As you do your holiday shopping, there are some opportunities to benefit our local schools.

The Barnes & Noble store on Glades Road, across from Florida Atlantic University, designates certain days on which a percentage of the sales go to a certain school.

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, it’s Boca Middle School; Thursday, Dec. 9, it’s Addison Mizner Elementary, whose chorus will perform at the store at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 10, it’s Advent Lutheran School; and Sunday, Dec. 12, it’s St. Joan of Arc Catholic School.

(The store is also having a holiday story time, with a Polar Express theme, on Friday night at 7.)

In other school shopping news, see whether your kids’ school has a “furtal.” This is a shopping portal from the school or PTA website. If you shop online through that portal, a portion of the sales go to the school.

For instance, through the Addison Mizner furtal (accessible through www.amespta.com),  you can shop at Amazon.com, Target, Lord & Taylor and a host of other stores.

Boca Raton stores and restaurants are also offering to share proceeds from special events.

On Dec. 16, a portion of sales between 2:30 and 9 p.m. at New York Ice Cream Cafe, Palmetto Park Road and Interstate 95, will benefit Addison Mizner. (BocaParent held a similar event there earlier this year to benefit the ItsJust4Kids children’s charity).

Target gives 1 percent of purchases on your REDcard to your school.

Office Depot gives credits for supplies for your school when you shop.

If you know of more events like these, please post them in the comments so we can all pitch in.

• Are you involved in planning school fund-raisers? MomsMiami has some cool ideas.

OK, people. Time to come out of the pool and start thinking about back to school. At least for a moment.

Check around the house for last year's leftover supplies before you buy more.

Or maybe wait till Aug. 13-15 for the sales tax holiday – which isn’t much savings in itself, but the stores will use it to put everything on sale. Still, that’s cutting it a little close for us Palm Beach County public school parents who have to have the kids ready and outfitted on Aug. 17.

We decided to try to knock a couple of items off our list this weekend – and truly, were not impressed by the offerings so far.

We did find $5 polo shirts at the Old Navy at Town Center Mall – but in limited colors (mostly white and light blue). They did seem to be good quality. They also had $5 stainless steel water bottles.

Cheap backpacks and lunchboxes were piled high, but so flimsy you’d better buy three of each – or keep shopping for a better one.

We love getting Land’s End gear at Sears and were really hoping to score a backpack for our fifth-grader. But the selection was really small, and nothing with wheels. Ditto at Office Depot in Deerfield Beach, where we had scored a good one last year.

Next stop: Target.

Is anyone else finding great deals? Tell us in the comments! We need your advice.

And as you shop, remember to pick up some extra items for the kids who don’t have anyone shopping for them. There will be many drives to collect school supplies in the next month or so, many opportunities to give.

Here’s one that’s coming up next weekend:

Tomasso’s Pizza and Subs, 1229 W. Palmetto Park Rd., is having “Make your own pizza day!” on Aug. 7.

Come in between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. with a $10 worth of new school supplies to donate, and you can make your own large two-topping pizza. Their pizza professionals will help participants of all ages.

During the entire month of August, Tomasso’s will give you a large, two-topping pizza in return for $10 worth of new school supplies.

All the donations will be given to the Spirit of Giving Network, which will distribute them to the K-12 children served by its member organizations, which include Kids in Distress, the YMCA and others.

If you know of others, post them in the comments.