As part of our mission, Harrisonburg Education Foundation looks for ways throughout the year to help our community show their appreciation to HCPS educators and staff.  Activities include welcome breakfast for new teachers, treats before the first day of school, candygrams from students, Honor an Educator, our Thanks-A-Lotto and other #HEFshoutout opportunities. We invite you to find your way to say thank you to the individuals that support our students every day!

Celebrate all educators during Teacher Appreciation Week
May 6-10, 2024

Harrisonburg Education Foundation is encouraging students, families, caregivers and community members to use the first week of May to honor our city educators.  Below are some ideas for each day of the week. Make sure to use our hashtags #HEFshoutout and #thanksHCPS anytime you celebrate our educators on social media. Here are some resources for even more ideas:

• National PTO Teacher Appreciation Week Resources  
• PTA Teacher Appreciation Week Kit in English and Spanish

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Need help thanking an HCPS educator or staff member? Let HEF help with our Honor an Educator opportunity.

​Learn more about our Thanks-A-Lotto.

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Ideas for Saying Thank You!

Monday marks the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week. Show our educators all the feels through emoji’s! Express your gratitude by sending your teachers emails and text messages written in emoji, photos and videos with emoji stickers, and artwork of your teacher as an emoji. Send them through SeeSaw, Google classroom, or social media. You also could use good ol’ fashion hand delivery or snail mail! Just address it to the school. Here are some resources to get you started:

• “I Feel [insert emoji] about my Teacher” Printable
• Emoji Thank You Card Printables

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Move over tacos, it’s Nacho Ordinary Teacher Tuesday.  Make a maraca and video serenade your teacher. Show off your skills to your Spanish teacher, di gracias solo en español. Have fun and let our educators know they’re better than tacos! Below are some free printables you can use to deliver, email, or post on SeeSaw, Google classroom, or social media:

• Fiesta Appreciation Notes
• Nacho Average Teacher Graphic

Thank you, Lena Hesse with her #HEFshoutout to Señora Hernandez by taking a picture with her teacher’s favorite thing—a cactus. And thank you to Latham Copland for his #thanksHCPS video in Spanish. Both great examples of our Nacho Ordinary Teacher Tuesday!

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How many ways can you say thank you on  Warm Wishes Wednesday? Let’s take today to write our educators a letter, poem, song, or shoutout! Say thank you in many different languages. Send your teacher little notes throughout the day. Below are some printables to help profess your profound appreciation:

• Thank You Questionnaire
• Thank You Cards

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Calling all young artists! Share a portrait of your teacher on Thursday.  Portraits of your teachers will touch their hearts and might win them a t-shirt.   Get out the paint, markers or crayons and create a portrait of your teacher.  Deliver it, email it or sending it through seesaw.  But first, send a photo of your portrait to [email protected] or post on social media with #HEFshoutout and up to three teachers will receive a HEF t-shirt. 

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A picture is worth a 1,000 words so let’s say a million words on Photo Friday. Share all your favorite images from school. Take a picture with a #HEFshoutout #thanksHCPS sign saying what you appreciate about your school and teachers. Post the photos and videos to SeeSaw, Google classroom, social media. Let those teachers see your smiling face!