Classroom Decorations - Do They Stay with the Teacher or You Take Them Back?

Do you want to keep them? If so, tell the teacher that you will pick up the decorations by a certain time. If do not want them or you don't care, offer them to the teacher and she can tell you if she can use them/store them.

Usually per my kids' school/classroom parties, the Room Mom sends out an e-mail and flier, to parents. About the party.
It delineates the party/what is needed/food/party supplies, etc. and also per any monetary donations IF a parent chooses to do that, instead of actually donating objects/things/supplies/food, etc. toward, the party. Because, many parents cannot even come with their child to the classroom to even drop-off party items/food/supplies, because they have to get to work. Hence they opt, to just donate a monetary amount, instead. Toward the party. Even if that is $5.

The e-mail/flier that is sent to parents about the party, ALSO has on it a sign-up list... for what each parent wants to contribute toward, the party. And it lists, how many of each item/food, is needed. So that, it is organized and each parent knows how many of what item/food is
needed.

Then, with what is donated or supplied by the parents for the party for their child's Classroom, the party is set up.
IF a parent, opts to buy other things for the party, with their own money, that is up to them. But usually, the party and its games/supplies/food, is already organized and delineated. And the Teacher is consulted with if it is okay etc. So there is no one person, that is relegated with buying, everything per decorations. If decorations are a necessity, for the party. Because usually, the Classroom is already decorated, for the party, via the Teacher who has seasonal classroom decorations, already, for his/her Classroom, annually.

For you and buying all of that, you do not have to give it to the Teacher. Or you can. It is up to you.

Take them back. The teacher may not even want them. As a homeroom parent we would always decorate the room the day of the party and then clean up the room and leave it in the condition we found it after the party.

If you still have the receipts, you may want to consider returning some of the decorations unless you plan to use them for yourself at a later date. It really was not necessary to spend $90 on decorations.

FYI.... The only hing we ever left behind for the teacher was left over packaged food and a CD with Halloween music.

If you want them back, ask for them, especially if they are not paper goods. I would tend to leave paper things or small things with the teacher if he/she wants them, for future use. But I'd take back a haunted house or plastic pumpkin. And if you do want them back, do the work to take them down and take them home. Don't make her also pack them up for you.

You may also look at what you got and what you need and think if they really do need $90 of decorations. I would think some orange/black/green/purple streamers, some spooky cut outs, maybe a spare fabric ghost or two and that would be enough.

the school may not even have the space to store them.
i think it's just fine to take them home, and may even be a relief. but to preclude any potential awkwardness, just make it clear when you bring them in. 'hi mrs blahblah, i picked up some decorations for the class to use this year. what would be the best day to come take them down and get them out of your way?'
khairete
S.

Are you sure the kids haven't already made decorations for the classroom?

I would tell the teacher that I provided the decorations for the party and she is welcome to keep them if she wants. (My guess is that she would NOT want them.) But if she doesn't wish to keep them, you would take them home so you can use them again.

By the way, $90 for Halloween decorations? That sounds like an awful lot of money for class party decorations. You might want to scale back and return some of those before the party. Hope everyone has fun!

If you paid for them, you have the option of keeping them.

It would never occur to me that stuff I spent $90 on to decorate for a party might not be mine to determine what to do with. It seems rather simple to me. At the time you decorate for the party, you inform the teacher that you will come pick up the decorations (are you cleaning up after the party?) on "x" date. If you are cleaning up at the end of the party, just take them. Nothing even needs to be said.

If someone came and decorated my house for a party on my behalf, I would not expect to keep the stuff they brought to decorate with. I would ask what they wanted me to do with it after the party, if they weren't there to make that decision at the time.

If you want to store them and offer them again next year, that is your prerogative. If you want to take them home and use them at home. That is your prerogative. If you want to take them home and give them away or throw them away, that is your prerogative, although, if you are throwing them away, I would offer them to the teacher first.
I would NOT expect to keep things like streamers or other paper products that generally only last one use. Those will end up in the trash, and rightly so.

Very generous of you to go over and above to get into the spirit of the party! It isn't necessary to give away your stuff, though, unless you just want to.

Frankly, I just wouldn't have purchased anything that I wasn't willing to give away. I cannot imagine that much for Halloween decorations for a class party that lasts one hour tops...

I've helped with parties at my son's school, and we have never done decorations. I don't think the kids would even notice.

I'm so sorry you spent your own money on this. Could you return the decorations? Or keep them for your home?

What did you buy that cost $90? Is the stuff re-usable next year or at your house after Halloween? I think I would tell the teacher that I am lending my decorations for the class party and will pick them up after the party at her convenience (perhaps at the end of the party or the end of the school day or Friday at the end of the week). Storage is probably an issue at the school and I think I would want my child's class next year to benefit if the teacher allows.
Good luck! It is nice that you are willing to help with the class parties. Take pictures!

Just tell the teacher they are your own decorations and you will be coming in on the day after halloween to take them back. And that you will be loaning them again next year. As a rule most classrooms have the kids pay "x" amount of money towards partys for the year. and the decorations, games, treats etc are all out of that money. No way you should have to put in $90 of your own money and not get the stuff back.

They belong to you. You purcased them with your money. You can give them to the teacher or take them home

Leave them ffor her. $90 on de orations is insane, really.

Ask the teacher if you can have them back to reuse next year. Sounds reasonable and the teacher will probably be happy to get rid of them...all the stuff has to go somewhere and if your school is like ours...there's a shortage of storage space.

Generally, things like that are donated and stay with the classroom.

$90 for Halloween party decorations in a classroom is insanity. I mean that in a nice and helpful way. My suggestion is that you return about $60 worth of that stuff. Have some balloons or streamers, a tablecloth, maybe a plastic punch bowl and some fake spiders. The goal in a classroom party is to create a festive background atmosphere that highlights the event. I'm sure your plans are pretty awesome, it is just too much for a school party.

It depends on how much you want them. Tell the teacher you bought them out of your own pocket and that you'll be taking them home after the party. If you don't care ask her if she'd like them. Teachers don't often have a lot of room to store stuff anymore and they might just go into the trash can at the end of the month.

I taught at my children's preschool for 3 years. Some mom's would personalize decorations with the names of the children in the class. If they did that, I assumed those specific things were to be sent home with the individual children. Other than that I always figured that the parents would want them back to reuse in future years. If a parent didn't want them back they were kept in a general collection for the school. They were offered to parents decorating classrooms in future years or sometimes used by teachers to decorate if they had parents that weren't very active. I personally had a class with parents that were very bad about decorating. I was already purchasing things and helping decorate the classrooms of my 3 children that attended the school at the time. So I didn't want to spend my own money but I would spend my own (unpaid) time using the school supplied decorations to try to make my classroom as festive as possible for my class.

So, I would say it is completely up to you. Are they things you will store and use again? If so take them back. If not consider donating them to the school and know that they will be well used for years to come.

If you hung a picture on my wall would you take it back? Although it is not totally wrong to take them back, it may be a little awkward as you tell the teacher to say good bye to them.

If it were me, I would let the teacher tell you if she would like to keep them.

One of my rules, when you give/loan, don't expect to get it back, otherwise, don't do it or set that understanding right up front.

In my book they would stay with the classroom/teacher as a donation. You could also talk to the PTO or PTA and see if they would be willing to buy them from you - if you have the receipt for future use even if not at full price so you can have some form of reimbursement. ANYTHING that I send to my son's class room I assume I will never get back.

Now, my son's teachers and I have good relationships and they have always asked me or simply sent xyz back if they felt it was appropriate, but I always plan on never seeing it again.

My first thought was leave them or ask the teacher. Until I saw $90!!!! What did you buy? Either take most of it home, or at least any big things you bought. The kids will not be looking for anything big and there may even be art projects hung up in the room that they made in school.

But PLEASE be sure to update. I am REALLY curious as to what you bought! LOL

Tell her that you come take them down after school on October 31. That way she will. To have taken them down and packed away for next year.