If you are reading this, you are probably either a school PTO leader, principal or room mom trying to figure out how to get more parents involved! Know this, you are not alone! Schools across the country struggle to get the participation that they want and need everyday! I've been there too. Here's the scenario... My son attended a middle school with approximately 700 kids that was in need of a PTO leader. Sure, why not! I love education, kids and planning so how bad could it be? Right?!?! Wrong! I almost immediately realized that getting people to actually come help with anything was difficult. Honestly, it felt impossible. I had a mini pity party and decided that wasn't going to cut it! These are good people that love their kids. I knew that! Now, I just needed to come up with how to get them involved! That leads me to the topic of this post! How to Increase Parent Engagement at Your School First and foremost, remember that you were willing to step up. Whether that was out of guilt, because there was no one else or you are part of an amazing school that has an active PTO, someone cares about the PTA group! The reality is, while it may not seem like it, everyone wants it to work. They just aren't jumping up and down saying
Get inspired by our collection of clever event themes, activities, gifts, and other teacher appreciation ideas from parent groups across the country.
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How to make over the teacher's lounge or staff space in your school as a teacher appreciation gift idea for PTO and PTA groups!
If you read forums for teachers, job satisfaction surveys, or listen to conversation in the teachers’ lounge you will often hear a common theme in the complaints of teachers. Teachers who are unhappy feel unappreciated and unrecognized for their hard work. Although a raise would put a smile on teachers everywhere, this may not be possible with the current state of economics. Have you read Malcom Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point? One of the examples he gives in his book is the NYC subway system. George L. Kelling was hired as a consultant in 1985 to test his broken windows theory. The city cleaned the subway system of graffiti. Graffiti was quickly cleaned any time it appeared. The theory was that small crimes lead to bigger crimes. Purging the subway of graffiti was the tipping point to make the NYC subway system safer. Small crimes lead to bigger crimes. I think a few negative comments can spread quicker than 48-hour flu in a school. Soon it seems like the entire staff is infected with negativ-itis. It is possible to make teachers, staff members, and co-workers of your school feel appreciated and recognized for their hard work. The best thing is the school climate doesn't have to be the responsibility of one person in the school. Do you think your co-workers are feeling a little stressed? Do you hear more snips and snarks than comments of appreciation? Have there been changes on your campus . . . new team members, administrators, curriculum, or expectations? If this sounds familiar, you could be the change agent at your school. Sometimes it is the administrator, team leaders, or Sunshine Committee than plans school climate and community building events. But, one thing I have found through the years. Everyone loves a helping hand. If you step up to the plate, you will have their undying gratitude. After a few community building events, you will have a happier place to work. So, it is a win-win for everyone. For whatever reason, I have always enjoyed planning these type of things. I know it is crazy, right?!! I have been on a social committee for my neighborhood homeowner association, a school's Sunshine Committee, and planned monthly luncheons for my daughter's middle school. Through all of these experiences, I have picked up a few tips and tricks that make putting on a luncheon for a large group a little easier. Food brings people together, it bonds them, it is just that simple. If at all possible it is best to plan the date of your luncheon on a day when everyone can eat lunch at the same time. Do not forget to include everyone in your school family like the custodial staff and secretaries. If you do plan the luncheon on a day when you have multiple lunch periods, set out fresh food each lunch period. I just added a new School Climate packet that includes what you see above. Each luncheon has a PDF that is "PRINT & GO" prefilled for your luncheon. There is also a blank signup in the EDITABLE file so you can personalize it to fit your needs. The sign is EDITABLE, too so you can add the date, time, and place. There are also notes (6 per page) so you can write little notes of support, encouragement, thank you, and give treats. There is room that you can write a note or attach a treat. Who doesn't love to get a little note in your mailbox? Some of these are colorful and some are black & white. Look for the Positive is a system where staff members recognize other staff members. This system could also be used with students. Staff members fill out a nomination about another staff member who is: ALL HEART: A person who is kind and helpful to others. ALL STAR: A person who shines at his or her job and goes beyond what is required. ALL SMILES: A person who has a positive attitude and a joy to be around. OUR TREASURE: A person who is worth his or her weight in gold. Prizes can be whatever you want. I made these signs to hang outside classrooms to recognize teachers. I bought the supplies at Hobby Lobby. At one of my schools, the prize was a front row parking spot. That was a very popular prize! If a luncheon seems like a bigger job than you want to tackle this year, I included monthly events that are still fun, but on a smaller scale. The signs are editable so you can add the date and time. Click HERE find out more plus get a FREEBIE in the preview file. Click HERE to check out the preview file. Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE. Click HERE to read my blog's disclosure statement.
If you are reading this, you are probably either a school PTO leader, principal or room mom trying to figure out how to get more parents involved! Know this, you are not alone! Schools across the country struggle to get the participation that they want and need everyday! I've been there too. Here's the scenario... My son attended a middle school with approximately 700 kids that was in need of a PTO leader. Sure, why not! I love education, kids and planning so how bad could it be? Right?!?! Wrong! I almost immediately realized that getting people to actually come help with anything was difficult. Honestly, it felt impossible. I had a mini pity party and decided that wasn't going to cut it! These are good people that love their kids. I knew that! Now, I just needed to come up with how to get them involved! That leads me to the topic of this post! How to Increase Parent Engagement at Your School First and foremost, remember that you were willing to step up. Whether that was out of guilt, because there was no one else or you are part of an amazing school that has an active PTO, someone cares about the PTA group! The reality is, while it may not seem like it, everyone wants it to work. They just aren't jumping up and down saying
The good news is now you can do them all.
Can you get through this list without wanting to do at least one?
Intentionally fostering interactions among teachers, parents, and community partners helped one school create a more inviting event.
Here are 20 theme ideas to make your PTO / PTA fundraising event a success! Hosting a themed fundraiser for your PTO / PTA is a much better way to boost your donations than simply asking for cash. If you want to put on a memorable event for people that also benefits your school, we’ve compiled a list of 20 unique event ideas, from weekend nights out to food-focused parties. Let this year see your biggest fundraising success ever! Fuel Your Inner Competitor Competition brings out the best in people... and their wallets! Bingo Night A bingo night...
Does an easy, fun, inexpensive school fundraiser even exist? It does, and I've got the scoop on how your school can do this too!
Use these 10 ideas to create a teachers lounge that promotes collaboration, celebration, and humor! Make your staffroom a place you love!
Hey Y'all! It's Erin from The Elementary Darling! Summer has been flying and I go back to work tomorrow! so today I am going to chat about what your new students can do during Open House. I have enjoyed my summer full of Target trips, dollar store hunts, and family time but as the school year rolls around, I get equal parts excited and anxious. Back to school time is fun but also stressful and this year I am moving to a new school and a new grade level. Many of you are doing the same or even just one of those things, and while it is an exciting time, it is also a stressful time. To help with the stress of coming back to school and having Open House (or meet the teacher, or sneak a peek) I also started doing stations in my classroom. Yesterday, Theresa shared her station idea with you all. If you didn't read it, head here. I did something similar and you can read about those stations here on my blog. The only difference is that I found that my parents were doing the stations, and my students weren't always participating. OR one parent was taking the student to do the stations (LOVE) and the other was filling out the paperwork. {This is the ideal situation for my classroom.} My school was a Title One school and we had a ton of information and surveys for the parents to fill out. ***Insert big idea here*** I decided that I needed some things that students could do while the parents filled out all of the paperwork! You can make these a station OR you can just have them set out in the room and let the students do them. {Side note: if you teach Kinder babies you may want to make it a station, so their parents can help them.} Here are 10 ideas for student participation during Open House! 1.) Organize Supplies I love Theresa from True Life I'm a Teacher's idea of having the students take a scrapbook page to create a scrapbook. The students pick the color of their paper and they take it home to work on. I also love that she organizes her materials THAT NIGHT. This is a great activity for the kids to do! Everything is labeled and even if they can't read the words, you can put one of each item in the box and the students will know where to put the item. 2.) Selfie Wall Almost every kid knows how to take a selfie. This selfie wall or photo booth is a great and easy way for the students to snap a picture with a saying. I just put second grade on mine, but you can do anything! I also had to use a selfie stick because no one was at school to take my picture so excuse the terrible pose :) 3.) Photo Booth Another version of this is Chandra, from Teaching with Crayons and Curls, photo booth where she took a sparkly table cloth and the students used signs and got a picture. She did a Party theme and it was precious! 4.) Meet the Teacher Chart Kristin from School in the City created this cute chart to learn about the teacher. This would be cute for the kids to look at during open house. It is also easy to make for all grade levels! 5.) Estimation Station The students grab a post it note and write how many skittles they think are in the jar with their name. I check them all when Open House is over and I put all of the post its on an anchor chart for our math focus board. The student who gets the closest answer wins the jar on the first day of school! It makes an awesome first math lesson and gets the students excited. 6.) Post it Note Anchor Chart This is an easy and fun way for students to answer a question. They love choosing their post it note, and most grade levels can answer the question on their own. K-1 babies will need some help on this one, but even pictures are cute. My first graders did pretty well with this, the year that I did it! 7.) Choose your back to school gift! Sometimes I have my students' gifts on each desk as they walk in, but I think this year I am going to let them choose their own gift. They are either going to pick based on marker color or based on paper color, but who doesn't love a choice?!?! You can find these editable marker papers here in my TPT shop for FREE! 8.) Scavenger Hunt I have seen so many different scavenger hunts for students. I love the ones with the pictures, especially for the K-1 babies. There are too many to choose from, so my suggestion is to get on TPT or Pinterest and find the perfect one for you and your classroom! 9.) Find your seat or choose your seat. This may seem like an easy one, but many students, like us, are anxious. They may want to sit closer to the teacher, or the board and choosing his/her desk is an easy way for them to get excited for the year. My suggestion is to write the names on the name tags, have the students choose their name, and then place it on the desk they choose. If you need a more controlled environment, I understand! The students could just find their desk. Make sure to leave them something fun like ready confetti, jitter glitter, or a present to make them feel comfortable. 10.) Meet the Teacher Wait, they need to actually talk to you? YES! And this is the cheapest and easiest suggestion of them all! It is so important to take the time to talk to the student. Many times, the parents take over, and the kids just sit there. Have some "go to" questions to ask the students that are easy to answer. *What did you love about First Grade? (their previous grade) * What are you excited to learn about? * Do you love science? We are going to do some fun science experiments! *Did you get anything special to start the year off with? *or my Favorite- Do you think your mom and dad are ready for you to Second Grade? Just remember, these are suggestions. I don't think all of this is possible during one open house. It's like Target, just pick the one or two you need. {Who am I kidding, I need everything at Target.} Good Luck!
Create playful designs with these easy-to-read teacher font pairings. Perfect for back-to-school gifts, teacher blogs, and classroom projects.
The beginning of the school year is a super fun time of the year for Elementary Schools! There's so much to be excited about when kids start school and injecting some fun into the new routines is a great way for your PTO to give back to the school community…
Use this free printable teacher questionnaire to get to know the teacher. Find out exactly what to give the for birthday, Christmas and end of year gifts.
Fundraising for your school can be a challenge! Check out our top picks for the best PTA fundraising ideas to help you exceed your goals.
These are 8 simple tips for beginning substitute teachers and even those who are seasoned guest teachers. Make your day easier with these tips!
Happy teachers mean happy students. Here is a list of ways to build morale, support teacher wellbeing and have fun as a teaching team at school.
All surveys, polls, and other ways of gathering feedback/opinions from parents, teachers, and others.Can’t find the file you need? Request a file on the File Exchange forum in the Message Boards. Lots of folks there might have exactly what you're looking for, and be happy to share.
Teacher job satisfaction makes a difference in everything school-related and even affect student achievement. Here are some ideas to help keep it top notch.
Look no further for teacher appreciation and staff appreciation themes they'll adore. Five different luncheon themes that are easy to pull off!
The one night that is most stressful for me is definitely Meet-the-Teacher Night, but I have learned through the years that it can also be...
Hold onto those Stanleys, teachers...drinking water at school just got even more fun.
This simple and easy teacher gift idea is the perfect gift for any teacher. Get your favorite teacher what they really want this year!
If you are reading this, you are probably either a school PTO leader, principal or room mom trying to figure out how to get more parents involved! Know this, you are not alone! Schools across the country struggle to get the participation that they want and need everyday! I've been there too. Here's the scenario... My son attended a middle school with approximately 700 kids that was in need of a PTO leader. Sure, why not! I love education, kids and planning so how bad could it be? Right?!?! Wrong! I almost immediately realized that getting people to actually come help with anything was difficult. Honestly, it felt impossible. I had a mini pity party and decided that wasn't going to cut it! These are good people that love their kids. I knew that! Now, I just needed to come up with how to get them involved! That leads me to the topic of this post! How to Increase Parent Engagement at Your School First and foremost, remember that you were willing to step up. Whether that was out of guilt, because there was no one else or you are part of an amazing school that has an active PTO, someone cares about the PTA group! The reality is, while it may not seem like it, everyone wants it to work. They just aren't jumping up and down saying
Does an easy, fun, inexpensive school fundraiser even exist? It does, and I've got the scoop on how your school can do this too!
Explore oliverdec's 2 photos on Flickr!
Download this FREE Help Your Child Learn to Read reading tips brochure for your students' parents to support their child in learning to read.
Note from the editor: Beth (our teacher contributor) says that teachers DO NOT expect gifts for Christmas or at the end of the school year. However, I felt like our children's teachers were STELLAR this
Spread staff sunshine with these quick, easy, and FREE ideas! Read for 5+ ideas to show appreciation for your school staff.
20+ Fantastic & Easy Ideas for Meet the Teacher Night Ideas include parent communication, treats for students, supply collection, and even a FREEBIE!
These teacher appreciation coloring pages are a perfect way to celebrate your teacher. It's one of our favorite teacher appreciation ideas that's fun for the kids to be involved in. Make sure to print these
Why was the math book so unhappy? Because ... it's got problems!
65+ freebies for elementary, preschool and even high school teachers. Most of these freebies come by mail. Education samples for all qualifed teachers.
Use this free printable teacher questionnaire to get to know the teacher. Find out exactly what to give the for birthday, Christmas and end of year gifts.
In the world of staff morale gifts and activities, you may have noticed a common theme... food! Treats, meals, and other food-related events are pretty typical when it comes to showing appreciation for staff. While I think we'd all agree that food is a fun way to celebrate, sometimes you want an alternative, right? If you're nodding your head in agreement - I've got just the solution for you! Let's talk about some of my favorite staff morale boosters that are not food! Why Staff Morale Counts First off, why does staff morale matter? If you're an administrator or member of the staff sunshine committee, you already know the importance of staff morale. School staff members work hard! In today's social climate, staff morale is even more important as staff and teachers navigate tricky situations at school. Keeping staff morale high is important in maintaining a healthy school atmosphere. In turn, this benefits everyone involved. When staff are happy and feel appreciated, you can expect the daily routines in your building to hum right along! And remember, staff morale is important for ALL staff members, not just teachers. I'm talking about admin, cafeteria, tech support, secretarial staff, janitorial, security, counselors, librarians, and more! Everyone who works in the school is an important piece of the system. Let's do our part to show appreciation for school staff members with these fun staff morale boosters! 1. Staff Morale BINGO We're kicking off this list with one of my best-selling staff morale boosters... BINGO! Everyone knows and loves BINGO, right? I've certainly found this to be true in my own school building after years of using it. This game is a bit of a twist on the traditional, with a giant, life-size BINGO board for everyone to use! There are 2 options included, one for teaching staff and one for ALL staff, so you can choose what works best for your building. To set this up, you'll choose your favorite 25 prompts. There are 90 different ones, so no matter what you're looking to recognize and promote- there's something here for you! Prompts include making positive calls home, leaving for the day with an organized desk, not working through lunch, and more! The great thing about this resource is that you can pick and choose what works best for your school. Think about what will motivate YOUR staff, and choose accordingly. If certain prompts don't align with what you're hoping to target- simply leave them out for ones better suited. Once you choose your BINGO cards, you'll print them out - I like colorful Astrobrights paper, and then hang them on the wall to make a giant BINGO board. It's a good idea to put this in a high-traffic area so that staff members are reminded to add to it regularly. To play, staff will add their name to each BINGO card as they complete one of the prompts. Once someone has a BINGO, they win a prize. You can continue this until the board is completely filled, or you reach a set time. Either way, this one will energize and motivate staff to fill up those cards! 2. Random Acts of Kindness Poster This next option is a fun way to get all staff members involved in spreading kindness! This resource includes 10 different full-color posters with tear-off prompts for random acts of kindness. The idea is to print them off and hang them in areas where staff congregate. They will look through the prompts and select one to "pay it forward" to a colleague. The prompts include things like: pass off a book to a great friend plan a walk with a colleague after work offer to cover someone's duty bring in fresh flowers to brighten up a common area share a bottle of soap or lotion for the staff lounge provide a listening ear and many more! I love this staff morale booster because it's a way to get staff members thinking about how they can spread a little kindness on their own. I don't know about you guys, but when things are busy and crazy in my life, it can be hard to remember to slow down and think of others. This natural human tendency can stir us into a frenzy! Using random acts of kindness is a great way to reconnect with those around us and remember we're all facing challenges on a daily basis. 3. Windshield Messages Looking for a simple, non-food related way to show staff members you care? Windshield wiper cards are the perfect way to do just that! The idea behind this staff morale booster is to choose a heartfelt message for staff and leave it tucked behind the windshield wipers on their car. When they leave for the day, they will find a fun message to motivate and inspire them! I have options to carry you through the entire school year. By choosing one that relates to the season, you'll end up with whimsical notes that are pretty punny! Some of the fall notes include messages like: I be-leaf in you! Your students are falling in love with learning! We are totally NUTS about you! The fall notes will come in handy from August through November. The winter notes are filled with messages that are perfect for adding to staff vehicles right before winter break. The spring windshield notes will carry you through the spring months leading to the end of the school year. The notes include cute clipart and seasonal designs as well, so all you need to do is print and add a personal touch if desired! Your staff will love going home for the day and finding these notes waiting for them. 4. Self-Care Challenge I already mentioned my love for BINGO games, and I have another to share! This Self-Care BINGO Challenge is the perfect way to steer your staff towards focusing on health, wellness, and stress relief. This game is designed to be used after hours to help create a better work-life balance and get the necessary rest to be their best self at work. To play, each staff member will get a BINGO board. You can distribute these in staff mailboxes with instructions, or pass them out at a staff meeting. Staff members will work on completing the board throughout the month until the next meeting. This challenge will work for ALL staff members, so make sure to include everyone in your building! The boxes are filled with prompts such as: light a candle cut or color your hair take a bath binge-watch a new show find some quiet and enjoy a good book get your car washed go to bed early and more! As staff complete an item, they will mark it off. You can decide if you want them to complete 5 in a row, or go for blackout! Collect some prizes and distribute them to the winners. These scratch-offs are great options for winners! We all know what it's like to work ourselves into overdrive and never take a moment to rest. This process is exhausting and results in burnout quickly. Encourage your staff to be mindful of their self-care routines with this fun challenge! 5. Staff Favorites Book This last staff morale booster is a tried and true favorite! Plus, it can be used all year long for many situations. Creating a Staff Favorites Binder will pay off all throughout the year. The idea behind this resource is to have your staff members fill out a page with all of their favorite things. They will include things like: sweet treat office supply flower store hot beverage pen and more! Once you have everyone's sheet back, you'll make a few copies and place them in 3-ring binders. I like to make multiple copies so that I can place a binder in various places such as the office and staff lounge. As I do this, I let staff know that they will be available for random acts of kindness. If they notice that a staff member is having a rough week, they can check out the binder and pick up their favorite flowers. Or maybe they want to thank a colleague for something, so they grab a pack of their favorite pens. The nice thing about this staff morale booster is that it can be used all year long! There are food options inside, but there are plenty of non-food items listed as well, so staff can choose what they'd like to give. Staff Morale Boosters for the Whole Year Which of these is your favorite? It's hard for me to choose, but I will say that the Staff Favorites and BINGO were always a huge hit in our building. No matter what you choose, remember that it doesn't have to be anything super fancy or flashy! A simple thank you note, some fresh flowers in the lounge, or a new set of flair pens was always enough to make me smile and feel appreciated. The idea is to spread sunshine and kindness in ways that are accessible to you. If you're looking for more Staff Morale boosters, be sure to check out these posts for more inspiration! 6 Tasty Staff Snack Bars Everyone Will Love! Creating a Staff Morale Hub to Spread a Little Sunshine 6 Ways to Boost Staff Morale in Your School This Year Save this Post Pin this post on Pinterest to keep track of these staff morale boosters!
How to pull off an incredible appreciation week for your teachers and staff. Printables, food ideas, and gift ideas make it easy and quick to pull off a travel-themed week for your first class teachers! What is Teacher Appreciation Week? Teacher Appreciation week is a week-long celebration to honor and thank the teachers and staff...Read On →
Even finicky middle schoolers will have fun with these ideas and events—although they probably won’t admit it.
Emery just started preschool this week! Having her in school has me thinking back to my years as a teacher and I'm so excited to be on thi...
