A couple months back, I was lucky enough to review some delicious products from Bake Crafters. Upon request, they very generously sent me extra cookies to share with teachers on Teachers Appreciation Day. Well, it was a great idea in theory, but one that I just couldn’t execute. I blame having just tracked back in (ie lots of things to catch up from after having kids home for 3 weeks) and a 5th grade overnight field trip that took a day to prepare for and a day to recover from. lol. I ended up taking the easy way out by giving them gift cards and pre-made treats instead. 😉
My next great idea was to give them to the girls’ teachers as a part of end-of-year teacher gifts. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite happen either. I was in the throes of planning Little Sis’ 5th grade graduation celebration and hosting family. DOH! Finally, I made one last-ditch effort to make these “cookies to share” with the elementary school staff who were working the week of July 4th. It was probably most befitting as this 5th grade graduation marked the end of an era: 9 years at this sweet school we will miss.
Teachers and staff working the week of July 4th you ask?!? Yes, indeed. The girls have attended year-round calendar schools for the past 9 years and have loved it. Year-round calendar schools have about 20-30% higher student capacity than traditional schools. They were instituted to accommodate the tremendous growth we’ve seen in my area. They’re divided into 4 tracks and operate on 9 week quarters all year long, even through the summer! Three tracks are “tracked IN” for 9 weeks and one track is “tracked OUT” for 3 weeks at any given time. These schools observe national holidays but operate through the summer and have no spring or winter breaks. We even have the occasional “Saturday school” when we have a snow day or two to make up.
The week of July 4th ends up being the busiest time of the year for staff on this calendar. Not only does it mark the end of a school year, it hits reset and starts off a brand new one. These teachers and admin deserve massive kudos (and cookies to share, haha) for the “magic” they perform. All this in less than a week.
Anyway, I finally got around to baking the cookies Friday morning and barely delivered them by the afternoon after a busy week. I operated in stealth mode while taking pictures and hid them so as not to tempt playdate friends that were over. I played dumb when one of them made a comment, “Mmmm, it smells sooooo goood in here!!” “Hmmmm. Must be our new air freshener!” 😉 I had made 4 dozen cookies to share but with school staff only. Sugar, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip and fudge brownie. Which do you prefer?
I crafted a card to express my gratitude for all they’ve done for my girls during their wonderful years there. I also wanted to make sure they knew where the treats came from and included a little blurb about Bake Crafters. Their great products targeted towards healthier food choices in K-12 schools shouldn’t go unmentioned!
I was so happy to finally deliver these cookies to share, not only to cross off this nagging item on my to-do list, but also to let the staff know how much we’ll miss them. Upon delivery, we shared some sweet memories and hugs. I wished them well and got a little teary-eyed in the process. My girls have come a long way with the help of some wonderful hearts at our elementary school of 9 years.
Thank you LPES! It’s been a fun ride. We’ll miss you but we are ready to move on! And thank you Bake Crafters for providing healthier food choices for school kids all across the country!
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Christine, aka happyvballgirl
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