A Back-to-School Supply List
to Get Started

Special Section: Back to School 2009

If the school has not provided a list, here are some of the basics to get started with.

This list is meant as a general guide. Every teacher’s list is a little different. Some recommend specific brands or sizes. Some recommend buying in larger quantities than listed here. Many provide a shorter list. Some of these items may be required throughout the year for use at home or for special projects.

• Backpack- Some schools may not allow rolling backpacks
• No. 2 pencils
• Two-pocket folders- some school provide these for younger children
• Scissors- blunt end for younger, pointy for older kids.
• School box- 8 inches long by 5 inches wide by 2 inches deep
• Pencil sharpener- hand held with a top to collect shavings
• Crayons- 16-pack for younger, more for older kids
• Ruler with English and metric measurements
• Large pink eraser
• Glue sticks- at least 3 for the year
• 4-oz. bottle of white glue
• Colored pencils
• Water-based markers
• Water color paints
• Highlighters
• Notebooks
• 3-ring binders
• Loose-leaf notebook paper- schools may supply specially-ruled handwriting paper for younger children. Older children use wide-ruled paper.
• Construction paper
• Drawing paper
• Scotch tape
• Kleenex
• Bottle of hand sanitizer
• Computer printer paper
(home computer)
• Printer ink cartridges
(home computer)
• Stapler

Additional Items for Middle-School and High-School Students
• A calendar for time-management and scheduling assignments
• 2 combination locks (one for the hall locker and one for the gym locker)
• Binder dividers (the kinds with pockets are good for loose papers)
• 3-ring binders (some teachers will require one to be used exclusively for their class)
• Folders for the binders
• College-ruled note book paper
• Small notebook to record
assignments
• Pencil case to fit into binder
• Pens- black or blue and red for peer editing
• Index cards- ruled and unruled
• Calculator- check with the math teacher before investing in an expensive calculator
• Mechanical pencils- these may run out of lead constantly