what does your school do?
previously stationary has just bn given to every child in their 1st week and its just bn added to the bill - this means EVERYONE has all the stationary they need and they never run out as pens/glue etc just get replaced as the school bulk buys the stationary and then just shares a set charge out.
this year we've bn told we have to go and buy it ourselves BUT catch 22 we aren't given a list of what they need instead we HAVE to buy it from a certain shop which has prepackaged stationary for each class and you apparently arent allowed to open it until 1st day of school.....this also just so happens to be the most expensive place to buy stationary so i can only imagine we're going to pay out of our arse for these packets...when elsewhere is selling off textbooks for 20c .....

im a big GRRRR to say the least - sooo annoying - and somehow i dont think the charge will be removed from school fees either they'll just put them up and say the $$ is for something else/activities etc etc

we've got soo many leftober textbooks/glue sticks/pens/pencils/rubber/coloured pencils to HAVE to buy them all in a pre-packed cant know whats in it pack its ridiculous.

That sucks. That really, really sucks!

We get a list at the end of the term 4 for next year.

dumb, I so wouldn't be following the rules on that one! I would send my kids to school on day 1 with a few books and pens/pencils and ask for a list of the other things they need.

I would also complain to the school about it. They will probably be getting a cut from the bookshop (the school I taught at did that, but it was OPTIONAL, not a you have to !)

That is a bit sucky.

We get given a stationary list at the end of the year and you can get it anywhere but they recommend one local store who also give the school commission on the stationary purchased. Last year I went in and asked for Year One stationary and they gave me a box with it all in. It wasn't overly expensive (around $20) although this year I notice they've got a few more things.

Ours just all gets supplied at school...I pay the required amount, and everything is kept at school - I never see it again until the end of the year when the books come home with their work in it. (or during interviews etc)

That's silly. I'd be asking the shop for the list. And purchasing what you don't already have. Otherwise if there's a mother prepared to open her pack so you know what yo buy somewhere cheaper.

Sounds a bit weird! Have to say though, the 20c books aren't worth the hassle, they tend to fall apart!

Why can't you look inside - is there a surprise? lol Can't see why the shop won't tell you whats on the list... could try that...

For Y1 I bought it myself but TBH it was a bit of a hassle trying to track some of the stuff down.

For Y2 (2011) I bought a pre-packaged box from the office and it was all done and dusted so easily. Will definitely do that again, and I don't mind paying slightly more than getting it somewhere myself if the school is benefiting

We were given a list at the end of term 4.

you had the choice of buying the whole list from the supplier (School gets a cut), buying some from them, or sourcing the whole lot yourself.

I chose the easy option of buying the whole lot as I didn't fancy traipsing around the shop with 3 kids!

VERY jealous of your NZ prices though Schools here are so underfunded our list came to $173!!!!!!! (for NZ year 2, school fees NOT included!), and I still have to find tissues, hand soap and a painting shirt!

What on earth did you have to buy for it to cost that much?!

5 'text books' (maths, reading, handwriting etc),
retractable USB stick,
scrapbooks
exercise books
whiteboard markers
writing pencils
coloured pencils
2 types of crayons
2 reams of paper
scissors
specific paintbrush
ruler
pencil sharpener and eraser
specific pencil case (that attaches to one of the folders)

plus a few random folders/ project books

either they have a LOT of work to do this year or a lot of those books will be coming home! (or more likely...will be used by kids who's parents don't buy them stuff )

They're changing the system for this year at our girls school.
You have to go online (or get someone to print out a hard copy for you to fax/post off), and type in school's name - then the child - and the year that they're in.
Then it just tells you the cost.
The interesting thing is that the donation fee is also included - but it is optional whether you want to pay it at the same time (dont' think that I will - bit too pricey at this time of the year!).
I must admit that the cost of stationery isn't too bad - around $40 for a year 4.

One of the problems with getting the pre-supplied packs online is that you still have to go back to the store to buy duraseal. At our school book covering is compulsory but it's not supplied, I suppose so that the kids can choose their own designs which makes sense. Does anyone know of an online book covering site in NZ where you can buy book covers online?

I'm giving these a crack this year: http://www.ezcover.co.nz/order.php
Haven't arrived yet, so can't personally say what I think but I know other people who have said they're pleased with them.

Gosh Amie, that is really shocking! having to buy scissors and stuff like that Do they get to keep them in their dseks? I would hope so!

Amie - reads like you are kitting out the whole classroom not just providing your child's personal stationary.

I am considering those Ezicovers as well.

textbooks!! and reams of paper?? yeah that would rip my undies I think

Perfect!! These look so cool. NZ Made from recycled materials, 12 designs, covers all NZ book sizes and reusable from one book to the next!! Thanks Beekay Best thing will be not having to stay up all night sticking on contact / duraseal. And cheap too!!!!

Thanks for the link Beekay. I've just ordered some as well!

I await you all feeding back on it, if you rate them then we will get them for Lily's books come June too!

Yep - same here... I think its about $45/year from memory (will find out soon eh) - as far as I can make out it includes everything that the class needs (collectively) plus all their exercise books, book bag, chair bag etc...

Can someone please tell me how a H2 pencil is different to a HB one?

HB is a writing pencil as opposed to all the others which are grades of drawing/sketching pencils. HB can't go too dark. The red and black striped ones are the best brand - the silver and blue ones go blunt really quick and have softer leads so the kids write darker...

Ours is pre-packaged (in a book bag for the younger years)as well at a set price and we pay a bit extra in the stationary cost which covers pencils/crayons etc for the classroom that get shared by all.
I guess this is more expensive (am not sure as not compared to anyone else) but makes it easy for me as we just go to the school before school starts to purchase and means I don't have to go searching for all the stuff they need. Also means through the year I don't have to buy new pencils/books etc as the whole lot goes to school and teacher looks after the unused books and gives out when needed - we only had one of those small notebooks left over at end of last term which I am sure she can use next year.

We are allowed to open the pack which is handy to cover everything before school starts

Do some schools expect new bookbags every year?

No but Gee's one from last year has just about had it anyway so I think for year one and 2 they just provide them as part of stationary and then after that you make do or buy your own

The school K will be going to has copies of the stationary lists at Warehouse Stationary so I picked one up the other day. There's a total of 12 books on it as well as a Reading Book Bag (is that a bag they can take to the library to put books in?) as well as the standard pencils, pens, sharpener, eraser, ruler, glue sticks and coloured pencils.

Do new entrants get to use pens now. Back when I started school I remember we were only allowed to use pencils until we were in an older class. I dunno why but I assumed it would be the same still.

Is there any particular pen that is better for a 5 year old?

And would the Warehouse Stationary be the cheapest place to buy the stationary? I see they have Back to school specials on but just wondering how they compare to the likes of Kmart and The Warehouse.

Yeah, it's normal. And yeah, they keep them at their desks in their own jar. M brought her's all home, I'm so glad that I didn't blithely tick the box and have it all delivered because she needs very little of what is on the list.


Textbooks are standard in Aussie, schools don't supply them. And primary is cheap compared to secondary. C needs 4 textbooks at $70 a pop, which is better than J's list last year which was 7 textbooks, and his in Gr 7 was 10 textbooks!! Fortunately there is a thriving 2nd hand market on ebay and I'm buying them for much less!! Plus I'm selling off the old ones, I'll make at least $100 from that.

M's list is about $120 She needs a recorder and recorder book this year, my poor ears!! I'll make it a lot cheaper than that with a bit of canny buying. For instance, I'm not buying 6 frigging glue sticks and sending them with her on day one, like they will last the year... all the lids will be off within a week! Ditto to 6 rubbers, 6 correcting pencils, 10 HBs. I'll send more as she needs them. Other things she needs which would seem odd in NZ: word charts, headphones. I'd say her cost will be around the $50 mark.

C's is sitting at about $515 if I blindly ticked their stupid list and didn't notice all the sneaky double ups. I'd say his list will actually cost me $200 by sourcing it myself and buying 2nd hand textbooks.

Well at least they aren't absorbed into the class supplies. We do a degree of that here with some things, but not scissors. And good call on the glue sticks, they are the bain of my teaching life, in terms of lid loss, even in Year 5 last year they consumed them at insane rates!

K4 nJ3 - In DS's school they use the reading bookbag for their daily readers, a notebook that we sign off on the reading, a laminated alphabet chart (well in new entrant/year one) and some word lists. SOmetimes he'd come home with three books so it makes sense to have a book bag to keep it all together.

at the recorder and your ears.

KNJ - what kiwimum said, but also, it helps to protect the readers as well, from bag spills and dog ears.
the pen thing is different in different schools, some you still have to earn a licence to use them, and usually much older than NE. But I have to say, learning to write with a well shaped pen is quite a lot smoother than a pencil, I often let DS practice writing with a pen, as he finds it easier.

Yeah it is just this year that it will be so expensive for us (I hope!)
I'll be sending all of the exercise books I think, but only 1 of the double ups (coloured pencils, regular pencils, glue etc).

Not bothering with covering the books this year, as I did it last year at his old school, and the books were all recovered by the teacher!!!!! Well, the kids did different types of art to cover the books for different subjects.

Public schools aren't very well funded over here, I don't think.

DD's old school introduced the packs in her last year, and it was about $20 odd dollars from memory and I preferred it.. made it so much easier for me not to have to traipse around to find everything. Oh and I opened it so I could write her name on the inside cover.

Up here we get the list with her report and then go and get everything, it's not too bad, I just go to Paper Plus and get it all... normally hers costs more than DS1

i hope not, i thought DS just didn't have one last year...but at the end of the year a brand spanking new one he'd put under all his stuff in his desk came home

I was just wondering as at our school we don't send them home at the end of the year so the new teacher gets it and it can be reused until the end of about year 3 or 4... kind of a strong material that lasts reasonably well ...

The NEs are given them for free when they start school

i got hold of the stationary shop today, and for the two boys over $100 of stationary pffft and it wont be anything special books, glue, pens- wont be scissors or special anythings...so not paying that im sure i could buy it for about half in the sales, so have emailed school asking for a stationary list OR as i mentioned in my email i will wait until school goes back and ask the teachers individually (despite them saying every child is required to return with their unopened pack).
I got a book voucher (quite substantial for xmas) so was hoping to use that for the stationary anyway as i no longer buy books (got a kindle).

I'm not so sure that these 'order-online-and-we-deliver' set ups save you that much money. I was in Warehouse stationery today and notebooks are only 10c and 1B5 exercise books only 20c. At least warehouse stationery is NZ owned. Office Max is a huge multinational - Australian I think?

KnJ the other thing my kids primary school did was send newsletters home in the bookbags. Made it more likely they'd actually make it home. I think ours both lasted until about year 4.

Now both kids are at high school, they say you need to get the stationary from them. But I discovered last year it is possible to get the list and buy it cheaper in the sales, except the two textbooks they need in year 9. Only problem is they've changed the classes this year, and the list won't be available until the 26th or something (when the student centre opens), but I've got plenty of spare 1b5s and refills that the kids can use if I don't get it all in time.

Ok, have been holding this in since the thread started. PLEASE do not take offence... I still have issues with inquiry/enquiry and a couple of others but...

Can I just say, for those who confuse stationary and stationery, that the best way to remember it is like this:

stationAry - A like car, meaning stopped/not moving

stationEry - E like pen, meaning writing stuff.

(just trying to be helpful, you know, like the difference between principal and principle is that the principal can be your pal, that sort of tool for something that has to be rememebered in a memorable way).

Jenny made me do it

hahahahaha funny you know i never even think about spelling and grammer on here bcos im always rushing, kind of like a step up from txt...but not quite email/writing.

but okay Jenny and Fel....Stationery

i've just done my pricing for the two boys online and by using office max I will be saving about $40 (between both boys). I'm surprised they are cheaper than warehouse stationery. But then warehouse stationery and paper plus both advertise to 'price match'. but who can really be bothered trying to sort that out. Free delivery for officemax too when you spend over $57. Which I have done easily between the boys.

OfficeMax was much cheaper for me too, by about $20.

I never reread either before I submit, with my posts, and make plenty of errors, it is just this one every time I read the title, my body would freeze, like in a stationary position So I couldn't tell you if people wrote the e or a throughout the thread, I don't read that closely and only a few wordds jump out, but I think because it was the title

I just ordered from Officemax ... cause it meant doing it while the kids play here, and no fighting, wrestling, and waiting in cues at the checkout of the stationERY shop so easy ... brilliant.

I've done ours on office max. We had the choice of doing that (lists are already loaded) or going and buying ourselves. For what its worth for me running around after work, finding the right stuff etc etc, far easier to order online and get it delivered to work.

OK our covers arrived from www.ezcover.co.nz, Great. Bye Bye Duraseal

DD's new school are doing it this way too.. it's ultra easy.... and arrived today.

i emailed the school for a list...and nope got a reply saying we HAD to buy the pre made packs so that every student has exactly the SAME stationary -cos yanno going and buying it ourselves off a list would obv prove too hard bcos we're all stupid and cant follow a list (lol sorry rant) - i said no to the stationary donation through the shop bcos if they're making me buy stationary from a certain overpriced shop then im not feeling to donationary plus we pay $300+ in school donations/fees anyway.

also just a question - why would the 30c books be crap?? aren't they the same books the shop sells all year just at a reduced price (on sale) bcos of all the competition at this time of the year?

We had two books on our list that aren't one of the 10 most common exercise books sold and they were $2.59 each, thankfully all the others were the discounted ones and the savings made compared to the costs from the school will pay the kids photocopy fees, so I'm happy. It was the guy in the shop that told me that it was only the 10 most common exercise books that are heavily discounted. It's seems a little strange to buy 4 exercise books for the same price as one HB pencil though.

It sucks that you have to buy the stationery packs but I'm guessing the school must have had huge issues with families not buying the required stuff or they are getting a huge kickback.

For our school its not the kickback (although I'm sure that's a good thing to get) but its getting the kids the right stuff! We give out the stationery lists, parents buy something else... do they need reading lessons

our schools never had the chance. im sure most would get the right stuff its a pretty afluent school so generally not an issue. this is the 1st year we've even bn able to get stationary - other years we just got it added to our school bill and provided at school.
im going to try and bully the list out of office max

Cadiam, if you log into office max etc and go through the steps as though you were going to buy you should be able to get the list.

I did ours through OM and the list came up and I could add or delete items.

ours wouldn't come up online at all, had to go in. but when i asked in store for the list they gave it to me. i went to stat warehouse and got the stationary...grand total of $33 over two boys...compared to the $90 the packs were going to cost...what a rip off eh.

Ooh, that is RUDE! I hope you let other parents know and some of you create a stink.

I ordered through Officemax last week and didn't see anything in regard what was in the pack...once my card had been processed, the e-mail I recieved showed the items and cost, grrr!

We have to bring it all to school and it goes into a kitty...although last year I know I never saw a couple of books we'd received in the stationery pack.

Bit peeved as he's only done two terms and his bookbag from 2011 shows no signs of wear...and the receipt shows the new one will be PURPLE! That's going to go down well...

That's naughty - we collect all the kids (named) stationery in and keep it for when its needed, but anything left is either returned at the end of the year (if named) and stuff like refill, colouring pencils etc, get divvied up among everyone...

Maybe it depends on how/what the school set up is with office max

I know our list came up and I could increase/decrease/omit an item if I wanted (school scissors in particular as she has some from last year) and I added a couple of ballpoint pens in for home use because then it topped my order up enough that I didn't have to pay for shipping.




I would be really peeved too. Our officemax stat list didn't include book bags. If you want those you need to buy direct from our school office, but they also recommend you use last years if you can.



Our school seems quite conservative in what you need to buy versus reuse (in that they support re-using) and that's because we're an enviroschool. Just wondering how many others are enviro-schools and if so whether you've had more choice/freedom in getting your stationery supplies.

Our school stuff is done through our local paper plus. You go in, you ask for a Year Two set and they gave me a box... it cost $17 and included books, scrapbooks, jovis crayons, pencils, a rubber etc. I don't know if I could have got it any cheaper but I thought it seemed reasonable and I didn't have the energy to go through and find the best deal. They give the school a bit of commission or something.

A friend who works at DS's school was telling me that the school used to do both school supplies and uniforms but it actually got uneconomic and we're in a low decile area. Now they have deals with the local Paper Plus and the local Postie for uniforms and they can actually do things cheaper.

Must find out what's happened with DS's bookbag actually...

I don't know if our school is an enviro-school exactly but they don't seem to promote a lot of excess stuff.

I've ordered those Ezi covers as well so that will be interesting to see how they go.

It was quite funny seeing all of the parents and kids hauling their huge stationery packs into school today!

Had a few laughs with some of the bigger boys who thought it was a great way to build up their muscles