Signing group card without having contributed?

[CoIIection]

Just wanted a quick idea please of what to do when you're in charge of the end of term teacher's collection for your class, contributions from other parents are in, for those not doing their own thing, and someone has asked to sign from their child but hasn't , i don't think, contributed. I have no idea if they are hard up, my query is whether I should check that they think they have contributed, I don't think they did, but now I am worried I have forgotten (some have given me cash at the school gate. I thought I'd kept track of the amount but have peri brain fog!).

Oh good grief just sign the card from the class. The teacher won't care who contributed who did and who didn't and you just look extremely petty even worrying about it. Don't the people in the class WhatsApp have anything more important to worry about that who's name is in a card their teacher probably won't give more than a cursory glance at.

It's not tricky just write from the class and be done with it and get on with the more pressing things in life

There isn’t a right thing 😁there are just two slightly shit options. Excluding some people who might be struggling or might be CFs. Or allowing people who haven’t contributed to share the credit.
personally I think option 2 is a bit less shit. Good luck! X

A way round it could be two cards. One which everyone signs then a separate card from those who contributed to the gift. I'm not sure if this would work in your situation. I have started to do that with work collections. One card to say goodbye, congratulations etc that everyone can sign then a separate one that those who contributed to a gift sign. If someone comes to sign the card who hasn't paid you push the 'all' card to them.

Oh good grief

'In charge' is a bit officious.
Maybe they can't afford it ?

Bloody hell! 'Merry Christmas from all the parents and children in x class'.

Flipping ‘eck! What levels of overthinking!

”Dear Teacher / TA, hope you have a lovely Christmas. Best wishes from Class Whatever” is all that’s needed.

Isn’t the spirit of the gift supposed to be focussed on the recipient? Listing out the contributors (and in so doing identifying those who haven’t, for whatever reason) makes the gift about the giver. In my view that’s pretty shit thinking and even shittier to follow through on.

Actually, if individual names only include those who contribute, why not go the whole hog and make clear how much each person gave, as well as exactly who organised, collected the money, came up with the idea, physically purchased, and wrapped the gift! I bloody hate this kind of shit and glad I no longer have this each year.

Speaking as a teacher, the child would NEVER be negatively disregarded because they didn’t have their name on the gift. Each year I get gifts off maybe 20 out of 30 children and I would never “negatively regard” those who didn’t get me one. I know a lot of other teachers and know they all feel the same.

Often on MN the first few responders post contrary nonsense just to be contrary!

I agree the card should come from Class 2A or whatever rather than a subset of children’s names.

But I am also 😱 that @CoIIection may have pocketed someone’s donation made in cash at the school gate rather than put this towards the total because she was too scatty to keep a note of cash donations. That’s really not a good look!

I don't give to class collections now because there was a mum in our year group who really was obsessed with only making sure people who had contributed signed the card. It put some parents who couldn't contribute under pressure to give. Decided I didn't want to put my name to that, or the inevitable few hundred pounds of mlm shit that was purchased for the teacher as it's always them that pop up first offering to organise it isn't it!

Same. Just let whoever sign and don’t nit pick. We wouldn’t even sign individual names in our school, we’d just say ‘from X Class’ and whoever didn’t contribute wouldn’t be named (by naming everyone who contributed, you’re therefore naming everyone who didn’t contribute).

Wow.

I can't believe the levels of pettiness of some people on this thread.
As @Divebar2021 suggests - why not give the teacher a written list of the names of the children whose parents chose not to put in to the collection ?

Seriously people. Some of you need to give your heads a wobble.

I would see these as seperate things, focused of the recipient not the givers.

So a card to wish Merry Christmas (or whatever) signed by anyone who would like to wish the teacher a Merry Christmas. And a gift, bought with money from anyone who wanted to contribute a gift.

Sorted.

We always sign from everybody, whether they have contributed or not. Some people don't have the spare money but still want to say thank you. Also, just makes life easier for whoever has to organise it. Don't bother keeping a tally, just give a reminder of a deadline for signing and/or donations.

This is ridiculously petty. Just sign "dear Miss xxx merry xmas love from class 6#"

Simple.
Don't listen to petty wankers!

🙄🙄🙄

I was 99.999999999% certain they did not contribute, and as they were the first to ask to sign without paying in, something I would never do, I started to doubt myself. Now we have three more asking to be signed in, and they definitely haven't contributed, I am realising it is quite the done thing to sign but not pay, and the first parent asking to sign that I first mentioned, I am sure now did not. I have already put in, plus paid for the cards (teachers plus TAs), and I am not pocketing anything. The deadline I gave is now up, and I will probably round the figure up, out of my own pocket, to make the maths easier when splitting the total into gift cards.

I did the individual names because that's what was done last year here, I am new to the whole school experience and thought I was doing a good thing offering to help with the PTA etc.

I’ve done this collection many times and just write From year 3 or whatever class it is. It’s not difficult

Next year don't bother with the whole class thing and just get your card and gift. Less hassle and none of the politics.

Deadline is obv needed. Ours got mentioned a few times on group saying if want to contribute then please send via PayPal or bank account dispose

Always one lady. I didn't know. Oh can I contribute. Days after all been paid for /counted and sorted