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school supply lists (vent)
- Aug 26, 2009 at 3:59 PM
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- Comments (17) Total Views (320) Everyone can see this journal post.
I am beginning to seriously wonder if the schools are getting a kick back for making us parents go out and buy brand specific items! 2 years ago We had to buy graphing calculators. We were told they would need them for pre algebra, algebra 1&2, geometery, pre calculus, and calculus, and they would need them for the standardized tests. So after buying 2 of them dang things, my son comes home with a list for Geometery saying he will need a scientific calculator. So why did I spend the money for those graphing calculators?
When my son started band 3 years ago I bought the drum sticks that were required. Well now that he's in high school the same teacher requires a different set of drum sticks. he will need 2 sets one for school and one at home for practise. Thats going to be $20 for both sets. She's going to see if she can't get them cheaper by buying in bulk and we the parents pay her for them. If she can then I'll go through her if not, I'll be making the drive to the Music store 70 miles away sooner than I planned on it. To top that off I'll be paying band fee's somewhere around $200 thankfully its broken down by need, $10 shirts(2 of them only because my son outgrew the shirts from last year), $15 tux rental/ cleaning, $25 band fee, $10 sheet music fee, then the various other activites ~honor band, solo/ensemble tournaments and field trips through out the year.
As for my Daughter, she needed a specific book for her Spanish 3 class, 501 spanish verbs. I could buy it through the school for $60 but I found the same book at Borders for $16.99 W/ CD-Rom. You know I bought it at Borders.
I'm waiting for her class fee's. We have to pay a rental fee for the Baby Think It Over doll. Provided the doll is returned with NO problems and all items in same or better condition, we will get the fee back.
I am so sick of paying money for supplies just to have the school/teachers changer their minds the next year and want something newer and more expensive.
Comments:
I wait until school starts and talk to the teachers about what they want the kids to have, since our school board makes up the lists, not the teachers. Both kids teachers said ignore the name brand stuff and go for the cheapest we could find, so where it said "Crayola", I bought Rose Art or somthing like that (24 crayons for .15 cents!!) The math teacher said the graphing/scientific calculators the older kids would need (mine are in 1st and 2nd, but their babysitter is in 8th) would be nice, but if they couldn't afford their own, for the parents to send in $10 so she could buy some for the class to share ($10 compared to the $60 or so those things cost around here sounded like a good deal!)
Supply lists get crazy when the kids get older.
Wow, I LOVE our school, lol...our school doesn't do that kind of thing. Neither did the school I went to. We don't live in a poverty stricken area, but the schools know that the parents can't afford to go crazy. The only thing they asked for SPECIFICALLY is Fiskars brand scissors. That's for Kindergraten though. As for the older grades, 1-8, we've never had and specific name brand on the list. We do have the choir costs though, pretty much the same as your band costs, lol, crazy sometimes.
But it might change in the next few years when they build a new school. But they've put it off this long, so as not to spend more money than they had...so, we'll handle it, lol...
In our school its the lower levels that the school board sets the lists for. Once the kids hit high school its the individual teacher that sets the lists. I buy the basics like paper, pencils/ pens, erasers, white out, pocket folders, messanger bag or back pack before hand. I just wish that when they give the kids their schedules in May that they would give us the individual teacher lists at that time so we as parents can set aside money for the fee's, or buy an item here and there each week like we did in the lower grades.
Our county has seen the unemployment levels double in the past 10 months. You would think the teachers/ school would take that into consideration. Luckily for us my husband makes decent money ~ commision, so I can never count on the same pay check each week.
I am looking for a part time job that will let me be home in the afternoons. One of us parents needs to be home to pick up the kids from after school activities or get them to activities.
That is just crazy. Glad I don't live there.
Not only do they want you to buy specific things, but we also have book rental that often includes workbooks. My sons brought them home at the end of the year and hadn't even USED them!! Plus my oldest son who was a sophmore last year had a textbook they didn't use because the teacher didn't like it. So she taught everything by worksheets. Talk about aggrevating!
proffet78, I have those fee's also. I won't get them until October. I hate that the schools seem to think we as Parents are their personnal walking ATM's. We had to pay the school for a flash drive @ $25 that the teacher never gave the kids. Its been 2 years and when they tell me my son needs one I'm just gonna go out and buy him one. I found the same flash drive they want at Office Max for $14.99. That or my MIL who works at Ball State University can get me some even cheaper.
FWIW, check CVS for the calculator. I got one ridiculously cheap there last year for school, under $10, and it's still working just fine on my 3rd semester of math cvlasses. It's just a store brand one with their name printed on it.
Not Panicking, I got a Scientific calculator when my DD was in 7th grade for $.32 the cost of postage since I had a rebate on it. Its still working. I'm more upset that I spent the money on the graphing calculators last year and then they change their minds so we have to shell out more money.
I know! I think that they hide cameras in the stores in the school supply isles and tape us mom's trying to find that specific color folder with prongs and pockets that EVERY year they sell out of! (like they don't know they ALWAYS sell out).
Jessica
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they dont understand that us parents arent made of money. no one understands this better then us parents....
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