What an awesome week you have planned for the staff!! I agree with everyone about the "showing appreciation all year" idea. It doesn't have to cost a thing either. It seems like you have parents who really want to help, so rally them to come up with a plan to make those teachers(and the rest of the staff) feel that appreciation all the time. Even coordinating a student/parent per week per classroom to send a note of thanks, encouragement, a funny joke or story(either something they've picked up somewhere else or a kid story from home),and any little treat they want to add, could go a long way in keeping the morale up throughout the year and reminding the staff that what they do is important and that there are people who deeply appreciate all they give. You might even want to talk with the principal and see what ideas he/she might have. (Don't forget to show that appreciation for your principal too!) There are lots of team building games and seminars that might help build some comraderie in your school too. Do a little research on that and present it to your principal when you talk. We've done some of those games at PTO meetings and they really do bring people together and break down barriers.

Sounds like a great week! It's sure to lift the spirits of your hard working teachers.

I agree that it's good to spread the appreciation out over the year rather than save it up for one big blowout at the end of the year. Like RobinD says, a simple kindness here and there can do so much to life morale!

My niece did her student teaching stint last year at a pretty rough inner city school. On her first day the teachers all said to her, "Welcome to Hell" and then left her to figure it all out on her own. Being the eternal sunshine that she is, she resolved to make it a positive experience and she brought light and happiness to the class.

She felt that the teachers at this school struggled day in and day out, never felt appreciated, nobody noticed their hard work and their optimism slowly eroded. I think her positive attitude and kind words helped a lot!

Your kindness toward your teachers is sure to be appreciated and uplifiting. Good for you for taking such good care of them!!!

You have planned an awesome week. If you see that they are happy and having a great week, why not do " surprise" treat every week and on different daya... either that no-cost mail box treat of a sheet of jokes, or a low-cost treat of a cookie or candy bar.. or something like that..

PTO4WES;132699 wrote: Now, the problem I am faced with right now is teacher morale. It seems like every day I see teachers angry, or crying after school. Someone on staff is always angry at someone else on staff, or they're ALL angry at the Principal LOL. So... here's my question....

How will good teacher morale effect children's behavior in school? Will office referrals go down more? Will teachers report more job satisfaction? Hmmm.....

I should hope so; emotional baggage, stress, lack of feeling wanted, important (taken 4 granted) affects how we effectively do our jobs.

PTO4WES;132699 wrote: Next week is our Staff Appreciation Week. We have TONS of cool stuff planned:

Monday
Spa Day 10 min chair massage, also mani/facials in teacher's lounge

Sign me up, I'm manly enough to admit I like to be pampered

PTO4WES;132699 wrote: Tuesday Belgian Waffle Bar at 6:30 AM(belgain waffles with assorted toppings and syrups in the lounge)

Sign me up, I'll bring the bosenberry (sp?) sauce

PTO4WES;132699 wrote: Wednesday SuperStar Luncheon w/ duty free lunch... we make a nice luncheon.

Sign me up, I never turn down a free meal

PTO4WES;132699 wrote: Thursday Un-Birthday party for all staff members during lunch periods. the kids will all sing happy bday, teachers will blow out candles on cupcakes, and get a gift wrapped embroidered school shirt

Sign me up, Did I mention the 'Mad Hatter is a relative of mine? We celebrate UNBdays

PTO4WES;132699 wrote:
NOW.. my experiment is to A) watch the teachers closely to observe how they are acting on those days, how they react to the children, and how the children are behaving
keep an eye of office referrals for the next week, seeing how the week and the month compare to last year.
Anything else anyone can suggest to guage the effect of Staff Appreciation Week on morale would be greatly appreciated!! WHEW! That was LONG!!

Look for smiles, listen for 'Thank you's, have a nice day, just chatter between teacher and students; I'm not sure if it is a quantative thing (can you really track it?) but you can definately 'Feel it' or the 'get a Vibe' when moral is high(er)

Ok.. so.. I live in a fairly impoverished community. Our school of 700 kids is 80% free & reduced lunch. BUT.. we do have lots of parents who, though they are on a budget, still support our fundraisers, come to events, etc.. We have lots of transient families, foster children, including the children from the county run children's shelter, but we still have attendance in the hundreds for events (i.e. Fear Factor Night- over 400 people!! Thanks PTO Today Message Board!).
The whole board this year was brand spanking new.. we had a REALLY bad reputation to overcome, but through free Family Fun Nights, and an "open door, open heart" policy, the girls in the office told me the other day that volunteer sign ins are up about 200%, and office referrals are actually down, too (from parental involvement, I'm sure!)
Now, the problem I am faced with right now is teacher morale. It seems like every day I see teachers angry, or crying after school. Someone on staff is always angry at someone else on staff, or they're ALL angry at the Principal LOL. So... here's my question....

How will good teacher morale effect children's behavior in school? Will office referrals go down more? Will teachers report more job satisfaction? Hmmm.....

Next week is our Staff Appreciation Week. We have TONS of cool stuff planned:

Monday
Spa Day 10 min chair massage, also mani/facials in teacher's lounge
Mailbox treat: Big fat cookie (leftover cookie dough from fundraiser) in a cello bag with "Thanks for making our kids such smart cookies"
label (we are making these)
Staff meeting after school, with presentations of plaques to staff members who are leaving. Also plaques for Principal and VP

Tuesday Belgian Waffle Bar at 6:30 AM(belgain waffles with assorted toppings and syrups in the lounge)
Mailbox Treat: Teacher Jokes (and they're actually funny!)

Wednesday SuperStar Luncheon w/ duty free lunch... we make a nice luncheon. Volunteers sit with the classes at lunchtime so teachers can eat in peace
Mailbox Treat: Cute bookmarks I made and laminated

Thursday Un-Birthday party for all staff members during lunch periods. the kids will all sing happy bday, teachers will blow out candles on cupcakes, and get a gift wrapped embroidered school shirt

Friday Maga Raffle and gift basket handout all homeroom teachers get a scrapbook of their class.. we gave the kids worksheets that said "I Love my Teacher Because..." and they filled them out without the teacher's knowledge while they were at planning. We laminated the worksheets, and made & laminated covers with class pictures on them. Every other kind of staff member gets a gift.. (i.e. office supplies for the office, sports goodies for the P.E. teacher, etc. etc.) THEN,, all staff members get 5 raffle tickets to win something in a HUGE raffle full of gift baskets and gift certificates.'

NOW.. my experiment is to A) watch the teachers closely to observe how they are acting on those days, how they react to the children, and how the children are behaving
keep an eye of office referrals for the next week, seeing how the week and the month compare to last year.
Anything else anyone can suggest to guage the effect of Staff Appreciation Week on morale would be greatly appreciated!! WHEW! That was LONG!!