Holiday Gifts for Teachers

[Anonymous]

We are new to the private school world. At our public school there was a class collection for holiday gifts for elementary, and in middle we gave individually but there are rules about how much you could give. What happens at most private schools? Do you give gift certificates? Is there a limit or an amount too small?

[Anonymous]

Both privates we’ve been at have done a parent/parents association cash collection to pool and organize gifts. Thankfully!

[Anonymous]

You’ll need to read your handbook or ask parents at your school (do you have a room parent who is a point of contact/organizer you can check with?). Procedures and rules really vary. At my kid’s LS, the room parent organized collecting for a group gift for each teacher. At kid’s MS (different school), group gifts were expressly forbidden (spelled out in the handbook, even), and families/students each did their own thing for each teacher.

[Anonymous]

At my kid's school there is no formal policy or collection done for holiday gifts for teachers (only end-of-year).

The guidance around holiday gifts is to do something modest. Last year we did gift certificates to a local book store for each teacher.

The only formal collection for holiday gifts is done for the extended day teachers. Since there are so many, it's more equitable to just collect cash and divide it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are new to the private school world. At our public school there was a class collection for holiday gifts for elementary, and in middle we gave individually but there are rules about how much you could give. What happens at most private schools? Do you give gift certificates? Is there a limit or an amount too small?

What grade? This differed between our k-8 (no policy - we gave holiday and end of year gifts to all of our children's teachers/coaches/aftercare plus some) and the high schools my kids attended (where no gifts were given but we participated on all of the PA led teacher appreciation opportunities....which at one school included giving gift cards to teachers but did not at the other school)

[Anonymous]

by HS...meh...we gave something small to those teachers who seemed to go above and beyond but other than that...stopped after MS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school there is no formal policy or collection done for holiday gifts for teachers (only end-of-year).

The guidance around holiday gifts is to do something modest. Last year we did gift certificates to a local book store for each teacher.

The only formal collection for holiday gifts is done for the extended day teachers. Since there are so many, it's more equitable to just collect cash and divide it up.

Your private school has extended day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are new to the private school world. At our public school there was a class collection for holiday gifts for elementary, and in middle we gave individually but there are rules about how much you could give. What happens at most private schools? Do you give gift certificates? Is there a limit or an amount too small?

What grade? This differed between our k-8 (no policy - we gave holiday and end of year gifts to all of our children's teachers/coaches/aftercare plus some) and the high schools my kids attended (where no gifts were given but we participated on all of the PA led teacher appreciation opportunities....which at one school included giving gift cards to teachers but did not at the other school)

7th. We are at a 6-12th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school there is no formal policy or collection done for holiday gifts for teachers (only end-of-year).

The guidance around holiday gifts is to do something modest. Last year we did gift certificates to a local book store for each teacher.

The only formal collection for holiday gifts is done for the extended day teachers. Since there are so many, it's more equitable to just collect cash and divide it up.

Your private school has extended day?

DP but both all three privates kid has attended have had extended day, at the LS/MS levels. It’s fairly common - even for private schools, a lot of parents work past 3pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school there is no formal policy or collection done for holiday gifts for teachers (only end-of-year).

The guidance around holiday gifts is to do something modest. Last year we did gift certificates to a local book store for each teacher.

The only formal collection for holiday gifts is done for the extended day teachers. Since there are so many, it's more equitable to just collect cash and divide it up.

Your private school has extended day?

DP but both all three privates kid has attended have had extended day, at the LS/MS levels. It’s fairly common - even for private schools, a lot of parents work past 3pm.

Interesting, we're new to our school and didn't have that where we were before.

[Anonymous]

We're doing our own thing (MS and HS) for certain teachers and administrators. I realllllly just want to give cash. I will probably give gift cards, but why can't we all embrace cash. I have a (terrible, looming) drawer of gift cards that I don't use. I hate gift cards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school there is no formal policy or collection done for holiday gifts for teachers (only end-of-year).

The guidance around holiday gifts is to do something modest. Last year we did gift certificates to a local book store for each teacher.

The only formal collection for holiday gifts is done for the extended day teachers. Since there are so many, it's more equitable to just collect cash and divide it up.

Your private school has extended day?

What private school doesn’t have that?

[Anonymous]

My kid is in 7th at a K-8.
I always do gift cards. In elem I did $50 to Target.
Now in MS I do $20 for each teacher. Target for most. Chick fil a for the lone male teacher because my kid says he brings in chick fila coffee every morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school there is no formal policy or collection done for holiday gifts for teachers (only end-of-year).

The guidance around holiday gifts is to do something modest. Last year we did gift certificates to a local book store for each teacher.

The only formal collection for holiday gifts is done for the extended day teachers. Since there are so many, it's more equitable to just collect cash and divide it up.

Your private school has extended day?

I'm not PP but every one of our (3) private schools had a aftercare program that allowed working parents coverage until 6pm (and early morning drop too) and also offered classes (usually a 1 hour once a week) after school. Both were extra cost, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kid's school there is no formal policy or collection done for holiday gifts for teachers (only end-of-year).

The guidance around holiday gifts is to do something modest. Last year we did gift certificates to a local book store for each teacher.

The only formal collection for holiday gifts is done for the extended day teachers. Since there are so many, it's more equitable to just collect cash and divide it up.

Your private school has extended day?

It does! I thought they all did. As someone else mentioned, in addition to the basic extended day option you can also enroll your child in specific activities (musical instrument lessons, gymnastics, cooking, Lego building, etc.). You pay an additional fee, but it's so nice to have everything happen at school and not deal with transportation.