Don’t waste your money on bad school supplies by purchasing the wrong items, cheapo brands, or overpriced stuff. Here are a few tips:

1. Ticonderoga. When it comes to pencils, it’s the only name you need to know, and this year they come in neon colors, too! Don’t be one of those kids who spends all your time re-sharpening your Chinese-made pencil until it’s just a nub. Also, don’t buy pencils with “wraps.”

2. Stay out of Dollar Tree and Wal-mart, or at least avoid their generic brands and store labels. They’re junk and you’ll have to replace them sooner rather than later. Office Depot brand is also junk, especially when it comes to glue sticks. Imagine sitting down at lunch this December, looking up at your wonderful Cafeteria Elf on the wall above Verna’s window, and then watching in horror as all the pieces start falling off. First a mitten. Then a leg. Ugh! Save your elf the trauma of losing a leg or an eye; buy a good brand like RoseArt, Elmer’s, or Avery. There’s nothing wrong with shopping at Office Depot, just don’t buy their store brand.

3. Get the right calculator: TI-30XIIS. It’s the required calculator at all D6 schools through the 8th grade, so buy it once and use it for four or five years. If you can’t afford one, we have loaners. If you don’t have one because you abused the one you bought last year, well, I guess you’re out of luck.

4. Buy three spiral notebooks. These are critical. The picture at right (from Fred Meyer) shows you what to buy. And look how cheap they are!

5. Make sure your ruler has inches and centimeters. Make sure it’s actually the right size. Two years ago one of our students discovered her Chinese-made ruler was inaccurate by 5%. That meant her “foot” was really only 11.4″. She flunked a few math assignments before we figured it out.

6. Keep it simple. Buy inexpensive earbuds (for use with computers), a basic protractor (no gizmos necessary), and ordinary backpacks and binders.

7. Crackle crackle, sniff sniff. We discourage using disposable water bottles because they quickly become a noise problem in class. Get a reusable BPA-free bottle instead.  Deodorant doesn’t seem important, but the closer we are to being teenagers, the more we tend to smell a bit ripe following fitness, PE, and recess.

8. We’re trying to save you money. We understand that paying for all this stuff can be a burden, so we’ve dropped computer paper, wet wipes, plastic bags, paper towels, and hand sanitizer from the list (studies show hand sanitizer is actually harmful to your immune system anyway). We’ve also decreased the number of some items including glue sticks, notebook paper, and Expo pens. If you’re still short, let us know before you shop and we’ll try to help. If you watch the newspaper ads for deals, you can get all this stuff pretty darned cheap.

The CPE School Supply list is posted in many stores, but you can also print it by clicking here. Whether in Lewis or Hadley, it’ll be the same. Please have everything with you on the first day of class. You can put your name on your crayons, colored pencils, folder, binder, backpack, earbuds, scissors, and ruler, but wait until you come to school before labeling anything else. Have fun school supply shopping!

Imagine your surgeon performing a procedure on you using broken scalpels. Imagine an auto mechanic trying to fix your Ferrari using nothing but a hammer. The right tools for the job are important there and in the classroom. Your child’s academic success is partly determined by the tools he or she brings to school.

In consideration of the economy we tried to trim down the 4th and 5th grade shopping list, but we advise you not to waste your money on the cheap stuff. Generic-brands will only need to be replaced shortly after the school year begins, costing you more money in the long run. The official CPE supply list can be found here, while a supply list specific to Room 15 can be found here (use this one). Be sure to consider the following tips to help make your school supply shopping more effective and less-expensive:

Pencils: It sounds silly, but I STRONGLY encourage purchasing Ticonderoga pencils. In twenty years in the classroom I have witnessed the use of approximately fifteen thousand pencils, and I can tell you there’s a huge difference between brands. Pencils made in China and those typically sold by Wal-mart and Dollar Tree are horrific. Also avoid mechanical pencils and pencils with graphic “wraps” (if you look closely you can tell when a pencil has been wrapped in plastic; the plastic decals may look cool, but they’re a disaster in the pencil sharpener). The supply list calls for two dozen pencils. If they’re Ticonderoga, you can half that, but if they’re Office Works or some other cheapo brand, you’ll need four dozen. As of July 28th, Fred Meyer had a two dozen box of Ticonderoga for just $2.99.

Glue Sticks: We use a lot of glue in Room 15, so this is a biggie. Good brands: Avery, Elmer’s, Roseart. Stay away from Office Works, Staples, Scholastic, Office Deport, and all generic brands. (While Staples and Depot are good places to shop for name brand products, their store brands are a waste of money.)

Calculators: Texas Instruments TI-30XIIS, which sells for between $9 and $15, is the official calculator for all District 6 students from 4th through 8th grade. Buy it once and use it until high school. Classwork and state test practice is aligned with this specific calculator, so no other brands or models will do.

Rulers: Avoid those with gimmicks. Inexpensive wood or plastic ones are best, but make sure it shows both inches and centimeters. The same goes for protractors.

Spiral Notebooks: Avoid the kind that have book binding, perforated pages, or a “wireless” label. Instead, buy the 70 page theme books that are typically on sale about now for ten for a buck. Kids who struggle with hand-writing should use wide-ruled, while those who have already developed a sense for neatness can get college-ruled (this same rule-of-thumb applies to your paper purchase).

Three-ring binders: I’m not a big fan of using binders, but we find if we do a good job of teaching kids binder organization while at CPE, they’re more successful in middle school. Thus, a good binder is important. Instead of getting one with lots of silly features, go for toughness. Kids tend to abuse their binders, so you want one that can take a lickin’. (You might also want to suggest your child pays for any replacement binder on their own . . . maybe then they’ll take better care of it.)

Dividers: Students will use these to set-up their binders. They should have tabs on them, but students should wait to write on their tabs until getting specific instructions in class.

Colored-pencils and crayons: A simple box of each is fine, and here the brand is less significant. We use colored-pencils extensively, but mostly just standard colors. Students tend to lose their colored-pencils, so plan on buying another set mid-year. Scissors also tend to disappear quickly, so if you can buy a two-pack, you’re better off in the long run.

Community supplies: Some of what your student buys will be turned in immediately to the teacher so that it can be dispensed appropriately throughout the year. This process protects you, the consumer, from having to replace items too frequently. Pencils, paper, tissue, and glue sticks are all items we’ll “control” in this way. Therefore, students should avoid labeling their supplies until arriving in class.

Optional items: Items each student may find useful (but are not required) include a manual pencil sharpener, a black sharpie, a set of water-color markers, and a four-pack of dry-erase markers. These items will be retained by the student.

Other items: A good backpack (avoid those with wheels), a water bottle (BPA free or stainless steel, but no disposable water bottles, please!), and a deodorant stick for post-fitness/PE use will also help your child have a great fifth grade year!

Finally, one last thing that costs nothing: I encourage you to set your student up with his or her own e-mail account such as through Google (gmail) or Yahoo. You should set it up so that both you and the student have access. This will facilitate a variety of classroom activities, including the building of student webpages/portfolios. These days, more and more academic content is delivered via the Internet. I’ve had great success motivating kids to higher levels of learning, but e-mail and Internet access is the basic requirement.

If you watch the newspaper fliers you’ll find a ton of good deals on schools supplies in our local big boxes–but be careful. Avoid cheapo brands and generics. You’re better off sticking with quality labels such as Ticonderoga. The quality of your child’s tools makes a tremendous difference in class. It also keeps you from having to buy new supplies again in January.

You can also utilize used supplies. There’s nothing wrong with last year’s scissors, ruler, pencils, and many other items (assuming they weren’t the cheapo brands). Be sure, however, to get the official TI calculator (TI-30XIIS). Students will need it through 8th grade, we have many lessons designed for this specific calculator, and it is the only calculator allowed on the state math test.

If you need the official CPE school supply list, click here. If you’d like the Room 15 version identifying all the stuff you don’t need and preferences for the rest, click here. I highly recommend you give ownership of school supply shopping over to your child. Establish a reasonable budget and let them purchase their own supplies (though have them view the tips shown here).

Some spots to cut back: kids only need a dozen pencils–but it’s essential that they’re Ticonderoga. Cheap brands are simply a waste of money (they don’t sharpen and the erasers smudge) and mechanical pencils create problems in class. Besides Ticonderogas are one things still made in America.

Don’t overspend on the three ring binder. It needn’t be a zipper binder or have anything special about it.

Especially important items include the 70-pg theme books (usually available for around 10 cents this time of year), Ticonderogas, tissue, scissors, quality glue sticks (Ross, Elmer’s), a wooden or hard-plastic ruler showing inches and centimeters, and colored pencils.

Helpful extra items include a protractor, a personal manual pencil sharpener, and deodorant.

If you have any questions about supplies, don’t hesitate to e-mail me at mack.lewis@district6.org.

If you watch the newspaper fliers, there are a ton of good deals on schools supplies in our local big boxes–but be careful. Be sure to avoid cheapo brands and generics. Instead, stick with quality labels such as Ticonderoga. The quality of your child’s tools makes a tremendous difference in class. It also keeps you from having to buy new supplies again in January.

You can also utilize used supplies. There’s nothing wrong with last year’s scissors, ruler, pencils, and many other items (assuming they weren’t the cheapo brands). Be sure, however, to get the official TI calculator (TI-30XIIS), as students will need it through 8th grade. We have many lessons designed around this specific calculator and it is the only calculator allowed on the state math test.

If you need the official CPE school supply list: click here. If you’d like the Room 15 version identifying all the stuff you don’t need and preferences for the rest, click here. (Both lists are last year’s, but they’ll do.) I highly recommend you give ownership of school supply shopping over to your child. Establish a reasonable budget and let them purchase their own supplies (though have them view the tips shown here).

Some spots to cut back: if you’re buying Ticonderoga pencils, you can probably get by with just a dozen. If any other brand, we need two dozen. I believe the school’s official list asks for three dozen–which is unnecessary in my class.

Don’t overspend on the three ring binder. It needn’t be a zipper binder or have anything special about it.

Especially important items include the 70-pg theme books (usually available for around 10 cents this time of year), Ticonderogas, tissue, scissors, quality glue sticks (Ross, Elmer’s), a wooden or hard-plastic ruler showing inches and centimeters, and colored pencils.

Helpful extra items  include a protractor, a personal manual pencil sharpener, and deodorant.

If you have any questions about supplies, don’t hesitate to e-mail me at mack.lewis@district6.org.

Many of the best school supply deals seemed to have dried up, but Bi-Mart has much of what Room 15 kids will need at decent prices: 70 page spiral notebooks, 8/$1; 1.5″ Trapper Keeper binder, $5.99; Avery Glue Stic 2 packs, 3/$1; Fiskars scissors, $1.29-1.99; Chisel tip dry erase markers, 50 cents off; and Ticonderoga pencils, $1.49 per dozen.

Wherever you buy your supplies, avoid cheapo brands. Instead, stick with quality labels such as Ticonderoga. The quality of your child’s tools makes a tremendous difference in class.

You can also utilize used supplies. There’s nothing wrong with last year’s scissors, ruler, pencils, and many other items (assuming they weren’t the cheapo brands). Be sure, however, to get the official TI calculator (see below), as students will need it through 8th grade. We have many lessons designed around this specific calculator and it is the only calculator allowed on the state math test.

Be sure to read below for more tips about school supplies. If you need the official CPE school supply list: click here. If you’d like the Room 15 version identifying all the stuff you don’t need and preferences for the rest, click here.