The Scholastic Book Fair at Union Ridge Elementary School might look a lot like other book fairs. But thanks to parent involvement, it has been the top-selling book fair in the Pacific Northwest for the last few years. This year, sales reached $13,000 in just one week.\r\n
\r\nScholastic Book Fairs get books in the hands of children, with parents buying books for kids. But the Scholastic Dollars program also gives schools credits based on how much the school sells. Those credits can be used to purchase books for libraries, classrooms, and other school use. For Union Ridge, that translates into thousands of dollars in books at no cost to the school.\r\n
\r\nPTO volunteer Amber Hughes takes a week off from work each year to plan and manage the book fair. She handles the ordering, the setup, the parent volunteer list, and more. Her experience gets amazing results.
\r\n“It helps that we are centrally located to the warehouse so we can restock easily,” she said. “And we make sure to stage the book fair the week of Thanksgiving Feast, so parents can come buy books with their kids.”
\r\nIn addition, each student has multiple opportunities to attend the fair. “Every kid gets to walk through the Book Fair once with their class. And we make the book fair available during recess, lunch, and before and after school as well.”
\r\nThis year, the school earned $6,000 in Scholastic Dollars. The dollars have already purchased $3,000 in classroom books, $2,000 in library books, and another $500 in books for underprivileged students. By donating their time, PTO volunteers are helping hundreds of kids learn the joy of reading.
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The entrance to the Book Fair is enchanting.
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A wide range of books for each age range is offered, as well as posters and other fun items.