I have done a search but I couldn't find any info about this.
Do kids normally buy a gift for their teacher at the end of the school year in Switzerland?
We've only been here since November so I have no esperience of this.
In Belgium it was normal to give a little something either individually or as a gift from all the class which we all contributed to. I personally think the combined effort is better as the teachers seemed to be swamped by chocolates and flowers on the last day of term.
If the class wasn't giving a gift I always tried to offer something a bit different (being the only non Belgian in the class) but if I need to find something here I don't have much time as school finishes on Thursday.
Why not do a handmade card specially from your daughter? Sorry cant help with the customs here, but my sis is a teacher back home and she really treasures such cards she gets on Teachers Day and end of school years.
As a teacher in Belgium I was on the receiving end of many of these gifts so I appreciate the challenges faced I once received 6 bouquets of flowers and 5 boxes of chocolates two days before we left on holiday. My neighbours appreciated the flowers and OH and son ate the chocs when we got back (I don't actually like chocolate)
We have given homemade shortbread in the past so maybe we'll do that again. Son is a pretty good cook and we can wrap them nicely.
We've already started a card but being 11 and a boy he's not really being very creative at the moment.
As we arrived halfway through the year we never actually got one of those.
He's going to a friend's after school today so maybe I'll commit the cardinal sin and go round to collect him so that I can chat to the mother.
There is an endof year party on Thursday but we are leaving straight after school for holiday so my son can't go. They asked for everybody to take 3chf with them so maybe that's for a gift?
My daughter will finish 2yrs of Kindergarden and we'll give a small gift to the Kindergarden teacher. The other one finishs with her playgroup and all parents give a voucher for the Thermalbad Zürich and an album with drawings and pictures of our children - we share the costs.
As far as I know, gifts at the end of every schoolyear are not common - You can give a gift if the teacher hands over the class to another teacher or if a child changes to another school.
It would be best if you ask another mother living at your place.
Mostly the kids give a 'combined' gift to the teacher. Just call one of the moms and ask what is happening. BUT, my kids always give something extra too...I mostly buy a nice orchid from Coop or Migros (CHF20 or so), that way it lasts longer than just a few days (bunch of flowers) and attach a card that kids made, or stick a drawing of theirs on it.
I also send the Orchid a day before last schoolday in with my kids, that way the poor teacher is not swamped with gifts and can still get it home
If you dont want to buy an orchid, how about any other plant, even maybe the small baby orchids are cute for a window (costs also less).
...my kindergarden-girl came home with a note written by another mom. She'll organise a voucher from Globus and asks who would like to give a contribution. Attached with a card and maybe some flowers, this will be a great good-bye-present... Personally, I believe this to be the better option than having 10 different gifts given to the teacher.
Two of the mums from our class sent us a note with instructions on what they were doing - so each kid made a drawing with a photo of themselves in it and a little rhyme which was bound together into a kind of year book for the teacher. We also gave some money which was used to get her a garden centre voucher - which I think is a fab present for her - she's a keen gardener.
As I said previously I don't have contact details for any of the other parents so contacting them could be a bit tricky. Since this Thursday is the last day of school I'm guessing I would have heard something by now if one of the other mothers were organising something for the whole class.
I edited one of my posts to say that the teacher was a man but the edit doesn't seem to be there. I'm not sure he would appreciate the flowers/plant ideas. He is pretty sporty so maybe I'll look for something in that area. We haven't been here long and the teacher was very helpful to my son when we arrived (especially with the German lessons) so I think it would be nice to get something.
My son is moving up ro secondary school in August so he won't be at that school anymore.