supplies?

[tres3]

OMFG. I had to go to 3 different stores to get everything on my kids' supply list. I also spent over $200 and I recycled some supplies from last year. 

1 kid need 48 Ticonderoga pencils and another kid needed 30 latex-free pencils. WHY WHY WHY

And how is this a "Free and Appropriate education" when I'm already out that kind of money? What if I was a single mom scraping by? 

I'm pretty sure by the end of the month I will have spent $1k on back to school cra.  PTO fees, fundraiser fees, gift for teacher collections, district "supply fee" that doesn't cover any of the stuff I had to buy the kid already. 

[tres3]

PS i could care less if the supplies end up in a communal basket or not, but I know some parents label everything so their kids stuff doesn't

[hocus2]

School supplies aren't required and some families don't provide them.

But yes school supplies are expensive. I think this has to do with limited school budgets and with the changing nature of school.

[NewOrleans]

I don't know what they need, but I pretty much don't pay for school supplies at this juncture. I buy things a bit at a time over July and August and keep a firm price point. The erasers were a quarter. The notebooks were a quarter each. Kleenex 75 cents a box, etc. I recognize that not everyone is patient like this, though. And your kids are older, so the supplies they need might be different.

What's with latex free pencils? Where is there latex in pencils at all?

[NewOrleans]

Where they nailed us is in registration fees now. Because they're ignoring all research and doing tablets, so fees have doubled.

[EloiseWeenie]

I hate counting out the 24 glue sticks. Our school fees are about $5, and our PTO is free.

[IIOY]

Does Ticonderoga have a secret contract or something with schools everywhere?  These are always specified for us as well, along with Magic Erasers, which are NEVER in stock anywhere.

This year both kids have to have ear plugs for school.  I'm particularly intrigued by this.

ETA: I have learned the hard way that shopping a full month before school makes a huge difference in the aggravation level.  One of the dumbest things I've ever done in life was go to a Staples store the weekend before school began.  It was like a Costco sample station giving out dessert, but in every square inch of the store.

[pugz]

I am with you @domerjen. School supply shopping is one of my secret loves. I was so excited to have a list of supplies for preschool this year, only had 5 items on it but I enjoyed it, lol.

As a kid I loooooooooooved picking out the supplies on the list and choosing what color notebook/binders I would get as well as puppy and kitty folders, lol.

[eclaires]

I ordered a box of 96 Ticonderoga pencils on Amazon last year. I think I have enough still this year for both kids school supply needs.

I also usually try to donate at least one duplicate of their school supplies, if not more. It seems like buying in bulk tends to save me money. We definitely have more to buy this year, though. It seemed like in the primary grades, we had less of a list. We also have to get ear buds, an art shirt, and a jump drive for the encore classes, which we didn't have to do for k-2.

I'm going to buy 2 or 3 right now. Also, don't tell me if this isn't the best deal, because I like having boxes of pencils stored at my house. Ticonderoga are so hard to find. I will say they are much better than the other pencils we have. Last year was the first year I bought enough to have some at home, and they really are better.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00125Q75Y/ref=ox_sc_imb_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[Melissa W.]

Our lists were fairly simple even with the Ticonderoga. A couple teacher friends say the other pencils are crap, like Crayola vs. the waxy cheap ones.

I spent probably $20 per kid and the most expensive item was the dry erase markers.

[laurenpetro]

Aug 3, 2015 8:45:25 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Where they nailed us is in registration fees now. Because they're ignoring all research and doing tablets, so fees have doubled.

please explain for the rest of the class.

[Melissa W.]

Aug 3, 2015 8:51:16 GMT -5 eclaires said:

I ordered a box of 96 Ticonderoga pencils on Amazon last year. I think I have enough still this year for both kids school supply needs.

I also usually try to donate at least one duplicate of their school supplies, if not more. It seems like buying in bulk tends to save me money. We definitely have more to buy this year, though. It seemed like in the primary grades, we had less of a list. We also have to get ear buds, an art shirt, and a jump drive for the encore classes, which we didn't have to do for k-2.

I'm going to buy 2 or 3 right now. Also, don't tell me if this isn't the best deal, because I like having boxes of pencils stored at my house. Ticonderoga are so hard to find. I will say they are much better than the other pencils we have. Last year was the first year I bought enough to have some at home, and they really are better.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00125Q75Y/ref=ox_sc_imb_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Target sells the Ticonderoga ones.

[josieposy]

What are latex-free pencils?

[IIOY]

Aug 3, 2015 8:50:11 GMT -5 pugz said:

I am with you @domerjen. School supply shopping is one of my secret loves. I was so excited to have a list of supplies for preschool this year, only had 5 items on it but I enjoyed it, lol.

As a kid I loooooooooooved picking out the supplies on the list and choosing what color notebook/binders I would get as well as puppy and kitty folders, lol.

So did I, but I also loved the start of school.  As a parent, I hate shopping for supplies because letting the kids pick out the colors they want is surprisingly...complicated.  GODDAMIT, the choice between red and orange is NOT THAT DIFFICULT.  COME ON.

[eclaires]

Aug 3, 2015 8:52:19 GMT -5 Melissa W. said:

Aug 3, 2015 8:51:16 GMT -5 eclaires said:

I ordered a box of 96 Ticonderoga pencils on Amazon last year. I think I have enough still this year for both kids school supply needs.

I also usually try to donate at least one duplicate of their school supplies, if not more. It seems like buying in bulk tends to save me money. We definitely have more to buy this year, though. It seemed like in the primary grades, we had less of a list. We also have to get ear buds, an art shirt, and a jump drive for the encore classes, which we didn't have to do for k-2.

I'm going to buy 2 or 3 right now. Also, don't tell me if this isn't the best deal, because I like having boxes of pencils stored at my house. Ticonderoga are so hard to find. I will say they are much better than the other pencils we have. Last year was the first year I bought enough to have some at home, and they really are better.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00125Q75Y/ref=ox_sc_imb_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Target sells the Ticonderoga ones.

Yeah, I've seen them there, but ours runs out every year.  It's so annoying.

[chedifuen]

We just send a 25 dollar check and supply a backpack, I love it!

[Melissa W.]

At the PTO expo, there was a company that does the supply boxes and our PTO wasn't sure our school would buy them. You guys are making me reconsider.

[theoriginalbean]

Last year, we needed a full rainbow of plastic three-prong folders. I went to every store in town looking for the damn things, and never managed to get my hands on green.

[josieposy]

Googling stuff and well whadya know? Latex in pencil erasers!

The More You Know......

(Not really participating in discussion here.)

[twotrue]

This is one parenting task that DW enjoys doing with DD so they can have at it. I just hope she looks at the list prior to September 1st or they will be hitting every store looking for the specific colors and items specified.

[dropitlikeitshott]

Aug 3, 2015 8:51:16 GMT -5 eclaires said:

I ordered a box of 96 Ticonderoga pencils on Amazon last year. I think I have enough still this year for both kids school supply needs.

I also usually try to donate at least one duplicate of their school supplies, if not more. It seems like buying in bulk tends to save me money. We definitely have more to buy this year, though. It seemed like in the primary grades, we had less of a list. We also have to get ear buds, an art shirt, and a jump drive for the encore classes, which we didn't have to do for k-2.

I'm going to buy 2 or 3 right now. Also, don't tell me if this isn't the best deal, because I like having boxes of pencils stored at my house. Ticonderoga are so hard to find. I will say they are much better than the other pencils we have. Last year was the first year I bought enough to have some at home, and they really are better.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00125Q75Y/ref=ox_sc_imb_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

That is a way better price than I have seen. I just bought two packs, they really are the best pencils. I use what we get and we don't ask for them, but I will start us off with them.

[anodyne]

Aug 3, 2015 8:43:54 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

I don't know what they need, but I pretty much don't pay for school supplies at this juncture. I buy things a bit at a time over July and August and keep a firm price point. The erasers were a quarter. The notebooks were a quarter each. Kleenex 75 cents a box, etc. I recognize that not everyone is patient like this, though. And your kids are older, so the supplies they need might be different.

What's with latex free pencils? Where is there latex in pencils at all?

Maybe the eraser?

We have one teacher per class so we know who their teacher will be. They give us the supply list for the following year with their final reports cards. My kids are also right behind the other in school so I know a year ahead what they will be using. when I see a good deal on their supplies throughout the year I snag them. I bought a huge case of Ticonderoga pencils last year at Costco and had enough for this year and probably next.

Some stuff I just didn't go by the list, we "need" 15 jumbo glues sticks that are not purple? Those things run $2 each. I am not spending $30 on glue sticks. You get purple, kid!

[Melissa W.]

Aug 3, 2015 8:53:37 GMT -5 dropitlikeitshott said:

I work at a title one school. To answer the question about single parents, they don't get supplies. The school doesn't give us the money to buy student supplies, so it comes out of my pocket. Now, we don't have expensive supply lists because we know in our area a majority of our parents can't afford them. So it is less for me to buy for individual students. Plus at this point is only get the individual student stuff not class supplies (tissues, hand sanitizer, ect)

I'm out about $300 so far and that is with getting really good deals. I refuse to allow children to sit in my classroom and have less then their "richer" peers. It's not the child's fault that their family can't afford supplies.

I tend to buy double the list so that if there is a kid like that in one of my daughter's class, the teacher can use it for him. It is appalling that teachers have to make up so much of the difference.

[Deleted]

We don't have supply lists until middle school here but some teachers still request donations of tissues and stuff like that that I buy. I should save the money I'm not spending on supplies now for the graphing calculators, fancy binders, and sports fees when they're older, I guess.

[NewOrleans]

Aug 3, 2015 8:51:49 GMT -5 laurenpetro said:

Aug 3, 2015 8:45:25 GMT -5 NewOrleans said:

Where they nailed us is in registration fees now. Because they're ignoring all research and doing tablets, so fees have doubled.

please explain for the rest of the class.

The studies in ME and TX showed statistically insignificant gains with iPads.

districts do shoddy faculty training, so the technology is underused.

the effects of screen time on attention span, stuff you already know about that.

basically, all success with them comes from the clever teacher who came up with cool ways to use them, not the presence of new technology itself. 

it is one more ways for schools to talk about 7 year olds being ready for the workplace, lol.

[katfco]

Ticonderoga pencils are better quality. I had so many pencils break off in my sharpener last year, I ended up wasting more money than not, because the generic pencils were crap.

Most teachers get very little money for supplies, if anything at all. Even the tax deduction amount is a pitiful 250 now. I've already spent over a hundred dollars just on supplies for my classroom because I know many of my students will not be bringing supplies with them and I'm not even close to done. While schools have some supplies from the district, there are never enough.

Staples often will have multi-colored folders and binders.

[anodyne]

Teachers - I have a lot of friends who are also teachers. I am seeing a new trend of them creating an Amazon wish list of their supplies and sharing on FB. People have responded pretty well and helping them out.

[NewOrleans]

Aug 3, 2015 8:53:37 GMT -5 dropitlikeitshott said:

I work at a title one school. To answer the question about single parents, they don't get supplies. The school doesn't give us the money to buy student supplies, so it comes out of my pocket. Now, we don't have expensive supply lists because we know in our area a majority of our parents can't afford them. So it is less for me to buy for individual students. Plus at this point is only get the individual student stuff not class supplies (tissues, hand sanitizer, ect)

I'm out about $300 so far and that is with getting really good deals. I refuse to allow children to sit in my classroom and have less then their "richer" peers. It's not the child's fault that their family can't afford supplies.

So we should take away your pension and generally assume you are incompetent! <)

[theoriginalbean]

Aug 3, 2015 8:55:03 GMT -5 Melissa W. said:

At the PTO expo, there was a company that does the supply boxes and our PTO wasn't sure our school would buy them. You guys are making me reconsider.

I would absolutely buy them. These are just starting to pick up steam in Cincy and my parent friends are all over them.

[dropitlikeitshott]

Aug 3, 2015 9:08:51 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Teachers - I have a lot of friends who are also teachers. I am seeing a new trend of them creating an Amazon wish list of their supplies and sharing on FB. People have responded pretty well and helping them out.

That's a great idea. I use Donors Choose a lot. But I might try out amazon.