Preparing a Back-to-School Plan for 2021
Though it seems like the summer break just started in Ontario, the next school year is coming up quickly! Though late nights and endless activities are great for these two months, getting back into a full time classroom routine will help students start off on the right foot. From kindergarten right up through doctoral programs, we can all benefit from a bit of structure!
Just as a reminder, make sure to consult your school boards, colleges, or universities for the most current guidance on school plans, as many have different rules than the next. Circumstances are changing all the time, and safety measures and restrictive measures (including things like extracurriculars, capacity limits, and instructional hours) will look different in different locations, even for different Ontarians!
To start off, introducing some low-contact activities into your day can help prepare you for extracurricular activities. These activities can also help you to figure out what you are actually passionate enough to commit to for the next academic year, especially considering that the majority of students will be back in person. A quality planner, like the Leuchtturm1917 Academic or 2022 Planners, is a great way to balance a busy schedule. Getting into the habit of using a planner over the summer will help make organizing your school year even easier. Since there are so many different choices for layouts, there will be a style to suit every need.
The fall semester may be your first time setting foot in a new school, and that can be intimidating for middle school, secondary school, and higher education students alike! Planning ahead by looking for an online map of your school can help you identify where important buildings and classrooms are (like your homerooms and cafeteria). We recommend printing out the map and taking it with you for your first week of school, just in case you get lost or need a refresher. A notebook with a back pocket, like a Dingbats Wildlife Collection notebook, is the perfect place to store a map in case you need one. These notebooks are also environmentally friendly, and they feature perforated pages that are great for when you need loose sheets to do pop quizzes, attendance, or group work.
Remote learning may have encouraged you to take all of your notes on laptops, but did you know that you’re more likely to do well on tests and exams if you handwrite your notes? It’s scientifically proven! Using paper is an enjoyable experience, and on top of the memory benefits, it also prevents you from getting distracted. Plus, everyone loves writing on smooth, high-quality paper, like the affordable options from Rhodia!
Developing a note-taking system over the summer can help you succeed academically in the fall. So, why not practice note taking during an activity you enjoy? You can make note of the commentary and scores at the Olympics, or you can record observations from your favourite books and movies. If you’re really keen, you can start looking into information and fun facts on your school’s layout, classes, supports, and history, or you can look ahead into information you might like to know for your classes.
If your school day will involve a lot of math problems or art projects, pencils are the tried and true writing instrument for most Canadian elementary school students. For students in a lower grade, pencils with erasers, like the Caran d’Ache 351 Classic Graphite Pencil and the Faber Castell Goldfaber Graphite Pencil With Eraser, keep everything neatly together. Smooth writing is no joke, but they also make mistakes so easy to fix!
You can also dive right into the deep end by using a pen, especially if you are in an older grade or in a post-secondary program. After a full day of writing, the smoothness of a fountain pen can save your hand from cramping! For a first fountain pen, our starter sets will help you start the semester on the right foot. These starter sets, especially the Pilot Fountain Pen Starter Kit and the Kaweco "Everyday Carry" Starter Kit also fit nicely into a student budget.
Going to be writing pages upon pages? Both the Lamy Fountain Pen Starter Kit and the TWSBI Starter Kit include a bottle of ink. In our experience, a bottle of ink will last for years, even when you are writing all of your notes by hand — one of our employees wrote four years of university notes with the same bottle of Lamy Black ink, and it still isn’t finished!
For a nice in-between of pens and pencils, you can also try an erasable pen like the Pilot Frixion. These pens offer the versatility of an erasable pencil with the experience of using a fineliner pen.
The start of the school year, especially for elementary children and high school students, often means field trips and new memories. For post-secondary students, it might be your first time away from home or your first time living in a new city. Make sure you collect all your important memories! You can use any notebook, sketchbook, and art supplies for a scrapbook, but if you want a photo book that is laid out for you, we recommend the Appointed x Social Print Studio Photo Journal.
Finally, in-person learning also means that school buses and commutes are a factor again! Make sure all of the planning goes to good use by protecting all of your notes, stationery, and planners in one place. By keeping everything in one place, it is more likely it will be remembered and end up staying with you all year long. Despite their small size and minimalist design, the Delfonics cases can fit a lot! The Medium Inner Carrying Case can easily fit dozens of pens and accessories, a planner, and two thick A5 Leuchtturm1917 notebooks at the same time! For a smaller option for just your pens and pencils, we recommend the Clairefontaine Flying Spirit Triangular Pen Case or the Midori PS Pasco Pen Case.
From gym to music programs and from an after-school Tuesday movie to a Saturday sleepover, your stationery has to travel back and forth to it all. For all kinds of school supplies that will last from August to April and beyond, you can find all of our products online at phidonpens.com. For even more excitement for little ones, check out our suggestions for summer activities in our previous blog post and the kids’ stationery section on our website.
What’s your back to school plan? Let us know in the comments!