Australia's Science Forum

I have been looking at our purchases and we spend over $200 year in paper towel, hand wash etc for science labs out of our science budget.

I was wondering if any other school has to supply their own paper towel and handwash or does it come out of general funds?


Rosemary

Not sure if I'm supposed to, but I just get new rolls of paper towel out of the cleaners cupboard when I need some! I did get told the winter before last that science had to buy our own tissues for the snotty nosed kids (which I thought was a bit strange because all the other classrooms get tissue boxes, why not the science labs? But anyway...) so before winter last year I got a heap of boxes of tissues and then the swine flu thing happened and the school ended up supplying them to everyone anyway! So now I have heaps of tissues But that doesn't really help your paper towel issue...

I've just been through this at our school and the Principle and the finance managers have told me that it needs to come out of the cleaners budget and when they go through the labs they are the ones to refill the paper towel and soap dispencers, or at least leave me a supply in a cupboard so I can refill.
I'm yet to break this news to the cleaners

Kel

We've been told that the cleaners are to supply rolls of paper towel to the staffrooms and toilets, but the science labs are our responsibility. When possible we filch some from the cleaners store, because they never leave any for our staffroom - they seem to expect us to look after ourselves. We have someone come to refill the soap dispensers throughout the school, and that includes science.

Ours come from the general pot of gold. Cleaners distribute it as needed.

I think science wil have to fund ours when the refurb is done. We used to supply bench cloths and towels for the kids, so I suppose it follows that we will supply the paper towel in the new labs. Has anybody seen normal paper towel ROLL dispensers for sale? Could only find the sheet dispensers and the ones with the centre dispensing thing (like at petrol stations).

Yep, Darelle, we get roll dispensers and rolls of paper from QStores (heaps cheaper than the interleaved sheets).
Liz

We buy our own paper towel here (although I have discovered that with a little jiggling, my key can open the "Cleaner's Cupboard" - but don't tell anyone!)

Ian

Thanks Liz, I suspect my catalogue is not up to date.

When I was in a state school, we had to pay for them out of the Science budget, but now we get our cleaners to order us some.

hi all
we are supplied paper towels through the cleaners who give me a box of about 10-12 rolls when i ask, which i then distribute as needed to classrooms, prep rooms and staff room.
i have been purchasing hand soap through the science budget and doubt that will change but i will put it to the head teacher to suggest it to the principal as it takes quite a bite out of our already limited budget each year.
maria

Thanks for all you comments. There are certainly differing views as to who is to supply what. I spoke to the Deputy Principal yesterday as he is in charge of the cleaners and building requirements etc. He worked out that it was less than 3 cents per student for science to supply paper towel and since we have been doing it for the last 10 years it can continue to do so.

I guess some things you can't change.

Rosemary

Deputy's are just teachers with an allocated parking spot. You cannot reason with any of them as they are different to humans - I know, I'm related to one and when I try to talk to him about 'normal' things (e.g. Topgear/women/beer etc.).......well, the lights are on but no one is home!

Let your deputy know that the budget is in such a dire state that your faculty is going to have to re-use paper towel. You'll be getting from the cleaners like everyone else within 24 hours!

slarti boy!

Which universe are you in now?

From where do you access cyberworld?

Didnt you leave/were moved from /exited your former job?

What are you up to now?

Hi anyway

Whoo slarti Thanks for the positive vibe but I think this deputy is a lost cause!

Maybe we could have handdryers installed instead save on the paper and good for the environment

Rosemary

rosiegbh wrote:
Maybe we could have handdryers installed instead save on the paper and good for the environment

Rosemary

......But think of the Greenhouse gasses produced in making the electricity! Perhaps a Solar Hand Dryer?? (just wave your hands around in the breeze until they are dry!)

Ian

And you can promote the idea of hand driers by saying it could be useful for drying cobalt chloride indicator paper as well!

our paper towel comes out of gereral funds, as does the hand wash that the wall dispensers are filled with.
We do however, ahve a few purchased hand pumps.. special antibacterial/aloe ones etc. I tend to keep those for washig up after disections etc

We mostly send kids to the toilets to wash their hands except dissection pracs or other really messy ones. When we do that, I get a beaker and go to the toilets and squirt hand wash out of the dispenser until i have enough

PS. Oh, and mostly the kids use their lab coats as hand towels...