Offer a Fun Reading Challenge

Thanks to the combined efforts of the school’s principal and the PTA, Fernbrook Elementary in Randolph, N.J., had 100 percent student participation in the Fernbrook Reading Is Essential Schoolwide challenge. From February through April, students logged the hours they read outside of school, and parents verified the hours by sending in a signed form at the end of each week. PTA leaders hung giant measuring sticks in the school’s entrance to delineate each grade’s reading hours, which were logged and tallied every Friday. Students gathered daily to see which class was leading the competition. By the end of the program, students had read a total of 6,597 hours. The PTA awarded weekly prizes to the top readers; the program ended with a family carnival featuring crafts, games, yummy food, and treats courtesy of the PTA.