It’s coming up to the end of the scholastic year for many, although some schools finish up in March. Either way, there will be a mountain of paper to organize in a way that is (a) quick, (b) easy to retrieve later, and (c) doesn’t take up a lot of room.
Of course somewhere in there, you will need to make the heart wrenching decision of what to keep (those sweet, impossibly adorable drawings for mother’s day), and what to toss (the spelling test book!).
1. Decide on a volume limit per year
It is important that you set yourself a maximum capacity limit, such as number of notebooks to keep, or how many in-class pictures to hold on to. Another way of setting a limit is to decide on whatever fits in a folder or box. Manila folders with the wrap around elastic band work well. Their size accommodates most sizes of artwork and other bits, they can be labelled and even colour coordinated by child.
2. Think time capsule
Approach the filing chore as though you were preparing a miniature time capsule. What would you daughter love to recall from this year? Which piece of work or project is your son most attached to? Forget grades and school reports – grab the ones with meaning for your child.
3. Store formal reports separately
Mid-term reports are not so important – but certainly transcripts, awards and other formal artifacts of recognition are important. These should be filed in chronological order, just as you would important receipts or tax paperwork. In addition, scan them or take a picture and place in an electronic folder, backed up to several places.
4. Include something from throughout the year
It’s good to grab the “All About Me” or the essay about “My Summer” that are traditionally done at the beginning of the academic year to get the kids warmed up. Similarly, pick something from the middle of the year, typically around December – January time frame. Many children hit their stride around that time. And of course, make sure you have the end of year, hopefully triumphant bits of evidence of how far your child has come in just 9-10 months.
5. Don’t forget the visuals
These include artwork, in-class photographs, those pesky “projects” that involve building a boat or a rocket from recyclable material (you know the ones …). Take a photograph from all angles, and add them to the year photo album on the electronic platform of your choice. Don’t forget it to back it up. Several times.
6. Get tough and toss
Here’s the tough bit: if doesn’t fit into your designated storage box or folder, the one you decided on right at the beginning, toss it. I don’t mean toss it into a temporary other “box” to be “reviewed” later. We all know that just ain’t gonna happen. So sort it out now, and get rid of it.
7. Get creative and make a memory
This is the good bit. Grab a little bit of each of these piles of stuff, take a picture, and weave them into a lovely little movie using MovieMaker (Windows) or iMovie (Mac). Choose some nice music that reminds of this year, and voila, you have a readily available, lovely memory of your child’s academic year.
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