Staffroom etiquette - please advise me

[SwiftlyAndWithStyle]

I'm a relatively new TA in a small primary. The tradition here is that staff bring lots of cakes and goodies to the staffroom on their birthday. My birthday is the last day of this term. (It almost never falls in term-time.)

Today I learned that a fairly senior teacher has a significant birthday this weekend, and she has invited the staff to a picnic lunch in the staffroom on the last day of term to celebrate her birthday. Everyone is signing up to say what dish they will bring.

So, what do I do about my birthday? Do I bring cakes etc to her party? If I don't, will I be thought stingy?

Bring cakes and put them in staff room first thing - in ours they will all be gone by lunch time anyway! If not day before?

Pretend yours is the day before and bring the standard cakes in then. Offer those left over to the picnic as well as signing up.

One school I worked in had 3 members of staff with birthdays on the same day! So that we didn't all explode from sugar overload, they used to bring them on different days - maybe earlier in the week or the following week. Staff were appreciative and happy to celebrate on any day!

I'd bring them in on the first day back to lighten the mood of starting a new term. I'd also tell people that was what I was doing, so they knew I wasn't being stingy.

By a big tub of chocolates and put them in the staff room. They can have one of they want or can be eaten after holidays.

Ahhh Mumsnet to the rescue, as usual

Thanks.

First day back and pretend it was in the hols...? Or any of the above options!

Talk to the other teacher and see what she thinks?

Take them in the day before - no one will mind cakes two days running :)

There is never any such thing as too much cake in a staff room. Fact.

Take them in the day before or early next term (to help with the shock of returning!) - staff who have birthdays in the holidays often bring in cakes in the following term.

Hope you enjoy your birthday at school !

I miss the staff room we haven't got one at all :(