Every year around this time, the Walker Elementary School PTA invites students, teachers and families to “spring into reading at the Walker Book Fair.” The fair kicks off with a much-anticipated preview event for students and teachers, which was on St. Patrick’s Day this year.
Many students joined in “the wearing of the green” on Friday, March 17 as an expression of Irish pride, which added to the festive atmosphere in the school’s main hall.
March is also National Reading Month, in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. (Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904.)
The Walker School community spotlights the benefits of reading with a “Coin-A-Day Challenge,” a weeklong coin drive before the book fair to raise money to buy books for classrooms and students.
Students and teachers alike visit the book fair on Preview Day, at the end of the fundraising week, to complete wish lists – teachers list titles they would like for their classrooms, and students write down the titles of books they would like to have at home.
The book fair opened for sales with a kickoff event on Saturday, March 18, at which families could shop for books while enjoying a free afternoon of bingo at the school.
Additional book sale hours are on March 21 and 22 after school and during the school’s GRANDS event, when parents, relatives, and caregivers can visit the school during students’ recess times and shop the fair. All students who qualify for free or reduced lunch or who request assistance, receive a voucher for a book on their wish list.