Teacher Appreciation

The exceptional, classical liberal arts education we provide at Great Hearts Irving demands a lot of our teachers. By choosing to work at Great Hearts Irving, our teachers commit themselves to giving whatever of themselves they can in the spirit of humble service to our scholars and families. It is only natural, then, that our parent community should desire to acknowledge and express gratitude for our teachers and the work they do with our scholars every day. It is this very relationship of reciprocal generosity upon which our school community and the partnership between our teachers and parents is founded.

A recent Love and Logic newsletter provided some excellent tips for ways that parents can help support the work of teachers and ensure they feel appreciated all year round. We strongly encourage you to take a look.

Showing Appreciation for Teachers

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Here are just some of the other ways you can shower our teachers with gratitude:

Faculty Favorite Things

Each year, Great Hearts Irving teachers complete a survey listing some of their “favorite things” for families to use should they wish to show gratitude to their child(ren)’s teachers throughout the year. Please see this year’s Faculty Favorite Things list below.

 

Lower School Faculty Favorite things

Upper School Faculty Favorite things

Teacher Luncheons

Our amazing PSO supports our faculty on a monthly basis by providing a meal for our hardworking teachers. In order to offset costs for the 180-member strong faculties of both Lower and Upper School campuses, please consider donating toward these lunches. No donation is too small!

Venmo @PSOGHI

PAYPAL @GHIPSO

2024-2025 Upper School Teacher Luncheon Schedule

  • August 29 – Breakfast Tacos sponsored by PSO
  • September 12 – Senior / Junior class sponsored lunch
  • October 10 – Tenth grade sponsored lunch
  • November 14 – Ninth grade sponsored lunch
  • February 20 – Eighth grade sponsored lunch
  • March 27 – Sixth grade sponsored lunch for Field Day volunteers and teachers
  • April 24 – Seventh grade sponsored lunch

Teacher Lounge Goodies

One of the easiest and most effective ways of showing your appreciation is by providing treats for each campus’s teacher lounge. We are always delighted to receive any treats you’d like to buy and send in to the front desk— especially ground coffee and light snacks. A convenient option is to send a one-time donation or set up a recurring delivery through the Amazon Wish Lists below which can be shipped right to the campus:

Upper School Teacher Treats Wish List

Lower School Teacher Treats Wish List

Lower School Holiday Cookie Extravaganza

Every year as the holiday season approaches, it is traditional for Lower School families to bake and bring cookies to school the week before Winter Break begins. This year our Holiday Cookie Extravaganza will be the week of December 16th through 20th, 2024. Send in any favorite cookie, bar, brownie, or other sweet treat! Home-baked goods are especially-beloved. We do also have a small number of teachers with special dietary needs, including gluten and dairy sensitivities, so if you opt to make something dairy or gluten-free, kindly label it so the teachers will be able to choose accordingly.

Thank you in advance for helping to show our teachers how much they mean to us!

Upper School Sweet & Savory Treats Week

Help shower the Upper School faculty with your family’s favorite holiday sweet and savory treats! Sweet & Savory Treat Week will be the last week before break, December 16th – 20th, 2025. Simply bring a treat on a disposable tray to either front desk and make our teachers’ week a little jollier. Coffee grounds and k cups are always appreciated, too!

Holiday Gifts for Teachers

At Great Hearts Irving, there is no expectation for families to give gifts to teachers for the holidays.

Teacher Appreciation Week

The exceptional, classical liberal arts education we provide at Great Hearts Irving demands a lot of our teachers. Our teachers are always happy to give whatever of themselves they can in service to our scholars and our families, and it is our teachers’ spirit of generosity and humble service that we seek to acknowledge and express gratitude for during Teacher Appreciation Week.

This year, Great Hearts Irving’s Teacher Appreciation Week will run from May 5 – 9th, 2025. PSO will be providing extra love to the teachers throughout Teacher Appreciation Week, but families are invited to join in the outpouring of gratitude throughout the week as well.

Teacher Appreciation Week in the Lower School

What the School Is Doing

To kick off Teacher Appreciation Week, on Monday we have arranged for our teachers to have a breakfast of catered coffee and donuts.

We have also worked with our Community Partners to compile a list of special freebies and deals available to teachers throughout the week so they can take advantage of all that the community has to offer in gratitude for the noble and important work they do.

On Wednesday, we will also be hosting our annual Apprentice Teacher luncheon to acknowledge the invaluable role our Apprentice Teachers play in our classrooms.

What PSO Is Doing

Due to your generosity, our PSO is able to provide catered lunches for all our teachers on both Tuesday and Thursday of Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you to everyone who has contributed throughout the school year to make the work of our PSO so fruitful and supportive of our teachers.

What You Can Do

Our teachers will be grateful for whatever gesture of gratitude is right for your family. They always treasure anything handmade by their students. Get creative, or use one of these suggestions to show them how much you appreciate them:

  • Notes and cards
  • Flowers and plants
  • Classroom supplies or goodies
  • Beloved recipes for easy weeknight meals/meal prep
  • A gift off their Favorite Things list

Lower School Faculty Favorite Things

Teacher Appreciation Week in the Upper School

What the School Is Doing

To close Teacher Appreciation Week, on Friday we have arranged for our teachers to have a breakfast of catered coffee and bagels.

What PSO Is Doing

Due to your generosity, our PSO is able to provide catered lunches for all our teachers on both Monday and Wednesday of Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you to everyone who has contributed throughout the school year to make the work of our PSO so fruitful and supportive of our teachers..

What You Can Do

Our Upper School teachers will be grateful for whatever gesture of gratitude is right for your family or use one of these suggestions to show them how much you appreciate them:

  • A sweet or savory snack for our teachers to enjoy on any day of Teacher Appreciation Week
  • A Thank you note or card, flowers, or a gift off their Favorite Things list

upper School Faculty Favorite Things