Connect Kids With Books They Want to
Read – Schedule a Book Fair Today!
Read – Schedule a Book Fair Today!
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Congratulations to the Winners of the Fall 2008 Elementary National Contest! The first place winner of a visit from Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney and a $2,000 shopping spree in the Instructional Resource Catalog is: Canfield Elementary School Chairperson: Enola Lipaz Los Angeles, CA Canfield Elementary’s fall Book Fair was a special event that used the Safari theme as a springboard for students, teachers and families to have an “amazing over-the-top Book Fair” that generated excitement about books, built bonds to their school, and reached out to grandparents, neighbors, and local businesses. The "team" of students, teachers, principal, and volunteers were involved in so many activities related to the Book Fair it was hard to capture everything they did! Student activities included the creation of a 9-foot tall paper maché giraffe that has become a permanent school "pet." Classes completed science-based classroom art and research projects that were used to decorate the school even after the Book Fair was over. Students participated in a paw print guessing game, distributed invitations to neighbors and loaned their stuffed animals as decorations. Special events included an African animal interactive event open to the public, three separate outdoor lunches with "Someone You Love," a math/literacy night, potluck dinner for volunteers, a Klutz Build-a-Book event, and a Banana Breakfast featuring the principal dressed in a banana costume. The Book Fair included a number of projects promoting community service. Books purchased through the One for Books program were donated to a non-profit organization that distributes resources to those in need, and a school wide recycling program was started to collect materials used to decorate the Fair. When the Fair was over, they loaned decorations to other schools. To build excitement, volunteers and students wore safari costumes, painted animal tracks on school sidewalks, decorated, and created their own marketing materials. The Classroom Wishlist program was heavily promoted in a unique way and was featured prominently in the Fair. Canfield Elementary had a Book Fair that showed they are wild about books and reading! Second place winners of a $1,000 shopping spree in the Instructional Resource Catalog are: Discovery School at Reeves Rogers Chairperson: Sarah Svarda Murfreesboro, TN The Discovery School at Reeves-Rogers held a Surfin' Safari Book Fair that was totally planned by Discovery School students. There were many sixth graders who wanted to be part of the Book Fair crew, and the chairperson accepted all of them, even though it was a very large group. The group used organization, teamwork, and problem solving skills to come up with an amazing Fair. The students and chairperson got the whole school excited about reading and thought of others as well. They invited students from a local preschool to visit and be read to during the Book fair. They also donated profits of a silent auction to the preschool, so that teachers could buy books for their classrooms. All of this contributed to a successful and inspiring Book fair for their students and community. Immaculate Conception School Chairperson: Linda Williams North Little Rock, AR Students went on an adventurous trek to Australia on an Oz Safari. The Australia safari theme was incorporated into class curriculums. In art classes the students learned about aboriginal art while creating their own. Eighth graders made three-dimensional sculptures of sea life at the Great Barrier Reef. In music classes students learned to play didgeridoos and clap sticks then composed their own scores and performed them for the family event. North Middletown Elementary Chairperson: Mary Lovell North Middletown, KY North Middletown Elementary has enthusiastic students, teachers, and parents that all contribute to their Book Fair. Students and parents help set up and decorate the Fair. One student led a parade around the school in a gorilla outfit. Students wrote and performed puppet plays about the Book Fair, decorated doors, made animal heads for windows, and created an animal menagerie of paper maché African beasts. Throughout the week classroom read-alouds took place and the family event featured students performing African dances and drum music. St. Mary Immaculate School Chairperson: Kathy Gorman Wooster, OH This fall the school targeted the community at large and got more parents involved, which lightened the workload and made more people feel invested in the Book Fair’s success. Nearly 60% of the families donated to One for Books and grandparents were invited to Lunch with a Loved One. Student involvement increased by making them major contributors to the decorating process. Students gave up their early release afternoon to create an 18-foot giraffe. A school-wide challenge led to students surpassing their goal and as a reward attended an afternoon movie event. Third place winners of a $500 shopping spree in the Instructional Resource Catalog: Baranoff Elementary Chairperson: Diane Juneau Austin, TX Hale Kula Elementary Chairperson: Michelle Colte Wahiawa, HI Kent Place School Chairperson: Margie Ticknor Summit, NJ Laurel Elementary / Encinal Chairperson: Roxanne Bozdog Altherton, CA Quest Elementary Chairperson: Nancy Pickering Hilton, NY Sparks Elementary Chairperson: Cathy Krejci Frisco, TX St. Mark’s Cathedral School Chairperson: Pam Byrd Shreveport, LA The Shelton School Chairperson: Lynne Turner Dallas, TX Congratulations to all contest entrants for participating and especially to our national winners!
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