One of the things I like most about starting off a new school year is having fresh teacher supplies on hand. I even find back-to-school shopping for my children a real thrill. Call me crazy but I was one of those kids who cried in June when school was over and couldn't wait for it to start back up again in September. While my perspective has changed slightly (yes, I'm already counting down to Christmas vacation), I still harbour that same excitement for back-to-school season. I didn't hesitate for instant, of course, when Staples offered to send me on a little shopping spree last month. Fresh new teacher supplies plus Air Miles Rewards Miles? What's not to love?

Teaching à la carte has its challenges and, even though I have reorganized my mini teacher cart, I find I'm still leaving things behind in some of the classrooms. Sometimes I just lose them altogether. One item I cannot have enough of are heavy duty magnets, kind of like the ones above. I also carry plenty of paper clips in various sizes and Staples carries a really nice variety.

As a French teacher, I am always on the lookout for FSL resources or supplies. Staples has carried sets of Canadian French-English cards, which I had purchased last year, but I was happy to see that they carry des instruments de gestion de classe (classroom management tools) such as des horaires magnétiques (magnetic schedules). These would be great in a French Immersion classroom. 

In the end, I ended up picking up a bunch of generic stickers, a super cute apple Post-It note dispenser and some colour ink for my HP Envy All-in-One printer. The ink seems to be what I run out of most given that I make so many of my own flash cards at home. I also picked up some Elmers Sticky Out which is great for removing crayon, labels, most glues, tape and rubber cement, which has proven to be quite difficult to remove from my office walls. Oh, and I picked up one of my favourite Swiffer products - Swiffer Dusters. Every September, my office needs a good cleaning after all the dust that has accumulated during the summer months.

This year, Staples Canada is taking their Teacher Appreciation Days one step further by offering teacher savings anytime you shop between August 17 and September 7, 2013. That means for three weeks, educators can save 15% off in-store purchases. Of course, some exclusions apply such as computers, e-readers, iPods, for example. And you still need to bring teacher ID but you'll also walk away with a super cute Apple Post-it note dispenser and earn 10x Air Miles reward miles when you spend $75 or more.

And there's more! When you join the new Teacher Appreciation email program, you will receive money-saving coupons, special Air Miles reward miles bonus offers, information on teacher-related events and an automatic entry for a chance to win monthly prizes.

Also, don't forget to check out the new Staples easyBlog. My first few back-to-school articles are up!

Call me cray cray, but I'm getting excited for Back to School. Aren't you?