Here are some really neat suggestions to help with Papers and other items for School!
At The Beginning Of The School Year Designate A Large Envelope For Each Child’s School Papers
School papers are most useful for the school year they are issued, so start each school year off fresh with a big folder or binder, or something to keep each child’s school papers in.
I suggest getting and setting up these envelopes or folders at the same time you buy your child’s school supplies.
If your child brings home lots of stuff, you may even want to create a new one each semester or quarter. Whatever suits your needs, but the minimum is each year.
Go Through Your Child’s School Papers Daily As Part Of Their Homework Habit
As children get older they will have to do some type of homework, even on days when they don’t bring a specific worksheet home.
If nothing else, have each child show you their backpack, which they clean out to make sure there are no papers that need to be reviewed.
Then put all graded homework in their folder for that year, once you review it, to get it out of the way.
Put All Dates On The Family Calendar
Other school papers that I review have information on them, such as assignments or dates to remember on them.
All tests, quizzes, homework assignments, projects, library book return dates,Also try to write on the family calendar the dates of everything involved. School closings, school vacation or holidays, field trips and special events. All notes and newsletter info too.
Once written on the family calendar, which is in a central location, unless the school paper is really important it should be typically thrown away.
If it is important, you can place it in a folder in that childs school notebook.
Just be sure, if you do this, that you clean out this folder regularly, or you will soon have now useless information from two years ago cluttering up your home but most important you could miss something really important.
Also keep the detailed instructions about projects, because the space on the calendar nay not big enough to write all the details, just a summary.
Once the project is done, and graded, you can generally throw the instructions away.
Every day, while your child does homework, you can look at the family calendar together to make sure you are on track for all assignments, such as studying for the spelling test tomorrow, or beginning the big assignment due next Friday to be able to do a little each day.
This crucial habit also allows you and your child to figure out if your child is ready for the next school day, such as putting all library books in their backpack to be returned by their due date.
Put All Contact Information In Your Address Book
Each year your child may get new teachers and/or a new bus driver. I periodically need this information, which is generally passed out at the beginning of each school year.
I take the time when I get this big stack of school papers each fall to put all the information in the right locations for future quick reference when I need it.
If I didn’t do this, I would never be able to find the paper with the bus driver’s name on it, to know her phone number when I need it, for example.
And trust me, if I need to call the bus driver, it is some type of important reason, so I need that number, and I need to be able to find it quickly without a lot of hassle.
Fill Out All Paperwork Promptly And Return It To School.
I have no idea if all schools do this, but my child’s school has Friday Folders. These folders are used to bring home the majority of information for the week, on you guessed it, Friday.
A Friday Folder typically includes lots of graded homework and tests, field trip permission slips, class or school newsletters, and a menu for the school cafeteria.
I suggest going through your child’s Friday Folder while they are doing their homework and dealing with any paperwork as soon as possible.
I try to go ahead and immediately fill out permission slips or sign report cards, so I do not forget.
This habit also makes it easy to place it right back in the Friday Folder on that Friday for delivery back to the teacher by your child.
Please note that another reason that you need to check your child’s backpack at least quickly daily is because they are being entrusted to turn information back in to their teacher.
All children will occasionally forget to turn something in, such as a homework assignment or other paperwork. When you and your child check their backpack daily you can generally catch a problem before it is too late.
At The End Of The School Year Clean Out Your Child’s School Papers Folder of Non-Essentials
At the end of the school year your child’s folder will likely be stuffed with school paperwork and completed homework assignments, because of all those graded worksheets and other information.
You can use their folder as a keepsake of their school year.
I like to keep my child’s report cards, and representative homework assignments in several areas of study from various points during the school year.
I also like to keep not just the A+ work, but I also like to keep some things which show them struggling and then improving in various areas of study.
That is more like real life and what really happened then just the perfect scores.
You don’t need to, and in my opinion, shouldn’t keep all the school papers that your child brings home once the school year is over. It just becomes a big pile of clutter once the school year is over. So cull out the repetitive parts and just keep the gems.
I hope these few ideas have helped you spur some of your own for to stay organize and help track of the mountains of school paperwork.
So now it is your turn. My way is not the only right way, and maybe your way will work better for another person reading this. Tell me below how you keep track of your child’s school papers.
May your life be full of information!
~Assorted Sources
Creative Cleaning and Cleansing 