Teacher Christmas Card from Em

Oh What Fun Christmas Card

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What will your child give their teacher for Christmas this year? Remember the best way to show appreciation for your teachers is to give them what they want and will use versus what you want to give them.

A homemade ornament?  The get 10 each year x 10 years of teaching...no tree is that big.  Save the love for a homemade card that can be saved easily by the teacher with a personal note from you and your child--depending on age, they can at least write their name or how they write their name right now at this age.  That may be an A for Alex or whatever mark they're able to make on the card.

It's all about telling the teacher you wish them a wonderful Christmas. Save the cookie mixes (unless you know what their favorite cookie is and know they'll use it. Same with soup mixes, hot chocolate in a mug (your mug will be the 20th one they've received this year.)

What are some good ideas if you don't really know your child's teacher but you want to buy them something special?  Watch for tomorrow's post for ideas.  What are your ideas?

29 Days Left Until Lots of Smiling Teachers

I'm making my list and checking it twice--Okay, I check it about five times a day...but who's counting? Here is my progress on last week's to-do's. What are you working on right now to prepare for your Teacher Appreciation Week?

1) Decide where you'll keep all your notes for Teacher Appreciation Week planning.
I made a spreadsheet this year to keep everything nice and organized. It has all of my categories, plus a mini-four week calendar so I can jot my "to do's" and "to call's" right onto the day things need to be completed by.

2) Call department stores and ask makeup counters for donations of samples and/or gift bags.
I have some bags set aside for me at our local department store for after their promotion is done this next weekend.

3) Contact three stores or restaurants per day to ask each for 5 small gift cards to donate to the teachers and staff.
I have half of my gift cards reserved and need to do some pick-ups and more calls early next week.

Now we're finishing up our main to-do list for Teacher Appreciation Week activities and gifts.

4) Asking for help from parents in your school.
I am saving most of my asking for help with our big luncheon for Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation week. Today I typed the form reminding parents that Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up. On it, I asking for food donations and help covering the teacher's duties for that day so they can relax. Before I could type up the form, I had to get the school schedule with recess duties and lunchroom duties on it. I try to break up the volunteer times into 30 minutes or less so even those parents with the busiest of work schedules might be able to help. They can always volunteer for more than one time. I also list the grade next to the time so parents can sign up for their child's grade.

At the bottom of this form, I ask them to do a "thank you" note on the back. (See Friday in the post Parties! Parties! Parties!)

Now that my note is ready, I'll send it off to our other parent group members and have them proofread it and make any suggestions. Then I'll send it home next Wednesday and have it due to be turned in on the next Thursday--that means even us forgetful parents should have it filled out in a week and turned in by that Friday. Then I can work on scheduling volunteers and determine if we have enough food donations over the weekend. I will usually have some gaps here and there in the schedule and will fill those with any parent calls or emails I get for anyone that didn't turn in their form.

5) Order supplies.
Make your list of everything you need to order ahead of time and keep a pen close by to that list. A lot of things can be ordered even the week before, but I like to save on last-minute shipping charges whenever I can.

Tomorrow I'll be ordering our personalized M&Ms in our school colors. They have some cute teacher message ideas on their website that I need to decide on. I'll be ordering the three-7 ounce bags because they're buy 3 and get 1 free right now. MY M&M'S® Candies Offer Because we have such a large staff, I'll be mixing treat bags with a scoop of regular M&Ms and a scoop of personalized ones. These will be their goody bags for Monday.

6) Tie it all together with a theme!
Our theme this year is... more on that tomorrow!

I love to read your comments! What are you working on for Teacher Appreciation Week? Do you have a theme? Do you have suggestions for or questions about my plans?

Lakeshore Learning Coupon for Sunshine Readers Only

Lakeshore Learning has generously given my readers of Sunshine4Teachers a discount during our kick-off month. This store has the BEST learning games for your own children or for a classroom gift for their teacher. Just looking through a few pages, I can't decide what I want to get first!

Use coupon code: 1540 at Lakeshore Learning
The code will give you $5 off any $25 purchase or $10 off any purchase of $50. This offer will remain valid until March 31, 2009.

I cannot recommend this store highly enough. Click on the second tab at the top of their homepage on age-specific or grade-specific recommendations and you'll have a great list of products for your own home or your child's classroom.