Here in New York City, people are still wearing hats and gloves outside. Hats. And. Gloves. Given the long and unforgiving winter we've had, you can imagine how passionately we are pining for summer.
Well, I'm happy to report there is a light (or a sun?) at the end of the tunnel. In just one week on April 6th, teacher registration for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge begins. That means two things: 1. teachers can register their students (for free!) to participate in a program that will ensure they're reading all summer long, and 2., that summer can't be too far away!
The Summer Reading Challenge is now in it's ninth year, but if you're new to the program, here's a bit about it. It's a free online/mobile reading program dedicated to stopping the "summer slide" by encouraging kids to read throughout the summer months when school is out (May 4th - September 4th). Kids can log their reading minutes (online and on smartphones) as they read to help set a new world record for summer reading, enter sweepstakes to win fabulous prizes, and earn digital rewards when they complete weekly reading challenges.
This year’s theme is "Power Up & Read," powered by ENERGIZER®, and we've enlisted an incredible group of Scholastic authors to write 12 short stories full of adventure, suspense, and thrills.
The top 20 schools with the most minutes logged will receive recognition in the 2016 Scholastic Book of World Records. Plus, there's an incredible grand prize for schools: the middle school that reads the most minutes will win a visit from author Varian Johnson, and the elementary school that reads the most minutes will win a visit from author Michael Northrop!
The Summer Reading Challenge has a lot ot offer teachers, including a handy Educator Dashboard that allows you to register students (all at once, up to 100 students if you'd like!), monitor their reading over the summer, download and share free printables, book lists, and letters to parents, and more. There's also an awesome sweepstakes: three lucky teachers will win a classroom library (runs April 6th to June 30th)!
So mark your calendars for April 6th when teacher registration begins. We hope to see you there!
