Giving money to another parent for a Christmas class gift to teachers?

My 2 year old has been attending a private preschool for the past 6 months or so and really enjoys it there. We have a positive relationship with the teachers, though we have only met them briefly, due to COVID precautions, they have cancelled most events whereby parents would meet the teacher, or meet the other parents.

​

This holiday season, we have been informed that in lieu of individual gifts, parents may donate funds for a collective gift to teachers. It is stated that the school matches our donations and divides the monetary gift among the teachers at an upcoming Staff Holiday Party.

​

In order to contribute we are being requested to write checks to, or Venmo another parent, who we have never met. We'd love to gift the teachers, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable entrusting that money to another parent who I've never met, particularly if it's a decent sum, as I would be inclined to give.

​

Is this normal? Am I just being overly cautious and should just go with the flow, particularly since the school will match the donation? Or should I just gift the teachers directly?

Edit: Just to give some context, this isn't like a $5-10 contribution per family. Based on the classroom size, upper-class families, and how much we pay just for tuition, I'd expect the total amount managed by the other parent to be at least a few hundred, if not a few thousand dollars.