A Few Ways to Make It Through the End of the School Year

Posted on May 24, 2013 by blogadmin

Summer is almost here as we near the end of another school year. Students are sitting anxiously in their chairs looking outside at the great weather. This time of the year can create a restless feeling in your students and make it hard for them to concentrate on whatever you’re trying to teach them.

As a teacher, you want to leave a lasting impression on your students. You may not teach them or ever see them again. At the end of the year it’s a lot harder to make an impact. Here are a few ideas and approaches to handling the end of the year:

Do a team building exercise - Team building exercises don’t have to exclusively be a method of introduction and familiarization for your class. These kinds of exercises can be useful for the end of the year as well to show your students how far they’ve come in just a year.

Make an art project - An end of the year art project commemorating the school year is a good way to keep your students occupied and also gives them a chance to make something that will remind them of their time with the class.

Go outside - Whether it’s community service, a field trip or giving a lesson outside, do it! If the weather is nice enough and your students keep looking longingly out the window, take your class with you into beautiful weather and use the nice setting to your advantage.

Let your students teach - Letting your students pick their favorite lessons to instruct their fellow students is a great way to review what has been learned throughout the course of the school year. It’s also a great way to build-up your students’ confidence levels.

Hold an end of the year awards ceremony - Any goals that you created at the beginning of the year can come to fruition now. Reward those students who have achieved, progressed and improved by holding a ceremony. Something as simple as a printed certificate that they can take home to their parents will give them something to remember their school year by and also instill them with confidence.

At Geddes, we have the school supplies that can help stock your school store and be kept in a teacher’s desk as rewards. Novelty school supplies are another great way to create a sense of fun, excitement and to leave your students with a lasting impression. Classroom incentives are a great way to motivate students.

For school store how-tos, visit our school store academy. Also, take a moment and browse our school supplies catalog online and check out our weekly specials. Geddes has the knowledge and the supplies to help you get your school store up and running. We make it our business to have a thorough understanding of the school store market.

No matter what supplies you select, you can bet that Geddes has you covered. We’re as excited about Spring as you are! It’s been more than 80 years of business and Raymond Geddes and Company, Inc., is still dedicated to providing inventive, affordable and safe writing supplies for school, home, or office. Geddes is a 3rd generation, family-owned school supply company proud to have served many millions of customers over the years.

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Source: 9 Ways to End the School Year and Leave a Lasting Impression, Education Is My Life

From School Supplies to School Stores: How Raymond Geddes got its Start

Posted on May 3, 2013 by blogadmin

Some things are just classic: Humphrey Bogart, ice cream sundaes, no. 2 pencils. When we started out as a company in 1924, we were committed to providing those timeless necessities to schools – the basic ball point pens and paper that students needed in order to get their work done. Soon, we uncovered a niche: helping schools market and sell supplies in school stores. The president at that time, Raymond Geddes Jr., identified school stores as an opportunity to help cultivate learning about communication, business, marketing, and entrepreneurship – and wanted to help schools implement supply stores in their hallways.

It didn’t take long for us to sharpen up the school supplies we offered. Soon, we were sourcing novelty pens and pencils, which students ate up like faster than they would a bowl of mac and cheese. Now, we develop our own novelty supplies and sell our products to anywhere from a school to an amusement park, international retailers, and more. In other words, people everywhere are doing right by writing with our supplies. We’ve got everything you could ever imagine needing in a classroom setting, from craft supplies, writing utensils, fun incentive items, and much, much more.

So, are you ready to get started with your very own school store? Please, allow us to help you: our operating manual, which was updated in 2007 after its original publication under Raymond Geddes Jr., contains all the information you need to get started. Download it for free here!

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

The Benefits of Starting a School Store

Posted on April 25, 2013 by blogadmin

If your school doesn’t have its own school store, you’re definitely missing out. Here at Geddes, we know that a school store can be a great learning tool for students and an unexpected revenue tool for teachers and faculty. It has the potential to introduce students to valuable business skills, all in a fun, comprehensible, and active learning environment. Students, particularly young ones, learn best by applying what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world problems, then reinforcing it through repetition. The school store is a perfect vehicle for just this type of instruction.

Need a few reasons to start a school store? Here’s more than a few:

Convenience - A school store will be a lifesaver for any student who forgot their pencil, folders, erasers, etc. It is a convenient on-site place for students to replenish any supplies that they might be lacking for class. It also saves their parents that extra trip to the store just to get a few pencils or folders. You’ll be preparing your school for any unforeseen supply shortages.

Teach important business lessons - Kids will learn a lot about business by working at the school store. With a learning by doing approach, a school store offers students an opportunity to learn about the concepts of money, supply and demand and many other economic concepts that would otherwise be lost in a standard classroom setting. You could almost say a school store is like a classroom of its own.

Fundraising the easy way - The funds gained from a school store can be used for all kinds of things; PTA projects, perhaps a reward for your student workers, a cool poster for one of your classrooms – the possibilities are up to you!

Spread school spirit - A school store provides a place where you can sell school hats, t-shirts and other memorabilia along with the various other school supplies. These kind of items can help boost overall school morale. As students make purchases and begin to show their school spirit, other kids can’t help but catch on. It becomes contagious and soon enough every student at your school will be a fan of your school!

Flexibility - Because it is your school store, you can run it any way you want to! Implement students’ ideas or come up with a few cool promotional ideas of your own. You can pick your own hours, what inventory you carry and what prices you set for your inventory. Everything is in your control, it’s essentially your own venture.

For more school store how-tos, visit our school store academy. Also, take a moment and browse our school supplies catalog online and check out our weekly specials. Geddes has the knowledge and the supplies to help you get your school store up and running. We make it our business to have a thorough understanding of the school store market.

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Spring into School with these Fun Supplies from Geddes!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by blogadmin

Now that Easter has passed, spring is here! The flowers are starting to bloom again, leaves are returning to the trees, birds are chirping and various woodland creatures are tumbling about in the warm grass. Many students are returning to classrooms all over the country from their various Spring Break adventures. Continue the excitement of spring vacations and the new season by investing in some fun school supplies from Geddes!

Make your students feel like certified pop stars while they’re learning with Pop Star Microphone Pens. These pens are retractable and write in blue ink. Don’t be too surprised if you see students singing into them between classes, as these pens provide functionality and well as fun. You might even say they provide a lot of FUNctionality!

Are your students feeling like they “mustache” you a question? Hand them a Mustache Soft Touch Pencil Pouch. Not only can they store pencils, but these school supply cases can hold on to loose change, pens, erasers, paper clips…the possibilities are endless! It’s also made out of a neoprene-like material that will clean up easily in case of any accidents. The Mustache Soft Touch Pencil Pouch comes in four snazzy colors, all of them with a mustache featured quite prominently on the bag!

Mobile devices aren’t allowed in the classroom, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t sharpen their pencils with a Geddes exclusive Smart Phone Sharpener. Your students will never have to worry about losing signal or a low battery. And their pencils will be incredibly sharp as will their style! It has a slide button on the side which allows you to remove the front panel and empty any of the pencil shavings inside. Students will surely want this piece of this glossy classroom tool.

Want a sweeter sharpener? Try our Ice Cream Sandwich Sharpener with Eraser! This tasty-looking sharpener won’t melt in the heat like a traditional ice cream sandwich. This version is definitely zero calories. It will also provide your students with an extra eraser to help get rid of their mistakes. Even though it’s not a real ice cream sandwich, it certainly looks good enough to eat!

So go through our extensive catalog or browse our most popular items in our G.E.T. section! We have hundreds of school supplies and novelty school items that will give you the extra spring of inspiration in the classroom that will help your students focus on their schoolwork and futures.

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Top Ten Benefits of Running a School Supply Store

Posted on March 21, 2013 by blogadmin

School rules – and so do school supplies. Especially new ones: novelty pencils with eye-catching images, highlighters with brightly colored ink, notebooks waiting to be filled with novel ideas. That’s why school supply stores are so essential in keeping students excited about their work in the classroom. Below, see our top ten benefits of running a school supply store.

Running a school store…

Is a simple way to fundraise for school events and needs.
Eliminates the need to launch fundraising initiatives that require students to sell items from door to door.
Allows students to practice their math skills in a fast-paced environment.
Ensures students and teachers have easy and convenient access to tools they need.
Teaches students about customer service and how to collaborate as a team.
Lets teachers and administrators dictate which supplies are most essential to their students by allowing them to hand-pick the items sold at their store.
Saves money for both the school and students by providing opportunity to purchase school supplies in bulk that can be resold at a reasonable but profitable cost.
Gives students their first taste of real world work experience.
Builds a sense of community involvement by encouraging students to get involved in school initiatives.
Becomes a valuable school program that is fun and practical all at once!

Now that we’ve schooled you on the benefits of a school store, contact Raymond Geddes to help you get started. We can walk you through the steps to get you going, and provide you with the supplies you need for a successful store!

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Celebrate Earth Day with Lorax School Supplies

Posted on March 20, 2013 by blogadmin

On Earth Day, we can take a cue from the Lorax, who explains that he speaks “for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” A day dedicated to celebrating nature and raising awareness about environmental issues, Earth Day was launched in 1970 as a protest against activities causing harm to Mother Nature. Turns out, voices were heard, as that year, political action was taken and efforts to protect the environment were made, as seen with the founding of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Earth Day is approaching us faster than the earth rotates on its axis: celebrate on April 22^nd with school supplies branded with images from The Lorax. What better way to show you mean business about going green than with characters scenes from Dr. Seuss’ beloved book about protecting the environment?

Tell your own story about the birds, bees, and trees in one of these hardcover Lorax Little Notebooks, made from recycled materials, and chock full of blank pages just waiting to be filled up.

Need something that will stick to surfaces better than the sap from trees? Get some Lorax Sticky Notes to remind you of the things on your to-do list. And in case you didn’t get the memo: rest easy, these notes are environmentally friendly, made from recycled materials!

Give a little green to the indoors with these Lorax Magnetic Notepads, which will brighten up any dull looking locker, refrigerator, or chalkboard. Like all of our Lorax paper products, these are made from recycled materials so you can take part in the initiative to reduce, reuse, and recycle!

Celebrate Earth Day by bringing some earthy colors into your classroom with these festive Lorax themed school supplies.

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Spring into Action with New School Supplies!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by blogadmin

New school supplies put a little spring in our step – and what better time to get hoppin’ than spring? With the cold weather already starting to fade away, it’s not hard to think that Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog was right about the start of spring. Here are a few fun supplies to help students shine as the sun starts beaming its brilliant rays.

When spring rolls around, blooming flowers and budding grass bring color into the formerly grey winter landscape. Why not add a little color to your blank loose leaf, too? The Spring is in the Air 6-Color pens allow you to do just that, changing shades of ink by pressing the coordinating tabs at the top. Choose from black, blue, green, purple, yellow, and pink ink.

You want your pencil to be as sharp as your mind – which is why these Cutie Sharpeners are another great supply to have this season. The bunny, bear, monkey, and dog will remind you of the wildlife that is soon to start becoming more active – even when while you’re inside doing work in the classroom.

Even if you get the creepy crawlies from real insects, these Bugs Pencils are hard to resist. There’re ladybug designs for the ladies, and multi-legged millipedes for the boys to gawk at. We think these are a pretty quick and easy way to bring the outdoors in!

There’s no doubt about it, the warm weather makes us want to play. We have some ideas that’ll help you do just that. From spring-themed, squeezable stress balls to foam putty eggs, we’ve got some diversions that will feel almost as good as digging in the dirt.

You’re just a hop, skip, and a jump away from getting some great new school supplies for spring. Get started shopping today!

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Why Running a School Store Gives Students Career Experience

Posted on March 1, 2013 by blogadmin

Employers are apt to complain that students fresh out of school don’t have enough “real world experience.” Helping to bridge the gap between the educational ivory tower and the need for skills that are applicable in the workforce, school stores can help introduce students to the responsibilities of a job. Starting at a young age, school stores give students the opportunity to learn a variety of different duties assigned to a myriad of different positions. Here are a just a few of the possible roles you can assign to students working in a school store:

- General Manager: Reporting to the adult supervisor – usually a teacher or PTA parent – the general manager is expected to help oversee the administration and organization of the entire store.

- Shift Managers: These students keep the store in operation on a rotational basis, taking over for one another on scheduled shifts.

- Sales Clerks: In charge of all sales transactions, these students make change for items bought and keep records of what is sold.

- Order Clerks: Keeping the school store fully stocked, the order clerk coordinates inventory checks and keeps a running list of items that need to be ordered to replenish the store.

- Receiving Clerks: Ensuring that the correct supplies are delivered when they need to be, the receiving clerk tracks all incoming orders.

- Accountant: Putting math skills to good use, the accountant should tally and keep track of daily sales in the school store.

With many types of positions, a job at the school store can satisfy many types of students – while giving them important real world skills that can be transferred to a job later on in life.

For more helpful tips on launching and managing a school store, please refer to the Raymond Geddes and Company, Inc. “School Store: An Operating Manual” here!

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Why Every School Needs a School Supply Store!

Posted on February 22, 2013 by blogadmin

Sharpening pencils, opening a new box of chalk, smoothing out a piece of loose leaf: so many actions in the school day revolve around the supplies students and teachers need to succeed in the classroom. That’s why school stores are considered an educational resource: they’re on-site supply centers whose benefits go beyond merely making sure students’ pencil cases are stocked. Here are just a few reasons why every school needs a school supply store:

Hands on Experience: With all hands on deck to help run a school store, students will pick up real world skills and expand what they learn in the classroom by applying their knowledge. Making change, calculating percentages, creating promotional materials, and checking inventory are all skills that they’ll practice and ace.

Location, Location, Location: Having a school store in a school – makes sense, doesn’t it? Located conveniently, supply stores in schools are a great way to ensure students have what they need to get gold stars on all their assignments. Need a new eraser for standardized testing day? No problem. Pen all out of ink? Not an issue. Need a last-minute gift for a friend? A novelty pencil will do. You get the idea: school stores can take care of practical needs and exciting “extras” alike.

Fun Fundraising: Don’t pressure kids to sell giftwrap that will go unused until the holidays, cookie dough that will sit in the freezer, and other non-essential items to raise money for the school. A school store is a way to garner built-in revenue while offering valuable products that are relevant to the day-to-day lives of students.

So, lesson learned: school stores are great resources that fuel education both in and outside of the classroom. Ready to hop on board? Raymond Geddes will get you started in launching a school store, provide you with the supplies you need to get going, and help you customize what you offer so that your products will appeal to the students at your school.

For more helpful tips on launching and managing a school store, please refer to the Raymond Geddes and Company, Inc. “School Store: An Operating Manual” here!

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Fun Facts about President’s Day from School Supply Store!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by blogadmin

President’s Day: it’s one of the holidays that often gets left uncelebrated but nevertheless seems a good excuse to have a day off from school and work. Originally established in 1885 as a day of remembrance for George Washington, it was moved from February 22^nd to the third Monday in February and rebranded as President’s Day in 1971 under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The point of the change? To grant American workers more three day weekends. Thought to be an attempt at merging the birthday of the 1^st President of the United States with another Founding Father’s, Abraham Lincoln, the holiday took on the name “President’s Day” shortly after the date change.

So in honor of the Founding Fathers and all those who came after them, here’s our compilation of fun facts on presidents past and present.

-Like playing hooky? John Adams supposedly skipped school, too, to go hunting and fishing.

-Andrew Jackson, notorious for the Indian Removal Act, had pets as rough as he: he taught his parrot to swear!

-Gerald Ford was in the public eye in more ways than one: he landed a spot on the cover of “Cosmopolitan” with his wife Betty.

- Though his later job title would earn him a little more than mere peanuts, Jimmy Carter ran his family’s peanut farm from a young age.

- Trying to locate your funny bone? Ronald Reagan could’ve helped: when his acting career was down in the 1950s, he worked for a few weeks as a stand-up comedian in Vegas.

- Expect your president to be award winning? Bill Clinton won two Grammys: one for Best Spoken Word Album for Children with “Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf” and another for Best Spoken Word for the audiobook “My Life.”

- Got school spirit? George W. Bush did: he was the head cheerleader in high school.

One more fun fact: Raymond Geddes has been in business since 1924, the year Calvin Coolidge was elected into office for a second term. From classic writing utensils that Coolidge himself could’ve written with to trendy school tools, we’ve got school supplies anyone would love. Visit our website to browse our virtual catalogue of selections and order school supplies online today!

Don’t pretend to be too cool for school: Follow Geddes on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn! You’ll also find us on Flickr and YouTube.

Sources:

Presidents Day: 44 Facts You Didn’t Know About U.S. Presidents

President’s Day

ABOUT US

At GEDDES, shoppers can discover hundreds of creative school supplies, paper products, novelties and more for kids (and grown-ups too). Since 1924, we’ve been providing fun, safe and affordable products for home, school, and work.

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