Are you on the Sunshine Committee this year? Some schools call it Social Committee. Whatever the name, it serves the same purpose. Usually there is a little arm twisting at the beginning of the year to get staff members to pay their dues. If your school normally doesn't allow the staff to wear jeans, you might ask your administrator if your committee could give people who pay dues a "Jean Day Coupon" that allows teachers to wear jeans on one day of their choosing. It's like a "get out of jail" card. Through the years, there has been some grumbling at some of my schools about our committee. I think this happens when there are not clear cut guidelines. There needs to be guidelines in writing and transparency with the finances. Here are a few topics to discuss when you are ready to write some guidelines: Leadership: officers and their duties I highly recommend the treasurer giving a report at the faculty meetings at least quarterly. Boss Day in October: Will the committee purchase the gift? If so, what is the budget? Appreciation Day/Week: Which staff members do you recognize? How and what is the budget? Morale booster activities: when and budget Staff parties: When, where, budget Showers: baby/wedding - Does the committee provide anything for the shower, if so what is the budget. Is it for the first baby and first wedding or other? Death: Does the committee send something from the faculty? If so, what and what is the budget? What relationship to the staff member should it be when you do this? I.E. Immediate family member Holidays: Does the committee purchase holiday gifts for any staff members? If so, who and what is the budget? I typed up a few things that I have done at some of my schools that you might like, too. These are fun activities that boost morale. Do you have a staff member that is your PTA representative? If the PTA ask you for suggestions, you might suggest that they organize food during your conferences. I helped organize this at my daughter's middle school. Her school had a week of Parent-Teacher Conferences. Students had school for half a day and then teachers met with parents the other half. Our PTA organized food the first three days for the teachers. We knew that the teachers had conferences at different times and wouldn't eat at the same time so the food had to stay fresh for a long time. We organized a salad bar one day, a nacho bar another day, and heavy appetizers the final day. This was the most popular thing that our committee organized. Click HERE to download this freebie. Looking for more tips? Check out my Beginning of the Year Pinterest board. Click on the picture below. Fern has a few tips to share with you, too. Be sure to hop over to her blog! Each week, Fern and I will share a teacher tip. We love to read teacher blogs and the latest teacher idea books and hope you do, too! Stop by Fern's blog and my blog each week for our latest tips. We hope you will share your ideas, too. Each week we will choose one person who shared a tip on our blog who will get a $10 shopping trip. We will announce the winner on the following Tuesday's post. Click HERE to read Melinda's tip. Do you have a staff morale booster tip to share? Be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you're the winner of the $10 shopping trip. You must leave your email address in order to win. Looking for more ideas? Click on the pictures below. An InLinkz Link-up Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE. Click HERE to read my blog's disclosure statement.

Does your school have a social committee? Sometimes it is called a sunshine committee. This is the committee that sends flowers when someone is in the hospital or has a death in the family. I thought it would be fun if we share activities our committees have organized. Luncheons If you are planning a luncheon, remember the teachers with the last lunch period. Many times it is "slim pickings" for those poor people. We tried two different things to solve this problem. We asked for at least 3 different foods of each category (if you have 3 lunch periods). We numbered the bowls/containers #1, #2, #3 with post-it notes. Those bowls were taken out of the frig during those lunch periods. We also held the luncheons on our early release days. Everyone could eat at the same time which was a nice bonus. Another problem we had with luncheons was people who came to the luncheon but didn't bring any food to share. We found a compromise. People had a choice of donating $5 or bringing a side dish or dessert. The money was used to purchase paper goods, drinks, or the main course. We ordered food like pizza or 3 inch sandwiches from Subway for the main course. Sometimes we had themes for the luncheons. We had a baked potato bar for St. Patrick's Day. This is one of the easiest luncheon to plan and cheapest, too! Read more about it HERE. Activities We organized activities such as: ***Secret Santa ***"You've Been Booed" ***Christmas cookie exchange Expressions of Support How does your school show support when a faculty member falls on hard times? Have you heard the story The Bundle of Sticks? Read about it here: click You can show support different ways. We organized meals on a schedule when a faculty or staff member (or their family member) was in the hospital. Example: Kindergarten team provided the meal on Monday, First grade provided the meal on Tuesday, and so on and so forth. Sometimes teams collected money and gave the family a gift card to a restaurant that delivered instead of home cooked meals. I asked the teachers on my facebook page if they had suggestions for this post. Here are a few suggestions: Tabitha Opio: *Breakfast with a theme each month *Cookie exchange at Christmas *During testing season they brainstorm different ways they can stump the students. *Teachers get birthday bags, too. Denise Dormer Dauphin: *Teams take turns to host a payday breakfast. HoJo's Teaching Adventures: *Tree of thanks - each teacher filled out a leaf when they wanted to recognize another staff member. *She had a principal who gave everyone apples on their birthday. Another principal gave everyone enough money to buy a pop/juice/water with a little note of thanks. Kris Weimer Cruzen: *Faculty and staff members are divided into 8 groups. Each group is responsible for organizing activities for one quarter. So, each group is responsible for 9 weeks every 2 years. *Pot luck breakfast *Happy hour *Chili cookoff *Dinner prior to conference *Christmas party *Secret Santa *Bowling after school *Trip to winery after school ****Usually has 2-3 activities each quarter

HOA social committee ideas may lie somewhere between mid to low priority in the things your HOA board needs to do. Read more about it here!

Does your school have a social committee? Sometimes it is called a sunshine committee. This is the committee that sends flowers when someone is in the hospital or has a death in the family. I thought it would be fun if we share activities our committees have organized. Luncheons If you are planning a luncheon, remember the teachers with the last lunch period. Many times it is "slim pickings" for those poor people. We tried two different things to solve this problem. We asked for at least 3 different foods of each category (if you have 3 lunch periods). We numbered the bowls/containers #1, #2, #3 with post-it notes. Those bowls were taken out of the frig during those lunch periods. We also held the luncheons on our early release days. Everyone could eat at the same time which was a nice bonus. Another problem we had with luncheons was people who came to the luncheon but didn't bring any food to share. We found a compromise. People had a choice of donating $5 or bringing a side dish or dessert. The money was used to purchase paper goods, drinks, or the main course. We ordered food like pizza or 3 inch sandwiches from Subway for the main course. Sometimes we had themes for the luncheons. We had a baked potato bar for St. Patrick's Day. This is one of the easiest luncheon to plan and cheapest, too! Read more about it HERE. Activities We organized activities such as: ***Secret Santa ***"You've Been Booed" ***Christmas cookie exchange Expressions of Support How does your school show support when a faculty member falls on hard times? Have you heard the story The Bundle of Sticks? Read about it here: click You can show support different ways. We organized meals on a schedule when a faculty or staff member (or their family member) was in the hospital. Example: Kindergarten team provided the meal on Monday, First grade provided the meal on Tuesday, and so on and so forth. Sometimes teams collected money and gave the family a gift card to a restaurant that delivered instead of home cooked meals. I asked the teachers on my facebook page if they had suggestions for this post. Here are a few suggestions: Tabitha Opio: *Breakfast with a theme each month *Cookie exchange at Christmas *During testing season they brainstorm different ways they can stump the students. *Teachers get birthday bags, too. Denise Dormer Dauphin: *Teams take turns to host a payday breakfast. HoJo's Teaching Adventures: *Tree of thanks - each teacher filled out a leaf when they wanted to recognize another staff member. *She had a principal who gave everyone apples on their birthday. Another principal gave everyone enough money to buy a pop/juice/water with a little note of thanks. Kris Weimer Cruzen: *Faculty and staff members are divided into 8 groups. Each group is responsible for organizing activities for one quarter. So, each group is responsible for 9 weeks every 2 years. *Pot luck breakfast *Happy hour *Chili cookoff *Dinner prior to conference *Christmas party *Secret Santa *Bowling after school *Trip to winery after school ****Usually has 2-3 activities each quarter

Start a Sunshine Committee at your school to boost staff and teacher morale. Ideas for administrators and staff show teacher appreciation.

Does your school have a Sunshine Committee? Or another way to help spread happiness to your staff throughout the year? I have always loved the Sunshine Committee at my school and have always appreciated and enjoyed the little ways they try to boost morale in our school. I did not exactly volunteer to be in charge of the committee this year, but I was somehow made co-chair. It's a big job and so I was a little scared at first, but then I realized how much fun this would be and I've enjoyed helping to lead this committee so far. Some of you might be wondering what a Sunshine Committee really is so I thought I'd explain it a little bit. We all know about "Teacher Burnout" and we all know how hard it can sometimes be to make it through the entire school year. I usually start out the year with a lot of passion and enthusiasm in August, then after Christmas break, usually January to March, I start feeling worn-out and over-worked. Know the feeling? Well, the Sunshine Committee is just a little way to help teachers stay happy and positive throughout the year. We plan socials, organize treat days, and give little appreciation gifts throughout the school year. Over the years, this committee has definitely helped me feel appreciated and loved throughout the year. Here's a list of ideas of fun things you could do. We don't use all of these ideas; I just wanted to provide you with a list of possible ideas for the entire school year. This printable is available in my Sunshine Committee Ideas pack for FREE! Download it from my TPT Store: HERE! Here's how it works at my school: At the beginning of the year, teachers are asked to give a $35 "donation" to the committee. This donation gives us the budget that we need to do kind deeds throughout the year. We buy gifts for all bridal showers, baby showers, and when people experience the death of a close loved one. We do meals for the staff twice a year. We usually provide the main dish and paper products for the Christmas Party (the side dishes are usually potluck style) and we always do a full catered meal at the end of year banquet. We usually organize some sort of Thanksgiving meal too. I think last year we did potluck soups and our committee provided the paper products. We usually try to find little times throughout the year to put treats in the faculty room. It could be doughnuts the day after parent teacher conferences or themed treats for a holiday. I think this year I want to do a soda party with a variety of flavored syrups just for fun on a Friday afternoon when everyone could use a little pick-me-up. As a way to say thank you to everyone for paying their Sunshine dues, I made these little bags of sunshine. We did Worthers (although any gold/yellow item would work), and included a coupon for an extra 30 min of prep. All teachers have to do is take the coupon to the office and schedule a time when an administrator can take the class for 30 minutes. That gives our principal and vice principal an opportunity to go into the classrooms and work directly with a group of students. They'll just take their favorite read aloud story with them and read, which means that the teachers won't have to provide sub plans. Want a copy of all my Sunshine Committee printables?! Grab them for FREE from my TPT Store: HERE! This week, our committee is putting on a Pumpkin Party. (I got this idea from one of our Facebook followers who commented on my Facebook post a few weeks back.) Just to celebrate fall, we've asked everyone to bring (if they want) some kind of food item that has pumpkin as an ingredient. It could also be anything that looks like a pumpkin or really anything that is orange. I'm excited to see what everyone will come up with. I will purchase pumpkin plates and we'll decorate the teacher's lounge orange and black and leave the decorations up until after Halloween. In the past our school's Sunshine Committee has done some sort of Biggest Loser Competition for anyone who wants to participate. We usually ask people to donate $5 to a pot, then we commit to certain goals, and have daily points for exercising, drinking water, avoiding soda, etc. At the end of the competition the money goes to people who met their goal. I'm not sure how the competition will look this year, but we'll probably start something up in January to encourage teachers to be healthy for the new year. I think I'll end this post here and maybe continue with some more ideas another day. As you can see, having a Sunshine Committee could be a huge benefit to any school. Teaching is a wonderful and rewarding job, but sometimes it's the little things can help us have more fun in the workplace. I would LOVE to hear any other great ideas that you have! Please leave a comment and let me know if your school has a Sunshine Committee and what you do to help boost morale at your school. For those of you who don't already have something like this, would you consider starting one at your school?

Man oh man, do teachers ever work hard. While I’m no longer in the classroom full time, I’ll never forget my classroom roots and the time, energy, and dedication that being an excellent educator demands. There’s just no end to the amount of mad props these teacher-heroes deserve. And as coaches, that’s what we’re dedicated to doing […]

159 p. ; 16 cm

Does your school have a Sunshine Committee? Or another way to help spread happiness to your staff throughout the year? I have always loved the Sunshine Committee at my school and have always appreciated and enjoyed the little ways they try to boost morale in our school. I did not exactly volunteer to be in charge of the committee this year, but I was somehow made co-chair. It's a big job and so I was a little scared at first, but then I realized how much fun this would be and I've enjoyed helping to lead this committee so far. Some of you might be wondering what a Sunshine Committee really is so I thought I'd explain it a little bit. We all know about "Teacher Burnout" and we all know how hard it can sometimes be to make it through the entire school year. I usually start out the year with a lot of passion and enthusiasm in August, then after Christmas break, usually January to March, I start feeling worn-out and over-worked. Know the feeling? Well, the Sunshine Committee is just a little way to help teachers stay happy and positive throughout the year. We plan socials, organize treat days, and give little appreciation gifts throughout the school year. Over the years, this committee has definitely helped me feel appreciated and loved throughout the year. Here's a list of ideas of fun things you could do. We don't use all of these ideas; I just wanted to provide you with a list of possible ideas for the entire school year. This printable is available in my Sunshine Committee Ideas pack for FREE! Download it from my TPT Store: HERE! Here's how it works at my school: At the beginning of the year, teachers are asked to give a $35 "donation" to the committee. This donation gives us the budget that we need to do kind deeds throughout the year. We buy gifts for all bridal showers, baby showers, and when people experience the death of a close loved one. We do meals for the staff twice a year. We usually provide the main dish and paper products for the Christmas Party (the side dishes are usually potluck style) and we always do a full catered meal at the end of year banquet. We usually organize some sort of Thanksgiving meal too. I think last year we did potluck soups and our committee provided the paper products. We usually try to find little times throughout the year to put treats in the faculty room. It could be doughnuts the day after parent teacher conferences or themed treats for a holiday. I think this year I want to do a soda party with a variety of flavored syrups just for fun on a Friday afternoon when everyone could use a little pick-me-up. As a way to say thank you to everyone for paying their Sunshine dues, I made these little bags of sunshine. We did Worthers (although any gold/yellow item would work), and included a coupon for an extra 30 min of prep. All teachers have to do is take the coupon to the office and schedule a time when an administrator can take the class for 30 minutes. That gives our principal and vice principal an opportunity to go into the classrooms and work directly with a group of students. They'll just take their favorite read aloud story with them and read, which means that the teachers won't have to provide sub plans. Want a copy of all my Sunshine Committee printables?! Grab them for FREE from my TPT Store: HERE! This week, our committee is putting on a Pumpkin Party. (I got this idea from one of our Facebook followers who commented on my Facebook post a few weeks back.) Just to celebrate fall, we've asked everyone to bring (if they want) some kind of food item that has pumpkin as an ingredient. It could also be anything that looks like a pumpkin or really anything that is orange. I'm excited to see what everyone will come up with. I will purchase pumpkin plates and we'll decorate the teacher's lounge orange and black and leave the decorations up until after Halloween. In the past our school's Sunshine Committee has done some sort of Biggest Loser Competition for anyone who wants to participate. We usually ask people to donate $5 to a pot, then we commit to certain goals, and have daily points for exercising, drinking water, avoiding soda, etc. At the end of the competition the money goes to people who met their goal. I'm not sure how the competition will look this year, but we'll probably start something up in January to encourage teachers to be healthy for the new year. I think I'll end this post here and maybe continue with some more ideas another day. As you can see, having a Sunshine Committee could be a huge benefit to any school. Teaching is a wonderful and rewarding job, but sometimes it's the little things can help us have more fun in the workplace. I would LOVE to hear any other great ideas that you have! Please leave a comment and let me know if your school has a Sunshine Committee and what you do to help boost morale at your school. For those of you who don't already have something like this, would you consider starting one at your school?

Are you on the Sunshine Committee this year? Some schools call it Social Committee. Whatever the name, it serves the same purpose. Usually there is a little arm twisting at the beginning of the year to get staff members to pay their dues. If your school normally doesn't allow the staff to wear jeans, you might ask your administrator if your committee could give people who pay dues a "Jean Day Coupon" that allows teachers to wear jeans on one day of their choosing. It's like a "get out of jail" card. Through the years, there has been some grumbling at some of my schools about our committee. I think this happens when there are not clear cut guidelines. There needs to be guidelines in writing and transparency with the finances. Here are a few topics to discuss when you are ready to write some guidelines: Leadership: officers and their duties I highly recommend the treasurer giving a report at the faculty meetings at least quarterly. Boss Day in October: Will the committee purchase the gift? If so, what is the budget? Appreciation Day/Week: Which staff members do you recognize? How and what is the budget? Morale booster activities: when and budget Staff parties: When, where, budget Showers: baby/wedding - Does the committee provide anything for the shower, if so what is the budget. Is it for the first baby and first wedding or other? Death: Does the committee send something from the faculty? If so, what and what is the budget? What relationship to the staff member should it be when you do this? I.E. Immediate family member Holidays: Does the committee purchase holiday gifts for any staff members? If so, who and what is the budget? I typed up a few things that I have done at some of my schools that you might like, too. These are fun activities that boost morale. Do you have a staff member that is your PTA representative? If the PTA ask you for suggestions, you might suggest that they organize food during your conferences. I helped organize this at my daughter's middle school. Her school had a week of Parent-Teacher Conferences. Students had school for half a day and then teachers met with parents the other half. Our PTA organized food the first three days for the teachers. We knew that the teachers had conferences at different times and wouldn't eat at the same time so the food had to stay fresh for a long time. We organized a salad bar one day, a nacho bar another day, and heavy appetizers the final day. This was the most popular thing that our committee organized. Click HERE to download this freebie. Looking for more tips? Check out my Beginning of the Year Pinterest board. Click on the picture below. Fern has a few tips to share with you, too. Be sure to hop over to her blog! Each week, Fern and I will share a teacher tip. We love to read teacher blogs and the latest teacher idea books and hope you do, too! Stop by Fern's blog and my blog each week for our latest tips. We hope you will share your ideas, too. Each week we will choose one person who shared a tip on our blog who will get a $10 shopping trip. We will announce the winner on the following Tuesday's post. Click HERE to read Melinda's tip. Do you have a staff morale booster tip to share? Be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you're the winner of the $10 shopping trip. You must leave your email address in order to win. Looking for more ideas? Click on the pictures below. An InLinkz Link-up Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE. Click HERE to read my blog's disclosure statement.

Say goodbye to those teacher blues! Boost the morale in your school with this list of ideas that are sure to bring some smiles!

Use these 10 ideas to create a teachers lounge that promotes collaboration, celebration, and humor! Make your staffroom a place you love!

Fall is the busiest time of the year if you're a teacher or a school administrator! Since we all know our time is limited when August hits, I'm a big fan of prepping things ahead of time to use throughout the year. While you don't want to spend your whole summer preparing for the school year, there are a few great ways to prepare for those busy months and start the year with high staff morale right off the bat! Here are 9 simple ways to prep during the summer months and boost staff morale this fall! Why Focus on Staff Morale? In the busiest time of the year, staff morale is something that can be easy to forget. There's an endless to-do list and limited time, so why should we spend our precious time on staff morale?! So glad you asked! First off, your staff members are in the busiest time of the year too! They also have an endless to-do list and the added pressure to getting everything ready, meeting students and parents, and pleasing you, the admin. Taking a couple of minutes to acknowledge what they are going through goes a long way! When I was the head of our school Sunshine Committee for many years, I was always looking for fun ways to engage our staff, bring people together, and share small gestures of kindness. Paying it forward with small acts of gratitude is the BEST way to set the tone for a great year! Whether you're a teacher looking to spread some cheer, a school administrator, or a PTO member, you'll love these simple ways to keep staff morale high. These ideas are inexpensive, simple to prep, and will help demonstrate thoughtfulness and kindness throughout your building to get the year started off right! 1. Stock the Fridge This is one of my favorite simple things to prep during the summer months that really makes a huge impact on staff morale! During the summer months, stock up on a variety of beverages and print off some of these fun signs. When you're ready to use this staff morale booster, fill your fridge and hang the signs. Post the signs in the staff lounge, in the office, and in other high-traffic areas around your building. These signs will alert staff that there are cold beverages provided for them in the staff lounge. I've found this simple act of kindness helps to re-energize staff and get them excited for the new year. A great time to do this is when the school opens up and staff are prepping before the kids are back. There's nothing better than grabbing an ice-cold, free drink after spending a day working in your classroom! You can also use these signs throughout the year for staff in-service days, special events, or simply to add some cheer to a regular week. 2. Prep Welcome Back Poems Next up, this is another super simple staff morale booster to prep this summer! Just print this poem off on some paper and fold the copies ahead of time. This is a great activity to do while you're watching a movie, or relaxing by the pool. I'm a big fan of multitasking things like this to help make the most of your summer break while getting ready for fall! Store them away until the first week of school. Then, the night before the first day tuck these cute little poems into every staff member's mailbox as a way to welcome them back. This is a great way to kick off the year and only takes a few minutes to prepare! 3. Build Staff Morale Welcome Baskets This next idea is perfect for the first week of school, or while the staff is preparing over the summer. I liked to prep a few of these Welcome Baskets and place them in high-traffic areas in our building. The baskets were filled with essentials we all needed during the long hours we spent at school. Some of the things in the baskets include: soap lint rollers stain remover static guard hand sanitizer dental floss hand lotion and more The ideas are literally endless! I liked to swing by the dollar store and find a variety of fun and inexpensive goodies to fill these baskets. You can shrink-wrap the baskets if desired, and add a gift tag. Then distribute them to teams, or place them in staff bathrooms and the staff lounge for everyone to share. This idea is really fun for new staff members too. Make new staff members their very own basket to welcome them to your school! 4. Make a Staff Shout-Out Board One of the best ways to boost staff morale is by simply recognizing a job well done. Taking the time to show your appreciation for kind acts of service means so much to staff and teachers alike! My favorite method for getting this trend going is with a staff shout-out board. This idea encourages staff and teachers to find ways to thank and compliment each other regularly. To prep this one over the summer, all you need to do to print off a shout-out board from this resource and hang it in a central location. If you are able, it's best to enlarge the printable to poster size and place it in a frame. I liked to leave a stack of Post-its, and some colorful markers alongside it too. Add a few shout-outs yourself to get the process going, and watch the compliments pile up! 5. Create a Staff Sunshine Corner If you're making a staff shout-out board, I highly recommend creating a "Sunshine Corner" too! This little area is a great place to hang your staff shout-out board, along with other fun announcements and information. To make a sunshine corner in your building, locate an empty wall in the staff lounge or office. Grab some cute bulletin board supplies and decorate to your liking. Add a fun heading that says "Sunshine Corner" with these letters and gather any other important info to display. In the past, I've posted our district calendar, announcements, the shout-out board, and reminders for goodies available in the fridge. Staff will love checking the board for new announcements each week! This is a great spot to place a coffee cart, or any other special treats you have available for staff as well. 6. Make a Kindness Plate Another great morale booster to start on your campus is the Kindness Plate. It's an anonymous (or not anonymous) RAK (Random Act of Kindness) activity that goes on all year long! To get started all you need is one or more kindness plates. You can make one yourself at a paint-your-own pottery store or create one through a service like Shutterfly. You can even grab a special plate from a local thrift store and tag it as the Kindness Plate. The plate is really just the starting place for this kindness activity. Here's the idea: the Kindness Plate gets filled with a special treat, lunch, office supplies, or anything really. Then it gets left for a teacher or staff member. That person gets to enjoy everything on the plate. Then it is their turn to fill the Kindness Plate and share it with someone else. It's a great way to encourage a fellow staff member, say thank you to someone who went above and beyond, or just spread some kindness. You can start the "train" of kindness yourself or have them available for staff to grab when they want to use one. On my campus, we had 5 Kindness Plates that stayed in rotation all year long. Our general rule of thumb was that once received, the kindness plate would be filled and passed on within a week. It was always an uplifting and encouraging surprise to find the Kindness Plate on your desk or in your mailbox. If you are looking for an easy way to spread kindness and encouragement on your campus, this is a great one. 7. Plan a Teacher Yard Sale Looking for a way to help teachers prepare for the school year and repurpose items around the school? Consider planning a teacher yard sale prior to the first week of school. In this event, teachers will donate unused items from their own classrooms to share with others. If they find they have a large stock of things that aren't needed, this is the perfect opportunity to clean them out! The old saying, "One person's trash is another person's treasure" applies here and is so true! This event is both fun and social for staff, while also helping boost staff morale and find some fun items to use in the classroom. This resource has everything you need to make planning your yard sale simple. Included you'll find advertisement signs, sign-up sheets, step-by-step directions, and more! 8. Book a Coffee Truck Everyone loves coffee, right?! This couldn't be more true at the beginning of the school year! As a fun welcome-back activity, I liked to book a traveling coffee truck to visit the school. This one will require some funding, but planning ahead during the summer usually makes it more feasible! Look in your local area to find a truck that's willing to visit your school. Your administration or PTO can pre-pay for each teacher and staff member to be able to get a beverage of their choosing. Our staff purchased their own drinks. The opportunity to get coffee at school was a treat in itself. You may need to arrange for coverage as staff members go get their coffee treat, or send the menu out ahead of time and have volunteers bring orders to each person that morning. Alternatively, the truck can arrive at a designated time before the first bell rings. I liked to arrange this event during week two of back to school. The first week is chaotic, and everyone is just trying to find a groove. The second week is a great time to show staff they are appreciated after the dust settles a bit. No matter how you structure it, this one will be a BIG hit, and make all of your staff members feel appreciated as they fall back into the school routine! 9. Grab Some Chalk Markers Last, but not least - this is a SUPER simple tip that makes a big impact. Over the summer, keep your eyes out for some chalk markers. Stock up on these or grab them on Amazon. At the beginning of the school year, spend some time leaving messages for staff on bathroom mirrors, or windows in the staff areas. You can leave encouraging notes, jokes, or other positive messages. Set a note in your calendar to swap these out from time to time to keep it interesting and fun. You can also make the markers available for others to join in the fun. This is a simple way to make your staff members smile and start the year off with great staff morale! Even More Staff Morale Resources Are you feeling energized and excited to try some of these staff morale-boosting activities this year? I sure hope so! Taking some time to prep a few of these over the summer will have a big impact come fall! If you LOVE these ideas and are looking for even more, be sure to check out the Staff Morale SUPER Bundle! The bundle includes 26 resources to help encourage, motivate, and thank staff all year long. You'll find all of the ideas included in this post and more to help inspire you and prepare for a great year. Using these activities and resources is a great way to keep staff morale high all year long! Save This Post This post is filled with fun ideas that make boosting staff morale easy! Pin this post on Pinterest to save these ideas and come back to them when you're in need of inspiration.

Your personal statement is one of the most important documents that you’ll write in your career, yet there are few resources that explain how to write an impactful personal statement. In this article, we will be talking about what you should include in your social work personal statement, as well as

Make planning a whole year of staff morale activities simple and easy with these great ideas and resources your staff will love!

Teacher morale is an important part of the school community. Teachers are unique, we are used to fending for ourselves, and pulling ourselves out of even the deepest of funks. This doesn't mean we don't like a little morale booster from time to time.

Are you looking to boost staff morale and have some fun this Fall ? This amazing bundle includes 6 different products that are just perfect for lifting spirits, boosting morale, and showing Teacher Appreciation in your building this Fall season. Staff Post It Notes, Staff Shout Outs, Staff Scratch O...

Teacher Self-Care Bingo There's so much going on this time of year! With all you have to take care of, are you making time to take care of yourself, too? To inspire some you-time, your fellow educators collaborated on this Self-Care Bingo board! Download a printable version here – or

STEP poster

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Art is such a powerful tool to help shape the minds of kids and young adults. Simply put, there are many benefits to using art as a way to teach new skills. Art is often non-threatening to kids and young adults. It is seen as a fun and hands-on activity, rather than hard work. Because it is not perc

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.

Family mealtimes matter. I have long been an advocate of regularly eating meals together as a family as a means of encouraging the positive eating habits of young children, and as the most effective way for them to learn socially acceptable behaviour and manners. What I had not previously thought about was the mental health...

Teach kids about showing respect, honesty, gratitude, and acceptance with these respect books and videos during social-emotional learning lessons and character education activities with kids.