FAQ
Q. How long is this year's program?
Reading is Cool runs from October through March. Teachers begin tracking reading on October 1st, with the first report (October) due by November 7th. The last report (March) will be due by April 7th.
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 visits from S.J. Sharkie, the following reporting deadlines apply:
Report - Due Date
October - November 1-7
November - December 1-7
December - January 1-7
January - February 1-7
Top Reader Nomination - February
February - March 1-7
March - April 1-7
Please note that the name of the Top Reader will need to be submitted before the conclusion of the school year in order to select winners for the Top Reader Night in March. Though you may wait to give your MVP Reader puck and All-Star Reader medals out when the program is fully completed at the end of April, Top Reader Night must occur before then to coincide with the conclusion of the San Jose Sharks regular season.
Q. When and how does my class receive their materials?
Paper materials will be mailed to each classroom in mid-September to arrive prior to the start of the program. If you register for Reading is Cool after the program has begun, your materials will arrive within two weeks of registration.
These include:
- Bookmarks for every student
- Certificates of Achievement for every student
- All-Star Reader and Student Tracking Poster to acknowledge outstanding readers
- Classroom Goal Poster
- Six medals to be awarded to All-Star Readers
- One MVP Reader puck
Additional resources can be found on the Resource Material page.
Q. Why track minutes read?
Within grades the reading levels of students can be vastly different, and students read at different speeds. We believe that minutes read shows a student’s greatest effort to improve their reading abilities.
Q. What about minutes they are read to?
The goal is to get students to read more and to improve their reading level. You should count all minutes that students read. K-2nd grade students may count minutes that they are read to, and 3rd-5th grade students may count minutes 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 All-Star Reader and year-end MVP Reader have to be the student that read the most minutes?
While many teachers may award these based on the number of minutes 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 All-Star Readers 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. How do I nominate a student for Top Reader Night?
During the month of February, all teachers will be emailed a form to fill out to nominate a student for Top Reader Night. Teachers may only nominate one student from their class.
Q. What do I do if I have two students tie for the monthly award?
Our Resource Material page contains an assortment of certificates that teachers can use to recognize the hard work their students put into the program every month. However, we can only accept one Top Reader of the Month per classroom for the Reading is Cool website.
Q. When are monthly awards distributed?
Individual student awards (medal or pintable certificate) are awarded by the teacher at the end of the month, once minutes have been totaled. Additional certificate options are available on the Reading is Cool website and can be distributed at the teacher’s discretion. Reward visits by S.J. Sharkie will occur the month after reports are submitted (i.e. October’s Top Classrooms will receive visits in November, etc.) Top Classrooms outside of Santa Clara County will receive a digital classroom visit from S.J. Sharkie.
Q. How do you determine the Top Classrooms of the Month?
Each month S.J. Sharkie will visit the Top Classrooms of the Month from each grade level that has read the most minutes per student (based on information provided in the monthly reports). Also, because we hope to spread the joy of visiting as many classrooms as possible, each class is only able to win on visit from S.J. Sharkie in a given year. However, classes will only be considered for this award if a total has actually been submitted for that month.
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. What is the contact information for Reading is Cool?
We can be reached at [email protected]