Horizon Scholastic Book Fair Steps (Fall 2013) Objective: Literacy Event, get books in students hands Four Weeks Before Event (First Week of October): Planning: Have meeting with chairs, librarian, and PTO contact to decide who does what for Horizon book fair and go over this sheet. Attend a book fair workshop. See the Scholastic website for dates. Go to website (Scholastic) for theme and information: www.scholastic.com/bookfairs Once on the website, click button GO TO TOOLKIT upper right hand corner of screen, once there, type in district librarian s (Julia Shay) email: shayjul@pewaukeeschools.org, password: waller. Have Julia confirm book fair. Once confirmed, you ll be able to access ENTER TOOLKIT our current book fair. In the toolkit, click tab FAIR FILES. It is at this point, themes and flyers are available to use. Get updated teacher listing from secretary. Librarian reminds Scholastic that we want Horizon appropriate books. Typically chatchsky stuff is left out of the fair but pointers, pencils and bookmarks have recently been added. Librarian can print in color at PLE. Try to plan ahead with any flyers as we can email Julia and she ll get done. Ask Deanna Olson if she and her students are available to help assemble (staple) the Scholastic flyer and the themed flyer for student take home and/or contact Jenny Klemme, Key Club Advisor, to get high school volunteers for assembling & distributing (at least 2) for 2 hours, setting up the book fair (4 students for 2 hours), and taking down the book fair (4 students for an hour). Update free book voucher with amount and processing instructions. This is a word document. Try to have librarian print in color on card stock paper. Purchase poster putty if it s not in the scholastic box to hang posters/things at school. Scholastic Box: Librarian let Chair know when it arrives (inside are the flyers, book fair planner, promo posters, DVD). Only one DVD comes with kit. Call Rep to request 2 more. Take flyers to Deanna Olson s classroom or hold in library until Key Club members come to assemble. Get video link from DVD which comes in box so that you can email it to the teachers later. Also watch DVD Lake Country Reporter: Email Jen VanDomelen, PTO Board member, (jen@pewaukeepto.com) a short promo article about the book fair, she can get it into the Lake Country Reporter Pewaukee Section. Contact Volunteers: Kim McFadden handles this with Jen VanDomelen in PTO manager.email Kim Kiser (PTO Bookfair contact)& let her know hours of fair & how many volunteers are needed.. Let librarian know when you are starting to contact volunteers.. 2 volunteers during book fair (if have sucker pull); otherwise, only 2 during lunch hours and from 4-8 p.m.; 3 or 4 for set-up, 3 or 4 for tear-down (get high school volunteers). These are 2 hour shifts. Option to Ask Scholastic Rep to come help set up who was very helpful & let librarian know if you like help. Create a Themed Flyer (listing dates/times of sale, clipart on scholastic site): Email or set time with Key Club members to assemble, staple, & distribute flyers & poster after school. Ask school secretary for a student count in each class and make appropriate number of copies with a few extras. Make advertising flyer a ⅓ page - see sample from 2013 on googledrive. Use the themed artwork from scholastic website. District Website: Use the themed flyer above to create a blurb to be put on the district website promoting times and activities of the fair. Email the blurb to Jen VanDomelen PTO Board member, (jen@pewaukeepto.com) for approval. Once approved, email school secretary to have her put it up on the website. 1
Prepare Teacher Picks: Send email to teachers about going on scholastic.com to select titles for their classroom wish list. Ask each teacher to submit to chair a list of 8-10 books which can be pre-ordered. Locate premarked 2 gallon bags in book fair box in horizon library & make sure there s one for each teacher. May need to purchase additional 2 gal. bags. Use list from teachers to preorder books and put in 2 gal bags when set up book fair. Three Weeks Before Event (Second Week of October): Scholastic Book Fair Postings: Prepare a short book fair announcement and email to get approval from Jen VanDomelen (PTO Corresponding Secretary) for putting on school website. Once approved, have school secretary list book fair dates/times on PTO website and school newsletter. DVD/Video Preview: When the Book Fair Tool Kit arrives, there is a DVD about featured books. There is a link on the front of the DVD so that teachers can just use that link to show the video about the featured books. There is more info about this under Two Weeks Before Event below. These book descriptions are used in the Book Talk Raffle. Watch DVD: Make a list of the popular books. Email this list including additional titles that will go into teachers bags to librarian/chair for the pre-order. Copy of this list goes in volunteer book. In the past as we set up the book fair, we ve taken this list and put the books location in the margin where they are located in the totes for reference when a student requested a certain book. Book Talks: The librarian/chair prints color copies of the book talks from the Scholastic site. Print 3 copies of 4 books (at least) and make sure they re on the video the classes will preview. You need access to the Book Fair Online Tool Kit to print these Book Talks. These book talks will be in the daily class contest announced by Guidance counselor, Amy Farrow (below). Hang up around school in visible spots where kids stand around: above water fountains 1st and 2nd floor, on entrances to bathrooms 1st and 2nd floor, by music/art/gym/spanish classroom doors, by Nurse s office, by library, and in stairwells. Make or find 3 boxes for the raffle. One box for each grade to put their answers to the Book Talk blurb read by Mrs. Farrow each morning (starting the morning BEFORE the book fair and ending on the next to last day of the book fair). One winner was drawn from each grade level each day. Three winners X 4 days = 12 winners total. Winners received a $6 book voucher to spend at the book fair. Make sure you have the vouchers made for the raffle. Teacher Book Fair Reminders: Chair composes a daily email reminder of the upcoming book fair. Make sure the dates and time of the book fair are included as well as using wish lists and getting parents to the book fair even though their conferences are another night. Then the entire week before the sale the chair asks the secretary to blast this daily book fair reminder to the teachers. Teacher Sign Up Sheet: Chair decides to either do a paper sign up for teachers/classes to visit the book fair or a google doc sign up. Sign up document is on the shared drive. See secretary to determine how to share list to all staff. This calendar should be accessed by all teachers and the chair. The chair monitors teachers entries to make sure they all sign up for 2 visits (first to browse, second to purchase). Unshare the document on the first day of the fair and make a paper copy which is kept at the book fair registers, so volunteers can see which classes are coming. Email teachers & tell them they can make changes to visit times on the paper copy by the register or contact chair so that chair can make changes to schedule. 2
Two Weeks Before Event (Third Week of October): Preorder-Immediate Fill In Order: Librarian/Chair calls in a preorder of popular selling book, Waukesha kids choice Books, and teachers pick books as stated above. Get list of Waukesha Kids Choice Books (http://www.wcfls.org/kidschoice) and make sure we have these. Lunch Hour Individual Student Visits: Confirm with Mr. Gull, principal, that students will be allowed to shop during lunch recess, providing they asked the lunch recess monitors. Make sure there are 2 volunteers during lunch hours. Phone Broadcast Message: Ask Mr. Gull if he could add a Scholastic Book Fair reminder to the end of his teacher conference phone broadcast reminder message. If he agrees, email Mr. Gull and the secretary a copy of the Scholastic Book Fair dates/times/location. Custodial Request: Chair asks secretary to fill out custodial request form. 8 banquet tables and 2 extension cords as well as hand sanitizer from dock. Make sure custodians have tables available the morning of set-up by 8:30 am. In passing while at Horizon, verbally remind custodians of sale dates and use of 2 cafeteria tables for teacher picks right after lunch and throughout evening conferences. Locate and Update Volunteer White Binders: Volunteer White Binders used near registers for Volunteer information are kept in the Reading Room of Horizon library on very top shelf near the Z level books. Update information in books with cell phone numbers of chairs and Librarian (with direct extensions if she is located in different places throughout week). Updated teachers lists by grade level with updated extensions and married names if needed. Put a new list of popular book titles and Children s choice awards. Put 3-4 pages of empty notes pages for Volunteers to use during the fair to communicate with the chairs. Documents to include are: Volunteer Information Sheet, Easy Scan Quick Start Sheet, Bar Code sheet, Class Schedules, Volunteer Schedule, Book Reorder form, Volunteer Gift Certificates, Preview Book List, Masters(raffle, wish list, book name stickers). Sucker Pull Prepare baskets lined with either styrofoam or green florist foam (Bank of Memories & Flowers in downtown Pewaukee offered to donate some if needed). Purchased suckers at Sam s club (360 suckers for $8.52 and use tax exempt form. See ladies in green vest) Later you will submit this receipt to PTO Board for reimbursement. We used 9 bags and sold 3200 suckers over 4 days. Prepare prizes and figure how many you will need ahead of time with some extras as there are always more winners than you thought. Consider re-using prize labeled suckers so kids can t try to double claim prizes. Prizes are either purchased or from the tool boxes scholastic orders. Talk with librarian about securing free pencils and bookmarks. Or consider requesting donation prizes from parents to be used during the fair. Scholastic Advertising Posters (big 3 x 3 posters): Fill out posters with day/date/time of sale (see photo of previous posters in binder). Typically 6 7 posters come with Scholastic box received appr. 4 weeks before sale. Hang up posters in key visible spots: One in each grade stairwell by the window (that s 3), front window by office entry door (that s 1), in the cafeteria anywhere the students can see while waiting for lunch (that s 1), by the library s glass doors (that s 1) and, if there s one extra, put it by the gym etc. Get poster putty from school secretary. Cash Drawer Petty Fund Request: Request 2 cash registers from Scholastic representative. Chair should get $200 petty cash for Scholastic cash box from the secretary. 3
Go to bank and break the $200 as follows: 6 roll of quarters ($60), 4 roll of dimes ($20),6 rolls of nickel ($12), 12 rolls of pennies ($6), $62 singles and eight $5 bill. Classroom Book Contest: When the Book Fair Tool Kit arrives, there is a DVD about featured books. There is a link on the front of the DVD so that teachers can just use that link to show the video about the featured books. Compose an email explaining how to show the video and about the contest. Send the email to the school secretary, and she will send it out to all the teachers. Set Up Week (Week before Book Fair ): Classroom Door Talkers and signup sheet: Create a door hanger using card stock and one of the theme pictures from the scholastic website listing the times and dates the teachers signed up to bring their classes to the book fair. Plan on having the Key club student volunteers go and put them on the teachers doors while they are helping with the setup. Make sure the Google shared sign-up sheet is taken down so it can no longer be electronically altered and a printed copy is placed by the registers so volunteers can see what classes are coming when. Email teachers that if they want to adjust the times or dates they are coming with their class to the book fair they must now use the paper copy at the register so the volunteers are aware of any changes. Secretary Reminder: Communicate with librarian and secretary about who will be handling the closing of registers and where money will be locked up at the end of each day so person opening the next day knows where to find it. Make sure all funds are in a locked location office such as principal or vice principals office as safe doesn t fit registers. Advise her chair/librarian will be removing large bills from registers before opening each day and will have a deposit to give her each day. Librarian Aide Reminder: Let the aides know that chair will be coming in morning to open book fair and will need space in library area to count large bills for deposit to secretary. This will make sure that money counting is witnessed by a staff librarian and/or aide and no funds will leave the building Make sure the coin sorter is in the library area for counting any coins from sucker pull (drawer coins do not need to be counted on a daily basis. Daily Announcements: Ask Mrs. Farrow if she would read a brief book review (for the contest) each day during the sale. Get Mrs. Farrow copies of what you d like her to read each day: book review, daily raffles, etc. This was done by having access to the morning announcements via Google Drive. Include in the daily announcements: Book Talk Raffle winners from the day before, time the book fair is open, that kids should bring quarters for the Sucker Pull, and generally hype up the book fair Daily Prize Drawings: Decide how many per day. In 2013, we picked a winner from each grade level and made sure there were no repeat of winners. The answers to the raffle and names of the winners are put in the raffle sheets for record keeping. Use $6 free book voucher again for winners. Have Amy Farrow announce them during the morning announcements. Amy distributed winner vouchers by taping them on her door for the winners to pick up. Scholastic Wish Lists: Did not do in 2013, but did Teacher s picks. See instructions above. Volunteer Email Reminder: 4 Contact Kim McFadden to send out a volunteer email reminder including: transition times, register directions, routines, coupon instructions, sucker pull, teacher wish list, cell phone numbers - stuff in volunteer manual.
Teacher Picks/Appreciation Social (Snacks & Drinks): Purchase drinks (water, soda, and/or juice) and snacks (fruit, cookies, desserts,granola bars, and/or mini appetizers) from Sam s/costco for appreciation during set up day. Check PTO office for extra water or sodas that can be used before purchasing. Teacher Email Reminder: Email lead teachers and lead encore teachers about the changes/set up of the book fair so that they are aware about issues such as: fair dates, raffles, teachers picks/parent purchase for teachers, sucker pull, etc. Ask the lead teachers to pass the info on to the rest of the team. Book Fair Set-Up Day (Wed 10/17/13): Volunteers: Scholastic orders/boxes should have come the day before. Chair and volunteers set up at 9 a.m. - can have scholastic rep come at 9:30 to give tips on setting up and answer any other questions related to logistics of set up and machinery. Should be done by 11 a.m. at the latest. Layout: Set-up in an oval fashion with the same entrance/exit. Set-up in the NW corner of the cafeteria (push the dino into the corner) Traditionally we get 6-7 metal cases plus additional cardboard boxes full of books. Volunteers/scanner sit at the entrance of booth. Categorize books while putting them out(cooking, reference, Waukesha Kids Choice Table, etc). Cover tables with plastic table cloths provided. Use your vertical space by covering scholastic boxes with plastic table cloths and piling books on top. Before starting to set out books, get the custodians OK that the layout is OK for them (lunchtime, after school cafeteria use, etc). Take pictures of the totes as set-up. This is helpful for re-order when spaces are empty and those sold books need to be re-ordered. See more past pictures from past chairs. Scholastic Arrows: Hang arrows (that come in Scholastic box) with poster putty along cafeteria windows and front doors. These visually direct our customers to the sale. 5
Power Cord: Wind cord under tables through the table legs. Keep cord up so no one trips over it. Scholastic Book Displays: Set up displays and keep boxes behind the crates. Table Signs: Put Scholastic provided table signs up by their appropriate category. DVD Featured Books: Make sure we have a good quantity of all the books featured in the DVD. Things to put out by scanner: Pens/Pencils Calculator Wastebasket (see custodian request) 2 Chairs Scrap Paper, tape to register with instructions to date each note written. PTO black bags for purchases over $20 Plastic Shopping Bags MC/Visa Charge sign provided by Scholastic Sucker baskets & sucker pull prizes Volunteer helpful hint binder Defectives Box: PTO Yard Signs: Label one Scholastic Box Defectives and put behind one of the crates. Get 2 signs from PTO office at PLE, and stick them in front edge of Horizon sidewalk. Store in Horizon Book Room until end of sale. Back of Metal Crates: Be sure to pull up the cardboard advertising sign from the back of certain crates. Cover the back of the crate (facing the front foyer) with butcher paper to make it look more appealing. Hang volunteer thank you poster on it Teacher Picks/Appreciation Social (Snacks & Drinks): Set up two cafeteria tables and put snacks (fruits, cookies/desserts, appetizers) and drinks (water, soda and/or juice). Use table covers from Scholastic to cover underneath tables. After set up, at agreed upon time arranged by principal, make announcement on intercom for teachers to stop by book fair for treats and double check their books requested are correct. For those who did not do the online book request, then have them select their books and put in 2 gal. bags. Provide 2 gal. bags for teachers who forgot to select their books earlier. In Fall 2013, it was from 12-3 pm because we did not do online request earlier & it was our first time doing this appreciation which most teachers absolutely loved & appreciated.they picked out books during their work day after their morning meetings. Clean up and put tables back afterwards. Week of Sale: Nightly Emails: Ask Kim McFadden to send out a friendly reminder email to the next day s volunteer list & thank you to volunteers. Be sure to include anything that they should be aware of - sold out orders,etc. Chair update other chairs/librarian of progress i.e money located, how well did, problems/issues/ suggestions. Teacher Purchases done in Spring 2012: Spring 2012, Librarian asked the teachers to complete a wish list and wait until the last day to pick out their books. This way there were more books on the shelves for students to purchase. We can always re-order 6
the books for the teachers. Each teacher gets $35 worth of books for their classroom. Record amount next to the teachers name in the Volunteer Info Book. Diana decides what teachers get the $35 Diana monitors list to make sure teachers make their selection. Use Scholastic Dollar key on scanner for purchases. Put both copies of receipt in drawer. Traditionally, Amy Farrow gets an unlimited amount of books. Chairperson typically picks out books for Amy. Amy uses these as awards for tickets students receive. Make sure the books are all reading levels. See what books students are buying. Ask the students to help. We ve typically filled a re-order book full of books for Amy. Teachers Picks/Parent Purchases done in Fall 2013: All classroom teachers (24) and special needs teachers (4) and Speech teacher selected books ahead of time online or on day of set up. They were 8-10 books valued between $35-100 total. Whatever parents did not already purchase for teachers in the bags, then the Pto purchased for the teachers from the rest of the bag (or if it's out, then other popular books) out of the Sucker Pull funds (All for Books). See directions in scanner toolkit to record sales. In this case, every teacher, not selected teachers, got at least $35 or more in books for their classsroom library. Furthermore, there were funds left over for district librarian to purchase books for schools, reading programs, etc. Double check that every teacher selected books, and if they did not, then select books for them valuing at least $35. Daily Opening (only done by the Scholastic Chair/Librarian): Arrive at 8:30am Unlock crates, uncover tops and reposition per our floor plan. Uncover tables and put signs back up. Turn lights on in cafeteria. Bring out cash drawer (make sure previous days checks/cash/charge slips have been take out). (Past librarian, Malena, did this Fall 2011/Spring 2012. Chair did this in 2013 since librarian was not available.) Need to decide who does this in the future. Remove large bills from each drawer and all sucker pull money and bring to library to count and prepare deposit to give to secretary. Use Cash Receipt tracking form to record funds counted and given for deposits. Also on sheet is a spot to record amounts of credit card receipts and checks. Give Librarian sheet each day for use in reporting sales to Scholastic. Use coin counter (normally kept in PLE library closet top shelf) to count coins for deposit (secretary needs an amount when she submits deposit. Decide if Libarian will be counting the money daily & depositing it, or if chair needs to do it with librarian aide/witness. Library aides agreed to allow chair to count money after each day opening in the library area so the funds do not need to leave Horizon. Daily Closing (only done by the Scholastic Chair/Librarian): Arrive 15 minutes before closing. Print total sales dollars and put on top of cash registers, which is collected by Librarian. Make note of total sales for nightly email updates. Print top selling book titles,and either give copy to Librarian or kept by chair for reorder. Cover tables with plastic table cloths. Close crates and cover tops with plastic table cloths. Store cash drawer in designated spot, preferably safe, locked area in front office or in Principle or Vice Principle s office as safe is not large enough to accommodate drawer. Let other chairs/librarian know where it is in nightly email updates. Reorder books either at night or by noon of sale day. Collect raffle boxes and choose grade level winners of the day. Give winners names to Mrs. Farrow to make on morning announcement. Refill sucker pull Tear Down: 7
Key Club volunteers & chair tear down - usually takes an hour. Print total sales dollars report (give to Librarian). Print top seller report (give to Librarian and keep copy for chair records). Place displays back into their matching boxes. Fill shelves of crates with leftover books from tables, they do not have to go in any special order. Close crates. Put key in the supply box. Empty Scholastic boxes go on top of crates. Filled Scholastic boxes go on top of crates. Line up crates on dock (confirm with janitors). Tear down the banquet tables and put them back in the closet. Put the Chairpersons Box back into the reading room cabinet. After the Sale: Write Thank You notes for custodians, Deanna Olson s class/key Club volunteers, secretary,principal, etc. File Report with PTO. Have Librarian write a report with final sales, etc for the website/newsletter. Enter Volunteer Hours on PTO Manager (or have Volunteer Coordinator do this). General Notes: Feel free to contact your PTO contact at anytime. They can be helpful getting you volunteers, etc. Make sure Librarian has this also so they know what to do and include in meetings since there have been changes to staffing. Posters: Haven t been selling at Horizon, would rather have child spend money on a book.did sell well in fall 2013 for $2.50 with those hung on walls used as prizes in sucker pull. Chatchkey Items: Haven t been selling these items(pens/pencils, erasers, electronic items, etc), they are poor quality.rather have students spend their money on a book. In Fall 2013, erasers and some pencils were a big hit. Case Key: If cases come locked, secretary holds the key until we need it. Make sure lights stay on it cafeteria between 4-7pm. Custodians are in the habit of turning them off. All returns are handled through Chair/Librarian. Teachers designated by Juli (past librarian) received $35-$40 of free books (before 2013). Amy Farrow selects unlimited number of books. (2013???) Never leave the cash drawer unattended. In an emergency, give cash drawer to secretary. If a fire drill, take drawer with you. Diana/Nicole Belleson is the Scholastic contact, any questions, see her. Librarian will then call Scholastic. Diana/Nicole handles all the Scholastic paperwork filings at the end of the sale and decides how the proceeds will be spent. Most of all: Have fun with the sale The PTO, Horizon Staff and Students thank you for all of your time and effort involved to make this a successful event. 8