School Staff Celebrations to Make Faculty Feel Like Family

If you've been around here a while, you probably already know how much I love using staff morale activities and events to build camaraderie among school faculty. This is just one of the ways to do this though, friends! Another fantastic way to bring your school together is with celebrations all year long! 

School Staff Celebrations Everyone Will Love 

When you work in a school, your fellow teammates and colleagues can start to feel like your second family. After all, we spend quite a bit of our daily lives at school and often work together each and every day. And. . . if you are already putting in the work to make your staff feel less like 'strangers who work in the same building' and more like 'a community with one common goal,' then this post is for you. 

Staff celebrations are another fantastic way to help faculty feel more like family. Birthdays, bridal showers, and other life events should be celebrated! Come along to see how we made this possible at my school. 

Types of Staff Celebrations and Activities to Organize 

If you want your staff to feel more like a family, consider the types of parties, celebrations, and even life events that a family would share together. As you begin to brainstorm, make sure to keep in mind both happy and not-so-happy life events too. Families are there for each other through thick and thin. Your staff support system should be the same way. Here are some of the life events we celebrated and organized at my school:

• baby showers
• bridal showers
• birthdays 
• holidays 
• retirement
• staff illness
• immediate family illness
• death in the family, etc. 

While some of these things are lots of fun to celebrate - they won't all be that way, and that's okay. The thing about creating a family atmosphere in your school is that you'll need to support each other through the trying times as well. When a staff member is very ill and out for an extended period of time - they will surely be appreciative of their "school family" thinking of them!

Seasonal and Holiday Fun for Staff 

Holidays are another thing you'll likely want to celebrate with your staff to help the faculty feel more like family. It doesn't have to be extravagant to be celebratory! Simply changing out the decor in the staff lounge with cute items from the dollar store and adding a seasonal flair to bulletin boards makes a huge impact. Everyone will love walking into the break room and enjoying the festive mood that is created! These little details really do make school feel more like home. Look for ways to make your staff feel cozy and connected, especially when it comes to the staff lounge!

When it comes to choosing holiday activities for staff - focus on ones that get staff talking and connecting. Potlucks, games, and collaborative events are always good picks. You can find plenty of great ideas here. 

How Much to Spend on Staff Celebrations and Events? 

The answer to this question is going to be different from school to school because every budget is different. At my school, we collected $25 per year from staff members which went into the Sunshine Committee budget to help pay for these events and celebrations. 

I do recommend setting a specific amount for each type of event to keep it fair and easy to plan for. For example, you might decide to spend $75 for baby/bridal showers. This could include a cake, decorations, and a gift for the guest of honor. Other staff members can choose to contribute as they see fit. By designating a certain amount, no matter what it is, you will eliminate decision fatigue each time the event pops up. 

Oh and don't forget about celebrations that don't need to cost much either! Birthdays are a great example of this. Schools have a lot of team members and it wouldn't be possible to give everyone an expensive gift. Instead, plan on celebrating with a Birthday Board in the staff breakroom, and maybe a special Staff Snack Bar once a month to celebrate all of the birthdays at once. You can also pass around birthday cards to be signed for specific people. The key here is that it doesn't have to be over the top. The little things mean so much! 

Planning Staff Celebrations: You Need a Sunshine Committee!

You might be wondering HOW you're going to make school staff celebrations possible. At my school, I was the head of the School Sunshine Committee. Our job was to fundraise for, organize, and plan all of the staff morale events and activities. While much of this was special potlucks, staff meeting games, and other fun activities - staff celebrations were also on our list of things to keep track of. 

One of the goals of the Sunshine Committee is to understand the pain points of different staff members in the school and find ways to boost morale. Another important goal was to help staff feel more connected and more like a family. This is such an important job, and it really takes a fair bit of dedication and attention. Having a Sunshine Committee can help share the task of planning for life events, preparing celebrations, and just making sure that staff feel valued and appreciated. 

If you're looking to help the faculty at your school feel more connected, I highly recommend putting together a Sunshine Committee to help make it happen. You can read more about how to do that in this post!

Funding School Celebrations 

Whether you have a line item in your school budget for staff morale, or have your staff contribute to the Sunshine Committee budget, there's a good chance you might want to find some easy ways to raise additional funds. Here are some ideas to start:

• Talk with your PTO to see if they will sponsor one or more events during the year.
• Talk with your school administration about the designation of some of the school's discretionary funds.
• Arrange fundraisers among the staff to pitch in a few extra dollars here and there for special events. 
• Set up an Amazon wishlist to share with parents that has things like party decor, treats, prizes, and gift cards that can be used throughout the year at celebrations. 
• Talk to local stores, restaurants, and other vendors to donate items that can be helpful. Meals are especially good for this option if you're trying to help a staff member who is sick or in need!

I go into further detail about how to budget for staff morale activities in this blog post. Make sure to take a look if you'd like more information on these ideas. 

Make it Personal and Have Fun! 

The last thought I want to leave you with is to simply make it personal for your staff members. Taking the time to write out a heartfelt message in a card, picking decorations in the guest of honor's favorite colors, or planning a meal train for a fellow colleague in need means so much. Remember not to fret too much about going over the top. Instead, choose to be intentional about celebrating with your staff. Make it personal and have fun looking for creative ways to connect with staff. I know that making time for school staff celebrations and life events will have such a positive impact on your school! 

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