Warren Families Getting Ready for Back-to-School

Editor's note: As families gear up for Thursday's first day of the new school year, we'll be catching up on what's new in Warren schools this year. Each day, we'll feature a listing of changes at each of the schools (the 5 Things You Need to Know), as well as information about new policies and curriculum changes, and a daily video on some of the stranger school supplies requested.

We began the series yesterday with a look at the 21 new teachers at Watchung Hills Regional High School.

Warren moms seem to be well-prepared for back-to-school, starting their supply shopping in late July or early August, although some were still working on buying school clothes.

Those working on the school supplies expressed puzzlement over the supply lists, which included such items as hand sanitizer, tissues, art smocks and zip-lock bags.

But others were stymied by the quantity of certain things needed, which varied among schools even in the same grades. For example, the Woodland School's supply list asks parents of kindergarteners to send 24 large glue sticks, but Angelo L. Tomaso School's list has only four glue sticks needed for kindergarten students.

"I guess your school is doing more art projects than mine," quipped one mom to another.

"The quantity of items needed keeps going up," said Maria Wiecek, whose daughter is entering first grade at Woodland School.

Woodland School could not be reached for comment.

"When they first asked, I thought it was a lot," said Euzi Ferreira, who has four children ranging in age from 6 to 16. "But when I saw how much work the kids brought home, it was justified."

For some moms like Heather Silver, whose son will be attending kindergarten at Angelo L. Tomaso School, the quantities requested didn't always match how supplies were packaged. If the list called for 12 of an item, for example, it only seemed to come in packs of 10 or 18.

Moms like Ferreira and Lisa Brady, with three kids ages 5 to 8, takes some of the stress out of school-supply shopping by ordering kits provided by the school.

"The first year I wanted that experience of buying things," said Brady. "It's definitely easier with the kits."

And Brady recycles the kit containers as keepsake boxes for her children's school work and projects during the year.

The cost of school supplies varied among the moms as much as the items they were asked to buy or the grades they were purchasing for, with the kindergarten and first-grade lists typically being shorter. Plus, there were the "extras" such as backpacks and lunch boxes that weren't necessarily on school lists, but were still needed.

Wiecek spent the least at about $20, saying she bought everything on sale at Target. Brady said the school kits probably cost a little more than if she'd bought the items on her own, but still estimated that she spent no more than $20 to $30 per kid. Silver, who shopped at different local stores, said she spent about $42 and Jennifer Wojie estimated $50 in expenses when she was at Target. Patricia Puglisi, who has a 6-year-old and 10-year-old triplets, estimated that she spent about $65 on supplies.

And then there's still the need for school clothes.

"It would be wonderful if they had uniforms," joked Ferreira, who hadn't started clothes shopping specifically for school, adding that she typically purchases clothes as her children need them throughout the year.

Wojie, whose daughter will be in Kindergarten at Woodland,  and Wiecek have done some of their clothes shopping already and shared an interesting approach. They buy clothes in a few sizes, have the kids try them on at home, and then return the sizes that don't fit.

Wiecek, who found clothes 30 percent off with free shipping from Children's Place, said she spent about $150 on clothes, shoes and a backpack. Brady said she started clothes shopping in July and had spent about $200 for clothing and shoes.

Puglisi, who had done some of her kids' clothes shopping already at stores such as Old Navy and Areopostale, wasn't sure how much she'd spent on clothing although one of her sons quickly said, "A lot."

Wojie wasn't sure how much she'd spent on clothing either.

"I don't really want to know," she said.

These Warren moms didn't seem too stressed about the shopping and items still needed and some, like Silver, seemed to really enjoy it.

"It was really exciting," Silver said. "Definitely for him, but even more so for me."