For the past four years, the Parent Association and school administration have collaborated to ensure that Teacher Appreciation Week is a celebration, not only of our faculty but also of the entire team of ISI employees. The school has and continues to allocate budget dollars to purchase a modest gift and some treats for all employees and coordinates recognition activities each day. The Parent Association also has and continues to allocate budget dollars to provide meals and/or gifts for employees and provides volunteer support as needed for the week. Specific activities and efforts have varied from year to year, depending on the PA leadership, budget, etc. 

In Lower School classes with Room Captains, there have been gifts for primary teachers, assistants, specials teachers, and some support staff. In middle and high school classes, class captains have made an effort to try and recognize the teachers who work with grade level students. The Human Resources Department and PA leaders have typically worked together to coordinate daily activities, with the Human Resources Department leading those efforts.

There are nationally recognized appreciation days for school staff that spans eight to nine months annually. Those days include Counseling Week, Social Worker Day, Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day, School Librarian Appreciation Day, Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, Administrative Professionals Day, School Principal Day, School Custodian Appreciation Day, Substitute Appreciation Day, School Nurse Day, and much more. 

At ISI, there is not a coordinated effort with the Parent Association to recognize the different employee groups separately throughout the year. Celebrating all employees during National Teacher Appreciation Week (the first week of May) is the approach ISI  has used to ensure that every employee is recognized during the school year. 

Additionally, Lower School teachers are generally recognized at the start of the year (Bell Ringing Ceremony), and for special occasions throughout the year. However, in some of the smaller-sized Lower School classes and in the Upper School, where students work with multiple teachers/support staff, there can be significant differences in how teachers are recognized. Dedicating one week toward all ISI employee appreciation efforts allows us to be intentional about highlighting the full team and ensuring every employee feels seen, appreciated, and essential to the success of ISI. Recognition and appreciation are growing in importance as drivers of employee happiness and engagement and are important to ISI, too, as we seek to continually strengthen school culture and community.

In many ways, this is the same approach that the school has taken in recent years, specifically having recognition activities each day for all employees. What does differ is that the school has been more transparent about the plans for each day and invited all families to participate in the efforts, as opposed to the past when school administrators and a few key PA members planned the recognition activities for all employees.  

Though families often interact directly with their teachers, there are staff members who work behind the scenes throughout the year, supporting the school, families, and students. This approach provides families with an opportunity to interact with those employees and to share their appreciation with them, as well.

The biggest change is for Room Captains, who previously collected donations within their own classrooms/grade levels, and coordinated gifts for classroom and specials teachers. This year, Room Captains have the option to, instead, encourage their classes to volunteer and/or donate goods or funds to execute the announced plan for the week.

As we embrace a culture of ONE ISI, we’ve been intentional about being a more inclusive community. The school is aware that for some families, being asked to contribute money by other parents can be awkward or uncomfortable. Having inclusive ways that families can participate is important. 

Requested items span a wide variety of monetary options and may require no purchases at all. For example, if you have gift cards that you don’t plan to use but that the school has requested, they may be donated to the school for Teacher Appreciation Week.

While Room Captains are often visible in the classroom, other parents appreciate the opportunity to be involved in these activities, too. When there are more parents involved in the appreciation week activities, it is a tangible display of our community's appreciation for ISI employees as a whole. Additionally, some individuals who prefer not to, or are unable to, donate monetarily have another opportunity to show their appreciation by giving their time.

Families can participate by volunteering, selecting an item to contribute, or by making a monetary contribution that will be put towards purchasing special treats, gifts, and decorations. 

All donated items can be submitted to the front office in all three buildings from April 28 to May 2 during regular business hours. Monetary contributions should be made by May 2 for budgeting purposes. All volunteer efforts are coordinated through a sign-up sheet that outlines all the volunteer opportunities. Information on all the ways to get involved can be found on our Teacher Appreciation Week web page.

Any items that aren’t donated directly will be purchased using the donated funds. If the donations exceed what is needed to execute the current plan, then the school's administration will add some additional treats for employees.

As the PA has done for many years, they are providing lunch to our employees from the PA budget. So that Lower School teachers, in particular, can sit and enjoy their lunch together, it has been scheduled for the PTC day. Individual parents can volunteer to serve lunch to faculty and staff in one of the three buildings on campus, and that volunteer opportunity is included in the volunteer sign-up.

The treat cart will be stocked with donated snacks and drinks, and any items that are not donated will be purchased by parent volunteers who work with admin staff to purchase items with donations that have been received from the parent community. Parent volunteers will travel the halls of each building to engage with employees and to allow them to select desired treats. Treat carts will be parked in employee lounges for the remainder of the day.

The school has once again purchased a gift (from the school’s budget) for each employee. These are monogrammed items, and the school has requested parent volunteers help deliver them to each employee. 

Useful gifts are always appreciated, and families can help give fun supplies that can enhance classrooms or workspaces! Suggested items are included on the sign-up sheet. But certainly, if a family has alternative items that they wish to contribute to the cart, those donations are appreciated and welcome. 

A special bag filled with items to help faculty and staff relax will be presented by parent volunteers to each staff member. The gift bags are useful tote bags designed exclusively for employees. Though each tote bag will have similar items in the bags for all employees, each one will have a name tag attached to it. If there are additional personalized/special items that Room Captains wish to add to the bags for specific employees, that can be done when the bags are prepared on May 4 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Parent volunteers will give faculty and staff the opportunity to pick a number and receive a corresponding gift card. 

There are no restrictions. There are activities planned that all families are invited to contribute to or participate in so that all employees are recognized and celebrated, and Room Captains should encourage families to participate in those efforts. However, if parents wish to plan additional independent appreciation efforts for their teacher, they are welcome to do so. For example, a group of students might create a custom card or picture for their teacher, schedule a delivery of a teacher's favorite treat, etc.

Some parents have asked to coordinate activities for a specific group of teachers and/or employees. For example, a special breakfast treat for employees in a particular building. Those types of activities should be coordinated with the Principal of that building. 

Room Captains who have already collected money may wish to shop for items on behalf of their class or to contribute monetarily on behalf of their class. Alternatively, if they have already purchased something for their teachers, they are welcome to add those items to the tote bags (being assembled on May 4) and delivered on May 11. 

No. Families are welcome to honor their teachers and any other staff members throughout the year, however, participation in any recognition efforts is always voluntary. 

Coordination of the week has been a collaborative effort between the school and PA for the past four years, and the school’s administration looks forward to the new 2023-24 PA structure with hopes that the newly elected board will be willing to lead planning efforts for 2024.