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August 5, 2013 by: Shell

3 Smart Ideas for Back to School

It’s already August and time to think about heading back to school!

I have three ideas that will help you throughout the school year for teachers, room moms, and any parent.

back to school ideas

Rewards for Your School Made Easy

I currently have a stack of Boxtops sitting in my drawer, ready to go back to school and earn points for my boys’ schools. But I have to admit that they are there because my boys seem them and either cut them out themselves or make sure I do it.

If you check out elabelsforeducation.com you can register your store rewards card so that when you buy an item that would earn your school rewards, it will automatically give those points to your school upon check out. In addition, if you take the time to cut out the label and send it in, you get those points as well. So you can either get double points or you can stop the guilt over forgetting to cut those out! Ask friends/relatives who don’t participate in these programs if they will register their cards in support of your school.

Simple Sign Ups

Sometimes I want to bang my head against the wall with all the group emails that try to plan parties for school: who will bring what or do what. Or trying to sign up for a time for a conference or party through a note sent in, where I usually circle a few choices and then write in “or whatever you need, I can be flexible,” leaving the teacher to try to sort it all out.

My middle son’s kindergarten teacher last year used Sign Up Genius which will email out a link to a form and you can sign up for the time you want a conference or what item to bring in for a party(or whatever you want the form to be for). It keeps it super organized and takes the work off of the teacher(or room mom or soccer mom- so don’t forget to try this if you are the one stuck coordinating the snack schedule this fall), plus it will email out a reminder at a selected time, reminding those who signed up what they said they’d bring or when their selected conference time is. Best of all, it’s a free service!

Take the Guesswork Out of Teacher Gift Ideas

Last year, the kindergarten teacher sent home a sheet with all the other back to school paperwork that was “all about Mrs. _____.” On it, she listed her favorite color, snack, drink, sports team, flower, treat, restaurant, pastime, etc. I kept this sheet handy all year and would refer to it when I wanted to send in a little treat, even if it was just a Monday morning pick-me-up of peanut butter cups and a Coke(her faves).

If your teacher doesn’t send home something like this, send her an email or send in a form like this one: Getting to Know Our Teacher and then share it with other classroom parents. Give your teacher a week or two after school starts since there’s already so much paperwork to be dealt with. While it’s not the norm to give the teacher homework, chances are he/she will appreciate it come gift time!

More Back to School Ideas

Last year, I was on a mission to get (and stay!) more organized during the school year. And it worked! Check out  6 back to school organization tips.

Do you have any back to school tips to share?

#SweetSuite13: Best Gifts for Boys
Pour Your Heart Out: School Anxiety

Comments

  1. JDaniel4's Mom says

    August 5, 2013 at 7:45 am

    These are great tool! I love the get to know your teacher idea!

    • Shell says

      August 5, 2013 at 9:14 am

      It was such a smart thing that my son’s teacher did that I wish all teachers would do it. Then I realized it’s really not a bad thing to ask a teacher to do, as long as it’s kept short!

  2. Ilene says

    August 5, 2013 at 9:51 am

    I love these idea – the links to forms and the info sheet on what your teachers like.  That makes gift giving so much easier! 

    • Shell says

      August 5, 2013 at 11:07 am

      It really did make it so much easier- I love knowing that the teacher will actually use/like what I give!

  3. Natalie says

    August 5, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    These are wonderful tips Shell!

    • Shell says

      August 6, 2013 at 1:27 pm

      Anything that helps with all the chaos! 😉

  4. Adrienne says

    August 5, 2013 at 4:33 pm

    I love the idea of the “get to know you teacher” form. So smart! 

    • Shell says

      August 6, 2013 at 1:27 pm

      It made so much sense and really did help me give his teacher gifts she’d like more!

  5. AnnMarie says

    August 5, 2013 at 10:20 pm

    These are such great tips. With three kids in three different schools, I really need to get organized before the school year. I love the teacher gift idea!

    • Shell says

      August 6, 2013 at 1:28 pm

      Yikes. Three different schools is rough! It’s just two here.

      • AnnMarie says

        August 6, 2013 at 1:45 pm

        Ughh…I must have been half asleep when I wrote this. Meant to say four kids in three different schools. Still not fun. 🙂

  6. Chris Carter says

    August 6, 2013 at 1:05 am

    Our first grade teacher did the same list- it was very helpful! Great tips Shell!

    • Shell says

      August 6, 2013 at 1:28 pm

      It really did help!

  7. momof12 says

    August 6, 2013 at 2:54 am

    Sounds like you are much more organized than me. Our school did send out the teacher info papers near the end of the year for teacher appreciation week, but at the beginning would have been better.
    Sandy

    • Shell says

      August 6, 2013 at 1:29 pm

      At least they sent it then! But yes, it was nice to have all year long.

  8. Emmy says

    August 7, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    Oh I have not heard of signup Genius- totally going to use it for things!! 
      What a great way to know good teacher gifts too- totally pinning this post.

Trackbacks

  1. Get Ready for Back to School! | A Grande Life says:
    August 19, 2013 at 7:11 am

    […] 3 Smart Ideas for Back to School by Things I Can’t Say […]

Welcome to Things I Can't Say: Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom. I'm Shell. Boy mom, beach girl, bookworm, ball games, baker, brand ambassador, Thinking yoga, food, and travel should start with "b," too. Finding the easiest way to do some things while overthinking so many others. Read More…

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