We have $200.00 approved for Vol/Teacher Apprecition (each group of people) and $200.00 for Holiday gifts for Teachers and Volunteers. We have about 60-65 staff members.
We provided breakfast and lunch every day for teacher appreciation week, but we didn't spend much because many of the local businesses and restaurants donated so much. For example, we had stuffed potatoes, toppings, chips & salsa, and drinks. The potatoes and chips & salsa were donated by two local restaurants. The toppings were donated by our local grocery store. The drinks were donated by a large bottling company and even all paper products were donated by a local business. For the last two months we have been calling in favors and hitting all restaurants and businesses looking for donations. We were very successful and even had door prizes to give away daily!
Our PTA budgets about 200.00 for the Teacher Appreciation week. We only do small things because we do MONTHLY teacher and staff appreciation. Plus we do NOT want to "steel the thunder" from the parents (if they choose to regognize the teachers). I have found that a commitee of people are happy to work together to put on a "pot-luck" type luncheon- PTA supplies the main dish- and somebody provides the bread etc.
It works out great.
In our rush to make Teacher appreciation week special we sometimes forget the teachers work hard all year long. They need small things to let them know we love them all year- not just this special week. That why our PTA does it monthly.
As far as Teacher gifts go- it has been my experience that teachers appreciate small things just as much - sometimes more- than the large items. Remeber- no matter what you do- they will love it. I have never heard a teacher say' did you see the terrible thing so and so gave me?".
Last year my budget was $600 for the week which included breakfast on monday, luncheon on frdiday, spa treats and door prizes for 75.
This year I am working with $500. We did a spruce up in the teachers lounge in Nov and I will do another in April. This year the week of will only be a luncheon and again for approx. 75.
So our group is working down from all the money spent on staff and lunches while an exec member was also a school employee. Last year I think $1500 was spent and this was not approved by all and included a lunch and gift bag and door prizes. This year we are doing a lot less staff lunches and weird misc expenses on staff that no one has missed and so we are budgeting $1000 for 75 and I think we will come in well under that. There will be small baskets of candy with little notes in all 5 workstations all 5 days. Monday is a breakfast day to start the week off right, Tuesday are school pens (cheap on ebay)and school themed notepads from OTC, Wednesday is a relaxing theme with apple shaped stress balls, relaxing time tea, and individual packs of Tylenol, Thursday is a school frisbee (about $1) and Friday is lasagna, salad, bread with dipping oil and a dessert all set to Italian music. We think it will be about $700. Lots of groups do a way smaller scale and just something small everyday.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
Normally,we budget $5 per person. Our HSA comprises our two schools (k-3) and 4-8). We do all staff and board of education office staff too. An average is 70 people. So that would make it approximately $350. In the past we have done lunch certificates at a local restaurant or deli. This year, I think they are doing Borders gift certificates for all.
