OK - quick etiquette advice after a bit of a cock up if you can be bothered (this is not very interesting).

[CRS]

I am a teacher. Every Summer, I write a list of kids who have given me gifts and what it was so I can send thank you cards out in September. This year, it's finally happened - I've lost the bloody list!

So I now have 3 options as I see it.

A: Get a class list and see if I can remember which kids gave presents and send cards to them not specifying the gift, and pray not left anyone out.

B: As above except thanking for specific gift in the cases (most) where I know who gave what, and just a thank you if I know a gift was given but not sure what, and still risk missing someone out.

C: Send no thank yous for fear of offending someone who I have inadvertently left out, but feel rude and ungrateful forever.

Which is best, or alternatively, am I missing a better solution?

I'd go with a combo of sign on the door and waiting for the list to turn up. Though I would not expect a thank you card in this sitch so don't worry!

Ive bought some fab stuff for teachers and my ds was simply thanked on the day -ive never seen a thankyou card from a teacher for a gift at the end of term - nor have I as a nursery nurse ever sent them to the children whove bought me gifts .

I think the suggestion of a general letter thanking them all for being such a lovely class, and for all the gifts and cards, is a lovely idea. I must admit I have never sent cards. However, DD gave a gift to her A level teacher on retirement, and received a lovely thank you letter, wishing DD luck studying the subject at Uni, and saying she knew DD would do well as she was such an excellent student. DD still has the letter and treasures it.

Dear child

Thank you so much for being in my class last year. In fact, I enjoyed your company so much I forgot whether or not you bought me anything you little shite.

Best regards

Teacher

Just stick a generic "thank you for the lovely gifts" in the class newsletter in September.

Stop worrying. The kids won't even remember if/what they gave you.

go for the generic thank you - letter, newsletter or poster. but don't get het up about it - remember that the cards and gifts are themselves thank yous - they're thank yous for a year's great teaching. so you're worrying about thankyous for thankyous, iyswim. It's a bit like sending someone a thank you card for a gift they gave you when they came to visit you for the weekend.

I would do option C .

DD's teacher(y6) sent her a thank you note by post last week and she was really touched.

The gifts are thank yous! So you are sendnig a thank you card for a thank you gift

Oooh - hatwoman - I never thought of that! It could go on for ever! "Thank you for the gift". "Thank you for the thank you". "Thank YOU for the thank you!" "No, thank YOU!!"

For ever and ever....

D is the correct answer. One does not say thank you for a thank you.

Nightmare, I dreaded this happening. Not all kids can give gifts/cards so I'd say

Dear Class***

I hope you are enjoying your holiday.I really enjoyed teaching you all this year and would just like to say thankyou to you all for your kind thoughts and words at the the end of term.

I hope you all make the most of the summer holidays and I look forward to seeing you around school in September.

Yours

I like LineRunner's suggestion. belledechocchipcookie's has made me laugh though: ""'Thank you so much for your lovely gift, I looked at it over the summer and it made me smile.'" If I'd sent in a bottle of wine I'd think you were a loon. Mind you, DD's YrR teacher had a mini bottle of wine from us, two days after I'd bought it and a day after I'd discovered she was teetotal, pulled my hair out and decided she'd just have to regift it - she claimed to have enjoyed it. Can't remember if we gave anything at the end of Yr1 and Yr2 just finished and I can't even remember what we did for that - mad random pic from DD and a fiver in the voucher fund I think. I never notice if we get thank you notes after parties either - hopefully at least some of last year's parents will be as forgetful as me.

C. If you want you can own up
In the newsletter and out that you are terribly sorry that you lost the list, but you appreciated all the gifts you received and hope the class have a lovely year with their new teacher Mrs X.

We got a thank you card from DS2s Yr6 teacher this year, but that's because we gave her a gift that made her cry

I wouldn't ever expect one though - DCs always get 'goodbye' gifts from the teachers at the end of year and we've never written ones for them... They kind of cancel each other out don't they?

I can't admit to the bloody list!! That proves that every gift wasn't seared onto my memory, and would be VERY RUDE!!

Go for c.
Don't do the generic thankyou. Like you say, it could look like a pointed comment to those who didn't get you a gift.
And I agree with hat woman - the gifts are a 'thankyou' no need to worry too much about a 'thankyou' card for a 'thankyou' gift.

C but without feeling rude or ungrateful, just forgetful

Ummm, so what proportion of children give their teacher a gift? My DC didn't. I contributed to a fund for a class gift to the teacher, but did notice on last day of term some children had brought in personal gifts for the teacher. I'd been more busy than usual in the run up to end of term, so this wasn't even on my D list of things to do. I may need to try harder next time!

Our teachers sent everyone a generic thankyou, saying thank you for the class gift, and thanks to everyone who brought in an individual gift, everyone in the class got the letter, even if they didn't contribute to gift.

Hello - 4 weeks of summer left! Hang fire - it might turn up.

Assuming you're primary so, if the list doesn't materialise, how about a generic thank you for the lovely gift, a personal comment on something good the child did last year and good wishes for the next in Mr/s Whotever's class. That way you've given a personal touch to your note but not made too much work for yourself.

So glad I teach secondary - they hardly ever buy you stuff. I guess at primary level, you're thanking the parents really, who were thanking you in the first place. All this thanking, hey? I hope they write back and thank you for thanking them and I expect to see a slew of posts on MN asking what they should write as an acceptable thank you in return.

Sorry - wrote under the assumption they all sent gifts. If not a generic thank you might not be appropriate.

I gave all the children in my Reception class a big cuddle and said thank you for being lovely whether they had given me a present or not. I usually write a big note and put it outside my class saying "Have a fantastic summer, thank you for the cards, presents and good wishes. Love Me"

We will all be thanking each other for ever, and actually will accelerate the end of the planet by the sheer volume of paper required for the thank you cards and letters.

Thanks to mumsnet, I'm never saying thank you except verbally for anything again .

My dad is a secondary school teacher at a posh school (by which I mean, of course, a respected independent establishment), and as a result, my parents are never embarrassed by a lack of extremely expensive acceptable wine to offer guests. :)

Dad doesn't do written thank yous - I asked him tonight - and cites the thanking for thanking reasons which others have pointed out above.

So this is all my mum's fault!