Tag: "school"

Scholastic Children’s Dictionary Back To School Blog Tour - With $100 GC Giveaway

My son loves trains so it seems sort of fitting that I am the final stop on the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary Back To School Blog Tour. I’m the caboose! Choo choo!

Are you familiar with the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary?

With exciting features, accessible definitions and helpful illustrations and photographs throughout, the new Scholastic Children’s Dictionary is the essential resource that belongs in every home, classroom and library.

The 2010 edition of the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary features more than 1,000 full-color photographs, simple sentences, illustrations, and diagrams as well as newly commissioned maps of the world, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. There are hundreds of new and expanded entries written by a prominent lexicographer as well as thousands of additional sample sentences to illustrate word usage. The dictionary also includes guides on grammar, punctuation and idioms and simplified pronunciations created with real kids in mind! The new Scholastic Children’s Dictionary is an essential resource that belongs in every home, classroom, and library.

Here in New Jersey school starts back up in a couple of weeks. I’ll be moving my boys towards their school year schedules consisting of earlier bedtimes and earlier wake up times after this weekend. I like to make the adjustments slowly so they don’t suffer culture shock. The one thing that I’ve never understood about back to school is the actual back to school night. In our area back to school night for most (not all) schools is sometime from mid-September until early October - AFTER SCHOOL HAS ALREADY STARTED. That makes no sense!

Back to school night is an important night for parents. It provides an opportunity to meet the teachers and learn about what’s going to happen during the year and what expectations are. In recent years back to school night has also included the topic of school supplies. In our district teachers are able to specifiy what school supplies are required for the class. The list used to be sent home towards the end of summer. As my son got older it happened that teachers weren’t giving the list out until the first day of school. By then all of the stores were picked clean. What sense does that make! I like to find out what I need aheadof time so I’m not hunting supplies down.

So back to back to school night. You wouldn’t believe how many back to school nights that I’ve gone to for my older child where the room was half empty. Parents should be going to back to school night. It lets the teachers know you take your child’s education seriously. It also lets your child know te same. The most helpful thing that I’ve found is to find out what your child’s teacher’s expectations and policies are. It’s great to know ahead of time what the policy is for make up work or missed assignments. I like to introduce myself to the teacher and make sure they know how to reach me. I also discuss any potential problems and share any information I feel they may need. Lastly I like to ask what items they recommend that may not be required - a dictionary, for example. A dictionary was not a required item but one I felt would be helpful for my son to have based on my own experience. I wasn’t required to have a dictionary in school. But I always did, because my Mom (a teacher) thought it would be helpful. And helpful it was. A dictionary is one of those books that I think everyone should have. Yes, you can look stuff up online now but nothing replaces having to actually turn pages, look for, and find a word. To me that’s part of the learning process.

scholastic childrens dictionary page 556

If you’d like to read more more posts about the pending school year from some terrific bloggers, feel free to visit any of the first fourteen stops on the tour. They shared stores and advice on back to school, saving money, nutrition, reading and much more.

WIN IT!

ONE winner will receive a 2010 Scholastic Children’s Dictionary and a $100 Visa GC.

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

To enter leave a comment on this post telling me one question you’d like to ask at this year’s back to school night OR the strangest/funniest question you’ve heard asked at a back to school night.

BONUS ENTRIES - LOTS OF THEM!

1 - Subscribe to my newsletter. (sidebar)
1 - Subscribe to my RSS feed. (sidebar)
1 - Follow me on Twitter AND leave your Twitter name here. (sidebar)
1 - Tweet this giveaway.
1 - Friend me on Facebook. (sidebar)
1 - Leave a comment on the Lady Foot Locker Facebook wall that valmg is helping you get back on track.
1 - Blog about this giveaway, including a link here.
1 - Place my button on your blog. (in sidebar)
1 - Visit one of my other blogs - From Val’s Kitchen, Val’s Views and Game Review Network - and leave a comment on any post there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned there. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
1 - Visit HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry. Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.

THE SMALL PRINT.

US addresses only please, no PO Boxes. This contest will end on Friday 09/03/10 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won. Good luck to everyone!

I received financial compensation and a copy of this dictionary to thank me for participating in this blog tour. As always, my post has not been influenced by the sponsor or compensation and my reviews and recommendations are always my own and represent my genuinely held opinions.

Aug 20, 2010 | 228 comments | View Post

Box Tops For Education - Help Your Child’s School Just By Shopping - With B&N Giveaway

box tops for education logo

There may be some of you that are not quite finished giving Christmas gifts yet, for one reason or another. Maybe you’re waiting for payday to come so you can do some online shopping before you see that friend you don’t see very often. Maybe you’re waiting for a loved one to return home. Maybe you’re not holiday shopping, maybe you’re just shopping for yourself, or an upcoming anniversary or birthday. No matter what the reason you’re shopping, why not let your shopping benefit your child’s school by shopping in the Box Tops Marketplace.

The Box Tops Marketplace program earns money for your child’s school cash every time you shop online at a participating store. There are more than 100 popular, well known stores participating in the program at this time, including stores like Dell, Victoria’s Secret, Target and Best Buy. All you need to do to participate is sign up for the program and choose what school you want to support. Products sold through the marketplace cost the same through the program as they would if you weren’t buying through the program. Program members are still eligible for sale prices, promotions and deals and members are also eligible for special sales and promotions just for Box Tops supporters. For those of you with children in different schools, no worries! You can have more than one school in your profile. If you don’t have children of your own you can still participate in the program and support the child of a friend or relative. A school can earn up to $20,000 a year through this program so you can see why this is a valuable program.

If you’re shopping the Box Tops Marketplace you’ll definitely want to look at their newest addition - the My Class Essentials registry. This registry is a registry created by a teacher and works similarly to a baby registry. Teachers can choose from over 6,000 student and classroom materials in 13 product categories, including:

* Skill builders such as flash cards
* Free-time reading books
* Lesson workbooks
* Motivating bulletin board sets for the classroom
* And much more!

Items purchased are sent directly to the teacher so they can start using their new supplies right away. If you wish you can also donate money to a classroom registry, which can then be used by the teacher to purchase registry items. This is great for teachers and the school because the teachers get what they need and the school gets 2% cash back with every registry purchase.

Be sure to check out the Deals and Discounts Page or follow them on Twitter to receive a daily update.

So who wants some help with their shopping?

WIN IT!

ONE winner will receive a $25 Barns & Noble gift card.

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

To enter check out the Box Tops Marketplace and then leave me a comment on this post telling me one store in the marketplace.

BONUS ENTRIES

1 - Subscribe to my newsletter. (sidebar)
1 - Subscribe to my RSS feed. (sidebar)
1 - Follow me on Twitter (sidebar) AND leave your Twitter name here.
1 - Tweet this giveaway. Once per day only.
1 - Friend me on Facebook. (sidebar)
1 - Friend me using Google Friend Connect. (bottom of page)
1 - Fave this blog at Technorati (sidebar) AND leave your Technorati name here.
1 - Blog about this giveaway, including a link here.
1 - Place my button on your blog. (in sidebar)
1 - Visit HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.

Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.

THE SMALL PRINT.

US addresses only please. This contest will end on Friday 01/15/09 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won. Good luck to everyone!

A $25 B&N gift card was provided to me to thank me for posting about this program. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Jan 03, 2010 | 387 comments | View Post

Just In Time For School, Locks That Let You Lock It Up Your Way - Master Lock Sweepstakes Info Too

I stopped in the store yesterday and found that school supplies are for sale on the floor. There were some good prices but I can’t shop yet because I don’t have the list of supplies that TJ will need this year. It really aggravates me the school thinks it’s acceptable to not give us a list of supplies until a couple of days before school. By then the aisles are full of nothing but empty boxes and I can’t find what I’m looking for if they have it at all. Then I have to go to one of the office supply stores and pay twice as much.

TJ’s school has lockers with built in locks. Every year most of the kids have a hard time with the locks. I personally think it would make more sense and maybe even be a bit safer if they removed the locks and let the students bring in their own locks. The kids would probably feel better and have less problems opening their own lock and setting their own combination. Master Lock has introduced two new families of combination locks just in time for back to school - the 1500iD Speed Dial™ Set-Your-Own Combination Lock and the 1590D Set-Your-Own Combination Lock.

The Speed Dial Set-Your-Own Combination Lock opens on up-down-left-right directional movements, instead of the traditional rotary dial, and can be customized with letters, shapes or numbers, depending on how students most easily remember their combination
The Set-Your-Own Combination Lock is a traditional rotary dial for students more comfortable with that method, but with a new reset feature that allows them to choose their own combination using, letters, numbers or both

I wish I’d been able to set my own combination when I was in school. Heck, even when I was in a bowling league I couldn’t remember the combination to my locker. Adults could use these locks too. Anyway. I got a heads up on a contest that Master Lock is holding, here’s the details.

Master Lock is also offering a solution for locking up secrets online with the introduction of the “Master Lock Secret Vault” Facebook application, featuring the new 1500iD Speed Dial Set-Your-Own Combination Lock. For Facebook users who have a juicy tidbit or fun photo they want to share with a select group of friends but not broadcast to their entire friends list, they can now install the application at www.facebook.masterlock.com and lock up their secrets in their own Secret Vault by creating a custom combination to share with only the friends they desire.

In addition, now through October 15, “Master Lock Secret Vault” users have a chance to win a $5,000 cash prize to help them secure their future in the “Master Lock $5,000 Secure Your Future Sweepstakes.” Whether users aspire to attend college, embark on a new business venture or simply pay their rent, Master Lock will help one lucky winner accomplish his or her future goals. To enter, entrants must meet the eligibility requirements.(1)

Jul 24, 2009 | 5 comments | View Post

Tiny Prints Graduation giveaway

Spring is finally here. TJ’s basketball season is over and the track season has begun. We’ve already gotten a flyer for one of our town’s summer sports programs. Before we know it children will be getting ready for graduation. TJ’s best friend is graduating this year yet it feels like only yesterday they were six years old. When I see kids that I know graduating it always hits me how much they’ve grown up, and what a special time that graduation really is.

Graduation is no ordinary day, it’s a celebration of so many things and a day parents and students alike are proud of. In our area graduations are such a big deal that each student is only allowed to invite a certain number of guests. Even though I understand why, I think that stinks for the kids and the parents. It’s a big day and should be treated as such.

You wouldn’t want to send an ordinary announcement for an extraordinary occasion, would you? Of course not. You want to send something special to share the news of your child’s special day. If you’re looking for a great way to share your child’s big day, Tiny Prints offers beautiful personalized photo graduation announcements and invitations. Longtime readers of my blog may recall that I got my Christmas cards done any Tiny Prints and I couldn’t have been any happier. Their quality was exceptional and I recommend them highly.

WHO’S IN THE MOOD FOR A GIVEAWAY?

Would anyone like to do a little shopping for for some Graduation announcements? Tiny Prints has been generous in offering to give the winner of this giveaway a $50 gift certificate.

HOW TO EARN ONE ENTRY.

Go to the Tiny Prints Graduation Announcements page. (Opens new tab.)
Find the Graduation announcement or invitation that you like best and click “Save to Favorites” from the link with the heart graphic directly under “personalize.”
Leave a comment on this post including the name of the specific invitation you chose and what it is you liked best about it. When you leave your comments here please use the same email address you used when creating your Tiny Prints account so participation can be verified. Easy stuff, right!

BONUS ENTRIES

1 - Follow me on Twitter AND leave your Twitter name here.
1 - Follow @TinyPrints on Twitter and leave your Twitter name here.
1 - Tweet this giveaway with the following message “@valmg is giving away a $50 gift certificate to @TinyPrints - http://tinyurl.com/dyzxdh”
1 - Fave this blog at Technorati AND leave your Technorati name here.
1 - Stumble this giveaway AND leave your Stumble name here.
1 - Blog about this giveaway, including a link here.
1 - Place my button on your blog.
1 - Visit HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.

Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.

THE SMALL PRINT.

This giveaway is open to contestants worldwide. The winner will be selected at random from those entrants who both saved the invitation as a “Favorite” on the Tiny Prints site and have left a comment here. Winners may not win more then one Tiny Prints giveaway running at this time.

This contest will end on Sunday 04/12/09 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within three days of my email notifying them they’ve won. Good luck to everyone!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Mar 30, 2009 | 64 comments | View Post

On the first day of school

As a young child, I used to cry when a bus went by our house in the morning because I really wanted to go to school. I started going to school at the age of 4 and enjoyed it for years to come. It was a private school and we wore uniforms, so there was no new outfit. But each year about a month before school started my Mom would start picking up the essentials - new socks, shoes and underwear and a new bookbag along with new pencils, pens and other school supplies. The school was on a beautiful campus and I made lots of friends. I loved that school and I loved going to school. I was absolutely heartbroken when I had to stop going to that school because we couldn’t afford it any more.

I went to a Catholic high school. I hated it. I didn’t like going to that school on any given day, but I especially hated the first day of school there. For three years straight I’d dread the first day of school, because it brought the realization that I had another long miserable year to go. Once again I was in a school wearing uniforms but here they were pants or skirts rather than dresses.

Now I’m a Mom with two boys in school. I cried the first day I sent TJ to school. Yep, I was one of THOSE moms. He’s now in middle school and growing up quickly. He loves the first day of school because they do nothing. He says they don’t do homework and they don’t do classwork, they basically just spend the day figuring out their schedules, meeting teachers, talking with friends and eating lunch. I cried again the first day CJ went to school. (Consistent, aren’t I?) CJ loves school no matter what day it is. He actually has an extended school year, so he’s in school year round except for August.

The boys and I did a little shopping for back to school yesterday. TJ now has 6 new shirts and a new pair of skate shoes. He liked one of his new shirts so much he couldn’t wait until school started and put it on today before I could say anything.He still needs new underwear but apparently there’s an issue there, probably the one involving not wanting to discuss if the underwear you have now is too tight and squeezing your privates with your Mom in public. I’m not finished shopping for CJ yet, I’m still looking for a couple of new pair of pants. He’s still in pullups so we try to keep him in pants without a button or zipper, but since he’s now a size 6 or 7 most pants don’t have stretchy waists so they’re hard to find.

This article is part of a Parent Bloggers Network Blog Blast. This Blog Blast is sponsored by Hanes. I’ve learned in my surfing that Hanes now makes wedgie free underwear. What I haven’t learned is how to ask my son if he sufferes frequent wedgie syndrome without laughing. They just don’t cover that on the website.