Welcome to the 10th annual Cove Readathon! 

OVERVIEW 

On Sunday, January 4th, our 10th Annual 2026 Cove School Readathon will officially launch! Emails will be sent out through the 99Pledges website that day, so students may start immediately seeking pledges or donations online from friends and family to reach their goal. 

The Readathon is our largest PTO fundraiser. Our PTO pays for many of the things you and your child have come to expect, need, and cherish from our school. You may be surprised how much the PTO pays for: the Cove garden, recess enrichment, professional development for teachers, instructional materials, classroom supplies and equipment, furniture, PE and playground equipment, campus events, parent education, campus improvements and much, much, more! 

Each student has a fundraising goal of $175. We encourage them to reach out to friends, family and neighbors to get support. Our goal is 100% participation which means every student will have at least one donation. Every dollar counts and we’re hoping to raise $60,000+ for Cove. 

We will have a variety of prizes and incentives to help motivate our students to read and raise funds.

We want to thank you in advance for helping us make Readathon 2026 a rousing success! Please read with your child and share their unique fundraising link with family and friends.

This is our only PTO fundraiser, and we must raise over 50% of the PTO’s annual budget to function. 

• THE READATHON

• In addition to raising money, students will also be participating in a number of reading-related activities during the Readathon, including Readathon Bingo! Each student will be bringing home 2 Reading Bingo cards the week of January 5th: a Week 1 card and a Week 2 card. There are different cards for K-2 and for 3-5. Week 1 runs from January 9-15 and Week 2 runs from January 15-22. During these weeks, the students can challenge themselves to complete as many reading activities on the Reading Bingo card as possible. If they get a Bingo (5 squares in a row across, down or diagonal), they will win one extra raffle entry for the assemblies being held on January 16 and 23. If they get a Blackout (all of the squares on the card are completed) they will win three extra raffle entries. 

• Bingo Cards should be turned in to teachers in class by the end of the school day on Thursday, January 15 and Thursday, January 22. PLEASE make sure your student’s name is written in at the top of the Bingo Card and that a parent/caregiver has signed the Bingo Card as well. 

• In the event that your child misplaces their Bingo Card, here is a link to the Bingo Cards so that you can print copies out: Bingo Cards.

PRIZES

• Bingo Prizes: these will be individual prizes. Prizes will include gift cards to Book Passage, etc.

• Fundraising:

  • Individual: At the Jan 16 and Jan 23 assemblies there will be one or more raffle prizes for individuals that have at least one donation. These will include gift cards for a treat or Cove swag.

  • Classroom: The first class to reach 75% participation and $5,000 raised will win $10 Book Passage gift cards for every child in the class.

  • Grade-level: At the Jan 16 and 23 assemblies, the grade level that has the highest funds raised for the week will earn an extra 15 minutes of recess to be used when convenient.

  • Final: At the Jan 30 assembly we will announce the grade level that raised the most funds overall. The winning grade will get to have a super special picnic lunch party (date TBD) with pizza, drinks, treats and outdoor games.

  • If our school reaches its overall fundraising goal of $60,000, we will have an all-school popsicle party! 

  • We will also have a prize for our top individual overall fundraiser (in terms of $), and one for the individual that collected the highest number of pledges (in terms of # of individual donors).

The Readathon will be run through the 99Pledges online donation website [link]. This will streamline the collection process and help students reach a broader audience. You will receive a custom link to your child’s web page, which you can share with family and friends directly or via social media to solicit donations.

Online donations can be made via your child’s unique 99Pledges link by credit card. Donations by check or cash may be made in the office. Checks should be made out to: The Cove PTO. 

IMPORTANT DATES

• January 5 | Folders go home with students containing info about Readathon

• January 5-8 | Please drop off any books you would like to contribute to the Book Swap in the Cove Gallery

• January 9 | Kick off Readathon School Assembly | Book Swap | Bingo play begins at 3pm!

• January 15 | Turn in Week 1 Bingo Cards to teachers to earn additional raffle entries | Week 2 Bingo play starts at 3pm

• January 16 | Week 1 Assembly | Raffles and announcement of Week 1 fundraising | Dress as your Favorite Story Book Character Day 

• January 20 | Bedtime Story via Zoom with Principal Michelle Walker plus Bedtime Story in Spanish with Parent Glenda Lugo

• January 22 | Cove Cafe

• January 22 | Turn in Week 2 Bingo Cards to your teachers to earn additional raffle entries  | Cove Cafe all day - each class will have a designated time to come read at the pop-up Cove Cafe and enjoy some hot chocolate

• January 23 | Week 2 Assembly | Raffles and announcement of Week 2 fundraising |  | Guest Author | Pajama Day

• January 27 | Donation Collection ends at 11:59pm 

• January 30 | Final Awards Readathon School Assembly

GUEST AUTHOR

This year we are fortunate to have two authors visiting us at the Author Assembly on Friday, January 23rd. The K-2 Assembly will feature Bonnie Tsui, author of Sarah and the Big Wave. The 3-5 Assembly will feature Chris Navalta, author of Basketball Stars. 

Please use the links above if you would like to pre-order either/both books. Both authors will be available during recess on the 23rd to sign books for the students. When ordering, please include the following information in the “Comments” section:

Name of Student

School (the Cove will receive a portion of the proceeds!)

Teacher

and please select PICK UP

A Cove volunteer will pick up the books from Book Passage and deliver them to school. Pre-orders must be received by Friday, January 9th.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP 

• Post and share your child’s 99Pledges page with family and friends via your social media

• Help your child ask family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers to donate by sending a link to their custom 99Pledges page.

• Encourage your child to read, and have fun with all of the reading activities

• Honesty! While it’s tempting for students to overstate the number of reading tasks they have completed, we hope parents can use this as a valuable opportunity to teach the importance of honest, hard work.

• There will be opportunities to volunteer at school for some of the Readathon-related activities, such as the Book Swap on January 9th and the Cove Cafe on January 22nd. If you are interested in volunteering for either of these activities, please contact Natalie Kaniel at natkaniel@gmail.com 

Thank you for your Support! Contact us at president@covepto.org.