Dougster75

Blimey. Maybe I'm just a grumpy alien but what the heck are these daft school equipment lists? I realise equipment has to be paid for somehow but we've been given a (different) list for each of our children that must have at least 25 bog standard items on it. Why on earth doesn't the school just buy it and then tell us what we owe them (assuming that they can't just survive on the tax dollars they suck in)... It seems ridiculous that every parent is out paying individual prices for stuff that would cost a school nothing to buy in bulk eg. second grade writing tablets ruled for McDougall Littell & Co. (what the heck is that anyway...?)

I guess we've just been spoilt in England. Inevitably I'm going to get more grumpy when we've got to go to the doctors/hospital...

melody32

http://www.eteachersupply.com/schoolsupplies.html

Ash UK/US

I was waiting for a school list for my daughter, this is her first year (kindergarten) so I bought a bunch of crayons and washable markers. The list arrived the other day.

1 Back pack
1 plastic file folder (both to be labelled with her name)

1 pack of 24 crayons
1 box of Kleenex
2 glue sticks, not to be labelled as they are shared items.

After hearing parents being handed mega lists at other schools... I was shocked!

dbj1000

Our school does buy the items in bulk, and parents can choose to buy a bag containing all required items from the school, or they're free to go out and buy them themselves.

HOWEVER, all is not perfect. For some insane reason, you can't just pay the money to the school and have them put the bag on your child's desk. Oh no!

Instead the parents of every child in the school have to arrive at the gym at exactly the same time, pay in cash and each has to then physically collect the bag and take it 100 yards in different directions across the school and place the bag on the child's desk!

No joke, it's like a war in there!

lisa67

our local supermarket bags up the stuff and labels it for the different grades and then you can go in and purchase the correct packet...luckily my kids are MS and HS so, although we have to fork out for band uniforms etc.($$$$) the supply list isn't as extensive as it once was.

scrubbedexpat091

Either things have changed alot in the past 10-20 years or Teaxs is just cheap...

When I was in school K-6 the school provided everything, pencils, paper, crayola's etc...

High school was different though, had to buy more things.

I am so glad I never had kids when I see the amount of money parents have to spend on school supplies every year.....crazy..

Wal-Mart here has the school lists out, and some are 3 pages long.. crazy.

Bob

Aye....it's a sad state of affairs when kids have to buy their own note pad and books....stationary is fair enough but some of it is taking the mick.

robin1234

My kids never gave us any messages from school so we never had to buy anything. Simple. And, it's good for children to be self-reliant (steal what they need.)

nethead

We're really lucky our school district supplies everything for kids in elementary schools (apart from backpacks). In middle school and high school though we do need to buy paper, folders, writing equipment etc etc.

lisa67

Just checked DDs supply list for 8th grade...a page long with 50 different items on it <sigh> can't wait to go and get all the crap!

ChocolateBabz

Last year was dudes 1st year and we did the whole list thing. This year before the end of term his middle school sent us a letter saying that for $35 they would do the shopping and his pack would be waiting on his desk on his 1st day - job done

ukintexas

Gosh that brings back memories of my first School Supply List experience. We received the list, pretty much the same as you obviously have, and didn't even understand most of the descriptions on it. So, I went into Office Depot, or Office Max (can't remember which one now) and basically handed the list to an assistant and they led me around getting all the stuff. Took forever, and then having carted all the stuff back home I went out to do something else and when I returned, there was tissue all over my house as my dog had taken a liking to the school supplies and basically ripped her way through the lot so I had to start all over!!!!!
If you go into the likes of Kroger, Target, Walgreens, and others they have pre-packaged school supply boxes for all of the local schools so you can simply go in and pick a box off the shelf relating to the grades you need - it costs a little more than doing it individuall (maybe $10 or so) but is well worth it regarding the hassle factor.
Additionally, for future years, you will be given details at the end of the current grade regarding the following grade's supply list and the school will let you pre-order what you need so that it's simply there and ready for your child when they start the next grade.
Really hope that makes sense Doug.

Mummy in the foothills

What I found annoying was I followed the list one year and then found out it hadn't been written by the teacher, they didn't use hardly any of the stuff on it.
So I wait till school starts now, then the kid brings the list from the teacher, I shop on day two of school only having bought the usual, pack of pencils, crayons and a backpack.
Most years I find I'm buying whiteboard markers and cleaner, tissues, disinfectant wipes, a pump top bottle of hand cleaner and things like that.

Englishtart

The list of school supplies has certainly changed over the years...also depends on where you are...My youngest will be a junior this year so he doesn't get his list until he starts back in school, each teacher gives them their own specific class list, then we have to go charging around the shops hoping they still have the crap on the shelves!

Fortunately, he still has a drawer full of stuff from last year that he didn't even use, so maybe we are ahead of the 'game' this year!

SarahG

I am new to this who 'school list' thing. My little guy will start 1st grade when he arrives in Indiana with me and his little sister in late October. Will the school tell us if we need to buy anything when my husband goes to register him just before he actually arrives or will son need to be present in the country before he can be registered?! My mind is currently boggling with all the stuff I have to sort out in the UK I can barely get my head around things that will happen when we arrive Stateside!