To ask how you stay organised... school!

[Emcont]

My youngest is about to start school, so I'll have one in reception and one in year 1. I'm absolutely shocking at organising. Each year I buy calendars and diaries but never seem to stick to using them!

I get around 20 emails a week from the school for my eldest child's year, so now expecting that to double.

I'm just wondering how you keep organised with more than one child at school in different years? I'm talking trips, events, assemblies ect.

Also a look into your routine would be amazing!

Thank you!

What the hell are 20 emails a week about??

You just have to become more rigid with using a diary. Perhaps one up on the wall that you look at all the time?

Put things in your calendar as soon as you find out about them.
Deal with emails/permission slips/payments straight away.
Check bookbags every evening.

Honestly, there's a ridiculous amount of admin involved in just sending children to primary school. I had to force myself to be organised.

Twenty emails a week?! About what?

I'm just wondering how you keep organised with more than one child at school in different years? I'm talking trips, events, assemblies

Write it all on the wall calendar, check every day what will be happening in the next two weeks, and buy/organise anything needed ASAP so you’re not frantically trying to sort out a costume the night before a dress-up assembly.

However good the ‘system’, it will only work if you stick to it.

Also speechless about the 20 emails a week!

At one point I had three DC at three different schools so yours doesn't sound too bad to me! Personally I prefer a paper diary rather than an electronic one. I set aside time (two or three times a week) to go through all my emails, deal with the ones requiring payment etc, write down all new diary dates and then look ahead in my diary to next week to see if there's anything coming up that needs advance preparation. I have a paper to do list too!

I’m flabbergasted by 20 emails a week. Even 20 emails a term would be a lot. That would still be around two a week.

Wall calendar.
Letter tray for school admin documents.
Quick catchup and check every Sunday night.
If you're lucky you will have a class rep person who messages the class on swimming mornings etc to remind you to bring things.
Good luck!

Here are my tips from a mum who works 90+ hours per week so needs to be ruthlessly organised.

1. A JOINT email account which can be accessed by you and partner so that the burden can be shared.

1. As early as possible make sure your child is involved in getting ready for school. Mine have a pegs each in their room and the evening/night before everything they need for school the next day is hung on pegs- eg swim kit/coat/bag/musical instrument etc. If pegs are empty in the morning they have everything.

1. A week planner in their room(s) and pinned in fridge specifying what is needed each day with pictures until they can read.

1. Join the class WhatsApp group for the odd gem- eg remember its World Book Day etc- but ignore the triv/competitive mum.

1. Laminated tag on school bag with everything that needs to go back into bag at end of the day- eg water bottle, reading record, book etc with pictures until they can read.

Good luck! And don't worry you will forget stuff and if they end up playing football in their school shoes they seem to survive (well the kids do- the shoes were a bit scuffed!)

I have one DC about to be in Y6 and one going into Y2.
First, each one has a blackboard in their bedroom with the days of the week on it (from The Book People) and we have on it everything they need to get ready for the next day (so if DC1 has her guitar lesson on Monday, Sunday has 'get guitar ready' written on it). I go through it with them at bedtime each evening so we know we have everything ready for the next day (and stuff is put in the hallway by the door so it doesn't get forgotten).
Anything like swimming kits are washed or rinsed immediately and put back in the bag as soon as it is dry so it's ready to go for next time.
I have a family planner wall thing with a space for everyone so it is easier to see what bits of info are needed for who.
I also don't look at emails etc until the evening when I sit down with a diary, open them up and write everything relevant straight in. I also then dump them in a school folder so if I do miss something the email is easier to track down.

I didn't used to be quite so organised but with changes in work for both me and DH it was getting so chaotic it was too stressful. This works for me.

You might find the emails don't increase as much as you think. 'Remember the cake sale!' will be the same for both kids.

What are the emails about?

Work religiously by a calendar

Have a bag/school station where all school books and equipment live - so nothing gets lost. Insist on bag packing the night before.

A 90 hr week! My god. I’m guessing you don’t sleep much.

I have one of those family calendars with a column for each person, and I've got a brilliant milestone diary which has one half of the page that weeks days and opposite page is just a lined page which is where I write who's where on which evening next to my meal plan and shopping list underneath...this has helped me immensely this year, having the shopping list on there means I'm always on top of what's going on the diary too. Also colour code the family planner with different sharpies (I sound more organised than I actually am 😂)

There's no magic solution. Primary school is a nightmare. You just have to be organised or, like me, just ignore everything.

What on earth are 20 emails/week about? Lots of that must be reminders/repetition (or they are shockingly poorly organised).

Is there a class meeting near the start of term to tell you which days for PE kit/swimming/forest or muddy stuff? I aim for checking it's been brought home at the end of that day (phone alarm for pick up time) then it's washed and sent back into school so I can ignore until next time.

If no class info meeting, ask teacher which day for spellings / homework due. Put it on whichever diary/calendar you've decided to use - it doesn't matter if it's a wall planner / pocket diary / phone but make sure it's just 1 system to update and you pick somewhere you will check or see every day.

Five minutes "mission control meeting" on Sunday morning sorts us for the week - and allows me a day to do anything I've forgotten, like arrange extra kit for a school trip, or sort different childcare if the adult has something on etc etc.

Give the DC regular places to put things immediately when they get in the door - shoes in basket, bookbag on own hook, water bottle in kitchen etc. They collect from the same place in the morning with hundreds of reminders Small pot of loose coins in the car for emergency "but I TOLD you it was the cake sale today mum!"

I have a shared google calendar with my husband which is how we know who is doing what and when.

Every Saturday morning I sit down with my laptop and go through all the emails from school, plus the weekly school newsletter, which I’ve flagged and left in my inbox. As I go through them, I deal with them (so online permission slip and payment - annoying via two different sites, adding an event to the online calendar with the full details cut and pasted in so that I’ve got them handy, adding ‘MUFTI DAY - remember 2 x £1’ for the evening before, ordering dressing up costumes / craft stuff from ebay). Then I file them in a school folder, so I can find them later.

I also keep the following handy in a kitchen drawer, as I often need them in the morning:

• stick in name tapes for each child (for naming random things that are suddenly needed eg an apron)
• small envelopes (for permissions slips / raffle tickets etc)
• cheque book (gradually using this less) and a purse with some change
• sellotape
• biro and Sharpie (for labelling things liked packed lunches in a plastic bag)
• notepad
• a big spare pencil case with things like pencils, Berol pens, ink erasers, Pritt stick, 30cm rulers, I get these cheap off ebay as they’re spares so I can shop around and wait for shipping

We also do a ‘what are you doing tomorrow’ checked every evening. So, it’s Wednesday, you’ve got swimming after school, so you’ll need to take your swimming stuff and a snack. Go and find your swimming bag, check your costume, towel and goggles are in there, and put them them in your school bag now (or tie it on, at least).

Buy a diary and use it. Check emails every day. Check bags every day for letters. Have a pinboard in kitchen to stick paper letters to. Send back forms asap. Write everything in the diary.

If my kids would have been really upset not to be part of something then I acted on it. Other wise i ignored all emails and blocked the PTA (75% of emails always asking for stuff).

I have a white board and a tin with change, envelopes clothes marker pens.

I also have kallax in hall. one for school stuff - coat, bag, school shoes, one for weekend stuff and another for regular shoes. nothing can go missing because it doesn't make it past the hall (except reading book...)

We pay for lunches and trips online which is great but always make sure you have change. Quite often, I'm ambushed at 8am with a request for a £1 for charity.

I need to know what on earth the 20 emails are about. Daily weather reports for the school playground? Lunch menus and requests for feedback? A daily link to the live webcast for their assembly?

Dd3 primary sensibly sends a newsletter with all permission slips etc only on a Friday.
Oh and get Amazon Prime.

Wall calendar with one column for each family member.
Each and every single event, even if only a possibility, does on there as soon as I know about it.
The rule is that if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t happen (that’s for DH always ‘adding’ stuff wo checking if it’s possible or not!).

Any request, payment slip, autorisation slip etc... are dealt with on the spot.

I had a small white board in the kitchen for regular activities (swimming, tennis etc etc) and a lots of who was doing what for each day, incl times and my own activities (again that was because then DH. Ouodnt say he didn’t know about it).
This helped a lot when the dcs were having swimming lessons and the days/time were changing regularly and I couldnt keep track!

Put stuff together the night before, rather than in the busy morning :)

Our school doesnt do emails but we get god knows how many notes in bags.

Check the school website for their calendar of events and put that onto your own straight away, and keep an eye on it as they update.

Raid pockets and bags when they come home for any letters/permissions slips and deal with them ASAP. Take a picture of the letter before putting it up on the fridge or wherever as my letters always go missing.

Join the class WhatsApp group, they can be lifesavers.

Find out the days they have PE or need different uniform and highlight them.

Get the kids to set out the kit they need the night before, including socks and underwear.

If you do packed lunches, get them done the night before while you make dinner or something.

As soon I get a message on the school app or a timetable of events for the term ahead, I put them straight on our big calendar. That's it!