Ortega Elementary School PTO
1283 Terra Nova Blvd. Pacifica, CA 94044
Office 650-738-6670
Ortega's Read-A-Thon 2024
March 4th – 24th
What is Ortega's Read-A-Thon?
Ortega’s Read-A-Thon is a three-week incentivized reading challenge for Ortega’s students and a fun fundraiser for Ortega Elementary School. This is a chance to foster a love of reading in our students while raising money to fund the extra enrichment programs that you love!
This year’s theme is “Creating and Celebrating A School of Diverse Readers”. The goal of this theme is to explore topics related to diversity and inclusion. For suggested reading on these topics please visit: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/read-across-america/2023-2024-calendar
Ortega’s Read-A-Thon runs from Monday, March 4th – Sunday, March 24th. Students will have
3 weeks to read and log their reading time. Reading logs must be turned in on the Monday after the week is complete to qualify for Individual Reading Level prizes. All Pledges and Reading logs are due by midnight on Monday, March 25th in order to qualify for class, school, and fundraising prizes.
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Family Literacy Night
In keeping with the theme of “Creating and Celebrating A School of Diverse Readers”, this year we are kicking off Read-A-Thon with a Family Literacy Night celebration on Monday, March 4th, 2024 in the Ortega Library from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. The night will focus on women authors and famous women in honor of Women’s History Month. Join the Ortega community for some light snacks, beverages, literature related crafts, a book giveaway and an evening of reading.
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Read-A-Thon Bookmark Contest
This year we will have Ortega’s first ever Read-A-Thon Bookmark Contest!. All submissions must be turned in to your teacher or the Ortega office by 3:00 PM on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. See the final sheet of the Read-A-Thon packet for the Bookmark Contest submission form, template, and rules.
Reading Logs and Minimum Reading Requirements
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During Read-A-Thon students will record all minutes read, both in the classroom and at home, in google forms. All reading counts: books, newspapers, magazines, graphic novels, homework reading, etc. Audiobooks, podcasts, and reading computer games do not qualify for Read-A-Thon minutes this year.
TK, Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd graders should read a minimum of 10 min. per day
3rd, 4th, and 5th graders should read a minimum of 20 minutes per night.
Students are encouraged to do their personal best every day.
Reading Guidelines: In TK/Kinder, grown ups may actively read to students; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students are encouraged to do as much independent reading as possible; 4th and 5th grade students should manage their reading and logs with minimal guidance.
Students must log their time for the week on the following google forms.
Enter your Read-A-Thon minutes for Week 1 March 4th - March 10th here
Enter your Read-A-Thon minutes for Week 2 March 11th - March 17th here
Enter your Read-A-Thon minutes for Week 3 March 18th - March 24th here
Please be sure that your child is entering their Reading Minutes on the Google Forms each week to be eligible for the prizes outlined below!
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The Fundraising Part of Read-A-Thon
Ortega will be using 99Pledges to take online donations and will accept cash/check donations turned into the office. 99Pledges is a site designed specifically for schools and organizations to organize these types of events. The site is user friendly, and makes it easy to take donations as well as share the pledge information with family and friends. However, if you have someone that must make a donation with cash or check, please submit the donation to the front office.
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To get started on 99Pledges:
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Click on the link that you will receive via email on March 3, 2024. The link is your child’s pledge page.
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You do not need to login or change anything.
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Simply make a donation for whatever you can and share your child’s link with friends and family.
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If you do not receive the email, simply search and find your child’s online pledge page here: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/ortega2024readathon
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If you would like to make a donation to support literacy at Ortega without sponsoring a specific student, please donate to the Ortega PTO on this page.
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Prizes
The goal of Read-A-Thon is to encourage students to form the habit of reading everyday. Therefore this year kids are entered into a raffle for a prize just for reading the minimum number of minutes a week at their grade level (Copper Novelist level). Students can also earn prizes for themselves, their class, and the entire school! Let’s make this fun!
Individual Prizes
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Every student (and a friend of their choosing) who raises $500 or more will be invited to an After-School Pizza Party with Delectable Desserts hosted in the library by our lovely librarian, Ms. Julia Hall!
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All students that read the minimum number of minutes and submit their minutes through google forms, will be entered into a raffle for prizes at the Copper Novelist level. As a student reads additional minutes they will be eligible for additional prizes based on the levels of reading they accomplish. Students will be entered into the raffle every week by reading more than the number of minutes in the chart. One prize will be awarded each week for every level of every grade. Winners will be notified on the Tuesday of the following week.
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Copper Novelists prize = 1 Free Otter Pop
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Silver Playwright prize = 1 Free Popsicle
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Golden Poet prize = approximately $10 worth of Raffle Tickets (2 $5 tickets or 3 $3 Tickets) to spend at Ortega’s Open House Raffle OR $10 Worth of Carnival Tickets.
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**Readers that earn the status of “Golden Poet” all 3 weeks will be entered into a raffle to win a $25 Gift Card to Florey’s Books. All 3 week “Golden Poets” will also have their picture taken and placed in the school hallway on our “We Love Reading” Hall of Fame Wall!**
Class Prizes (Winners announced after Read-A-Thon)
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Every class with 80% participation reading the minimum required, and submitting their logs will earn a popsicle party! The teacher will earn a gift certificate to Starbucks.
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Every Class with 100% participation, reading the minimum required and submitting their logs will earn a hot chocolate and special reading time party!! The teacher will earn a gift certificate to Target.
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Every Class raising a combined $2000 or more will earn an Otter Pop party!​
School-wide Prizes
If we work together as a school, there are some amazing opportunities!
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$2,500: Fun Hair Day
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55% School-wide Participation: Dress as your Favorite Book Character or Author
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$5,000: Pajama Day
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65% School-wide Participation: Principal Dresses up for the Day (Photo Op Time!)
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$7,000: Crazy Hat Day
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80% School-wide Participation: Chalk the Blacktop Event
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$12,000: Extra Recess Time
Raffle Prizes (one raffle submission for every $20 raised by student):
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$25 Target Gift Card
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Ortega Otter Sweatshirt
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Ortega Otter T-Shirt
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$15 Magic Toybox Gift Card
QUESTIONS/CONCERNS: Contact Ortega’s Read-a-Thon Coordinators, Andriana Antoniou, vp@ortegapto.org, Dawn Rege, president@ortegapto.org