Leading Valentine’s Day Festivities at your School Site
Valentine’s Day is coming! Students aren’t the only ones who love to celebrate either- adults get excited for the love holiday too. To infuse some fun, holiday celebration into the school day, teacher leaders can plan various Valentine’s Day festivities for educators. These efforts will strengthen the sense of community among staff by showering educators with appreciation.
This post shares ideas in a three phase strategy to lead a successful Valentine’s Day event at your school site.
Plan for Valentine’s Day
- Gather Stakeholders– Assemble the leadership team and any other necessary staff that will be involved in orchestrating a staff celebration
- Brainstorm Ideas– Note any and all ideas to appreciate staff and make the love day extra special (ie. hot chocolate bar, continental breakfast, gift card giveaway, mailbox notes of appreciation, PJ or holiday attire, catered lunch, special announcement or speech from admin, shout out bulletin board, dance party PD/staff meeting etc.)
- Create a Game Plan– Decide which ideas to keep and put together a schedule of events
Prepare for Valentine’s Day
- Divide & Conquer– Assign a stakeholder to lead each event component
- Make Community Contact– Reach out to folks in the community who might want to partner or donate to the festivities
- Collect Materials– Gather all materials necessary to put on the events (ie. decor, food, prize items)
- Announce to Staff– When things are finalized, let the staff know about the upcoming special day without giving away too many details
Lead on Valentine’s Day
Don’t forget to grab some Valentine’s Day swag like the “Love to Lead” comfy t-shirt!
- Pause Normal Duties– Put normal duties and tasks on hold so you can be 100% involved and available on the day of the event
- Be Hands On– Be seen around the school building engaging with staff and being expressive with appreciation while jumping in wherever necessary to keep the event running smooth
- Facilitate Festivities– As the head point person, direct traffic and keep an eye on the schedule to ensure everything planned comes to fruition
Other Events To Lead at your School Site
- Leading a Teacher Appreciation Event
- Leading a Take Your Child to Work Day
- Leading a Read Across America Day
- Leading Teachers Through Black History Month
No matter what event you are leading at your school site, be sure to follow up with educators to find out what they enjoyed as well as what improvements they prefer to be made for next time. Their ideas will help make future events more successful by increasing ownership, motivation and participation.
Check out this year’s Valentine’s T-shirt here!
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GO BE GREAT!
How do you lead a Valentine’s Day event at our school site?
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About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.
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