Gifts for end of year students / Classroom Volunteers, Ideas Needed

[Mrs.PrinceCharming]

I am trying to think of gifts for the moms who have volunteered in my classroom this year. I also need ideas for end of the year gifts for my students. Any suggestions? Anything you or your child has gotten that was particularly useful or special? I have over 20 students so the student gift has to be reasonable in cost.

 

[feedindy]

My DD always gets a book from her teachers. They purchase them on discount through the book club program. It is a nice educational gift to receive from a teacher and can be as inexpensive as you want. I don't know the ages of your students, but you can find cheap books for nearly any level.

 

[disykat]

My kids don't get end of the year gifts, nor have I recieved them as a volunteer. I don't think it's necessary.

The teachers usually try to help the kids do some sort of memory book together that they can keep. One year a teacher gave each student a candid photo taken in class in a construction paper card. My child treasured his.

 

[imageid]

My DD received a lovely poem from her teacher in an inexpensive picture frame. She has had it on her dresser for 4 years!
As a volunteer, please know that we do not volunteer for gifts or recognition. Most of us truely enjoy watching the children grow, and knowing that we helped in the process.
I have received gift cards from resturants (some in our area have discounts for schools) and once I got a very nice hanging plant.

 

[tinkarooni]

I volunteer in both of my children's classrooms. Honestly the one thing I was given I loved was a really nice note from the teacher telling me how much she appreciated me. Hardly anybody says thank you anymore and the handwritten letter is practically gone. It was on a lovely piece of stationary and it meant a lot to me. Cost was practically nothing and it meant more than any small token. Good Luck!

 

[daemom]

Our students usually don't receive gifts from their teaches, but our school does have a "volunteer appreciation" luncheon. All of the teachers get together and bring in various covered dishes and they come in and eat lunch with the volunteers. It doesn't take a huge effort, but it's quite appreciated! Good luck!

 

[marissat]

My son's 2nd grade teacher gave the best gift ever! I loved the idea so much that I used it for the other son's K teacher the following year.....

She got a painted planter at Walmart ($4) and had all the kids sign it with a sharpie ..threw in some flowers and done..

I still have it .the flowerws died but I keep all of my gifts of rocks that the boys have given me....

I would have been happy with nothing beacause I don't do it for the gift but this was a nice personal touch that all the kids had a part in....

For the kids maybe some sunglasses with a note "Have a great summer"?

marissa

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

For your classroom volunteers, I would get a package of lifesavers, or a $1,000,000,000 bar, etc... you get the idea.... and then write them a personal note saying how much you appreciated their help.

For the kids - I really like the picture idea - capture that moment in time.

 

[daisyduck123]

Our students usually don't receive gifts from their teaches, but our school does have a "volunteer appreciation" luncheon. All of the teachers get together and bring in various covered dishes and they come in and eat lunch with the volunteers. It doesn't take a huge effort, but it's quite appreciated! Good luck!

Hi! Teacher here

We don't give our students end-of-year gifts either....I've been teaching 16 years & I've never heard of this.

We do the same kind of "volunteer appreciation" but we do breakfast.

OP: I always give my head room mother a beach bag with a beach towel inside.

**Edited to add...I do give each of my students a Christmas book (a Scholastic book & a box of crayons) & a Valentine's Day gift ( a Scholastic book of poems).

If I have any other moms that helped her on a regular basis, I give them one of those "gifts in a jar" cookie mixes.

 

[heatherg]

My kids have gotten a variety of items from teachers at either Christmas/Valentine's/end of year. . . . books, personalized stationary (this industrious teacher did "from the desk of . . . " and used a yearbook picture of each kid and made copies), small white boards/marker, tangram games, pencils, etc. I think the favorite has been a picture of the child and the teacher with a note.

As a room mom. . . most years I haven't gotten anything from the teacher, which is totally fine with me. When I have it's been either a candle, lotion (tehehe. . . same kind of stuff parents seem to get teachers, huh?) or, my favorite, a notepad she created. She created it in Word and it had our names scrolling across the top and bottom with a dot between each one, then in a larger pt. "The ***** (our last name)" centered on the top. She could create 2 of them on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper then took them to Kinkos to have them printed in color and glued into a notepad. Simple things make me happy!

 

[Stephres]

My kids have received small scolastic books as end of the year presents, which are always appreciated. Last year my son't teacher got me a gift for the end of the year: I remember feeling very guilty! I volunteer because I love the kids and love the teacher: a thank you gift is not necessary! She did include a nice card which I did think was nice.

 

[Hannathy]

What I have liked receiving from teachers have been plants for my garden, not huge just small flowers. One year it was a geranium, another was a small Mum (they were 1.99, I had seen them over the weekend at the garden center) which was nice because it is still growing in my garden and it has been 5 years! Wrap a piece of foil or material and tie on a bow. My DS's kindergarten teacher gave us a family gift of a small cheap basket with popcorn and a movie card, but I had helped a ton that year and my DH had spent hours getting her computer in shape and working for her. I have also not received anything and don't volunteer for a gift but it is nice to be thanked.

 

[ceecee]

I have also been a Class Mom for 6 years and usually get a note, which is more than fine with me. DD's teacher last year made bookmarks with their photo on top and the entire class autographed it, then she laminated it and put a ribbon through the top. She still uses it this year and it's a nice keepsake. The class moms made each child a photo album (the little cheapy ones for $1.00) and put in photos (each book only had 6-8 pictures in it) we had taken during parties and other school events, the kids really liked those as well.

 

[cats mom]

Mine are very similar to the ones already posted.

I think the most common end of year gift my kids have gotten is a scholastic book. I actually picked them out at one of the big warehouse sales for DD's teacher last year.
One teacher sent an I miss you letter and a magnet she had made to the kids a week or so after school got out. My DD was thrilled to get mail and thought that was really neat. (probably would not be a hit for older kids, DD was in 1st grade)

As for volunteer mom gifts... I really liked the gift card good for a free Jamba Juice. I'm not sure how much those cost, but the neat thing is that they don't have an amount on them - they just say good for any regular size Jamba (so I'd imagine around $5.00 or so) I've gotten a mug and a Starbucks gift card and plants and lotions in the past as well.