Schools

School Starts in 6 Weeks: 10 Tips for Back-to-School Shopping

Here's what you need to do to get ready for the new school year in East Providence.

School starts in about six weeks in East Providence, and there’s no better time to start preparing for opening day on Sept. 5 than right now. 

Here are 10 tips for getting your family what it needs for the big day.

1. Stock up on school supply essentials now. Buy basic supplies before the first day of school. Here are the priorities: pencils (regular and colored), pens, magic markers, loose-leaf paper, spiral notebooks, pocket folders, binders, a hole punch, glue, and construction paper.

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2. Read all summer long. Children should be made to read something every day. You can get the reading lists at the Barrington library.

3. Go clothes shopping now. If you start back-to-school shopping in pieces, the bills don’t become too staggering.

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4. Purchase a durable backpack. Cheaper backpacks are usually flimsy and rip easily. Make sure that they are sturdy with straps to protect your child’s shoulders and backs. They can get heavy.

5. Move back bedtime. Transition the kids to their school-year bedtime no later than two weeks before the first day.

6. Organize the family calendar. Know what you're doing and when by organizing your after-school activities, drop-off, pick-up and child-care plans.

7. Mark your student’s flash drive. Buy a light-colored flash drive and write the student's initials on it with a marker, or put a sticker on it.

8. Review your district's technology guidelines. Before purchasing electronics for your student, including a cellphone or laptop, check your district's "technology use" policies. Get informed and make the right choice.

9. Help support your student’s organizational skills. Planners and notebooks play a vital role in your child's daily middle school life.  When you get one for your child, talk to him/her about what you expect to be written every day, how often you will be checking it, and what reward they will earn if everything is filled in properly — and then follow through with that plan.

10. Find out what supplies teachers expect students to have for the year. Get lists from teachers (often online on your school district website) for specific school supplies, including “big ticket” items such as calculators. The best person to ask about calculators is the teacher.


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