Elementary Parents, Students Stock Up on School Supplies

When Fulton County students go back to school on Aug. 15 they are sure to bring along backpacks brimming with brand new school supplies. In addition to perfectly sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks, some area students and parents will be contributing community supplies to the classroom kitty. 

It's not uncommon for the teacher-created school supply lists in Fulton County to include items specified for use by the classroom as a whole. Due to budget cuts in recent years, a basic supply list often includes boxes of tissues, sanitizing wipes and paper towels to stock the classroom shelves. 

As part of the standard supply lists, every student is asked to contribute a ream of 500 sheets of copy paper. Ziploc bags are a hot commodity at Dolvin Elementary in John's Creek, where varying sizes are found on every grade level request list. 

At in Roswell, incoming kindergarteners are asked to contribute 20 glue sticks and a box of Ziploc bags along with their crayons and pencils, while rising fifth grade boys found "copy paper" on the requested supply list for 2011-12. 

Flash drives, soap and hand sanitizer were other optional supplies on Mountain Park's fifth grade lists. 

students will also be bringing extra supplies with them on the first day of class, though according to Principal Lynn Johnson the requested supplies are easy to find and relatively inexpensive. Supply lists at Mimosa are determined by the grade level teachers, though Johnson said the lists are mainly items like paper, glue, pencils and tissues. 

"We are literally using the same list as last year," said Johnson, adding that the total cost for community supplies is likely less than $15 per student. 

Wendy Buice, PTA president at Mimosa and the parent of two students in the first and second grade, has already completed her children's back to school supply shopping for a grand total of $95, including approximately $15 per child in shared supplies. She said she found everything on the list at an area Walmart. 

"I don't feel like I had to bring more than last year," Buice said. "I feel like it's my one-time contribution [to the school each year]."

"Basically, to me, it's a free education any way; they're getting a public education," she said. 

Buice said that as a parent she appreciated that the shared supplies are marked with an asterisk on the list, so that parents who may not be able to afford every item can purchase only the supplies that their child needs and perhaps add the others later in the school year.

Alternatively, parents can also donate more than their child's suggested allotment. Aside from school supplies, parents are rarely asked to contribute financially to school activities at Mimosa, according to Buice. 

She said that the PTA raises funds through their $5 per person membership dues and multiple fundraisers to shoulder the bulk of field trip costs. 

This was a refreshing change for Buice, whose children previously attended Cobb County Schools. She said that at their former school parents were asked for at least a few dollars for every field trip. As a Mimosa student, her older child attended three field trips last year without any extra funds, thanks to PTA funds and grant money. 

"We (at Mimosa) are so blessed with donations," Johnson said.

Buice said shopping for her children's school supplies brought back fond memories of her own "back to school shopping" as a child in Conyers. 

"We always got what we needed for school," she said.