Key Links
Key Resources:
Read-a-thon Overview
The BCE Read-a-thon promotes literacy and a lifelong love of reading while raising much-needed funds for our Burlingame TK - eighth grade public schools. Students read, fundraise and win prizes while engaging their parents, family and community to show support by making supporting donations.
The Read-a-thon goal is for each child to raise $150 or more during the Read-a-thon. If we are successful, this would result in over $500,000 for our Burlingame Public Schools! Learn more about fundraising and/or make a supporting donation today.
While the reading part of the Read-a-thon lasts 5 days (Monday, Jan 27 - Friday, Jan 31), a lot happens before, during and following the Read-a-thon making this annual event a fan favorite. Keep reading for all you need to know!
Getting Ready for the Read-a-thon (Jan 7th - Jan 26th):
Set a Reading and Fundraising Goal: Help your reader set goals for the Read-a-thon. How many pages, minutes or books do they hope to read? How much do they hope to raise for their school?
Start Fundraising: Donations can be made directly to the BCE Read-a-thon Website and/or your student can create their own personal fundraising page to share with their friends and family. Fundraising begins in mid December 2024 and continues until Feb 3rd, 2025. It's a best practice is to start fundraising before the Read-a-thon starts to maximize your chance for winning prizes!
Build a Reading List: Start selecting books to read. Be sure to check out your local public library and school library.
Review the Read-a-thon Prizes with your Student: One of the best parts of the Read-a-thon is the opportunity to win prizes for reading and fundraising. This year we have 3 raffles in addition to prizes for top readers and fundraisers.
Attend the Library Kick off Event: Sunday, Jan 26th 1-3pm. Get excited for the Read-a-thon. Get help creating you fundraising pages. Choose books for the week ahead. Shop the Children's book sale.
Follow BCE on Instagram: We'll be sharing reading ideas and inspiration from our Burlingame teachers and staff!
Read-a-thon Week (Jan 27th - Jan 31st)
Read, Read, Read: Students are encouraged to read all week long. Let them get lost in a book and find their love of reading. This can look like reading a book, looking at picture books, reading online or with a Kindle, being read to, listening to an audiobook, etc. All forms of media count! All students and their families are encouraged to join in on the reading fun!
Fundraise: Engage parents, family and friends to show their support for your student by making a donation in their name. Help your child solicit donations which can be made directly to the BCE Read-a-thon Website and/or your student can create their own personal fundraising page to share with their friends and family.
Track your Reading Daily: Students should track their days and minutes read at home and submit them online once the Read-a-thon is over. Download our at home minute tracker to use if helpful!
Attend Events: In person and zoom events are scheduled to celebrate reading! Some are district wide and some are school specific. We hope you will join us! Event Schedule below.
Follow BCE on Instagram:Â We'll be sharing reading ideas and inspiration from our Burlingame teachers and staff.
Post Read-a-thon Week (Feb 1st - 7th)
Submit your Reading Minutes Online: Be sure to submit your days and minutes read online to be counted for prizes. All minutes must be entered by Monday, Feb 3rd @9pm to be considered for final prizes.
Final Fundraising: Encourage final donations to help your student maximize raffle and prize entries. All donations received by Monday, Feb 3rd @9pm count towards prizes.
Prize Winners Announced: Prize and Raffle Winners will be announced by Thursday, Feb 6th.
Special thanks to our long-time Read-a-thon Title Sponsor
Make a Donation
Parents, friends, family and community members are encouraged to support the BCE Read-a-thon with a sponsoring donation. Donations can be made on the main BCE Read-a-thon page by clicking the Make a Donation button. Or by donating directly on a student fundraiser's personal fundraising page. While making your donation you will be asked to provide your student reader's name so your sponsoring donation can be attributed to your student and help them earn prizes and raffle entries.
All donations are tax deductible.
Be sure to submit your Read-a-thon donation for a match if your employer offers matching.
If you would like to donate via a DAF, please contact info@bcefoundation.org and we can assist you in making sure your reader receives credit.
If you would like to make a physical cash donation and/or bring in a check, please bring it to your School's front desk. Be sure to include your contact information and note the student you would like to credit.
Fundraising
The Read-a-thon is BCE's district-wide fundraiser that encourages students to read and fundraise. Students are encouraged to ask parents, family and friends to support them with a sponsoring donation while they read. Students are eligible for prizes and drawing entries based on their fundraising. Read-a-thon Fundraising runs through Feb 3rd at 9pm PST. All donations received by that time will be used to determine prize winners. Â
Every student is encouraged to solicit at least one donation with a goal of fundraising $150 or more for their school. Raffle entries and prizes determined based on fundraising amounts as well as reading participation. See below for more details on prizes and raffles.
Students can fundraise by:
Creating and sharing a personal fundraising page.
Sharing the BCE Read-a-thon Webpage.
Sharing their School Read-a-thon Website BIS Franklin Hoover Lincoln McKinley Roosevelt Washington.
Collecting physical donations and bringing them to their school secretary's office.
To Create a Personal Fundraising Page:
Note: You will receive a confirmation email with your personalized fundraising page URL and a link to edit your page. (You will want to save this email should you need to edit your page in the future.)
Step-by-step instructions on how to create, edit and share your personal fundraising page can be found here. And example fundraising emails and texts can be found here.
 ​
Minute Tracking​
Students will track their minutes read at home during the Read-a-thon week. At the end of the Read-a-thon week, all minutes should be logged online so your child is eligible for prizes. Students can print out our Read-a-thon Reading Log to use during the week if helpful. (English & Spanish versions)
Be sure to enter total minutes read online by 9pm PST on Monday, February 3rd to be eligible for prizes.
Note: In past years, students/parents were asked to log minutes online nightly. This year parents only need to log minutes one time at the conclusion of the week. This change was made based on parents' feedback. We hope it makes it easier to enjoy the Read-a-thon week.
Prizes & Raffles
Students are eligible for prizes and raffles based on their Read-a-thon reading and fundraising! Please review prizes and raffles below! Any questions, contact info@bcefoundation.org.
Elementary School Prizes
School-wide
Early Fundraiser Raffle: $50 Gigglemugs gift card
Students will earn 1 entry for every $50 in donations they receive by EOD Sun Jan 26th.
One lucky winner per elementary school
Winner will be announced by Tuesday, Jan 28th.
Read Week Fundraiser Raffle:Â $50 Top Golf gift card
Students will earn 1 entry for every $50 in donations they receive by EOD Wed Jan 29th.
One lucky winner per elementary school
Winners will be announced on Thursday, Jan 30th
Grand Prize Raffle: One lucky winner per elementary school will get to select one of the
following grand prizes (1) Beats Wireless headphones, (2) Topgolf Gift Certificate, (3) GiggleMugs Gift Certificate (4) Summit Bicycles Gift Certificate
Entries awarded based on donations received by Monday, February 3rd @9pm PST. Â
$150+ of donations: 1 entries
$300+ of donations: 3 entries
$500+ of donations: 6 entries
$750+ of donations: 10 entriesÂ
Bonus entry will be given if a student read all 5 days and has raised at least $150!
Read-a-thon Superstars Yearbook Photo with the Principal: All 5 day readers (who fundraise $150 or more) will have their photo taken with the principal for the yearbook.Â
5-day Reader Superstar Raffle.
One lucky 5-day reader per grade (who fundraises $150 or more) will have their name put in a book in their school library.
One lucky 5-day reader per school (who fundraises $150 or more) will win a chessboard donated by Grupology.
Top Class Participation Award: The class with the highest percent of students both reading and fundraising will win extra recess!
Teacher Participation Award: The Teacher of the class with the highest percent of students who both read and fundraise will receive a $100 gift card.
Class Level
5-day Reader Raffle: One lucky 5-day reader per class (who has at least one donation) will win a free chess drop in class at Grupology.(TK and K winner will receive a copy of What's That)
Top $ Fundraiser per Class Award will win a Maverick Jack's Milkshake Gift Certificate!Â
BIS Level Prizes
School-wide
Early Fundraiser Raffle: $50 Gigglemugs gift card
Students will earn 1 entry for every $50 in donations they receive by EOD Sun Jan 26th.
One lucky winner per grade at BIS
Winner will be announced by Tuesday, Jan 28th.
Read Week Fundraiser Raffle:Â $50 Top Golf gift card
Students will earn 1 entry for every $50 in donations they receive by EOD Wed Jan 29th.
One lucky winner per grade at BIS
Winners will be announced on Thursday, Jan 30th.
Grand Prize Raffle: One lucky winner per grade at BIS will get to select one of the following grand prizes (1) Beats Wireless headphones, (2) Topgolf Gift Certificate, (3) GiggleMugs Gift Certificate (4) Summit Bicycles Gift Certificate
Entries awarded based on donations received by Monday, February 3rd @9pm PST. Â
$150+ of donations: 1 entries
$300+ of donations: 3 entries
$500+ of donations: 6 entries
$750+ of donations: 10 entriesÂ
Bonus entry will be given if a student read all 5 days and has raised at least $150!
Read-a-thon Superstars Yearbook Photo with the Principal: All 5-day readers (who fundraise $150 or more) will have their photo taken with the principal for the yearbook.Â
5-day Reader Superstar Raffle:
One lucky 5-day reader per grade (who fundraises $150 or more) will have their name put in a book in their school library.
One lucky 5-day reader per school (who fundraises $150 or more) will win a chessboard donated by Grupology.
Top Homeroom Participation Award: The homeroom in each grade with the highest percent of students both reading and fundraising will win a breakfast!
Top Homeroom Teacher Participation Award: The teacher of the homeroom in each grade with the highest participation will receive a $100 gift card.
Top 5 Fundraisers per Grade Awards: The five students per grade with the highest
$ fundraising will win a Lilikoi on Broadway Gift Certificate!Â
District Level Awards
The Golden Book Award will be given to the School with the highest participation rate of students who Read and Fundraise during the Read-a-thon.
The Top Fundraising School Award will be given to the School that raises the most funds for their district during the 2025 Read-a-thon.
All prize winners will be decided by Thursday, February 6th 2025. All minutes and donations received by 9pm PST on Monday, February 3rd will be used for prize and drawing criteria. If you are donating outside of the Read-a-thon website, please contact info@bcefoundation.org to be included in the prize and drawing criteria.
THANKS TO OUR READ-A-THON PRIZE SPONSORS
​
Events
Hope to see you at these fun events during Read-a-thon Week!
Sun, Jan 26th, 1-3pm: Read-a-thon Kick-off event at the Burlingame Public Library. Pick up a free book to get you started! Volunteers will be available to help with setting up a fundraising page and answering questions. Be sure to check out the Library's children's book sale and check out books while you are there! Everyone is welcome to attend, no need to sign up!
Mon, Jan 27th - Thur, Jan 30th, 3-6pm: Burgers & Books at Maverick Jack's - Bring a book and share that you're a part of the Read-a-thon and receive 10% off your order!
Mon, Jan 27th: Washington & Hoover
Tue, Jan 28th: BIS
Wed, Jan 29th: Lincoln & McKinley
Thur, Jan 30th: Roosevelt & Franklin
Tue, Jan 28th, 7:10-7:40pm: Zoom Bedtime Story with Author Karen Chan. What’s That? is a heartwarming story about the foods that make up who we are and how the meals we eat can bring us together. (Note: Zoom will open at 7:05)
Wed, Jan 29th - Sun, Feb 2nd: BCE Boba week at Lilikoi @ Broadway. Mention BCE and/or Read-a-thon when you place your order and 10% of all purchases will be donated back to BCE. You can also note it in "special instructions" when placing your order.
Thur, Jan 30th 6:15-8pm: Reading + Hot Chocolate Event at Grupology. Join us for a night of reading at Grupology! Grab your favorite book and drop by for a night of sustained silent reading and hot chocolate. Parents are welcome to drop off their students. This event is for BSD Students in 1st - 5th grade. Sign up required. (Only 50 students can attend so if your plans change, please remove your name from registration.)
FAQs
Â
What is the BCE Read-a-thon?
The BCE Read-a-thon is similar in concept to a Walk-a-thon, but instead of exercising their bodies, our students will be exercising their brains by reading and tracking how many minutes they read. This fundraiser involves no selling of products, only asking for sponsoring donations from friends and family. The number of days and minutes each student reads and the amount of sponsoring donations a student receives will go towards the chance to win prizes!
Â
Why a Read-a-thon?
The Read-a-thon is BCE’s annual friends and family fundraiser. All students and families are invited and encouraged to participate in reading and soliciting donations to support their Burlingame schools. Donations collected from the Read-a-thon contribute to the grant BCE makes to the Burlingame School District annually to fund teacher salaries and create a rich and inspiring education for our children beyond what is possible with public funds. All Read-a-thon donations are tax deductible.
Â
How does the Read-a-thon work?
Students fundraise before, during and after our week of reading. They can collect donations on a personal fundraising page (that you help them create) or use their school fundraising page or the general BCE fundraising page. Students call, send emails and texts to family and friends to collect donations. Then, starting Monday, January 27 through Friday, January 31, students read, read, read!! Students track their days and minutes read at home and then enter their reading online at the end of the week. All minutes and sponsorship donations must be recorded by Monday, February 3rd at 9pm to be eligible for the grand prize drawing. Before, during and after the week of reading there are raffles and activities supporting the Read-a-thon.Â
How do you track minutes?
Parents and students track daily reading minutes at home. At the end of the week, all minutes need to be recorded online so the student is eligible for prizes. Elementary School Minute Tracker ; BIS Minute Tracker
What counts as reading?
Students can choose whatever they want to read. They can read books, e-books, poetry, comics, magazines, and even audiobooks – anything goes! Being read to or looking at books counts too! It’s all about reading for fun, building a love of reading, and supporting Burlingame schools. Parents may read to children too!
Are there prizes?Â
Yes. Visit the BCE Read-a-thon Website for all Prize & Raffle details.
Is a Read-a-thon donation different from my annual BCE donation?
The Read-a-thon is a way to encourage grandparents, neighbors, and extended family to make donations for students’ reading efforts. Many friends and family find this to be the perfect way to support a child’s academic success and show they care about your child’s school. Parents/guardians are asked to make the suggested donation of $2000 per child (or as much as they can afford) during the school year ending June 30, 2025. BSD Parent Read-a-thon donations will be counted towards their annual BCE contribution. Read-a-thon donations are tax deductible.
How much does the BCE Read-a-thon raise for our schools?
Last year, Burlingame School District students raised over $186,000 to support our schools. Those donations fund music teachers, PE teachers, world language teachers, reading specialists, BIS musical and play. For more information about how Burlingame Community Education Foundation funds are spent visit bcefoundation.org.Â
For more information, visit bcefoundation.org/read-a-thon or reach out to info@bcefoundation.org.