nondual teacher Week is held in May each year and is the time that most parent/teacher organizations really put together something special for their teachers. There are many different ways to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, no matter what your organization’s budget is. The teachers will be grateful no matter what you decide to do, so the most important thing is to have fun!
Generally each teacher is given a small, inexpensive gift such as a cool lanyard, a mug filled with candy, custom school spirit shirt, or even a gift card or coupon to a local store. Often, local stores are more than happy to donate things like this if you call around and ask. It’s best to call around at the beginning of a fiscal quarter while they still have money left in their donation budget. Individual packets of popcorn with a movie rental coupon are also a cute gift.
Tote bags make great gift and can be printed with your school’s mascot or slogan for under five dollars a piece usually. Calling around for the best deals on printing is a must. Generally, the more you order with those companies, the cheaper each piece will be. If a gift for each teacher isn’t in the budget, then several smaller gifts could always be raffled off amongst the staff!
Catering a meal for the school’s staff is a very popular thing to do if the budget allows. Many restaurants even give discounts for schools. If catering a meal isn’t an option, potluck meals are a great solution. Having parents and volunteers bring each prepare and bring a dish for a buffet is a lot of fun and a great opportunity for conversation and recipe swapping. Teacher, like most people, love any excuse to sit around, eat, and talk!
If your organization doesn’t have much money planned for Teacher Appreciation Week, there are always cheaper alternatives. A car wash is a fun idea that could even involve students. Find an area on a driveway or restricted parking lot that would be safe for the activity and have volunteers and kids wash the staffs’ vehicles.