I've done muffins too, but instead of putting one on each desk, I put a basket of them in the teacher's room with butter and a knife. sm. paper plates, napkins, etc.
For the end of the year I've bought small vases at the dollar store and left them on each desk with a flower or two, this could be used for the beginning of the year too.
We have a small school though, 120 children K-6, roughly 14 - 18 teacher's all told counting support staff, janitor and nurse, etc.
Keep up the GREAT work everyone!
We have an entirely new board this year, except for one officer, and everyone is extremely motivated for change. We've never given gifts before, but this year we will be providing the teachers lemon ade and sugar cookies on registration/meet your teacher day. In addition, we are sending each teacher an special invitation to join the PTO with a wooden painted apple that's a magnet with a close pin attached ($.95/dozen at Oriental Trading). We hope it helps increase the number of teachers who become members.
I do this on a personal level not with the PTO, but I give my childrens teacher a gift card for dinner. We all know how hectic life is those first few weeks. I send a card with have dinner on our family. This can be downscaled to starbucks gift cards with enjoy a cup of coffee on us.
This year, both my kids will have teachers who are new to our school. I went to vistaprint.com and ordered them notepads with their name and our school name for minimal amount of monies.
We do 2 Teacher Appreciation gifts/grants per year. One at the beginning of the year and one in the spring (during Teacher appreciation week). We give out $50 grants/gift cards to each teacher and $25 grants/gift cards to support staff.
In the beginning of the year we attach a mint candy and a card that reads "You're worth a mint to the P.T.A.". There is a poem below the heading that reads:
"The beginning of the school year can be quite expensive.
Your supply list will certainly be most extensive.
We offer this grant to aid and assist.
Your P.T.A. hopes that this will lessen your list."
In the spring we attach to a 100 Grand candy bar a card that reads:
"You're worth more than 100 Grand to your P.T.A."
We have these printed on business cards from Vista Print, but you can use any company. The business cards are inexpensive and look professional. We use a picture of a money bag on the one attached to a mint and a picture of a rose on the one attached to the 100 Grand candy bar.
Hope this helps some of you.
love all the ideas here, I fairly new at my pto but I don't think they do anything like this but
it's a great idea and I'm surely going to suggest we do something like this, thanks for the inspiration
