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What is Teacher Appreciation Week?

   Teachers spend a lot of time enriching the minds and lives of their students. That’s why, every year, we come together to celebrate teachers and the wonderful jobs that they do. The celebration starts on the first full Monday in May. 

Teacher Appreciation Week 2023!

Monday, May 1st - Friday, May 5th

Teacher Appreciation: Celebrity Style!

​   We are going to celebrate our Super Star teachers!  We ask that you join us in treating CES teachers, specialists, and assistants as the Stars they are. See below for the schedule of meals and other events this week.
   Thank you to all CES families for your generous donations to the PTA this year including the Fall Fun Run. These donations funded Teacher Appreciation Week. Let's get ready to appreciate! 

What Can My Child(ren) Do?

(1) Write Fan Mail

   Encourage your child(ren) to write Fan Mail to all the Teachers and Staff who touch their lives. There is a template available to here that went home with students the last week of April. Feel free to print and use as many as you like. It is also available by the mail station. Encourage your kids to write to all of their teachers, past, present, specials, and assistants too. The teachers will receive this mail throughout the week in their boxes. You may also supply your own greeting cards or your child may make something from scratch. 
   You student may place Fan Mail in one of the "Celebrity Mailboxes" in the main hallway (picture below) and the PTA will sort deliver it to the right teacher or staff member. Make sure the recipient's name is on the front or easy to see. You may also leave items in the recipient's box in the CES mailroom.

Celebrity Mailboxes are in the main hallway

Fill out a Fan Mail Template or make your own Fan Mail

Fan mail Template: click to download

(2) Treat a Cary Elementary Teacher or Staff Member to their Favorites

Each Cary Elementary teacher has submitted a list of their favorite foods, gifts, restaurants, stores, and much more. We encourage you to reference this list when purchasing gifts for your child(ren)'s teacher, especially if you are organizing a purchase among a group of parents. Find out all of your teacher's favorite things HERE! 

This Week's Events

Monday

Acai bowls from Buoy Bowls and Caribou coffee

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Tuesday

Morning snack from Healthy But Good and afternoon snack of Milk and Cookies.

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Wednesday

Matinee: Boxed lunches from Jason’s deli

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Movie night made possible by a generous donation from Reward Builders and hosted by The Town of Cary.  The teachers chose a showing of The Princess Bride and will enjoy snacks from Brew.

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Thursday

Swag Bags! Each teacher will receive a tote bag with an Our State Magazine, beach towel and an assortment of gift cards/coupons to local businesses! we have had  SO many generous donors and one business owner that donated $1k! More on that day of!!

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Friday

Lunch catered by Big Mike's BBQ. Many folks in the Triangle / RTP area already know that Big Mike’s BBQ is some of the best to be found anywhere in North Carolina. That same great food is combined with a bottle shop featuring local craft beer at 1222 NW Maynard Road in Cary NC.

So Many Thanks to all Teacher Appreciation Week Sponsors!

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Teacher Appreciation Paparazzi Feed

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More Information

Contact the Teacher Appreciation Chairs Kara Hand and Sally Nichol. Thank you for all of your hard work, Kara and Sally!

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What is the Origin of Teacher Appreciation Week?

   The official history of Teacher Appreciation Week in the U.S. dates back to 1953 when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress that there needed to be a specific day to recognize teachers. Even with the First Lady taking the case to Congress and getting their help and support, it would take another 27 years to become an official national day.
   It was in 1980 when the National Education Association (NEA) joined with the Kansas and Indiana State Boards of Education and began to lobby Congress to have the day nationally recognized. National Teacher Day was celebrated on March 7th until 1984, when it was moved to May. Behind the move was the National Parent Teacher Association, which expanded the celebration by naming the entire first week of May as Teacher Appreciation Week. The NEA followed suit the next year and held National Teacher Appreciation Day on the Tuesday of that week.

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Teacher Appreciation Pictures from Past Years

If you would like to volunteer to help and/or have a restaurant or store that would like to donate to help show our hard working teacher how much we appreciate them please contact Kara Hand.