We hope you are having an enjoyable summer! It is time to prep for the next school year and continuing to build a culture of appreciation at your school. Here are the tools you will need to have a amazing and impactful programs this year.
Appreciation Days Checklist
| Tools |
| [ ] Bus Driver Day Packet [ ] Parent Sign Up Sheet [ ] Master Calendar [ ] All Appreciation Packets [ ] Awards & Eligibility App [ ] Utrust University |
| To Do |
| To Do [ ] Complete Utrust U Certification (Refresher Course Required – Info below) |
| Sample Letters |
| [ ] To Student Groups [ ] To Parents [ ] To PTO [ ] To Churches [ ] To Businesses [ ] To Parents of Student Leadership |
This Year’s Theme
We are excited about this year’s super fun theme!
ERAS!
From the Victorian Era to the Neon 80s, we travel through time to bring gratitude for the school staff that are shaping the history of their school.
There are incredible teaching moments with each appreciation day, so be sure to take advantage of that.
You can watch the energetic theme video by clicking the button below.
You can download packets now to start your prep for Bus Driver Day in September.
What’s New This Year
PACKET UPGRADES
Your Appreciation Packets have been UPGRADED! You can look forward to new tools:
- Promo/teaching video for each Appreciation Day
- Principal tools – email templates to reach families and honorees
- Counselor Lesson Plans – easily integrate the Appreciation Day themes
- Primary Packets – not new, but they include additional tools
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
As you select your leaders for this year, remember that this is an honor, a responsibility and an avenue for growth in students. Parents would love to know their student has been selected, so we have provided a standard email template you can use to alert parents that their student has been chosen for the A-Team or G-Force!
AWARDS & ELIGIBILITY APP
We have gone fully digital for submitting and tracking your posts about Appreciation Days and Culture Quests.
This will be easier to submit (no hashtags to remember!) and you can keep track of what you submitted (or missed).
We are confident this new app will make your life easier!
All submissions for awards and tracking grant eligibility will be done through the app moving forward.PLEASE BOOKMARK THE PAGE
The Utrust Facebook Coordinators Group will now be used for important communications as well as instruction, tools and feedback on best practices.
NEW CULTURE QUEST
We have replaced April’s Shout Out Mondays with Smartie-Grams!
We know that testing typically happens in April, so this is a great way to encourage students and staff through this time.
CULTURE QUEST PACKET UPGRADES
Your Culture Quest Packets have also gotten an upgrade! More tools including email templates for the principal to reach out to families and community partners to encourage their participation in their own way.
Make The Most of Registration Day
BEFORE Registration Day…
Have students create a poster board enlisting parents to participate in the Utrust Appreciation Program.
Make the board very specific to your needs with information including the names of the appreciation days and things you want such as:
• Water bottles
• Chocolate bars
• Thank you notes
• Brownies
• Cookies
• Other baked goodies
ON Registration Day…
Set up a table with a few A-Team students inviting parents to participate in the program.
Have the students ask parents to sign up using the sign up sheet we provide (link below).
Once you have parents signed up, the Action Crew will call them throughout the year to remind them to send in the items for the appreciation day(s). That way “everyone does a little so no does a lot”.
Utrust University for 2026-2027 Year
ACTION NEEDED FOR ALL ROLES!
Thank you for your continued commitment to learning and growing through Utrust University. Certification helps ensure everyone is prepared, informed, and ready for a successful year ahead.
Already Certified?
Great news! If you already earned your certificate last year, you will only need to complete a brief Refresher Course this year.
The refresher course will highlight:
- Key parts of the program that are most often misunderstood
- New features and updates for the upcoming year
Once completed, you will receive an updated certificate with this year’s date.
New Role This Year?
If someone at your school is serving in a new role this year, they will need to complete the full Utrust University curriculum for that role.This ensures each team member has the information and tools needed to be successful.
Grant Application Requirement
Certificates dated for the current year will be required when applying for:
Appreciation Grants and Culture Grants
Save your updated certificate so it is ready to upload with your grant application.
Important Grant Dates
Applications Open: July 15, 2026
Applications Close: August 31, 2026
Grant Applications July 15 – August 30
The application for Appreciation and Culture Grants will be open. The application deadline is August 31st.
Utrust University certificates will be required to upload during the application process. Be sure all roles have completed the required certification for their role.