To prevent the overlap of several national holidays, we schedule our appreciation days a month apart to allow for ample time for celebration planning and for staff to receive meaningful recognition.
Special Area Teachers often get overlooked on Teacher Appreciation Day because they don’t have an assigned class. Giving them their own day ensures they receive the special recognition they deserve.
Absolutely! However, you must schedule an alternate date within two weeks of our planned days.
After each appreciation day, you must post 5 photos with a brief summary of the celebration to the Utrust Awards & Eligibility App within the two-week deadline.
On the Awards App, post photos of up to 3 appreciation notes written by students to a school staff member being honored after each appreciation day. The notes must be posted within the two week deadline established in the appreciation packets.
The A-Team plans and organizes the celebrations for each of the 8 Appreciation Days. The G-Force organizes Culture Quests & The Birthdate Challenge to promote appreciation throughout the year among students and staff.
What is Utrust?
Utrust is a Tennessee-based organization focused on employee recognition, appreciation, and building positive school culture to help make schools better places to work and learn.
What programs does Utrust offer?
Utrust offers:
What is the Utrust Appreciation Days Program (UAD)?
The UAD is a student-led program that encourages students to intentionally recognize and appreciate school employees through eight designated appreciation days each school year.
Who leads the Appreciation Days Program at a school?
Students lead through an 18-member A-Team, supported by adult advisers and a School Coordinator.
Why are appreciation days not scheduled on national appreciation holidays?
National appreciation days often fall in the same month. Utrust spaces appreciation days throughout the year to allow time for planning and to give each employee group focused recognition.
Why are Special Area Teachers celebrated on a different day than Teacher Day?
Special Area Teachers are honored separately to ensure their contributions receive focused recognition. This also allows classroom teachers and Special Area Teachers to support one another’s celebrations.
Can we celebrate employees on different dates than the scheduled dates?
Yes. Schools may adjust dates as long as celebrations occur within two weeks of the Utrust-scheduled date to remain eligible for grants and awards.
What is an Appreciation Days Grant?
An Appreciation Days Grant is a $500 grant provided by Utrust to support materials and activities for the eight appreciation days.
How can Appreciation Days Grant funds be used?
Funds may be used for:
What are the requirements to remain eligible for an Appreciation Days Grant?
Schools must:
What do we need to do to qualify for the Lucky Star Award (after each appreciation day)?
Schools must:
What do we need to do to qualify for Awesome Notes of Appreciation?
Schools must:
What is the Utrust Culture Initiative?
The Culture Initiative expands appreciation beyond designated appreciation days and encourages year-round appreciation among students, staff, parents, and the community.
What are the four pillars of the Culture Initiative?
The Culture Initiative is built on:
What is a Culture Grant?
Culture Grants provide funding to support culture-building activities such as Monthly Culture Quests and the Birthdate Challenge.
How are Culture Grants calculated?
Grant amounts are based on student population, so funding varies by school size. The minimum Culture Initiative grant is $1000.
Who is eligible for a Culture Grant?
Only schools that participate in Utrust Appreciation Days and meet Culture Initiative requirements are eligible.
What are the requirements to remain eligible for a Culture Grant?
Schools must:
What are the duties of the G-Force?
The G-Force:
What’s the difference between the A-Team and the G-Force?
What’s the difference between the Appreciation Days Program and the Culture Initiative?
The Appreciation Days Program focuses on honoring employees through designated days.
The Culture Initiative builds ongoing appreciation for everyone across the entire school community.
Who is responsible for filling out the Culture Grant application?
The principal is responsible for submitting the Culture Grant application.
Why are submissions moving to the app instead of Facebook?
The app offers an improved submission experience. Entries are private, confirmed, and tracked, and you can easily access them anytime throughout the year. You’ll also be able to download a report of your submissions whenever you need it.
Can we still submit entries in the Facebook group?
Yes. It is not required but schools may submit entries of special events if they choose. Once the app launches, submissions must be made through the app even though Facebook entries have been posted..
What will the Facebook group be used for now?
In addition to optional posts by schools, the Facebook group will be used by Utrust administrators to:
Members may comment and engage, but submissions should not be posted there.
Do I need a Facebook account to submit entries?
No. A Facebook account is not required. All submissions happen in the app.
Who can submit entries?
School Coordinators, A-Team and G-Force Advisers or other designated staff members. We encourage asking students to submit entries once staff member is logged in.
Is the app hard to use?
No. The app provides a clear, guided process and works on phones, tablets, and computers.
How many entries can we submit?
Each school may submit one complete entry per appreciation day, Culture Quest, or Awesome Notes per year.
Why only one complete entry?
How do I know my submission was received?
You will receive a confirmation screen and email after submitting.
What if we forget to submit?
The app tracks required submissions and allows Utrust to send alerts if something is missed.
If you fail to submit entries completely, you may not be eligible for grants in the future.
Who can see submissions?
Photos and descriptions can be viewed by those with an app login on the Celebration Showcase page. Schools may also view highlighted entries on the Utrust Coordinators Facebook Group.
Do we need hashtags or special post formatting?
No. The app removes the need for hashtags, specific wording, or Facebook formatting.
How does the Documentation Report help our school?
The report:
Why do we pay unemployment benefits for someone who left voluntarily and found another job?
Benefits are charged proportionately based on wages paid during the employee’s base period (the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters).
How does proportional charging work?
If an employer paid 38% of an employee’s base-period wages, that employer may be responsible for 38% of each benefit payment during the benefit year.
Why do we pay unemployment for part-time substitute teachers?
A claimant may qualify if they earned an average of at least $780.01 across two quarters during the base period, even if employment was part-time.
If a former employee is later found ineligible, do we receive a credit?
No. Reimbursing employers do not receive credits for benefits already paid. Repaid funds are applied to future benefits.
Can someone receiving retirement benefits also receive unemployment?
Sometimes.
What should we submit if an employee was terminated for misconduct?
Employers must provide detailed documentation showing willful, work-related misconduct when submitting the separation notice. The burden of proof is on the employer.
Can Utrust Appreciation Day activities support Tennessee school requirements?
Yes. Utrust Appreciation Days, when paired with the provided counselor lesson plans, support key Tennessee expectations related to:
These activities combine instruction, student work, and schoolwide participation in a way that aligns with existing school expectations.
What types of state expectations do Appreciation Days support?
Utrust Appreciation Days support documentation and implementation related to:
How do the Utrust provided counselor lesson plans support alignment?
The Utrust counselor lesson plans provide:
Each lesson reinforces character development, empathy, and respectful communication while allowing schools to document instructional delivery alongside school climate efforts.
Do Appreciation Days replace required instruction?
No. Appreciation Days do not replace academic or required instructional time.
However, when paired with the counselor lesson plans, they:
What documentation should schools keep?
Schools typically retain:
These materials provide clear evidence of both instruction and implementation.
How does the Utrust app support documentation?
The Utrust app simplifies documentation by:
This allows schools to maintain organized documentation without creating additional systems.
Do schools need to track the total number of notes written?
No. Schools are not required to track total participation counts.
The three uploaded Awesome Notes serve as representative student work samples, which are sufficient to demonstrate implementation and student engagement.
Can Culture Initiative activities also support alignment?
Yes. Culture Initiative activities (such as Culture Quests) support similar goals related to:
Schools may choose to include these as additional supporting evidence.
Do schools need to use both Appreciation Days and Culture Initiatives?
No. Schools may choose to use Appreciation Days alone.
Appreciation Days, when paired with the lesson plans and app documentation, already provide strong support for school climate, engagement, and counseling-related expectations.
However, schools are strongly encouraged to participate in both Appreciation Days and Culture Initiatives, as using both throughout the year provides more consistent opportunities to reinforce positive culture, strengthen relationships, and deepen student engagement.
Who determines whether activities meet specific requirements?
Final determination always rests with the school or district.
Utrust provides aligned activities, instructional support, and documentation tools that make it easier for schools to meet those expectations.
Does participation guarantee compliance with Tennessee mandates?
No. Participation does not guarantee compliance.
However, Utrust provides:
These elements strongly support many Tennessee expectations related to school climate, counseling, and student engagement.