Believe it or not, some South Durham families already have to think about back-to-school supplies. Year-round learners at Hope Valley Elementary School, as an example, start anew on Monday, July 21. For Hope Valley, administrators are holding an open house on July 17 from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Whether your child is entering kindergarten or wrapping up elementary school in 5th, having the right supplies can make a big difference.
Here’s a complete breakdown of what your child needs, including required materials for each grade level and helpful donation items that teachers welcome throughout the year.
🍎 Kindergarten
✳️ Note: Teachers may share individual supply lists after staggered entry.
- Pencils (preferably pre-sharpened)
- Headphones
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
- 24-count box of crayons
- Dry-erase markers
- Folder
- Wide-ruled composition notebook
- Pencil box
- Snack donations
✏️ First Grade
- Headphones
- Scissors
- 2 boxes of dry-erase markers
- 1 dry eraser
- Pencils (pre-sharpened)
- Glue sticks
- 24-count box of crayons
- 2 composition notebooks
- 2 pocket folders
- Wide-ruled paper
- 2 highlighters
- 1 box of pencil erasers
- 2 Lysol wipes
- 1 hand sanitizer
- 1 pencil pouch
🧠 Second Grade
- Headphones
- 4 two-pocket folders
- 4 composition notebooks
- Pencils
- Dry erase markers
- Highlighters
- Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
📘 Third Grade
- Headphones
- 5 two-pocket folders
- 4 composition notebooks
- 1 one-inch binder
- Pencils
- Large erasers
- Dry-erase markers
- 4 glue sticks
- 1 pencil pouch
- 1 handheld pencil sharpener
- Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
📗 Fourth Grade
- Pencils (box of 50–100)
- Highlighters
- 5 spiral notebooks
- 5 take-home folders (pocket style)
- Headphones/earbuds (Dollar Store versions OK)
- Sticky notes
- Index cards
- Liquid glue
- Colored pencils
- Pencil pouch
📙 Fifth Grade
- Headphones with microphone
- Pencil box
- Water bottle
- Gallon and sandwich-size Ziploc bags
Optional:
- Laptop sleeve with handles
- Reusable water bottle
- Disinfectant wipes
- Tissues
- Whiteboard markers
- Hand sanitizer
- Highlighters
- 3×5 index cards (lined on one side)
- Wired headphones
- Noise-canceling headphones
🎨 Shared Supplies and Replenishment (All Grades)
Throughout the Year
- Tissues (Kleenex)
- Disinfecting wipes (Clorox, Lysol)
- Hand sanitizer
- Dry erase markers
- Snacks/snack donations
- Cap erasers
- Sticky notes
- Index cards
- Personal pencil sharpener
- Glue sticks
- Scissors
Optional Items
- Extra sanitizer
- Lysol spray
- Ziploc bags (large pink, gallon, or sandwich)
- Expo markers/erasers
- 2-pocket folder
- Construction paper
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Author: Wes Platt
Lead storyteller. Game designer and journalist. Recovering Floridian. Email: southpointaccessnews@gmail.com.
