Frequently Asked Questions
- Q. How long is this years program?
This years program will run from October 2008 to April 2009, with registration beginning online Friday September 19, 2008. Teachers begin tracking reading on October 1, with the first report (October) due by November 7, 2007. The last report (April) will be due by May 7, 2008.
- Q. When and how do I submit my monthly report?
All monthly reports and Top Reader of the Year reports must be submitted online. Please select Tracking & Reporting from the Reading Is Cool home page. Teachers can enter any report at any time, but to qualify for Top Classrooms of the Month book deliveries from S.J. Sharkie, the following reporting deadlines apply:
|
Report |
Due Date |
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October |
November 7th |
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November |
December 7th |
|
December |
January 16th (to accommodate holiday closures) |
|
January |
February 7th |
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February |
March 7th |
|
March |
April 7th |
|
April |
May 7th |
Please note that the Top Reader of the Year will need to be submitted by March 7th in order to select winners for Top Reader Night on April 4 vs. Anaheim. Though you may wait to give your Top Reader of the Year medal out when the program is fully completed at the end of April, Top Reader Night must occur before then.
- Q. What do I do if I have multiple classrooms?
- Teachers with multiple classrooms must register each class individually, using different usernames. A different email address for each class is NOT necessary. Each class will receive separate materials and monthly awards. Teachers will need to submit a report for each class every month.
- Q. When and how does my class receive their materials?
- Classes will receive posters and monthly awards in two separate mailings during the middle of October. All materials will be mailed to the address provided in the registration process.
- Q. Why track number of pages instead of books?
Within grades the reading levels of students can be vastly different and some students may read many short books while others are reading a fewer number of longer books. Because we need a method for awarding S.J. Sharkies Top Classrooms of the Month visits, we believe number of pages provides the greatest parity.
Q. Do we count pages that students read at home? What about pages that are read to them? The goal is to get students to read more books and to improve their reading level. You should count all pages that students read, whether it is in school or at home, but please only count each page once. K-2nd Grade students may also count pages that are read to them, and 3rd-6th Grade students may count easy pages that they read to a sibling or younger child. Making sure that each student is reading at the appropriate level is up to the teacher and parents.
- Q. Do the Reader of the Month and Top Reader of the Year have to be the student that read the most pages?
While many teachers may award the medals based on the number of pages read, this may cause the same student to win each month and other students who are working very hard may lose their desire to participate, believing they will never win. For this reason, we encourage teachers to consider other criteria for Readers of the Month, such as greatest improvement, most effort shown etc. Ultimately the choice is left to each teacher to make the program work for their class.
- Q. What do I do if I have two students tie for the monthly award?
- Because our program does tend to fill to capacity, we have very few medals left over after registration and cannot provide classes with extra awards.
- Q. When are monthly awards distributed?
Individual student awards are awarded by the teacher at the end of the month, once books have been totaled. Classroom deliveries by S.J. Sharkie will occur the month after reports are submitted (i.e. October's Top Classrooms will receive visits in November, etc.).
- Q. How do you determine the Top Classrooms of the Month? How will my fifth grade classroom win if my students have to read as many books as a first grade class?
Each month S.J. Sharkie will make his Top Classrooms of the Month visits to the classroom from each grade that has read the most number of pages per student (based on information provided in the monthly reports) and eight other classes selected at random, for a total of 15 visits. Also, because we hope to spread the joy of reading to as many classrooms as possible, each class is only able to win one visit from S.J. Sharkie in a given year.
- Q. How can we find out who is winning the monthly classroom awards?
Monthly classroom winners are listed on the Top Classroom of the Month page on our website shortly after monthly reports are due.
Q. Previously there were fieldtrips to HP Pavilion at San Jose. Are these still offered?
The fieldtrip component of Reading Is Cool is no longer offered due to a reallocation of resources. Classes are still welcome at HP Pavilion for an Entertainment Tour at the cost of $3 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (408) 977-4730.
Q. What is the contact information for Fremont Bank Reading Is Cool?
We can be reached via the following:
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