Gather & Give Ideas

Plan and carry out school-wide events (can be local or for the entire MVPS school), fundraisers, and staff appreciation efforts throughout the year. These activities bring our community together while also supporting our school in meaningful ways.

Planning Notes

• Choose 1-2 major fundraising initiatives per year

• Encourage student ownership and creativity

• Keep setup simple to avoid burnout

Teacher Appreciation Ideas:

• Class Video Tributes: Have students or families record 5-to-10-second video clips answering a prompt (e.g., "Thank you for..." or "You made a difference by...") and stitch them into a montage video using tools like Canva, Flip, or iMovie to email to teachers.

• Digital & E-Gift Cards: Email digital gift cards for popular retailers like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, or local neighborhood restaurants/coffee shops that offer online ordering.

• Snail Mail Campaign: Coordinate a "mailbox blitz" where students physically mail handwritten letters, drawings, or thank-you postcards directly to a teacher's home address or local school.

• Chalk & Yard Surprises: If teachers live locally, coordinate parent-led "Chalk the Walk" driveway messages or drop off a celebratory lawn sign with balloons.

• Stock the Lounge: During back to school when teachers are in the building, fill the staff room with grab-and-go breakfast items, gourmet coffee, healthy snacks, and fun student-made or printable-meme signs.

• DIY Bars: Set up build-your-own stations like a dirty soda bar, bagel bar, loaded baked potato bar, nacho/taco bar, or a flower bouquet bar using grocery store blooms.

Restaurant Spirit Nights Ideas:

• Chick-fil-a

• Panda Express

• Jason's Deli

• Krispy Kreme Donuts

• Little Caesars

Fundraising Initiative Ideas:

• Flower Power

• Pay the Day - Participants donate the number that matches the calendar day.  If $600 is reached, the school hosts a bubble station at the park for the afternoon. Giant bubble wands, bubble machines, and trays of solution appear. Kids wander through blowing enormous bubbles. Little kids love it, older kids pretend they’re too cool and then immediately start competing for the biggest bubble. The materials are cheap and the atmosphere becomes instantly joyful.

• Barnes & Noble Book Fair

• Art Auction

• Pie the Teacher

School Spirit Gear Ideas:

• Shirts (Encourage MVPS families to wear MVPS shirts to all in person events.)

• Bracelets (see example here)

• Water bottles

• Vinyl Stickers

• Chomebook cases (use MVPS colored cases)