I actually have two methods that I use to organize back to school paperwork. One is my trusted school planner and the other is one of my favorite apps called Evernote. I think organizing school paperwork is a bit different than regular paperwork since it’s something you really need quick and easy access to the entire year.
School Planner/Notebook
For the planner—it’s actually a discbound notebook. I am a big fan of discbound notebooks because they are so versatile and can hold so much information without taking up as much space as a binder. Plus places like Michaels, Staples, and Levenger sell really cute accessories for them. The one I’m using for this project is from the Happy Planner and was purchased at Michaels.
The sections inside are as follows:
- Clear pocket folder –holds pending or to do items
- Section for my daughter’s school—holds the school calendar, fee schedule, sports calendar, and class directory
- Section for my son’s school—also holds the school calendar and other essentials
- Dance-holds dance calendar, competition schedules, policies, and other items
- Cheer—holds the policies and guidelines, cheer calendar
- Music-music programs, songs, and classes
- Track—holds the cross country schedule
- Volleyball—also holds the volleyball schedule
- & finally a section for Notes
Evernote
Evernote is one of my all-time favorite apps. I plan to do a full post about it soon but just know for now that it’s the best! Everytime the school e-mails me something I can just forward it to my evernote account. If they give me something hardcopy I can scan it to my account. Once it is in evernote, I can access the information from anywhere on my phone, ipad, or computer.
In Evernote I have a notebook stack set up for each of my children. Then under each stack are individual notebooks for school, dance, cheer, etc. Everything stays very organized this way and very easy to access.
Here is a screenshot from my evernote app that shows a list of some of my notebooks:
And here is a screenshot from my evernote app that shows my actual dance notebook:
So whether you prefer the high-tech or low-tech method, either way–you will stay on top of everything that’s needed for school and extracurricular ativities!
Happy Organizing in the new school year!
Brenda