February 2nd, 2010 
Admin Send impatient Blues back to grade school
NSW have suffered an ignominious and instructive defeat bound to have ramifications locally and nationally.
Read more on Brisbane Times
February 1st, 2010 Admin Many American children are starting back to school soon, and no matter how young or old they may be: There is always a long list of items that must be purchased in preparation. This list is an overview of the basic stuff most kids need – whether they’re starting kindergarten or college.
1. Backpacks and bags: Attending school usually involves keeping track of books, papers, pens and more. So carrying bags are a must. Younger children prefer backpacks, and many cute ones are available just about anywhere these days.
If your children are a bit older – particularly in junior high or high school – be sure to get rugged, durable backpacks that will last. These older kids carry very heavy loads sometimes, and it helps to spend a little extra money for backpacks right at the beginning of the year. I’ve found that hiking backpacks work best for high school students, because they have large carrying capacities and they’re quite strong and durable. Buying these types of backpacks will ensure they last through the entire school season, instead of having to be replaced halfway through the year.
College bound students might prefer laptop and gadget bags, sling bags, messenger or duffle bags instead.
2. Paper Supplies: This includes notebook paper, spiral notebooks, pocket folders and binders among other things. Most kids need all of these from the time they start first or second grade, though the needs get heavier as the children get older. Younger children might need art paper and older children might need graph paper, so the needs vary slightly but the basics tend to stay the same.
High School honor students and college bound students will also need special books, and these usually need to be purchased. Book covers are also useful for all grades.
3. Writing Tools: Pens and pencils are generally thought of automatically, but often there are other writing related materials that must be purchased for school as well. Younger children often need crayons and paint for instance, while older kids may need markers and colored pencils.
As children move into junior high, high school and college, they’ll require a larger variety of the basics too. Instead of just blue pens for instance, they often need blue, black and red. It’s good to know the teachers at this point by the way: Some do not allow gel pens to be used for instance, while others may forbid red pens or yellow markers.
4. Misc. Tools: These change from one grade to another, but generally additional tools of some kind are needed for just about any age range. Examples of school tools needed includes rulers, protractors, and calculators.
5. Clothing: This is usually a given, but a checklist always helps. Be sure to buy pants, shirts, socks, and underclothing. Don’t forget to get new shoes… some kids need more than one pair because specialized shoes are needed for gym or athletic programs. Also be sure to buy athletic or gym cloths if they’re required. These could include shorts, t-shirts, or sweat suits.
Sweaters and lightweight jackets are usually needed for the cool early mornings, and heavier coats will be needed within a few months of school starting.
Most schools have dress codes these days too, so it’s a good idea to get a copy of that for reference before you go clothes shopping. You wouldn’t want your daughter to have a whole new wardrobe of tank tops only to find out they’re not allowed to be worn at school for instance.
Originally posted 2009-07-12 11:29:47. Republished by Old Post Promoter
January 26th, 2010 Admin Back-to-school expenses can be overwhelming. Here are six simple ways to save money while giving your children what they need to hit the books this year.
1. Take a specific list for school supplies to the discount store or office supplies store. Watch the Sunday circulars and plan to find all of these essential school supplies in a single trip, while they are on sale. Make sure to stick to the official supplies list provided by the school. Then shop online (or comparison shop offline) for other items you might need, such as clothes and shoes.
2. Do not spend too much on back-to-school clothes before school begins. Every child looks forward to having something new for the first day of school. That does not mean each child needs an entirely new wardrobe. With many schools starting in August, the weather is too hot for the fall and winter clothes that they will need for the duration of the school year. And if you shop too far in advance, your child could actually outgrow an outfit before it is time to wear it. Purchase one new outfit (or new single clothing item) for that first day to heighten the excitement, and save the rest of the wardrobe budget for a few months from now. If your budget does not allow for a new clothing item for each child, treat your kids to something smaller, but still exciting: a new pencil bag or a new package of pencils printed with their name, for example.
3. Establish a clothing budget for each child. This allows your child to be in control of their wardrobe (under your guidelines, of course), and it requires them to make wise spending decisions. Help your child to comparison shop once they decide what they like. You can find lots of coupons online this time of year for apparel and shoes.
4. Shop the sales, offline as well as online. Many of the big online retailers, such as Overstock and Smartbargains, as well as Target and Walmart, feature savings this time of year on back-to-school items small appliances, even notebook computers and those specialized calculators that your older children may need.
5. Let your child give their old stuff a new look. With a few paper bags, sheets of construction paper, glitter, pens, glue, and stickers, they can make fun, personalized folders, supply tins, lunchboxes, notebooks, and book covers.
6. Plan a simple reward for the first day. Treat your elementary school student to a special surprise at the end of the first day (or at the end of the first week for middle school and high school students.) Take your children out for pizza or an ice cream cone and ask them to tell you all about their classes, their new friends, and what they think they are going to enjoy most about the year to come. They will cherish this simple tradition, and so will you.
Posted in School Paper 
Tags: Back, Backtoschool, During, money, Save, Savings, School, time, ways 
No Comments » January 24th, 2010 Admin
I prefer this live performance over the Original. Love the new arrangement & Carrie’s voice is just gorgeous and perfectly fits the ingenious lyric (hat off to George Michael’s writing skill) —————————- All Credit goes to Vinman Media
January 23rd, 2010 Admin Without students, a school is nothing but four walls and teachers with nothing to do. Students give the school purpose, and funding to pay those teachers, administrators and janitors. This funding also pays the electric and water bills, and buys supplies from pencils and chalk to paper towels and copy paper. The lack of students kills a school, plain and simple. It’s ugly, but it’s a logical conclusion.
In the last decade, one district serving Michigan Public Schools has lost more than 60,000 students. While much of this loss has been due to that city’s steadily declining population and shrinking birthrates, a lot of it is also attributable to poaching from charter schools and neighboring public school systems. The declining student enrollment in these Michigan Schools is forcing leaders to face the likelihood of cuts in per pupil funding.
The shrinking of the enrollment in these Michigan Schools can significantly weaken their academic programs. These particular Michigan Schools offer a variety of quality academic programs that no other school district or charter school in the state does. The shrinking of these Michigan Schools could potentially kill some of these programs. In fact, the programs offered are an attempt to actually draw students and their families back to this Michigan Schools district.
Loss of per-pupil funding will not only cut the above mentioned programs, but it will also effect the necessary education that the special-needs children attending Michigan Schools so desperately need. Special-needs students classified as having severe cognitive impairments or severe multiple impairments get an extended school year equaling about 230 days of instruction, as opposed to “traditional students” who receive 180 days of instruction. Cutting back on this extended school year would have debilitating effects on these students. These kids need the extra time, which not only consists of academic learning, but physical, speech, and occupational therapies, among others. In addition, the routine of going to school each day is extremely important to these very special Michigan Schools students, and is indeed vital to their success.
Perhaps previously unconsidered is the effect of declining student enrollment on the workforce. Michigan Schools employees in this city face layoffs if the enrollment continues to decline. Losing their jobs will inspire many of these workers to leave this city for work elsewhere. Any children they have would naturally leave these particular Michigan Schools, and the cycle begins all over again with even more declining enrollment.
If the Michigan Schools that are in existence in the city of Detroit are to continue and to grow, the state has a very big job cut out for itself. Hopefully, it will rise to the challenge.
Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Michigan Schools
Posted in School Paper Tags: Back, hard, Michigan, Must, schools, some, Students, work No Comments » January 22nd, 2010 Admin It is that time of year again — you know, the time of year when you are running around buying school supplies, looking for discount school supply stores, trying to get it all together… While many parents look forward to this time of year for obvious reasons, they also know the trouble they will have to go to in order to be properly prepared. Getting back on track with school supplies and schedules is a job in and of itself.
During the summer, kids get used to staying up later and getting up when it suits them. When the school season rolls around, it can be difficult to get used to getting up in the morning. It is wise to get a start on going to bed and getting up early. If you start a week or two ahead of time, the transition will be much easier. Start by getting your children out of bed a couple of hours earlier one day. The first day, they will be sleep deprived, but it will be easier for them to get to bed earlier that night. Every day or two set their alarms earlier until they are getting up at the regular time for getting ready for school.
Discount School Supplies
In order to find the best deals on school supplies, you will need to start early. Get a list of needed classroom supplies from teachers if you can. This way, you won’t waste valuable time and money buying unnecessary supplies or end up scrambling to get needed items after school has already begun. You can find discount school supplies in dollar stores and at school supply store sales. Look online for great deals, too. Classroom supplies may include specific books for reading or specific types of binders and folders. Many of these things can be found at online school supply stores for less money than you might think. Backpacks, lunch boxes and planners are easily found online for discount prices. Take advantage of low-cost shipping and you have an edge over time as well as expenses.
Discount school supplies are not the only deals you can find early. Your children will need clothes and shoes as well. Unless your children have stopped growing, it is likely you will have to purchase a whole new wardrobe for them. Being prepared means budgeting for school clothes as much as for classroom supplies. For the best deals on clothing, check warehouse outlets and consignment shops. Shopping online can allow you to comparison shop without the hassle of driving from store to store.
Don’t wait until the bell has rung before asking the important questions about bus scheduling and extra-curricular activities. If you call and make an appointment to meet with teachers or office people before school starts, you may even be able to get all the paperwork out of the way. We all feel overwhelmed when our children bring home medical permissions and information slips, contact questionnaires and various other papers for us to sign. Those who have more than one child can find themselves sitting at the table all evening, wading through the paperwork. If you get this done early, you won’t have to think about it on their first day of school. That clears more time for you to spend listening to them recount their experience on the first day of school.
School supplies can include necessary organization for the home, too. A great idea is to put up a wall calendar that contains all appointments and activities as well as project due dates. Carefully marking these dates makes it easier when it comes to making appointments. This way, you aren’t rushing through the house, phone in hand, trying to find the paper that tells what time the class play (basketball practice, choir…) starts in order to make an appointment for early enough in the day to make it to the school on time.
Being prepared with school supplies and scheduling will go a long way towards making the transition from vacation to school smooth and easy.
August 12th, 2009 Admin Despite the merriment we all experience at the beginning of the back to school season, there seems to be a rapid decline in our moods the moment the dreaded paperwork begins to appear in our houses. The countertops, dresser tops, table tops, and back seat of the car all seem to grow their very own pile of papers. All of those school supplies that were purchased at the beginning of the year have now made their way back into our homes in the form of school projects, art projects, mobiles, and dioramas. Not to mention that fact that all the teacher supplies we so generously donated to the school have also returned to our homes in the form of field trip slips, progress reports, graded homework, and report cards. Where does all this stuff go? How do we get back our houses?
Everything in its Place
In every home there seems to be a “junk hot spot” where everything not nailed down ends up. Backpacks, flip-flops, keys, hats, coats, and leftover lunches all seem to end up in the same spot in your kitchen. Why not make that “hot spot” the dump spot? Actually designating a place in your home where you and you kids throw their everyday things will actually help cut down on clutter elsewhere in your universe. Make sure that you have set up specific bins for things to go into. Have a special hanging hook where you and your kids put your keys. Have a shoe rack where you and your kids can put your shoes. Have a coat rack where you can all put your coats. This doesn’t just sound simple, it is simple.
School Supply Storage
With all the money you spent at the beginning of the school year, you aren’t just going to let all your children’s school supplies get lost in the mess that is your house? If your kids don’t need them at school, you should set aside a place in your house where you can store school supplies when they are not in use. Buying baskets or storage bins and labeling them with the appropriate item, will help you sort and store all those special items for their special projects.
Inbox and Outbox
With all the paperwork going through your house it is probably very hard to keep track of important time sensitive documents. There is nothing as horrible as your child getting to go to his class swim party because you never got around to signing his permission slip. Designating a specific box or basket in the house as the “inbox” for all school related papers can drastically cut back on life shattering “mommy mistakes”. Every night before you snuggle into your bed, go through the inbox and file, sign, toss, or display whatever needs it. If something needs to be signed and returned, sign it and put it right back into their backpacks to be returned the next day. If an important date needs to be remembered, write the date down on your family calendar and toss the paper. You can de-clutter your living space and still be on the ball with your kid’s important school stuff.
Home Art Museum
All those school supplies and classroom supplies you purchased at the beginning of the year have made a triumphant return as a beautiful piece of art. Paper Mache snowmen, multi-colored paper chains, painstakingly drawn pictures of the family standing around a large pumpkin. When all those amazing pieces of imagination come flowing through your door, you will want to display them proudly for all to see. The fridge might not be big enough to hold so many wonderful works of art, so set aside a wall in the family room or kitchen where you can display with much pomp, your child’s newest achievement. Let the artwork hang there until the next great masterpiece graces your abode, and switch them, leaving the new artwork hanging and putting the old away in a storage container for later.
With your schedule already super crammed, your shopping list already overflowing with school supply needs, and your brain exploding with important dates, being able to find space, peace, and order in your own home may just save your life.
July 28th, 2009 Admin Getting back into the school routine can be hard to do after a long summer. Make it easy on yourself and make a “to do” list of all the things you need to do to get your students year off to a great start. Give yourself plenty of time. This will cut down on your stress level as the first day approaches. Here are some helpful ideas you may want to try.
Try buying the supplies they may need ahead of time. Like pens, pencils, paper, folders, composition books, crayons, and markers. The stores are already having sales and don’t forget to clip coupons! Then when you get the supply list from the teacher you won’t have so much to buy all at once. Buying extras of the most used supplies is a great headache saver. Kids tend to tell you they are out of paper on the day they need more paper. Buying more also helps you to save money by getting quantity discounts.
When it comes to shopping for clothing it seems to be fun for them but not so much for parents. A few weeks before the first day of school, have them gather together all the old clothes that don’t fit or they are not going to wear again and donate them to a charity or if you need some extra cash you can take them to a consignment shop. This means less clutter for you and it may help the less fortunate kids so they have some new clothes for the first day of school as well. Get organized! It makes room for their new clothes and organization is a good quality to have.
Staying organized is hard to do. They get home from school and their backpacks, jackets and lunch boxes end up all over the house. Try making a landing spot in the house just for school stuff. Like a chair by the door or a shelf in the kitchen or den. Large baskets are also a great way to keep it organized. If you are the crafty type you can be creative and make your own decorative box.
For your older kids who are collage bound at last. Where do you start? If they are staying in a dorm your checklist would be bedspreads, storage units, laptops, digital cameras, mp3 players and cell phones as well as the usual supplies like notebooks, pens and paper. Wow, can you say expensive! This is where shopping online can save you time and money. There are many comparison shopping websites to choose from. Find one that is fun and easy to use. You should also check out deal and coupon websites as well.
These are just a few tips to help you through the back to school season. Happy shopping!
Michele Dougherty is the co-owner of BuyFinders.com an online comparison shopping website that connects savvy buyers with thousands of merchants and sellers. Buyers can quickly and easily find, compare and save on millions of products and can make informed choices on the products they are searching for. Find what you?re looking for by visiting www.buyfinders.com
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