The Read-a-Thon is On!

Happy New Year!  We hope that you've all had a great break with the kids.  If the kids got any books over the holidays they'll be all set to start the read-a-thon that's starting up today!

We're holding a read-a-thon this month with an aim to raise $12,000 for the school library. The school district's funding has been reduced over the years, and it's become a challenge to not only buy new books for the library, but to keep the existing ones in good repair as well.  About 1500 books travel in and out of the library every week, so you can imagine the bumps and bruises they get.  This fundraised money should fund the library for about 4 years.  Here's where you can donate:https://chimp.net/groups/walton-read-a-thon

The students will come home with a log sheet stapled to the back of their planner today.  They'll be asked to read for 15 minutes a day for every day this month, and colour in a star when they're done.  Some teachers will include this reading time during their classroom activities, and will have gotten the kids to colour in the star.  There are stars on the weekends too, so try to fit in some reading time for the kids.  Schedules often get pretty busy, so don't worry if you miss a day -  it's ok to make up the time later.

Once the kids finish reading a book, please log into your classroom's fundraising page, and list the book on the activity page.  There are instructions here<http://www.waltonpac.ca/read-a-thon-faq.html>.  You'll be able to see what the other students are reading (maybe your child will get a good lead on the next book!).  Our supporters will also be able to see the effort the students are making as well.

Many thanks to our corporate sponsors that have agreed to match every dollar you donate with one of their own!  A shout out to Cortney Lessard - Realtor, Church's Chicken, James Garbutt - Realtor, and Zac Jacobson (parent).

Lastly, make sure that you have fun with this.  Have some fun reading - maybe it could even be a family activity.  This is not just a fundraiser, but also a way for the kids to pick up some reading skills, and get involved in raising money for a cause that they are interested in.

Any questions or comments, feel free to reach out.

Cheers,
Jen Sing
Read-a-thon Co-ordinator
[email protected]