We did a Royality Theme last year. During assembly we had a "program"we did were we did a raffle, but it was done by the kids. We had a court jester, crown bearer, etc. The kids and staff loved it.
On the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week we held a good old fashioned "Hoe Down" in the Teacher's Lounge.
Hay Bales, Lemonade, Hot Dogs, Salad & each teacher was invited to wear their jeans, T-Shirts & boots! We left a bandana in their cubbies the day before asking them to wear them & be ready to two-step!
Each class made a decoration to use: (Cowboy hat turned upside down filled with peanuts, aluminum bucket painted with teacher quotes that we filled with bright red apples, several classes decorated paper bags that we filled with a napkin, fork & bag of chips). Checkered table cloths, a fake rooster, pin the tail on the donkey game.....Country music & smiles all around.
Get creative....good luck!
Ingredients
0.5 cup barley
0.5 cup dried split peas
0.5 cup uncooked white rice
0.5 cup dry lentils
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
0.5 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
0.5 cup uncooked alphabet pasta
1 cup uncooked twist macaroni
Directions
1. In a wide mouth 1 quart jar, layer the barley, peas, rice and lentils. Then layer around the edges the onion, parsley, salt, lemon pepper, bouillon and the alphabet pasta. Fill the rest of the jar with the twist macaroni.
2. Seal and attach a gift card. The gift card should read: Add contents of jar to 3 quarts of water, 2 stalks of chopped celery, 2 sliced carrots, 1 cup of shredded cabbage (optional) and 2 cups diced tomatoes. Over medium low heat, cover and simmer about about 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender.
We send home a note the week before for all the families. For the past several years we have the same routine, and it is not a surprise to our teachers, as they are familiar with it now.
One thing that we did change recently, in the past families fed the staff a wonderful lunch each day for the week... that was a lot of work and too much all at once... now we have spread out the appreciation and actually provide a staff lunch once a month (provided by different grade level parents each month).
The letter that goes home encourages students to bring the following for their teachers:
Monday: Say words of appreciation (we do a simple action since it would be easy for everyone to do even if they forgot over the weekend).
Tuesday: Bring a flower (one classroom has allergies, so in advance we notify them to make paper flowers)
Wednesday: Teachers favorite snack
Thursday: Classroom supplies
Friday: Cards
We also encourage students to make posters to put up on campus, while we make a few large banners to celebrate the week.
The parent group also provides little treats in the teacher boxes. Inexpensive yet fun or useful. Last year we had personalized note pads with the school name made, and each person had a pad with their own name included. That was very well received, and found great price online.
Here are some ideas for T/S Appreciation theme this year. I collected these ideas for a bunch of different sources.
"Thanks For Planting Seeds Of Success" And do seed packets.
Do a T/S Survival Kit:
Gem Ring (ring pop)= Because you're a real gem for doing so much at our school
Puzzle Piece= Because your contribution helps to make our school whole
Smiley Face Gumball (or something)= To remind you that a smile cheers everyone up, including you!
Now & Later= To remind you that your efforts matter in students' lives today and in the future
Laffy Taffy= Because keeping your sense of humor is key, especially on rough days
Playing Card= Because you're the best, hands down!
Another couple...
Snack Pack:
100 Grand= Because your contribution to education is priceless
Payday= Because teamwork always pays off
Take 5= Because you deserve a satisfying break for all you do for our school!
Nestle's Crunch= Because you're so helpful in a crunch
Mounds= Because you deserve "mounds" of praise!
LifeSavers= We appreciate you a "hole" lot!
We can do a treat-a-day:
Jelly Beans= "Thanks for "Bean" part of our success"
Microwave popcorn pack= "We're bursting with appreciation for you!"
Hershey's Treasures chocolate treat= "We treasure our teachers & staff"
Thanks for your Commit-"Mint" to our school
Peppermint LifeSavers= Because your commit-"mint" means a "hole" lot to us.
Peppermint Pattie= Because you deserve a pat on the back for your commit-"mint".
Starlight Mint= Because your commit-"mint" makes you a shining star.
Junior Mints= Because every task-big or small-needs your commit-"mint".
Spearmint Gum= Because your commit-"mint" helps the team stick together.
“Cooking Up Appreciation”
We have several ways to show our appreciation to our
teachers & staff during this week.
Please note the following themed days and jump on in and show our teachers & staff how much we appreciate them!
The staff includes office, aides, custodians, cafeteria workers & administration.
Monday Baked Goods Day—"Because You’re so Sweet - We say Thank You!." Students are asked to bring in a baked good or treat for their teacher & 2 staff members.
Tuesday Recipe Day- "Our Teachers/Staff have the recipe for success." We are asking each student to bring in a family favorite recipe to their teacher & 2 staff members.
Wednesday 5 Letter Day –“Our Teachers lead in the ‘write’ direction”. Students write a personal letter or draw a picture to give to their teacher & 2 staff members to let them know how much they are appreciated.
Thursday Flower Day—“Teachers help small things grow” Students are asked to share a flower (real/silk/homemade) with their teacher & 2 staff members.
Friday Student’s Choice - "Thanks for making our days fun." Students are asked to bring in something fun (bottle of bubbles, etc) or a classroom supply item (pencils, erasers, glue, etc.).
Guess a Favorite Book—Ask the teachers to name their favorite book from their childhood. List the books and let the students try to match the book with the teacher.
Recipe Day- "Our Teachers/Staff have the recipe for success." We are asking each student to bring a family favorite recipe to their teacher.
Ice Cream Social- After school~entire staff enjoys a sundae bar
“Building A Brighter Future”
Doing a construction theme!
We painted on the butcher paper to make some "road signs" and hung them all over the school. Like "Caution Kids Working" "Yield to Education", etc. We also served "Build-your-own sandwich" lunch. Things were placed in new paint trays, toy dump trucks, new paint cans, etc. For their gifts, we made up gift buckets out of new quart-size paint cans. We placed plastic yellow hard hats (OT) with each staff member's name on it in their mailboxes. We purchased gummy tool candy from Oriental Trading and placed those in the boxes also.
Tool Day- We are asking each student to bring in a school tool to their teacher (pencils, glue, dry-ease markers, etc.)
For those having the students do stars, or letters, how do you get it done without the teacher involved? ie: not during school, or sneaking letters to parents maybe?
Last year only a few classes did something collectively, but this year I'm going to try to integrate the whole student body into themed days. One day is bring a flower, one day is write a note, one day your teacher's favorite candy, etc... I'd LOVE for it to be a surprise, but am not sure how to pull it off, especially when some of the teacher's kids are also students there.
