Any school director knows that the staff of a school, both instructional and non-instructional, all work together to set the culture for the school. Teachers create personalized celebrations for scholars in their classrooms. Counselors and speech language pathologists collaborate with special education teachers to ensure holistic development for their scholars. Operations teams communicate constantly with families to ensure they are up to date on school events and their scholars’ needs. As leaders, we often think about feedback for our staff in terms of coaching and evaluation, but a third component of feedback often holds equal weight for driving staff well-being and a sense of belonging: appreciation.
Staff appreciation week typically occurs during the first full week of May. As spring weather arrives, we can take the opportunity to celebrate our amazing faculty and staff. With proper planning and collaboration, a staff appreciation week can propel staff joy through the end of the school year. Here are some key elements to creating a memorable staff appreciation week.
Plan ahead with your budget in mind
The first step is to gather with your administrative team to plan the event. A best practice is to divide up the days of the week in which different team members will be responsible for carrying out an activity with staff. By splitting up into teams, this can allow administrative members to zoom into their own activity and ensure there are thoughtful, personalized touches for their day of the week. Those responsible for carrying out the activities should submit their budgets to the school director approximately two weeks in advance to ensure that any necessary supplies can be purchased in a timely manner to make the week a success.
Choose a theme for the week
A theme for staff appreciation week creates a cohesive feeling for staff that elongates the feeling of appreciation for the full week. Some themes that can be carried through a full week are “Staff are Celebrities” in which there are moments for Hollywood glamour throughout the week. Staff can have their Hollywood star placed in the hallway outside their classroom or office, have a movie concession stand snack bar, or enjoy an extra special cup of coffee on set. Another popular theme is going “Around the World” where staff get to enjoy food from different cultures each day of the week. Providing them with a passport where they can receive stamps associated with the cultures they are enjoying creates a physical artifact that they can hold onto beyond the staff appreciation week. Having a theme pushes your administrative team to think creatively and find unique ways to celebrate staff.
Get scholars and families involved
Scholars and their families are always eager to express how much staff mean to them. Taking an opportunity during staff appreciation week to have scholars and families write letters, create drawings, or express their appreciation creatively goes such a long way for staff. These can easily be tied into themes by using a prompt that scholars can respond to. In the theme “Staff are Celebrities,” scholars can write fan mail to their favorite celebrities at school. In the theme, “Around the World,” scholars can complete a prompt about how their favorite staff member is a world-class educator. You can also take pictures of staff with scholars that can go in a frame on their desk or in their classroom. Our scholars are the reason we do this work, so when we involve them in the appreciation of staff, it reminds them of all the wonderful things our staff do for them on a daily basis.
Ensure that appreciation is present year-round
While staff love the opportunity to celebrate staff appreciation week, it is important that they feel seen, valued, and appreciated through the entire school year. Luckily this can be done through simple, low-cost efforts that will go a long way. Instructional coaches can leave post-it notes of appreciation after an observation. Deans can have scholars write a quick note to teachers. Taking on a small task during a busy time of the school year can go a long way as well. Having a shout out board where staff can shout each other out for things they have done to support each other and the school community creates a culture where everyone contributes to the success of the school. No matter what simple moves you make, they are important for establishing a culture where everyone is appreciated.
