Anonymous wrote:$15k. Awesome teacher last year and we are happy to recognize that. Our school is also cheaper than most, so that’s the gap between our tuition and tuition at over schools. I would expect the teacher my kid had last year at a way better school, so this is my way of acknowledging that.

I don’t think it will be the same next year but we made it clear that we were stretching to recognize a specific teacher’s excellence.

That’s impressive but be ready for the school to come after you for that amount (or more) next year.

5K

$15k. Awesome teacher last year and we are happy to recognize that. Our school is also cheaper than most, so that’s the gap between our tuition and tuition at over schools. I would expect the teacher my kid had last year at a way better school, so this is my way of acknowledging that.

I don’t think it will be the same next year but we made it clear that we were stretching to recognize a specific teacher’s excellence.

$2000

$250 then if we decide to stay (will know by February), we will give more.

The same amount I have given for the past few years.

$3000. I volunteer in fundraising. There are different tiers of donors. We’re in the second lowest.

18,000

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$5000. DD is being bullied, and DH thinks giving more might help stop it.

Um, no. Do not reward the school for not dealing with bullying. Wtf?

No way. I used to give 5000 and cut way back when my kid got bullied. This year they asked me for 5k and I said no. The school has to earn back my good will. Your DH is being a chump.

We do the max allowable by my company -- $750 -- when they have a double match day on Giving Tuesday, which is a great deal for the school. We gave more from our own pockets when DD was younger and we did not have the corporate match. I personally feel like we need 100% or nearly that level of participation at our grade level and our division before we feel like giving more because we have given already for 5+ years. The amount that other people give really is not relevant; for some of us it is about the investment others are making in the school and their child's education by contributing to the overall community. YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:It’s our first year at a large school, expats, and I’ve no idea how much to donate to this. The card clicks to a suggested $350 but then you can click to type in another amount. What to do!

How much are you giving this year?

We ended up giving $1800 all in, but only $600 was our money. Both of our companies match our donations so $1200 was from our respective companies but when gifted it’s clear the money is coming from us. Great deal.

My son had a bullying issue once. When I heard about it, I immediately called the parents of the kid doing the bullying. That was the end of it.

$100

Anonymous wrote:$5000. DD is being bullied, and DH thinks giving more might help stop it.

As someone who donated more and my kid was bullied regardless, I would encourage you to separate your annual fund gift from anything to do with the bullying situation at school.

For bullying, you need to document it in an email to the teacher. And then if it recurs, you document it again and include the director of lower or middle school or whatever. And if it still isn’t dealt with, you go to the assistant/associate head who’s in charge of student conduct or you go to the head. If it’s truly bullying, you also need to ask for separation (including at lunch if seats are assigned) and you need to make it clear that it is interfering with your child’s ability to learn and safety blah blah blah.

If there isn’t a rigorous response after the first 1-2 steps of this process, you need to get yourselves to open houses this fall because you need to apply out.

I try to cover the gap, which is a few thousand dollars each year. A couple years ago, that was 7K. Now my donations are less, as we’ve had a job loss and health challenges.