Read-A-Thon at Sorrento!
Four million, eight hundred and thirty-two thousand, six hundred and forty seconds, 80,544 minutes or 1,342.4 hours. These numbers represent that amount of time 156 students at Sorrento Elementary spent reading on their own time over three weeks in February.
The Read-a-Thon was organized by teacher-librarian Ravonne Foulger. She kicked it off with an online PJ Storytime and a Book Character dress-up day, and then encouraged students to read. The students met the challenge and read anywhere between 100 to 5,000 minutes during the Read-A-Thon, with one student, Atticus Gifford, reading for 5,239 minutes.
Principal Paul Rosman congratulated the participating Sorrento Elementary students and thanked everyone who supported the students’ daily reading and were able to donate to this fun and engaging activity. “Special thanks to Mrs. Foulger for organizing this event,” he added.
For the past year and half, Sorrento Elementary has focused on enhancing foundational reading skills among primary students using the UFLI program to achieve their literacy goals. Mrs. Foulger, serving both as the Librarian and Literacy Support Teacher, inititated the Read-A-Thon. While it served as a library fundraiser, its primary goal was to reinforce reading skills taught in class and with her groups, promoting reading at home and fostering the love of reading. “Students were excited to share their reading successes each week and to challenge themselves and each other. This was a huge success on all fronts,” shared Rosman.
Foulger emphasized her goal of encouraging students to read for 20 minutes each night, a practice which has been identified to help students achieve academic success. “This is one of the reasons why I wanted the Read-a-Thon to last for more than just a week or two. I was hoping that the habit of reading nightly would develop and for many students it has! Quite a few students have told me they are still doing the Read-a-Thon, although one student worded it as ‘my mom is still making me do the Read-a-Thon’,” laughed Foulger.
Participation in the Read-a-Thon didn’t required students to collect donations or pledges however, many chose to do so. Among them, sisters Olivia and Emma Huston, collected 14 donations amounting to $524 in total. Rowan LeDuc collected nine donations, reacing a total of $390. “In total, we raised $9,867 for our library. I am using this money to buy books that are new to our school but also to replace classics that are well-loved and worn out!” she added. “This will hopefully further contribute to a love of reading.”
Instead of opting for the typical book sale, Foulger explored different library fundraising ideas, came across the Read-a-Thon concept, and decided to give it a try. Every student in the school was invited to participate, regardless of whether they raised money or not. Participants received a calendar to record their reading minutes. When students reached milestones like 100, 200, and 300 minutes, they could visit the library and to receive a small prize. Also, prizes were awarded to the student in each grade who read the most (earning a Bookingham Palace gift certificate), the student who raised the most money, and the student who gathered the most donors (earning an opportunity to be the Librarian for a day).
Classes also had the opportunity to earn prizes! Awards were given to classes that collectively read the most minutes, both in the intermediate and primary levels. The winning intermediate class which read for a combined 12,800 minutes over three weeks. A prize was also given to the class with the highest participation rate. “Our Grade 3/4 Class had 19 out of 22 students participating. They collected 40 different donations, and read for 11,531 minutes,” shared Foulger. These winning classes will each enjoy an ice cream sundae party.
Foulger mentioned that the school’s PAC supported the Read-a-Thon idea and donated $250 towards the prizes.