The week of all weeks has arrived. I kid you not when I say this event has been months in the making. And believe it or not, I have thoroughly enjoyed every meeting, brainstorming session, budget conversation, crafting party, and even our "sweat shop" {as it soon became known as}.
Our Teacher Appreciation Committee was incredible. We were like three little jigsaw puzzle pieces who fit together perfectly. Seriously, I think these gals may be my new besties...love ya girls! For goodness sakes, our kids have even become best friends.
I'm still trying to figure out how to function without them now that the culminating week has ended. *sigh* I'm pretty sure those feelings had something to do with us volunteering to man this event next year. My wheels are already turning.
But, that will have to wait. It is due time to share a few pictures of a fantastic week of celebrating what I like to consider some of the most important people in the world...TeAcHeRs! As you well know by now, I have an incredibly soft spot in my heart for educators.
We decided to go for a Garden/ Farmer's Market theme for the week. I'm pretty sure Maggie's garden party served as some inspiration for the idea. As our minds got to working, the theme just seemed to fall right into place. We had so much fun creating a Farmer's Market right there in the school.
Our fab principal gave us our very own room to utilize for the week. Having our own space to create was an exciting and daunting task. We had bulletin boards and about a bazillion shelves to fill. However, it all came together and we were mighty pleased with the outcome.
We sent out the agenda to the teacher's and staff the week before. We wanted them to come to school hungry and ready to be appreciated!
Since it was a Farmer's Market, we had fresh fruit available throughout the week. The teachers would sometimes grab something with their breakfast or pop in for a mid-day snack. It was adorable and more importantly, functional.
The room had one bulletin board and a super large white board. We immediately knew it needed some work to give the room the feel that we were going for.
We had posters all over the school with these fun phrases {and a few others too!}...
We made sure to feed the staff breakfast and lunch everyday of the week. We also threw in lots of sweet treats. Many of the meals were donated or discounted by the community. Other items were sent in by parents. We were overwhelmed with the generosity of everyone.
We did our best to keep every meal within the theme of the week. The food was delish and the staff was overly appreciative. It just made our day!
We also gave the teacher's a little goody every day of the week. I'm ashamed I didn't get pictures of the two big{er} give aways. As you can imagine, we were busy!
Anyway, on day one, they all got a travel coffee mug with the week's logo. Any of them used these every day of the week as they came in to get their morning coffee.
Day two we delivered a long stem rose to every staff member with a tag that read "HFE Teachers will you accept this rose?". The timing was insanely perfect with the Bachelor finale being the night before. Everyone was chatting it up.
Day three, we delivered Garden Snail Mail to the teachers. The kids had signed up to fill in these thoughtful letters. We rolled them up and tied a packet of seeds to them.
On day four, each staff member received a brown clipboard with their initial cricuted in green. {That is where the "sweat shop" term emerged from}. It was a daunting task, but they were super cute in the end. We hung a tag to each saying "Thank You SOW Much."
And on the last day, everyone got a flower pot filled with their favorite things. Amazing parent volunteers made this possible. There were some precious pots rolling in all morning. The best part was watching the staff go through them and ooh and aww at all the goodies inside.
When we wrapped up the week it was so incredibly bittersweet. On the one hand I was EXHAUSTED and in desperate need of a three day nap. But on the other hand, the week was so incredibly special it was hard to see it go.
As much as I get a high from the decorating and creative part of it all, honestly the love and appreciation expressed by the teachers, staff, and administration was worth every minute of it.
It felt so good to treat these deserving people. I've been there and I know how much a "take out" lunch is a GIFT.
One last word...Teachers are really special people who work very hard! Treat them well EVERY chance you get!
Until next year...
