How do you organize your school paperwork before the year starts?

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  • Regan
    Participant

    I like to make copies of everything I can as I prepare for the next school year!  I am trying to figure out the best way to store and organize it all and minimize doing as much during the school year!  I know some people divide their paperwork by subject in hanging files and just pull what they need for the next day or for the week.  I have also heard of moms dividing the year into weeks and then dividing the paperwork between those weeks!  I’m just thinking that flexibility is key and if your plan gets changed, all those folders have to be shifted!  So, when you are getting ready to start the next school year, how do you organize your paperwork that will be given to your kids?

    Monica
    Participant

    What kind of paperwork?  We honestly don’t have a lot of paperwork around here.

    For copywork, PDF books, etc., I bind the papers together with my ProClick binder.

    Regan
    Participant

    I make copies of the following: Using Language Wisely, Spelling Wisdom, Visits to Africa and the student activity pages from Considering Gods Creation (for the kids to make their own Creation Notebook).   Stuff like that where I can keep the original and have a copy ready to go!  I have 6 kiddos so if the copyright says we can make copies for use within our household, we do :).  They also have handwriting practice daily so that is an additional paper!  I have heard where some parents just look at the next school day and pull all the paperwork that applies to that day and put it in a folder marked with that child’s name!  This is what I did last year with the Visits to Africa maps and the handwriting paperwork!  It’s because they can get their folder and start working independently on a few items!  My son (3rd grade) can work on his map and handwriting on his own so it’s important to have those items ready to go in one place so he can grab and go!  I do know some who take paperwork for the year and dived it into weeks for the years and others I have heard who just leave them in folders labeled by subject or curriculum!  I was just curious how everyone organizes paperwork once they have made copies for their student.  I do all of this at one time during the Summer 🙂

    Rachel White
    Participant

    I do one if two things:

    • Either use a binder r three-pronged folder; large enough, but not too thick, to hold the copies, so they grab the binder titled according to subject and go with it. Ex: Spelling Wisdom has it’s own binder, a 1-2″ one. I’ve copied all exercises and placed them unto it. They have a lined notebook to copy into that slides into the binder sleeve.
    •  Second option is one big binder (3″), with tabs separated by various minor subjects (i.e. subjects with less printables/copies required). Ex: put grammar tests in here behind Grammar Tests tab.

    However, my most common method is: one subject=1 binder.

    HTH

    HollyS
    Participant

    We used 3-prong folders for each subject this last year.  I printed a term at a time, so it wasn’t an overwhelming amount to print, yet not so little that I constantly had to make more copies.

    We had folders for Spelling Wisdom, Visits to Europe, copywork, math, science, history, and grammar (ELTL).  I had them color-coded so everyone had orange for spelling, purple for grammar, red for math, etc.  When they got too thick for the DC to easily work with, I removed the older pages.

    Next year my plan is to go back to binders (DH picked up a neat binder organizer at a garage sale), and I’ll be printing/copying 6 weeks at a time.

    Regan
    Participant

    I think I may use the crate system (aka hanging file folders in a crate or other portable container).  Holly, I like your idea to prepare and organize the paperwork for small blocks of the school year (or terms).  I wanted to organize for the whole year, but I don’t know how realistic that is since plans change!  The term planning and organizing solves that problem!

    Thanks 🙂

    heatherma
    Participant

    In the past I’ve  had one 3 ring binder per child for keeping maps, loose art papers, special poems or stories they copied, picture study if they have their own print. At the end of the year we clean it out, keeping only the best stuff to store away as part of their memories.

    When I don’t purchase copywork from SCM, (and I do when I am pregnant or have littles) I do print off copywork per term using worksheetworks and poems and hymns I look up and type in, then <span style=”line-height: 1.5;”>staple or bind that, and timed math sheets same thing using 9’s down from MOTL.</span>

    Then, they each have a spiral ruled notebook for SW practice and dictation, and Story Starters if we don’t type them up and tape into it. We use drawing on whiteboards to help spur most narrations recently.

    A spiral ruled notebook for math-  5 review problems a day from Math on the Level, (new lessons are done on ind. Whiteboards) I turn it sideways to help them keep the numbers lined up.

    And a high quality multi media spiral bound artists notebook for nature study and art.

    As they get older, they have learned to grab their things that are on the posted schedule each morning right after breakfast, Bible and verses, for what we ended up calling Tablework.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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