The Read-A-Thon is a chance for our school community to enjoy all things reading while also raising funds to support crucial school programs, including STEAM lab, small group reading and math support, classroom libraries, teachers’ materials and art supplies.
You should log reading between November 2nd - 15th, 2026
See below for registering with Pledgestar.
Donations can begin NOW.
The top class per grade (not an individual) will win a prize.
Grown-ups, please log your student’s reading minutes or confirm their accuracy if your student’s entering them.
Our school-wide reading goal is 200,000 minutes and our fundraising goal is $45,000.
We hope Read-A-Thon can help foster a sense of community and bring our students some collective joy.
In this spirit, we have an exciting event at Books Inc. to kick us off on Wednesday, November 4 from 5:00-8:00pm. We hope to see you there!
This year, your student will team up with their classmates, with their combined reading minutes being matched against those of the other classes in their grade. Each top class per grade will win an animal show from East Bay Vivarium.
Our school-wide reading goal is 200,000 minutes and our fundraising goal is $45,000. We know we can meet these goals collectively! If we meet our school-wide reading goal of 200,000 minutes Principal Dodson will hold a large snake!
Didn’t we just have a Direct Donation Drive, why are we fundraising again? Read-a-Thon is one of the three main annual fundraisers that supports our PTA’s annual budget and the important programs we support (in addition to Direct Donation and Spring Fling). What is different about Read-a-Thon is this is a chance to raise money from friends and family. Our fundraising platform Pledgestar will help you share this fundraiser through text, email, and social media.
The first three classes who get 20 students signed up on Pledgestar will get a $100 gift card for building their classroom's library!
We'll be using Pledgestar, a web-based fundraising system that makes it much easier for students to log their minutes and request pledges from family and friends.
The system allows donors to make secure credit card donations online - people who use it typically raise twice as much as those who don't.
You can register and begin collecting donations now (see below for instructions).
When you finish, the system emails pledge requests to your family and friends, and allows them to make secure credit card donations online. You get notified each time a pledge is made, and you can track your pledge progress online.
You can start logging your student’s reading minutes on Monday, November 2nd!
Some asks:
Grown-ups, please either log your student’s reading minutes into Pledgestar for them or confirm that the minutes they’re entering are correct.
While we’re giving families wiggle room to enter minutes (through 11/19), please make sure to only log minutes your student read during the duration of Read-A-Thon, 11/2 – 11/15.
The Read-A-Thon team will also provide the office with a handful of physical packets for any families who prefer to log their student’s reading activities and receive donations outside of the internet.
No matter your student’s age/ability, reading of any kind, in any language, in any medium works. Being read to live or on video, listening to audiobooks, reading graphic novels, karaoke, etc. – it all counts.
Does time reading at school count? Absolutely.
We’ll be asking each teacher to send a weekly email tally of their students’ classroom reading minutes, for families to enter into their student’s Pledgestar account.
On your computer:
Go to https://otis.pledgestar.com.
Click “Not Registered For This Year’s Event.” (Please note: returning families, Pledgestar doesn't retain our info from prior years, so you’ll need to register as a new user.)
Enter your name and email address, then click “Submit."
Follow the instructions on-screen to register Reader(s) and add family and friends.
The Pledgestar team welcomes families to reach out to them directly if a question arises that isn’t answered on their FAQs (click the “Help” button in the bottom right-hand corner of your family’s Pledgestar page). Call 1-888-598-7510 if you need help.
Public Libraries
We have amazing local resources, the Alameda Free Library and the Oakland Public Library, where your family can borrow books/audiobooks, access the internet (where you can access/manage your Pledgestar account), and snuggle down in a cozy reading chair. You can even borrow reading materials online with your library card!
Celebration Booklists
The Otis Equity and Inclusion Committee curates booklists (and other resources) about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and inclusive themes that celebrate the diversity of cultures, identities, and family structures.
Otis Read-a-thon BINGO
Use this BINGO card to help guide your reading. It's fun! Can you get a row? Can you fill in the full card?