We provide dinner for our teachers and aides during parent teacher conferences. This has been appreciated much more than anything else we've done for the teachers!
Our P/T Conferences last through 2 evenings. The principal picks up the tab on Subway for all of the teachers one night and the other night, the PTO hosts a buffet dinner for the teachers. Last year's was the biggest hit ever. We served an Asian Cuisine inspired buffet and one of the Moms made homemade fortune cookies with "fortunes" that remarked about the importance of teachers and education - lots of warm and fuzzy stuff. The teachers were very, very pleased.
Every year we provide a deli sandwiches, sides, desserts, and beverages for the teachers. We talked about a hot meal but the teachers prefer the sandwiches as they do not always get to finish their meal at one time, often sneaking bites between parent meetings. Of course, we also have a dish of Lifesaver mints for when they are done eating! We put the leftovers out the next day for those still around for lunch.
Our Parent Teacher Conference Days are always a half day of school, followed by teacher in services until the time the parent start coming in.... The PTO provides a hot meal and coffee and dessert for all the teachers. We also do a "Survival Kit" which is ALWAYS a huge hit. Usually it is something like life savers (or some sucking candy), a bottle of water, healthy snacks, and few few funny things like band aids for the wounds the parents will feel, tissues for the tears they will shed, etc etc etc. The teachers talk about those kits ALL year long!
For the last couple of years the FMS PTO in Bozrah has been feeding the teachers on parent conference nights. The parents all get together and provide a dinner for the teachers. We have done soups, salads and bread. We have also done sandwiches and snacks. There is always plenty of food and drinks. We usually do it on the first night so they can have the leftovers for the next night. For teacher appreciation we bought them a Keurig coffee pot and pods so now we can just buy them a couple of boxes of pods so they can have coffee.
Our Parent Club at Shoreland Elementary School in Toledo, OH does 2 days of conferences. So on each day, the club makes up a large wicker laundry basket of goodies, drinks and all different kinds of protein filled snacks. Some stuff we even keep in the refrigerator and let the teachers/staff know there are cold items as we, like string cheese and cold drinks. The teachers/staff snack all day long, and it helps keep their energy levels up too!! They tell us that they like it, so we keep doing it!!!
