Teachers presents - class gift

[angsanana]

I'm organising the year 5 Xmas present for staff this year. 2 teachers, 1 LSA, 1, one-to-one. When I've done this in the past the pot is usually 250-400 (our school tend not to ask a set amount there is a real mix of affluence). I've reminded a couple of times and Im at £115 between around 10 families.

WIBU to buy the gifts and put "love from Tom, bob, Kirsty etc" rather than "love from year 5"? In the past I've put as a class gift but the majority have contributed.

What's the consensus here?

Absolutely ridiculous. With the col crisis many people are cutting back on family presents so why on earth would you give money/presents to a teacher.

This! Especially with the col crisis this seems harsh

But you don’t know the individual financial circumstances of each child’s family so it’s incredibly presumptuous to just assume people can afford a fiver.

Most sensible solution to this dilemma! Let everyone sort their own gift out if they wish to give one.

I wonder if these schools who only allow the names of children whose PARENTS have donated to the gift are as vigilant when it comes to the end of term school parties. “ No I am sorry Child X, you are not allowed party ring biscuits, carrot sticks, quavers, a fondant fancy, cheese cubes a mini Mars bar and lemonade to drink because on myParty Entitlement Spreadsheet I see your parents only sent in a single packet of supermarket crisps. A plain digestive biscuit and a cup of water for you my dear. Happy Christmas.”

You don’t know what reasons people may have for not wanting contribute. One year I didn’t contribute because the teacher had pissed me off. I didn’t want to make the obligatory donation to Children in Need so didn’t send in the £2. The teacher pressured my son so much, reminding him of the donation every day, that he brought the money in out of his own money box (age 8).
I was really annoyed about this so when it came to the Christmas donation I just gave £5 to my son instead to make up for it!
The Mum who was doing the collection texted me about 5 times as well, which I just ignored as I didn’t feel I had to discuss my reasons with anyone.

The consensus round here is that only the kids who've contributed sign the card.

Just hang around the gates and get those kids to sign it.

That's a bizarre view - do you think the school decides whose names are on the card?

Hell would freeze over before I donated money for someone doing their job.

Wait a bit longer, remind after payday
Just put names of those that have paid in the card...

By the way if you are buying some kind of handmade gift from the class like a picture that includes the names of the kids in the class it would be really petty to just include the ones that have paid in on the actual memento...
That's whats happening this year in our class group - they are creating a picture present of tree with the names of the kids in the class, but if you don't pay in the child's name is not on the tree...

It’s end November most people haven’t been paid yet so chill out. You may find from next week the contributions start coming in. But regardless of amount you out from everyone

We didn’t have class collections or WhatsApp groups at DT’s school but have seen the problems from both where I have been a governor. Thankfully the head stopped both after a year of no end of problems surrounding the different WhatsApp groups and every time there was a collection

@Parker231 how does the school put a stop to WhatsApp groups? At my DD's school (or maybe it's just her specific class) we don't have one so maybe I'm just not aware of how they're organised - are they normally set up by the school? I assumed they were just parents getting each other's numbers and setting them up?

And by giving only to the teacher it ignores everyone else who supports the school - cleaners, catering, office, maintenance etc

Way too early.

I am on 3 class groups and only one has started their collection (and there has been zero donation and the person running it has it set to end really early too)

My other class groups haven't got their's done yet.

I am in favour of the class present and it usually works well (have a child in Y6 and it's been done for their teacher every year for Xmas and end of school year)

We have a collection for non teaching support staff (this includes all non teaching staff from lunch time supervisors to SENCO) and the link for this is circulated school wide and usually wracks up over £1k. Everyone got £70 of vouchers last year.

Where has this idea of gifts for teachers come from? I remember once giving a teacher who was leaving some sweets and when I was six, taking my very elderly woman teacher flowers from the garden on Monday mornings. (She was delighted with them.) Clubbing together and buying gifts? Never.

Yep, the capitalise machine is good at churning out new occasions to buy stuff for.

I guess some folk are waiting for payday to make their contribution? Times are tight and just because it's an "affluent area" doesn't mean folk aren't struggling behind closed doors with rising costs.

I have only ever done xmas gifts once... it was my oldests reception year and it was just a little token gift bought in bulk but I got one for everyone my DS seemed to know.

The teachers didn't notice but the the dinner ladies where lovely and the lollypop lady cried because no one had given her a gift before.

Make me sad both mine and DH nanas worked as lollypop ladies for a while.

Not long after the council cancelled the lollypop service by the school and we never got to see her again. The dinner ladies are always super friendly to all the kids.

The school I was a governor at obviously couldn’t stop parents setting up their own WhatsApp group but the school stated they weren’t associated with any groups and no information would be provided directly to any groups (ie the group didn’t speak for the school).

I think write only names of those contributing. If almost everyone did (over 2/3) I'd write from year 5. Whenever they're done here there is no stipulated amount - i organised once - one family gave £2, one £50. Most were around £10.

Only the organiser knows how much and who has donated, it's always been done sensitively.

I've never known any teachers who expect a present. In my experience ( over 40 years of working in schools) they are simply touched and grateful if they do receive gifts.

Exactly, the teachers don't expect presents, it's added pressure from some of the parents onto other parents.

I contributed to both my kids class collections (£40 total) and although we can afford it, I didn’t feel great about it. The teachers earn decent salaries, and it really gets my goat that the headteacher is included in the distribution pool. It shows horrible leadership, she should gracefully bow out and ensure the money is spent on the TAs who earn a pittance. Really makes me look at her in a different light knowing she accepts gifts from the collection. I am grateful to my children’s teachers, of course, but if anyone has gone above and beyond I would feel happy to write them a card saying so. That £40 would have been better spent on music lessons or something for my child, sorry but that’s how I feel. There is no place in schools in this day and age for teacher collections. But I’m not brave enough not to contribute when it’s the done thing 😂

I worked as a TA a couple years ago and got a multiple person gift like you're doing, the card was written from the children whose parents participated. The ones who didn't gave their own cards/presents and it would have been very awkward for me if I'd been left with the impression that they'd given twice. Just do the children that have paid, you don't know what the others are planning