Updated Sep. 23, 2019. Originally published Sep. 24, 2013.

If you’re just stumbling across this, please click here for the other posts in the series.

Public School/Private School, or Homeschool?

Okay, now wait a minute.  Don’t ditch me here because you homeschool so you figure that “school paperwork” is not for you.  Conversely, don’t go running because I homeschool so you figure this is a homeschooling post and you don’t homeschool so it isn’t for you.  Your paperwork will be different depending on whether you homeschool or send your children to a brick-and-mortar school somewhere, but if you have children in school (or are attending school yourself in some manner), you will have some sort of school paperwork.  So let’s sort out what that is.

Assignments

If you homeschool, you will have assignments to keep track of.  If you do school yourself, you will have assignments to keep track of.  And depending on the ages of your children, if they attend school elsewhere, you may have some assignments to keep track of (or help keep track of).

Letters/Permission Slips

You may need to keep up with letters from the teacher, report cards that need to be signed and returned, permission slips, etc.

Dates/Calendar

You will need to make note of dates for special events, such as field trips, performances, and/or assemblies.  If your children leave the house for school, you’ll also want to know the dates school is in session!

Contact Information & Emergency Protocols

If your children attend school outside of the home, you’ll want contact information on hand in case of emergency.  You’ll also want to know what the protocols are for emergency situations, ranging from inclement weather leading to closings or late openings/early closings to evacuations or hostage situations.  (I know.  I hate to say it.  But if there are protocols in place for these things, it’s important that we, as parents, know what they are before we might need them!)

Work

Finally, you will need a place/method for storing the student’s actual work.  If you homeschool and keep portfolios of some kind, you might keep all work through the end of the year.  Otherwise, you may just save a selection of the best representative pieces.  There will probably, though, be some work saved.

STEP 1: Make a list of the school paperwork you need to keep.  (You might also find it helpful to break it out by student and/or school if there is more than one.)

STEP 2: Designate a place – or places – to keep this paperwork and information.

STEP 3:  Put it there!

If you’re just stumbling across this, please click here for the other posts in the series.