A card from Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
School Forms (Kids)
Every freakin’ form from school that requires review, including your child’s enrollment forms, notices for overdue library books, and permission slips for field trips, is now in your hands. School forms may come via email (check your spam folder), crumpled up in your child’s backpack, on a school website, or via the school portal, which you’re supposed to know how to log onto and navigate by now, but remains one of life’s mysteries. School forms are enough for this cardholder; direct contact with teachers is the responsibility of the “Teacher Communication” cardholder.
Holding this card means owning all three
Conception
The school has forms for kids
Planning
- Coordinate with “Packing & Unpacking (local)” and “Homework, Projects, & School Supplies” cardholders to see if forms come in backpack/homework folder. Forms may include:
- Back-to-school packets including special instructions, birth certificate, medical forms, including immunization records, allergy notifications (including having third parties sign, such as doctors, etc.)
- Field trip permission slips
- Random surveys for class participation/allergy
- Parent questionnaires
- School photo order forms
- Book fair order forms
- Enrollment contracts
- Overdue notices for library books
- Accessing report card through school portal. Exception: School lunch forms go to “Meals (School Lunch)” cardholder
Execution
- Managing log in and password for school portal
- Fill out forms (with child if applicable)
Suggested Minimum Standard of Care
Are those forms still crumpled up in the backpack or they filled out on time?
A starting point. You and your partner agree the real standard together, and the holder meets it without reminders.
Holding it well
- The holder owns all of it: noticing, planning and doing. No “just tell me what to do.”
- Agree the Minimum Standard of Care together, then let the holder meet it their way.
- Not working? Bring it to the weekly check-in and re-deal it. Don’t take it back mid-week.
Put this card on your table
Deal it, agree its standard, and see who holds what. Free.