I need ideas for Teacher Appreciation!

[Rella Bella]

Our committee has over $600 to spend on our teachers before the end of the year (June 5), we are open to any and all ideas. Teachers please help!! What has/or would really bless your socks off?? Mom's what have you done for your teachers? We'd like to do something for them this week... and maybe get something/s for the teacher's lounge.
I'm all ears...

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Our district does staff appreciation weeks at each school. It was last week at the school where I work and this week at the one my son attends. There's usually something going on each day. The parents decorate the classroom doors with pictures or notes from each student. One day, there was a luncheon provided by the parents (at my school it was catered by a parent with a catering company). One morning, the district sent breakfast. One day the principal and assistant principal went around with a room service cart. Around 1:30, they delivered cookies, pastries, coffee and lemonade to each classroom. The staff members could step outside and choose something from the cart. At the end of the week, each staff member got a $10 Starbuck's card and a nice note from the PTO.

If you have an active parent population, you might consider giving each room parent an equal amount and letting them purchase their own gifts. That would personalize it more for each teacher. Otherwise, a catered lunch and gift card for each staff member might be nice. At my school, they lengthened the lunch period one day by having parents do the noon yard duty. The teachers got an hour and 15 minutes to eat their special lunch instead of the regular 50 minutes.

When you do "teacher appreciation," don't forget about the other staff members at the school. Secretaries, aides, custodians and cafeteria workers should be recognized and thanked too.

 

[mjkacmom]

We do a lunch (tomorrow - a combo of catered food and parent made food), and a brunch (Friday - all parent made food). We also get gc's that get raffled off each day. I'm making chocolate covered strawberries for the lunch, 4 quiches for the brunch.

Edited to add they also get a gift - this year it's a keurig (sp) coffee maker.

 

[pyrxtc]

We do a Staff appreciation day, Parents make breakfast and lunch foods along with Deserts and bring them to school for the teachers to enjoy. We'll also take donations from local eateries to bring in and put wiht the food.

 

[tchrrx]

Here's what I've received before:

lunch
breakfast
favorite drink from Sonic
apron with school name/mascot
polo shirt with school name/mascot
tie-dyed t-shirt with school name/mascot
water bottle with school name/mascot

 

[Rella Bella]

Thank you so much for your ideas! I appreciate every one. Please keep the ideas coming... we have so much money & we want to do something extra special.

We do a monthly "party" in the teachers lounge and three years ago we completely redecorated it. (That surprise was the best, we did it over a weekend.)

I love the idea of the parents covering recess so the teachers can have a longer lunch period. Also the polo shirts... they are available but they have to buy them, so giving them one would be nice.

Thanks so much for responding!

 

[Jeafl]

We just had our teacher appreciation week a couple of weeks ago. Here was our schedule.

Monday--bagels and muffins for staff

Tuesday--each student brought in a single flower for their teacher, they were beautiful when all put in a vase! Most were from their yards, like tulips and daffodils

Wednesday--each student brought in a handmade card or note for the teacher

Thursday--catered luncheon for staff

Friday--The PTO bought school water bottles for everyone plus $10 gift cards from tons of different places and we got to choose one. There were things like Panera, Starbucks, Blockbuster, etc.

 

[hillview]

My son's class is doing photo books for their teachers -- each kid is drawing a picture and writing a story and then they pass it along. A parent is making them into photo book.
/hillary

 

[Rella Bella]

What a great idea!! I can see it's time to get busy instead of looking for something to buy!

More please!!

 

[asta]

If you just want to get them something just for them, one year we collected money and gave the teachers a gift certificate for a local day spa. My heart was always in a more sentimental gift when my daughters were young. We did the scrapbook thing one year for 4th graders. I had each child write a short note about why they liked their teacher or tell their favorite thing that had happened that year. I put these together with photos of the students in a scrapbook. For one of my daughters first grade teacher I gave each child a different letter in the alphabet and had them think of word to describe the teacher (I did this during art class to keep it secret. Some needed more help than others, and I filled in all of those really hard letters). I wrote these on a 5" square of white sheeting, had the students sign the square and sewed these together to make a quilted ABC wall hanging. At the end of the year party, we had each child stand up in front of the class and say their square (A is for amazing Mrs Smith, B - I think Mrs Smith is beautiful, and so on). We then suprised her with the quilt.

 

[Bren's Mom]

I'd use some of that money to get a Keurig machine and lots of coffee and tea k-cups for their staff lounge. If they don't have a fridge I'd get a mini fridge too. And then I'd give each teacher a gift card for Staples. They generally use some of their own money for supplies...this way they can use their own money for what THEY want (and it might not be a spa, might not be Starbucks, etc, they might need it for bills..everyone is different) and they can use the Staples card for their classroom needs.

 

[Rella Bella]

Thanks! Day Spa sounds great but 600 would buy much... hummm, maybe a drawing?

 

[DisneyArk]

We do a lot of the things already mentioned. We also bring in a few massage therapists to shoulder massages (the kind where you sit and lean up). We tried to get rid of this perk during last year's teacher appreciation week and the teachers begged for it this year.

Also, for the luncheon we ask the homeroom moms to take the class for 30 - 45 minutes before or after lunch period so the teacher can have a longer break. During that time the homeroom mom usually has the kids do a craft project for the teacher. Some are simple (like cards) and some are more work like thumbprints on a giant pot and then plant flowers in it.

 

[andrews_dad]

I am a teacher. This year we each got a great gift. It is a 2 GB thumb drive with the school logo upon it. It folds to be protected for transport. Allows us to save files from our work computer and take them home. They were VERY well rec'd by the staff. It even has a small loop off the back of it to hang on our ID badges or loop into our keychain. Just a thought ....

Food is always a hit, as well.

 

[Rella Bella]

Thanks for all the ideas! Keep them coming!

 

[caralyn817]

I'm a teacher and here are a few things that I have gotten in the past or this year.

Flowers: each student brought in a flower to be placed in a vase (my husband teaches at the same school, but instead of flowers they gave him candy)
Lunch: We have lunch provided by PTO, but this year I have a parent make a lunch for me (salad, entree, and dessert) and she also made a dinner that was refridgerated for me to take home for the family.
Raffle Prizes at Luncheon: They handed out raffle tickets and they hand prizes for each teacher, ranging from stickers to gift certificate to go to dinner.
Book of students pictures and writing about why they like me
Books for the classroom library