BW Library » Programs

Books and Beyond Guidelines

10 October 2008

Dear Families:

Benchley-Weinberger is pleased to continue our recreational reading program, Books & Beyond. This program, sponsored by the B-W PTA, is designed to increase your child's enjoyment of reading. Reading sheets and additional information about the Books & Beyond program will be sent home when the program begins on Monday, November 3rd. The program continues through the week of May 11th, 2009. Our students' collective goal this year will be to read 1,500,000 pages.

The most important feature of the Books & Beyond program is the emphasis on family involvement. We encourage students to read with their siblings, parents, grandparents, and others. By reading books or having books read to them, your child's special marker will move across our "Let Reading Take You Out of This World" board, traveling from planet to planet. If your child reaches the tenth and final station (the sun), he or she will earn a "Gold" medal which will be awarded at our Gold Medal assembly held in June. Students may travel around the board as many times as they can but may earn only one gold medal. They will receive small prizes weekly as reading sheets are turned in.

All students in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades need to read, or have read to them, 10 books in order to move from one station to the next. These can be picture books, easy readers, or poetry collections. Students in 4th and 5th grade must read 250 pages per station. The older students will be asked to read from different genre/categories: Biographies, Sports, Mystery, Adventure, Realistic Fiction, and others. You are your child's guide and role model in the program, and it is required that you help complete and sign each reading sheet.

Please remember, all students in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades must read, or have read to them, 10 books per reading sheet. Adults must write in the books titles for our younger readers on the reading log. Students in 4th and 5th grade must read 250 pages per reading log.

Adult/guardians: please remember to sign the reading sheets. Teachers, too!