It’s back to school time already. School generates a lot of paper even though more and more of it is on line. Plan for the onslaught of paper now. Have in place a plan to store the needed paper before the paper starts to build up.
You will likely receive:
General school information such as a school calendar and a calendar of events, papers with school hours, rules, fees, sports information, contact information, PTA news
Welcome letter from your child’s teacher with her information
List of needed school supplies
Lunch schedule
As the school year progresses, student work and art will also pour in as well as updates on festivals, field trips, and special programs.
Some parents do very well with having a notebook for each child that holds school information and schedules as well as report cards. Some parents prefer to scan the forms and reports and keep them on a folder on their computer. A bin or folder is helpful to keep up with graded papers and art work.
Always keep graded school work until the end of each grading period. If there is a question about a grade, you have something to carry into the conference. At the end of each grading period, cull most of the work keeping only the best.
When the school calendar comes in, immediately put important dates into the family calendar. You don’t want to be surprised when there are teacher workdays, early dismissals, or field trips.
When the first general information comes, put into your phone important contact numbers such as the main office, the guidance counselor, or the nurse. Put titles into the contact list as you may not immediately recognize the name (Nurse Sara Nightingale).
Set up a plan for all incoming paper your child carries home. Have a landing pad or active folder for all papers that you need to see such as field trip permission slips, picture day schedule, and item requests. At the beginning of the year, each day ask your child, “Do you have anything that needs to be put into the basket or file for me to look over?”. As the school year progresses you can fade out the questioning and let your student become independent.
Most schools have planners where the children log in their homework assignments. If the school does not have one, it is a good idea to purchase one anyway. At the beginning to the school year, check the planner daily. Have a calendar at your child’s study area where he can learn to schedule projects that take more than one evening. Weekly clean out the backpack and put all graded work and art into the bin.
The year will run so much more smoothly if you start off with a good paper plan.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer