This is my first (& hopefully last) year at this school. Staff: Card for P & box of See's candy for her & her office staff to enjoy this week. (There's no other teacher to give to in my situation.) Students: They're high schoolers at an alternative school. I'm keeping it simple. I'll bring irridescent, silver pencils. (Oddly, I notice that they seem to like pens & pencils.) If they don't want one, they don't have to take one.
A box of herbal tea for each of my grade team members A pashmina and herbal tea for my lunch para Scholastic book for each student (Winter according to Humphrey), a pack of hot chocolate mix, a Little Debbie gingerbread boy, holiday pencil and eraser all in a goodie bag.
My team each got chocolate, mostly because I always tell them they are worth their weight in said substance. I will probably also get chocolate for the trio who helped me write one of my papers for grad school.
Still trying to figure it out. Since this will be only my second full week with the kids and staff, it's a bit trickier, not to mention some ideas I wouldn't have enough time to enact. I was considering getting one of the $1 books from the Scholastic orders for each of the kids - but that won't be here in time obviously and also I don't know if some would like it. The other thoughts were saying they could all choose one book <$5, or get each of them a $5 bookstore GC, though that adds up to a good amount. In terms of staff, I hadn't thought about it much...not sure what I should do for them!
I really don't know. It's my first Christmas at this school. I will ask the other teachers what they do around this year. I have a feeling they don't get anything for each other, but they might get something for our P. I wanna go with they're doing. If I get something for her, but they don't, I will stand out as trying too hard, and if the other way around, then it's even worse. We have a raffle for our students. They will have baskets they can try to win with their raffle tickets. These tickets are earned with good behavior. The staff brings in the contents for the baskets, and the office staff and P makes them. I haven't brought anything in yet, so this weekend I will go shopping. They just want small things, nothing expensive. What is cute is that the P said the students always try to win baskets not for themselves, but for their girlfriends / boyfriends, little siblings, or even their young children. Because we're doing this, I don't think any teacher will give anything separate for students, that would be 70 students.
mathmagic, in the past I have made my kids a certificate that can be redeemed for any Scholastic book, $5 or under, from a future book order. Then, I bought a pack of the birthday coupon certificates (24 coupons for $25, and I use those to order their Christmas books). Those coupons can still be ordered from the October catalog.
Two other teachers and I went together for gifts for the office staff and the caretakers. The P, VP and secretaries each got a gift box of two bottles of wine and the caretakers (4) each got a Tim Horton's gift card. My close friends at work will each get a small gift that represents something we've done together over the past few months--wine for one (the same kind we enjoyed on a girls' weekend in November) and special chocolates for two others. My students will get treats from me this week--gingerbread cookies, candy canes and hot chocolate.
You. Are. Amazing. :2up: Thank you so much! Granted, it says birthday, but I'll just cover that up or I'll tell the students to ignore that Do you know if it is digital or if it comes in the mail (if the latter, I'd just note to them in a newsletter or in a simple card that it's coming ) Also, I'm working on students becoming self managers, and since I have more than 24 kids, buying two packs could just let me use the other certificates for kids who reach that status!
We're not officially exchanging "big" gifts, so I just put together something small for my teammates and para. I got each of them a cute little christmas tin from the Target dollar bin and filled it with chocolate, white chocolate covered pretzels, and a couple of cute pens. We're doing a little holiday brunch tomorrow for just our team, so I'll hand them out then. I'm not getting my students anything this year. In the past I've put together little bags with erasers, pencils, candy, etc. and honestly felt like students weren't that grateful. I also have almost 50 students this year so part of it is I'm not willing to spend the money.
Platter set for the copy set.. She is the glue to my success, I got little snowman erasers from michaels for the kids.
We don't exchange gifts among staff. We collect cash for our amazing custodian instead. I gave cards to admin, office staff, and teachers who I consider friends. I will probably get fruity candy canes for students (they love those things!)
I'm thinking some cute little candy gift for my teammates. Small but meaningful to show them that I appreciate them. My kids are getting the opportunity to watch "Elf" in class (have a cool schema/inference activity to use with it) and on the last day...hot chocolate and christmas cookies
I'm not buying anything for anyone, but I will be giving my students an extra gift . . . 2.5 to 6 weeks without me after Christmas break.
Staff: I'm giving my principal and a few close teacher friends of mine certificates for a spa day. The co-workers on my team are getting Target gift cards. Students: No homework pass, small gift card to Toys R Us, a Goosebumps book, and a package of smores. I put them in a cute, individualized bags and they are now underneath the classroom Christmas tree
I'm giving my students their midterm exams. Seriously. I have over 225 students. There is a coworker I exchange gifts with. I may do small candies or something for my department, but that's 12 teachers so whatever it is will be small, if anything.
I have too many kids to consider giving them anything... In the past, when I've had a single classroom, I've gotten them a Scholastic coupon.
mathmagic, I'm pretty sure they are print, not digital. I don't even give those specific ones to students; I make up my own, and then just use those codes to redeem them when students hand theirs in to me.
I'm giving my kids a $1 Scholastic book, a pack of 3 pencils personalized with their names from forteachersonly.com, and a couple of erasers. We put money in for a gift for our lead teacher and our administration. My room partner and I split an iTunes gift card for the TA we share. I'm thinking about baking cookies for my grade level teammates, but there are 12 of us, so it would be a big undertaking. I'm not sure yet.
Staff: nothing Students (middle and high school)-four coupons that were in the winter packet that was free from teacherspayteachers
We collected money for gift cards for the principal, secretaries, and custodians. For my class, I'll make gift bags with a few items, holiday pencils. Reindeer erasers, marshmallow Santas, etc.
Students: Scholastic book, candy cane Staff: Nothing...I gave $15 towards gifts for the secretaries, principal, and custodian.
Okay, so I did end up getting something for each student. I spent about $3 per student. I guess my heart grew three sizes since my last post. For the staff, I will be taking in something for the potluck tomorrow. That's enough, I think.
