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!

We had 4 in 4 different settings last year. Taking photos of the school letters as they come home helps me. I also then forward it to DH.

Fortunately all but one of the settings were very good with giving notice/accurate online calendar.

Get on amazon now and get some envelopes. Also keep a stash of pound coins somewhere.... then you are ready to send in a pound in an envelope at any moment.

Get stickins for labelling their clothes/water bottles

Calendar app on phone, everything goes in. Don’t touch a piece of paper or open an email from the school until you are ready to do something about it (I.e. you are ready with your calendar app, you are ready to log on to parent pay and pay something etc). Then discard the paper/email. Take photos of invitations, reply immediately, save the invite to your calendar app then chuck the invite. Any paper or emails you can see have not been dealt with (otherwise I find I open it, read it, do nothing then crap myself at 2am the day it’s supoosed to be done).

Order all your school meals online as soon as you can for the entire term.

I put coins on a piece of card with child's name & class and sticky tape it.

Label everything
Always get things ready at least the night before.
Put everything on the calendar
Pay for things as soon as asked rather than forgetting about it and being chased
Get a white board for each child's bedroom and write down the weekly events
Involve your children in the organisation
Do things as soon as you can rather - preferably when first notified rather than forgetting about it

Phone calendar!

Buy them a small purse with a couple of pounds in for cake sales in case you forget

Weekend - have PE bags and swimming kits packed and in the hall/car/peg ready

Uniforms all ironed and in wardrobes

School should have a calendar attached to all emails as a reminder

School WhatsApp group or year FB groups are helpful for the bigger things

Name and label everything

Sign and return letters and permission slips straight away

Wall calendar.
Letter tray for school admin documents.
Quick catchup and check every Sunday night.
^^ This though I found letter tray didn't work- DH would dump things in it and move it randomly then claim to have never seen such a thing - so then tried notice board then found everyone else put random stuff on there often not that vital so then just started sticking letters to wall near calendar with blue tack.

If there are things to pay - will keep tally on letter pinned to wall. As primary school refuses to use parent pay for trips, I keep receipts as well as they have form for losing what money they have taken and then arguing they are right.

Get kids themselves organized – so they know what days they will need PE kits or instruments or money.

They used to do text reminders and e-mails – but one school has moved to system where you have to check what’s coming up yourself. So this year have list of teacher training days by calendar as well and trying to have set time for checking the webpage.

Ask Kids every night for any letters and anything they are aware coming up – mine tend to be reliable and often aware of things before we are told of them.

We at one school often get very last minute demands for things - so we have found Amazon prime useful and we do have shops that open late we can get to.

Thank you so much for all your suggestions!

Ok, maybe 20 is a bit much. But definitely between 10-15. The emails are usually PTA (5ish a week). A weekly newsletter. Assembly reminders - They have one with the local vicar a week. Reminders about trips and clubs. The wrap around clubs for before and after school. Menu changes which happen roughly once a week. Then general reminders and info. It's a lot!

I carry a diary with me at all times so if during lunch break I can enter dates into it from any emails which have come/if asked if a date is free I can check there and then.

On my fridge is a large white board weekly planner with a column for each person and every activity goes on this so everyone in the house knows where everyone is/what they are doing.

I have 2 notice boards one for general bits and bobs and one for trip/activity days info.

You just have to be strict with yourself to be organised or it easily gets out of hand. I also agree that by Year 3 kids should be starting to take some responsibility in organizing what they need on a daily basis without too much input. (keeping kit backs packed ready to go is also a great idea, normally wash and repack so no last minute hunting for bits) Its boring but if you get into good habits does become 2nd nature

Delete the pta before opening.

It's the only way to be sure.

The emails are usually PTA (5ish a week). A weekly newsletter. Assembly reminders - They have one with the local vicar a week. Reminders about trips and clubs. The wrap around clubs for before and after school. Menu changes which happen roughly once a week. Then general reminders and info.

We get letters like this or used to get texts - not so many now though news letter is useful but it's monthly.

I used to scan and if there was nothing relevant get rid of as soon as possible - and if there was it went on calander as soon as possible and letter would get stuck to wall till event passed - the wall would be checked regularly for things that had past.

There's usually a lot that's not relevant - so scan to discover that then ignore.

Calendar on wall, it has columns for each of us and it goes over about 18 months so I can put in term dates etc well in advance.
Deal with letters immediately and either put reply slips back in diary or pay for whatever it is online straight away.
Enough uniform for a clean top and school socks every day and bottoms every other so I dont have to faff with rushing laundry.

Most of all, start every term with good intentions and begin to fail miserably by half term.

I use my phone google calendar, everyone has different colours so i can see at a glance whats up

I use my smart phone calendar. Like the previous poster everyone has their own colour on there so i can see at a glance who needs what.

I set as many reminders as it will allow for each event.

Pen in dc bookbag so you can sign and return letters at school office immediately, after you have taken a photo.

All dates put in smartphone calendar with notifications at appropriate time.

Train child to tell you anything important. Encourage them to remember own clothes day etc.

Put alarms on your phone for regular events (e.g. choir pick up at 4.15 rather than 3.15).

I think you just have to lower your standards

It starts off all great. You get the calendar. You download the communications app. Have everything written up etc

Then yes it starts. The emails. Correcting dates and times. Asking for money fir trips. Reminders to bring stuff in. If you have two kids in the same school you get 2 emails for the same thing as well as the text messages and the comms app so basically you get told the same thing 4 plus times.

Chuck in a few head bump emails. Please check your kids for lodgers emails and has anyone seen a smiggle pencil case with the name dexter on it emails and I think you just have to give up and open the gin

However hard you try between 4 emails for the same thing , the kids versions of events, the school telling you something is happening on tuesday the 5th when tuesday is the 3rd it's all just trying to hold back the tide...

I share custody 50/50 with DDs dad and she spends every other week with him so we have to be extra organized. Fortunately we get on well so it has never been a problem so far. We have a shared online calendar for DDs activities - her extra curricular are set (Spanish, dance, drama, swimming) and blocked out.

Whichever parent she is with, whenever a letter/invite etc is received, we take a picture, add it to WhatsApp (so we both have the original with all the info) and put it into the calendar. Who ever she is with when the event happens is responsible for making sure she has the stuff required - eg if World Book day falls in my week then I have to sort the costume but if in ExDHs week then he sorts it etc. Invites to parties etc depend on each parent's schedule, whoever receives the invite might not be the parent DD is with on the party date so we just put them all in the calendar and the parent DD is with on the party date is the one who RSVPs.

Every Sunday morning before my weeks with DD I go through the joint calendar/WhatsApp pics and make sure everything is up to date for the week ahead in my diary since I work better on paper and I have everything I need (or at least have it ordered on Amazon Prime). We have a whiteboard in the hall and I update it for the coming week showing all our appointments/classes/work hours/ parties etc.

As for stuff - I have a Kallax 4x3 unit in the hallway. One column is mine, one is DDs, one is shared and one is for DDs extra curricular classes (there are boxes for Spanish workbooks/dance and drama uniform/Swim stuff and anything needing washing gets washed and returned to the correct box)
The bottom cube is for school/work shoes (3rd one i keep a box with hats/scarves/gloves in winter and sunhats/sunscreen and sunglasses in summer); the middle cube is where any material we need for the following day (eg pe kit/swimming things for DD, gym kit/library books for me) is put the night before; the top cube is where DDs school bag lives and my work bag.

One of the shared cubes is where we have an in tray for mail and where DD knows to put any letters/invites as soon as we get home. I deal with the mail in the evening (I spend 30 minutes after DD goes to bed doing household admin/tidying) so if it isn't in the in tray before bedtime then tough luck because I am not signing permission slips as we are rushing to get out in the morning. The other one has the kallax drawer inserts - the top drawer is full of random bits and bobs we always need on the way out (pens, spare keys, name labels etc) and the other drawer has envelopes, small notecards and a small pot with a few 50ps/£1/£2 coins so I always know I have change on hand for school money requests.

When DD comes home she hangs up her coat, puts her shoes in her cube and takes out any letters. She then takes her school bag to her room to do her homework while I make dinner, and when she is finished she brings her school bag and anything she needs for the following day and puts them in the cubes. That way I can see at a glance if anything is missing as the cube is empty, and everything is ready to just grab and go the following morning. It sounds very rigid when written down but I find that the routine works well for DD ashe always knows where her things are as they all have a specific place they live.

Log on to the school website and spend an afternoon writing all pre-organised dates (trips/inset days/year group assemblies etc) into your diary now - many of these will be available now!

I use a planner calendar and make extra columns. I will have three at three different schools in September and I just go through the newsletter at the start of every half term and write down. Get used to it because once they start after school clubs etc you will definitely need something to prompt you

Write it straight in a diary

Write it straight on a calendar

Write it straight in your phone setting reminders for 1 week before, 2 days before, 1 day before as needed.

I feel your pain OP we get up to 5 emails a day it drives me crazy and most are pointless but they wanted to make a point of not sending paper letters anymore to protect the environment.
I just learn to add any important dates to a calendar which I check weekly, check bags daily and prepare lunches and uniforms the night before. I am doubly dreading it this time as I am due a baby very soon so all that on top of a newborn will be exhausting. You’ll work out a routine that works for you don’t overthink it.

What on earth are 25 emails a week about??

I have notice board in kitchen, very large calendar and use mobile phone reminders

Reading these responses makes me fear I have seriously underestimated my oldest starting in reception next week

Primary school sounds like a LOT of admin!

Primary school sounds like a LOT of admin!

It really is...we never seen to have an 'ordinary' week ie no trips, collections, dress up, assemblies or events happening. I appreciate the fact that the school organise a lot of stuff for the kids though. I'm naturally disorganized but it has definitely made me change my ways. In seven years, I've only forgotten one school event I was meant to attend...it still haunts me