How it Came About
Since 1996, the Sonics have partnered with local schools to ensure students become better readers. The Sonics have always felt a strong responsibility to be involved in education and went directly to Seattle Public Schools and Washington State’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to help them meet their curriculum goals. They told the Sonics that their biggest challenge was to find a way to motivate kids to read consistently outside the classroom. The Sonics helped develop "Read To Achieve" which provides a consistent reading curriculum and offers incentives for students.
Partnering with Starbucks Coffee Company, the Sonics are able to provide materials and incentives that encourage students to improve their reading skills including school visits by Sonics players.
Program Details
The Sonics & Storm Read To Achieve Program, sponsored by Starbucks Coffee Company, consists of three components:
Read to Achieve School Year Program
The Read to Achieve School Year Program runs from November through April for students in Seattle Public Schools, the Highline School District and Blaine Elementary. The program is incentive-based and is designed to encourage students, grades 1-8, to read or be read to for 20 minutes per day for 20 days in a month. Helping kids develop strong reading skills is one of the biggest challenges facing school districts around the country today.
Students receive Sonics charts at the beginning of each month. Click here to download a printable reading chart.
Each time a student reads, a parent, teacher or librarian signs his or her reading chart. Once the entire reading chart is completed within the month, the student submits it to the school librarian.
Librarians will receive prizes prior to the start of the program in November, in order to display the incentive prizes and encourage their students to participate. Prizes include Sonics or Storm player bookmarks, posters, t-shirts and a limited number of tickets to Sonics and Storm games.
Read to Achieve Summer Reading Program
Read to Achieve extends through the summer months with Seattle Storm players encouraging kids to read. This is made possible through partnership with the Seattle Public, King County and Pierce County library systems, as well as Starbucks Coffee Company. Here’s how it works:
Visit your local library branch within the Seattle Public, King County or Pierce County library systems
See the librarian to sign up for the Read to Achieve Summer Reading Program!
Complete the program through your local library and mail the completed ticket voucher to the Seattle Sonics & Storm office or redeem it at the KeyArena Box Office on the day of the game.
Receive TWO tickets to a Storm game courtesy of Starbucks Coffee Company!
The ‘Read to Achieve’ Reading Challenge
The Read to Achieve Reading Challenge serves students throughout Washington state who attend school in districts outside of Seattle Public Schools, the Highline School District, and Blaine Elementary. Like the Read to Achieve school year program, the Read to Achieve Reading Challenge exists to help students become better readers. This program is designed to encourage students, grades 1-8, to read 500 pages within one month among two reading months designated by the Sonics. Conducted during the school year, here’s how Read to Achieve Reading Challenge works:
Students receive RTA Challenge reading logs at the beginning of each reading month.
Each time students read, a librarian signs their reading chart. Once they have filled the entire reading chart within the month, they submit it to their school librarian in exchange for Sonics Reading Challenge ticket vouchers.
The librarian mails the completed ticket vouchers to the Sonics & Storm office.
Each lucky student receives a free ticket in the mail to a Sonics or Storm game! Note: You only get your free ticket by completing and submitting the ticket voucher - your ticket voucher is not the same as a game ticket.
Questions
For any questions regarding the program, please contact:
Wyjuana Montgomery
Community Programs Manager
351 Elliott Ave. W., Suite 500.
wmontgomery@sonics-storm.com
Phone: 206-281-5800
Fax: 1-206-272-2697
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