Sponsor a Student

READ AROUND THE WORLD
On Friday, November 13th, CCS will kick-off the Read-a-Thon with a full school assembly – 
After the assembly, all students will receive their Read-A-Thon packet — an envelope containing instructions, tips for asking for donations, a reading and donation log board and a Read Around the World bookmark to use as a fun tool for all the reading!

Set a Daily Reading Goal
Students set a daily reading goal for the 8 day period. All time spent reading outside of school. In-school reading will be recorded by the teachers. All reading outside of school counts, whether your child is reading or being read to.

Secure Sponsors
Students share their reading goal with family, friends, and neighbors and ask for a flat donation to support their efforts! Each student should try to raise at least $100 or ask 10 people for donations. Students send link to potential sponsors. If a sponsor decides to write a check rather than giving on line all Checks should be made payable to “CCS”.
It's really easy for donors to make online donations by credit card using the "Sponsor a Student" Link at the top of this page.

Track Reading Time
Read! Read! Read! Students mark off how many minutes they read each day in increments on their reading log. Parents and guardians may help students with this task.

Turn in Log and Donations
Students need to bring their Reading Log daily for prizes. Logs and donations must be returned to their teacher no later than Friday, November 20th or entry may not be considered for prizes.

​Thank You CCS Students
Reading and fundraising is hard work! To thank our students, the reading log has several incentives the students can reach along the way as they read more and more.  See prize levels below.

Reading Strategies

​Make this challenge fun for the whole family! Take a trip to the library and stock up on books that interest your child. Encourage and praise your child as they participate and engage in reading anything that is appropriate for their reading level.

For children in the lower grades, listening to adults or older siblings read counts as reading time. When reading with your child, ask recall questions about characters or details of the story in order to build his or her reading comprehension skills. Talk about the story and relate it to your child’s everyday life when possible.

For families with students in the upper grades, consider having them read in one room with others who are reading quietly — a family reading night! Or, try reading out loud as a family one night a week while rotating readers. Help strengthen your child’s reading skills by asking questions about his or her reading in terms of comprehension, recall of details, and discussing the book’s theme or ideas.
​
To parents, family members, and guardians, we encourage you to take the challenge of setting a goal and reading daily as well. Show your child that reading is important in your life too.
When our children see us reading, they learn the value and joy of it. Have fun reading.

Sponsorship Tips & Strategies

Sponsor your child in the Read-a-Thon! You could also offer to match your child’s total collected donations or donations up to a certain amount. All donations are tax deductible! Help your child write an email to family, friends, and your colleagues using the template in your packet or below. 

Sponsorship Letter Samples

Sample Email from a Student

[Date]

Dear [Grandma/Grandpa/Auntie/Family Friends],
Will you please support me in my school’s Read-a-thon?
The money I raise will support missions, STEM programs, music and field trips, classroom supplies and much more.

I am committed to reading _____ minutes or more a day for the 8 days duration of the Read-A-Thon and will keep track of the total minutes I read. A flat donation of $10-$100 will help me reach my personal goal of raising $100 or more!
I appreciate any amount you are able to give!

The easiest way to donate is online willmarccs.com click the "Sponsor a Student" button.
·        Find my grade and name
·        Set your donation amount
Or you can send a check to me, payable to CCS before Friday, November 20.
Thank you for helping me to reach my goal!

Love,
[name]

 
Sample Letter From a Parent

[Date]
Dear Friends and Family,
__________ is currently participating in Community Christian School’s Read-a-thon to help raise money for her school’s STEM, music, mission project, field trips and classroom supplies. We put together a short video that I thought you would enjoy. _____________ has committed to reading _____ minutes a night during the read-a-thon and s/he's doing great! The Read-a-thon continues until Friday, November 20.
If you are interested in sponsoring __________ in the Read-a-thon and helping her to meet her fundraising goal (even a little bit goes a long way!), you can donate online by going to willmarccs.com and click the "Sponsor a Student" button. 
·        Find my grade and name
·        Select your donation amount
Or you can send a check to me, payable to CCS before Friday, November 20.

Thank you so much for your support.
Sincerely,

Prize Levels

rize levels: 

Level 1
PK-2nd grade      30 mins.          T-Shirt & keychain
3 – 6th grade        45 mins           T-Shirt & keychain
7-12th grade         60 mins           T-Shirt & pop

Level 2 -  
PK-2                        60 mins           Student choice: Candy Bar & fidget
3 – 6                        150 mins         Student choice: Candy Bar & fidget
7-12                         200 mins         $5 gift card & pop socket or candy bar

Level 3
PK-2                       120 mins         $5 Gift Card or free meal & book
3 – 6                        300 mins         $10 Gift Card or free meal & book
7-12                        500 mins         $10 gift Card or Wireless color changing speaker

Level 4
PK-2                       250 mins           Walkie Talkies
3 – 6                        700 mins           Echo Dot & 30 mins of Golf Lab
7-12                        1000 mins         Hammock or student choice of $25 gift card & 30 mins                                                                      of  Golf Lab
 
Prize for most money raised as class in each group:  pizza party

Prize for most minutes read as class in each group: Field trip to Sea Life or Sky Zone

Prize for students that meet their $100 goal:
PK-2 stuffed animal or Lego blind bag
3-6 stuffed animal or kickball
7-12 $10 gift card of choice

The prize for most money raised –
PK-2 Bike
3-6 tablet
7-12 air pods

The prize for most minutes read –
PK-2 kids tablet
3-6 rip stick
7-12 Chromebook 
​
Every $100 raised chance to win grand prizes in the drawing & ticket in drawing for each reading level met.

Book Recommendations

​Book Recommendations
ATTENTION EAGLES! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO RECOMMEND YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS TO YOUR FRIENDS AND LEARN ABOUT NEW BOOKS TO CHECK OUT!
The following books are Eagle favorites -- either to read themselves or when being read to!
Kindergarten / 1st grade:
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg
Anything by Jon Scieszka and Dave Shannon
Dragons Eat Noodles on Tuesdays by Jon Stahl -- a local Alameda author!!
Girl Running by Annette Pimentel -- Annette was the local author at our 2019 Read-A-Thon kick-off assembly!
How I Met My Monster Series by Amanda Noll
One - by Kathryn Otashi -- artistic/visual take on bullying and standing up to bullies
How To Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan
2nd / 3rd grade:
Anything by Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett (grades K-3)
Big Nate books by Lincoln Peirce (grades 1-3)
Dog Man books by Dav Pilkey (grades 1-3)
Geronimo Stilton by Elisabetta Dami (grades 1-3)
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales (grades K-3) -- about the immigration experience
Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung (grades K-3) -- embraces diversity
Dragon Masters series by Tracey West
The Notebook of Doom series by Troy Cummings
Eerie Elementary series by Jack Chabert
Kung Pow Chicken series by Cyndi Marko
Looniverse series by David Lubar and Matt Loveridge
Princess Pulverizer series by Nancy Krulik and Ian McGinty
A Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, et al.
Ella and Owen series by Jaden Kent
Treehouse Series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Field Trip Mysteries by Steve Brezenoff
4th / 5th grade:
Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey
El Deafo by Cece Bell (grades 3-5) -- a wonderful book for older elementary kids about disabilities
Anything by Jennifer Holm -- novels and graphic novels
Of note:
*** The American Library Association is a great resource for books. Here is their 2019 list of notable books for younger (picture books), middle grade, and older kids (which skews Young Adult). It’s a great list. http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb ***

FAQ's

Q: What are the dates of the Read-a-Thon?
A: Friday, November 13 to Friday, November 20, 2020 Reading done before or after these dates is terrific, but is not counted toward the Read-a-Thon.

Q: What does my child need to do to participate in the Read-a-Thon?
A: Set a daily reading goal, solicit sponsors and send out sponsor link, read, and keep track of the time he or she spends reading.

Q: My child cannot read yet on his or her own, can my child still participate?
A: Yes! Parents, guardians, siblings and other family members may read aloud to your child. This reading time counts toward minutes read.

Q: What counts for reading?
A: Any time your child spends reading outside of school time Friday, November 13 to Friday, November 20, 2020. This includes individual reading time and being read to aloud. 

Q: Do I need special forms for the Read-a-Thon?
A: Yes, a Read-a-Thon Packet including instructions, a reading log, and an envelope for collecting the donations will be sent home with your child on , ____. A limited number of extra packets may be available in the office.

Q: Whom should my child ask to be a sponsor?
A: Sponsors can be parents, relatives, neighbors -- anyone who has a connection to your child, would like to support his or her reading, and would like to support our school. This is our CCS fall fundraiser where it is easy to ask extended family and friends to sponsor and donate to our school.

Q: How much money should a sponsor donate?
A: That is up to the sponsor. All donations should be flat donations.

Q: When should the money be collected from sponsors?
A: Donations are collected online. If a sponsor wants to write a check students should collect the donation at the time they ask for it and secure all donations in the Read-a-Thon Envelope. Checks should be written to the CCS.

Q: Who is responsible for collecting the sponsorship donations?
A: You and your child are only responsible for collecting sponsor donations if they write a check.

Q: What do we do with the Read-a-Thon Envelope when the Read-a-Thon ends?
A: The entire Read-a-Thon packet including the reading and donation log board and the collected donations in the envelope should be turned into your child’s teacher on the morning of Friday, November 20, 2020

Q: Are there prizes for the students?
A: Yes. Every student who turns in a Read-a-Thon packet will receive small prizes based on their minutes read. Prizes will be announced soon ... 

Q: Can my child participate – even without sponsors?
A: Yes, all students are encouraged to participate regardless of the amount of sponsorship. Have your student turn in his or her reading log so he or she can be eligible prizes.