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Ok, I'm a brand new elementary principal and I want to get started on some things to welcome my teachers to a new year. Any suggestions? This is my first time at the elementary level (all of my teaching was high school and middle school and my other administrative jobs were middle school assistant principal and at the district office) so I'd appreciate your thoughts.
I have made for my kid's teachers......beaded pens stamped w/ their name and a card that says, "To a StuPENdous teacher", mini popcorn bags with a stamped band and tag around it, stamped candy bars, (everyone loves food), Thank you cards (teachers can never have too many of these),name frames for their classroom (see my gallery for pics),and post-it note holders with their name on them (also very useful)
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Congratulations! I am an elementary school literacy school coach. Things are much different at our level! I made little bags for Valentine's Day for all the teachers and they were well liked. (Scroll down past my husband's VDay card!)
Maybe a little chocolate would do everyone good on the first few days!
Congrats on your job as a principal! I'm sure your teachers will appreciate anything you do for them. I've been teaching in my elementary school for 5 years (7 years teaching overall) and the principal that retired over 15 years ago is still talked about because he always did nice things for the teachers. The thing the other teachers still talk about today, is that he would write them short notes of appreciation and leave them on their desk. Little things go a long way!
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. - Albert Einstein
You could make clipboards, cover the large candy bars, alter a comp book, a coupon to take their class for 30 minutes during the day (on going throughout the year)--oh, and if you do the class thing--please bring a book or something to do with the kids. Please don't make the teachers come up with work for you to do with the kids, that defeats the purpose.
Bagels/juice for breakfast....popcorn/pretzels.....ice cream sundaes....
Classroom teachers receive so little, especially at the Elem. level. They hardly have time to go to the bathroom let alone anything else for themselves.
Enjoy the challenge--it is a very different world you are entering...
I'm sure they would love anything you made for them! I'm a 5th grade teacher and I know our principal gives us leave early passes and does breakfast for us several times throughout the year. We appreciate it all! It will be quite a lot of work to make card sets for all your teachers but I'm sure they would love it! I have covered composition notebooks for the co-workers on my grade level. They love them and take them to faculty meetings to take notes. Right now you can find them at a good price since they are putting out all the back to school stuff. Best of luck to you!
UMMMM...you are amazing. I am a 3rd grade teacher and I would honestly appreciate any attempt at generosity and thoughtfulness! Our principal is not quite so thoughtful!!! I am sure your teachers will love whatever you choose to do!
Ok, you are on the ball!!! I'm a newly appointed Assistant Principal and I haven't even thought that far ahead! You're making me think I'd better get busy! HA! Guess I'd better follow this thread;).
So, I haven't done anything for this year yet, but...what I did as a Staff Developer is to tie my gift into the Staff Development theme every year. Like the year we did higher order questioning, I made them "golden ticket" magnets using my decorative scissors and a circle punch, and tucked them into one of those slider Hershey bar wrappers. The magnet said, something like "Better Questions are the Golden Ticket". Then the year we did a constructivist math push, I made them light bulb signs with a magnet on the back that said, "Enter the Discovery Zone". Maybe you can use one of these ideas on this thread and tie it in with your vision/mission statement or staff development goal!
anything you make will be appreciated....but what is more important is to be honest with them, support them, know that they are doing very difficult work which seems to come with more critics than supporters.....be their rock and that is the most important thing........
as a 35 year teacher in a K-8 school, gifts were nice, but support was even more important........and HONESTY was the BEST.......the administrators we loved (and they were few and far between) were the ones who were honest and worked with us as a team, rather than the ones who gave gifts but then were not on our 'team'.............
My new principal would take one person out to lunch on half days to get to know them. It took a few years to get us all in but we all had our special day. It was nice because we got some one on one in a fun setting. It really helped to get to know us. Then when she was done taking us out to lunch we returned the favor.
I think your note cards are really fun too!
__________________ ************************************************************** Deborah "Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~ Albert Einstein
--Decorate jumbo paper clips--fast and easy
--I made alterable mailboxes last year--I used the ones from Oriental Trading Co, less than $1 apiece--and at a staff meeting the teachers decorated their mailboxes (using supplies I had purchased). They were left in the individual teachers mailboxes in the staff mailroom, and periodically we would write notes of appreciation to each other to leave in the altered mailboxes.
--nugget boxes--use treasures and leave a note on them about how much you "treasure" their work with kids, or fill with mini $100,000 candy bars and a note about how much you wish you could give them each $100,000 for real!
Surf SCS and you'll find tons of ideas.
miss--I definitely won't forget the paras :-) I was a Special Ed Administrator before getting this job and have worked pretty closely with this school and the special ed staff.
__________________ Kathy
Proud Mama to Mason 4/3/99, Miles 5/25/02, and Maya 8/26/04
Congratulations on your new position! I am an elementary school librarian, and think that it is great that you are thinking of your faculty. Personally, I think the note cards are so cute that I would never use them, because I would be saving them for something special. I like the idea of a post-it note holder, because I'm always using post-its, and the pad can be replaced when it is used up.
Have a great school year!
Yapha
__________________ Yapha I help people who are sick and tired regain their energy and improve their gut health so they can stop feeling exhausted every day and get back to feeling their best.
Anything you do is wonderful! One of my principal's gave us a birthday card on our special day. It was very simple but it let us know she acknowledged us as people and not just teacher-robots. We also had cake and ice cream once a month during faculty meetings and all the staff with b'days that month got to eat first. I made post-it note holders for the other teachers on my grade level and they LOVED them. Quick and easy! I thank you for showing your teachers and paras respect and appreciation!
I'm a 2nd grade teacher and made these for my team last year. I also made 75 GIANT ones for my dh who is an elementary principal. His had "Bruins" done in letter stickers over dp. This past year was rough in our building, so your message spoke to my heart. Thank you for caring!
I'm a 2nd Grade teacher in my 13th year. I know we all like cute thoughtful gifts. The example you posted is very nice. I am the head chair for our "Hospitality Committee" and have done jumbo paper clips, post-it-note holders, chipboard calendars, altered composition/spiral notebooks, and magnets for our beginning of the year treats. We have inservice for 5 days before the students arrive and I usually hand-out one gift per day. I've done school themed as well as school mascot (panther) items. I also do morale boosting treats during testing days etc...throughout the year. Lollipop cards that say "Your kids can LICK this test!" or "You are doing a "TEA"rrific job! This could be translated to the beginning of the year as well. Ex. Here's to a "TEA"rrific year!
DH is a teacher and I think he'd use them. And, I just had a conversation with the wife of our HS band director. She was asking if I had any thank you cards he could use and I showed her some "no open" cards similar to these. She thought they'd be perfect.
I think it's very thoughtful of you to consider giving your teachers a gift! Congratulations on your new position.
Congratulations! It seems as if your teachers will have a caring administrator to turn to when they have a problem. I gave teachers on my SACS committee altered post-it note holders. They loved them. I also included chocolate and sugar free candy for those trying to be good. Have a great year! Let us know what you decide to make.
__________________ Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.
I think those are a great idea. After having taught for so many years, you can only use so many mugs, clipboards, pens, etc. But those notes are great. Oh, and stick a couple of jeans passes in if you can. The teachers will LOVE you!!!
LOL!!
Goals for 2015 50 scrapbook pages/50 cards---progress 35/50 cards Complete my daughter's wedding scrapbook album Spend more time enjoying my friends and not so much time obsessing on work!!!
What a big undertaking! I know your faculty and staff will appreciate anything that you make. I would. I like the altered binder clips and the jumbo paper clips. They are both useful. I would probably not use the card set because they are way too pretty to use, but that's just me. Good luck in your new job!
Perfect. I used to teach while living in New York. I haven't pursued certification in Kentucky thus far. I used to make things for my colleagues and they loved the personalization of each gift. I make a lot of things for teachers here in KY and they also love them.
Congrats on your new job and for recognizing your staff.
Congratulations - I am from a family of teachers. My mother was a specialist teacher before retirement and travelled to all the schools in her county. When she retired they replaced her with 3+ teachers!!! I remember the hard thing for her at times was that she belonged to all the schools in her county but also belonged to none - so at some time in the future if you have teachers like that just spare them a thought.
BTW I bought the Justrite Monogram stamper just to use for teacher gifts!!!! so many possibilities!
Something you could make for everyone is the water bottle holders with the little lemonade packet in them. My school is not air conditioned so all of the staff appreciates receiving water (ezpecially with flavor packets).
__________________ Stacey Carter
For stamping and Papercrafting ideas My Blog
Hi there, and congrats on the job! In my experience, you DEFINITELY cannot go wrong with notecards! We go through them SO quickly! Also, I agree about the altered clipboards. I made one for myself and the other teacher in my grade one year, and we LOVED them! Used them all year long...every day. They were great for behavior/discipline sheets (I taught fifth grade). How sweet of you to make little gifts for everyone! I'm sure they'll be loved no matter what you choose!
Hey Girl! Congrats on your new position!!! That rocks for you. Those note cards are PERFECT!!! I think the staff would love them... what a nice gesture!
__________________ Colleen Schaan - Education Specialist at Imagination International Inc.,/Copic Marker
Blog - Distinctive Touches;My Copic Books!
Aren't you sweet to already be thinking of your teachers!!! If you're doing that now, you'll make a great principal!
I'd do something small - like an altered binder clip or jumbo paperclip. Everyone can always use one of those!
I'd maybe spend some of your summer time making something for Halloween and Christmas - decorate those take-out boxes to fill with candy?
Once school starts there won't be much time left in your schedule!
Have a great year and congrats!!
Congratulations! Your staff will be so touched that you took time to show appreciation. Everyone has awesome ideas here! Jeans passes and leave at three passes are huge here, too. The note cards you are thinking about are a great idea.
Last year I did a simple candy treat for everyone at my school. I tweaked a poem someone did here for SU convention to work for back to school:
Back to School Survival Kit
Felling mellow? Eat a Yellow!
Totally dead? Try a Red!
Ran out of glue? Grab a Blue!
Wish you were a queen? Go for Green!
Got really tired feet? Have an Orange to eat!
All that meetin� got you down? You must need a Brown!
Havin� a ball? Just eat them all!
I printed them on 2 x 4 labels and we had them at an afternoon session when everyone was ready for a pick me up.
Best wishes! You staff is so fortunate to have you.
Congratulations! I am a Kindergarten teacher and always love little gifts from the principal! I got a wonderful stamped tile from our secretary ( my dear friend Sandy) with a sticky note pad in the middle- love it! I agree.....elementary teachers LIVE for chocolate in our building! It's a nice little kick when the students seem to have more energy than you! Good luck, I am sure whatever you choose to give will be welcomed!
__________________ -Paige, "Mummy" to Bubba and Baxter, the Boston Terriers- -My Gallery- -Fan Club Member-yeah!-
hey kathy, i just found this thread--thanks for thinking of using the little notecards i made as inspiration. they were super easy to make. you've gotten a lot of WONDERFUL ideas here! if you used even a 10th of them, your teachers will all be spoiled and that's not so much of a bad thing!! thanks to all who have posted here and checked out my little blog! congrats on the principal job--only a few more weeks till school starts!!! have fun with it no matter what! sus
Hey Teachers!!!!!
