Advancement · School Operations

Every jacket tagged,
every name followed up.

Tag and log each item as it comes in. The tool tells you which items have a name to follow up, which valuables should be locked away and which have passed the hold, and prints a list for the pickup table or the donation run.

Log a found itemWhat you get
$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the School operations toolkit, $49 for 32 items.

Lost and found

The worked example is five made-up finds: a jacket, earbuds, a named water bottle, glasses already returned and a hoodie past the hold. Items stay in this browser.

Loading the found item form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · School Operations$19 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
An inventory of found items with tag, description, kind, colour and size, any name on it, date and place found, where it is kept and the hold period; whether the family was told; the status and date; flags for a name not yet followed up, valuables in an open bin, devices not to be opened and items past the hold; counts waiting, returned and past the hold, and what is waiting by kind; a printable list.
Who it is for
School front-office staff, custodians, PTA volunteers and the administrators who set the lost and found policy.
Format
Browser inventory with any number of saved items. Prints the full list for a pickup-time table or a donation run, one item or a blank log; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the School operations toolkit ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The School Operations space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Put a numbered tag on each item and log it the day it is found.
  2. If there is a name, tell the family or the teacher that day and mark it.
  3. Move phones, glasses and jewelry to the office or a locked cabinet.
  4. Print the list for a display table at pickup or a newsletter.
  5. When the hold ends, donate or dispose of items under policy and mark them.

Log a found item

Getting things home

The life of one found itemDay 0Tag and log itName on it?Tell the familythe same day.Week 1Valuables in the officePhones, glassesand jewelrylocked up.Week 3Display itTable at pickupor a photoin the newsletter.Day 30Donate under policyClean clothingto alocal charity.The life of one found itemDay 0 · Tag and log itName on it? Tell the family the same day.Week 1 · Valuables in the officePhones, glasses and jewelry locked up.Week 3 · Display itTable at pickup or a photo in the newsletter.Day 30 · Donate under policyClean clothing to a local charity.
An item with a name on it can go home the same day if someone tells the family. The rest need to be seen: a pickup-time table does more than a bin in a back hallway.

Names and devices

A name or initials on an item is the fastest way home: check class lists and tell the family or teacher the same day. Do not open or browse a found phone or tablet to identify its owner; keep it in the office and let a family describe it, or let it ring.

Donating, not dumping

Clothing and textiles are a large share of what Americans throw away. Washing unclaimed clothing and passing it to a school clothes closet or a local charity keeps it in use. Set the hold period and the donation partner in your policy so staff do not decide item by item.

Sources

  1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Textiles: Material-Specific Data (epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling).
  2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Reducing and Reusing Basics (epa.gov/recycle).
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Head Lice: Prevention and Control (cdc.gov/lice): washing hats, scarves and coats.
  4. Federal Trade Commission. Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business (ftc.gov): keep only what you need and lock it up.

The worked example is made up. Your school’s policy sets the hold period and where items go. The inventory stays on this device until you print or export it. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.