Starting 1St Grade

Every school and teacher might do things a little differently when it comes to supplies. I would wait until they tell you what they'd like her to bring and label, or call the school and ask.

I assume that your school will have a "meet the teacher" day. These are great questions for them, only as they know your school best. But, here, our school tells us which supplies to put names on & the rest are shared supplies. I would also assume that she will need a backpack, if for nothing else, to bring home the ubundant supply of projects that she'll undoubtedly be doing. I always stick to the list unless told otherwise. Don't forget about lunch money. I would also make sure that you take her to the school & show her around. Here, the kids are expected to at least get themselves to their rooms & get ready for class. There is always some one to ask, but the kids actually have to ask. My son is a little shy & might not ask for help, so I make sure that he has been to the school & his classroom at least once-hopefully the day before school starts, so it's more fresh in his mind.

your school should provide a school list of what your child needs and how to label the items. i know in our school only certain items are labeled and others are pooled together. and yes a back pack will help. but then schools have requirements on those too. call the school and ask for a list!!!

my oldest starts 1st grade in the fall and i have a supply list for her provided by the teacher. i would also put her name on everything just to make sure she gets her stuff back if it does get put with other kids stuff. the things the school provided my daughter last yr the teacher put the kids names on. but every school is different and if you dont get a list in the mail then for her 1st day i would make sure she has a back pack, with her name on it, and the teacher will proly send home a list that day.

Backpack, the listed school supplies including scissors, glue sticks, a million pencils and a good pencil sharpener (O. for backpack & we bought an electric O. for home about 3 mos. into first grade!), ruler, crayons, eraser. Put her name on everything but the stuff kind of gets passed around (especially if you have a disorganized kid like I do). Might as well buy multiples now.
A lunchbox and thermos, ice pack if she will pack a lunch. Umbrella, raincoat, light jacket for fall.

I had the same questions when my DD started public school. A backpack was not on the supply list, but definitely a necessity. Last year, my daughter picked out a very cute backpack at Target, but it didn't last the entire school year. It ended up with a large hole in it where the stitching came undone; but luckily I had another one that I had picked up right after school started...so I didn't have to pay full price for one towards the end of the school year. You may also want to stock up on liquid glue, glue sticks, crayons, pencils and markers while they're cheap and readily available during the back to school sales. Sometimes during the school year you'll get a note from school stating that their supplies are low and everyone needs to bring extra glue, for example.

A sweater is a great idea, too, as mentioned earlier.

:)

A backpack will definitely be needed and you do want to put her name on it just in case there is another kid in her class with the same backpack. You may also want to get her a lunch bag is you want her to pack a lunch to school.

As for supplies, when we attend the "meet the teacher" night at school, he/she will provide us with a packet of information and included with that is a list of school supplies that are needed. The school supplies are for the entire class to share so they are not labeled.

Other than the backpack, lunch bag, requested school school supplies and new school wardrobe, I really can't think of any thing else that your daughter may need.

Hope she enjoys her new school.

Each school does things differently. Do you have any neighbors who do/have children attended this school? You could ask them.

Also most schools have a website you may want to check it and send in questions to the contact person or call up to the school itself and speak to the secretaries in the front office. Ask for the PTA Presidents contact info and ask that person..

This is an exciting time!

Actually, not to be contradictory, but my son's school required tote bags, not backpacks. So you may want to check the official school supply list for her grade. FYI: in some schools the items you buy become "common property" meaning the awesome markers you bought for your kiddo go to a community pot for all kids to use. LOL another good reason to check the list, you know what to label as your daughter's and which ones not to:)

Hi A.. I was a first grade teacher for 3 years in a public school. I would just get the items mentioned on the official list. This list is usually created by the teachers themselves. She WILL need a backpack and make sure you send her to school with a small sweater the first week or so because some teachers like their rooms a little more cool. If your daughter's teacher would like her to get any extra supplies, she will probably send home a letter stating them the first week of school... or as needs arise. Go ahead and write her name on the school supplies but just do it small and in a corner. Some of the teachers on my team let the kids have their own supplies all year long and some put all the supplies together on the very first day and everyone shared everything. I personally had everyone share all the supplies, so I just marked out all of the names the first day of school. I hope your daughter enjoys first grade! It's my favorite! =)

My youngest is starting the 1st grade in the fall too. Our school sends out a list of supplies usually with the child on the 1st day of school. What they need is a book bag for the 1st day.