Does your childs school have a limit on parties?

[gshoemate]

I remember in school we had parties for everything, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines day, etc. DD's school allows them to have 2 parties a year. Is this the normal now? Last year they had Christmas and Valentines Day. Looks like it will be the same for this year.

 

[aprilgail2]

Kaseys school has Christmas, Valentines, Halloween and Easter parties....we all send in money the beginning of the year to cover the cost of the parties.

 

[Beanie]

The school my kids go to has parties on Halloween, Christmas, Valentines and Easter, but in Kindergarten on St. Patty's Day, they make Shamrock cookies~

I love when my kids have parties at school because I love to bake for them!! LOL

 

[sm4987]

we also have a limit. Christmas and Valentine's day. It is also the only time of year that the kids can have any kind of sweets at school.

 

[disykat]

When I taught we had a 3 party limit. The class decided which occasions we would have our parties and then we commemorated the other occasions in different ways. I prefered the Holidays we didn't have "parties". We cooked, did art, writing projects, etc. around the holiday theme. Even Halloween costumes can be part of a lesson.

The only party that I really felt was worthwhile (from a teaching standpoint) every year was Valentine's Day.

My kid's school has parties for everything. Every party seems to involve eating the kids eating until they are sick and nothing else. I think it's pretty easy for the teachers to think "we're having a party so I can't waste any more time on the holiday". I'd much rather see special art projects, etc. coming home than have them watch a movie and eat.

I just want to add before I get flamed for being a spoilsport - I don't remember a single party in grade school (although I know we most have had some). However, I do remember many of the holiday art projects etc. we did and the fun we had doing them.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by sm4987
we also have a limit. Christmas and Valentine's day. It is also the only time of year that the kids can have any kind of sweets at school.

Wow...I don't know what I wold send my daughter to school for snacks and lunch snacks if that was the case! She gets chocolate kudo bars, skippy chocolate peanut butter snack bars..sometimes I throw in some Hersheys Kisses......I know some of the kids bring cans of soda for lunch but I usually send chocolate milk or juice. Kaseys brings a lot of chocolate pudding and everyday its peanut butter for lunch, sometimes with a few chocolate chips on it! She eats a good breakfast now and a good dinner so lunch I just send what I think she may eat because its not easy getting her to eat lunch if I am not there nagging at her to eat....at least I know she has something in her stomach even if its a kudos bar! They sell chocolate ice cream and vaniaal ice cream in the lunchroom and snapple juice along with the normal foods...2 choices of hot meals each day and of course the standard that you can get every day-peanut butter and jelly or pizza-..also bags of chips, hot soft pretszels and nachos and cheese.

 

[newholiday]

NO Parties

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by newholiday
NO Parties

Not even in grade school???? That sounds a little harsh.....

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

DD1 is in kindergarten, and they only have 1 party per se: Christmas. On the other holidays (Halloween, Valentines Day, Easter), they just have a "special" snack. It is usually some klind of cookie themed for the holiday, but parents are not invited to participate. We can only go to the Christmas Party.

DD2 (in daycare) on the other hand has parties for every holiday!

 

[Kitty 34]

Our elementary school has three parties...Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

3 Parties...

Fall Party, Winter Party, & we do a Spring Party called "Spring Fling". That one is outdoors and messy, wet & fun!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

No flames here, disykat. I agree with you!

I was room mom when DD was in 4th grade. They had just done state testing...I think it was two days, two hours per day, two weeks in a row (or something like that). Her teacher calls me TWO DAYS before the intended party to get parents to send stuff in (a pizza party, no less) to CELEBRATE HOW WELL THE KIDS DID ON THE TESTS. ??? First of all...who says they did well? It was the week after testing...no results were in. Second, isn't test taking PART of going to school?? We need to reward them for showing up at school and TAKING TESTS??

The BEST parties ever at my kids' schools were those celebrated in 2nd grade. The 2nd grade teachers were WONDERFUL...all 3. It was known as the grade where you couldn't go wrong, no matter who your child got. They had a HUGE Thanksgiving party...it was the social event of the year. They also celebrated Mickey Mouse's birthday (Nov 18, I think), and for that, I made a giant Mickey head icon cookie for each class. It wasn't a huge party, but the kids loved it. They would send Mickey a birthday card, and by then, Mickey had written back.

 

[skiwee1]

Our school has parties for everything.

 

[CamColt]

Our school K-5 does Halloween, Christmas, Valentines & and an end of the year icecream sundae party. Each parent is assigned 1 thing(paper goods, baked goods, special treat, drinks) for 1 party only.

The past 2 years our school's 4th graders have had one of the best scores in the MCAS(statewide testing) and they were rewarded the following year as 5th graders with a pizza party. Pizza was provided by tth PTO.

 

[disneyjunkie]

When we lived in NC, my son's schools had parties for everything.

Since we moved backed home 4 years ago, his schools have
only had parties for Christmas and at the end of the year.

The only thing I don't like about the parties is that my son always signs up to bring in things that require me to cook. Pasta salad, chicken, macaroni salad, macaroni and cheese(and the kraft stuff will not do).

 

[RitaZ.]

My younger kids' school will be having their first celebration of the year this Friday, it's a schoolwide event. I'm Room Parent for my DD's 1st grade class. The supplies needed for the party were extensive, but I spread them out about 2 items per parent/family. We will have 4 parents from our class to assist during the activities and with trick-or-treating. We are all set for Friday!

Our school doesn't want volunteers in the classroom beginning with first grade and I can tell you that the kids are working very hard in class. Everyone needs a break once in a while, even kids.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Too many. Halloween,Thanksgiving,Christmas, Valentines, Easter and the end of year party. When I was a kid we had Christmas and the end of year. On Valentines day we would distrubute the cards 15 minutes before school ended.

 

[Gupsmom]

Our elementary school has parties for Halloween, "winter," and Valentine's Day. Plus we have a class picnic on one of the last few days of school. These aren't all day parties. They usually are held for the last 75 minutes of the day.

I don't see the big deal. I think kids can afford to lose 4 1/2 total hrs of instruction throughout the year to have some fun.

Jess