HANDBOOK 2010-2011

MSREADATHON.CA

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WElCOME

ABOuT THE MulTiplE SClEROSiS SOCiETy Of CANADA

Happy Reading!

MiSSiON STATEMENTto be a leader in finding a cure for multiple sclerosis and enabling people affected by MS to enhance their quality of life.

Welcome to the MS Read-A-Thon! Whether this

is an annual event at your school or your first time participating, you will quickly see how great this

program is! It unites students as they read

and fundraise to make a difference in the lives of people

living with MS – people like me.

At 17 years old I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. When I learned about the MS Read-A-Thon and how I could

share my story with students, I jumped on board. As an MS Read-A-Thon Guest Speaker, I get the opportunity to visit schools, tell them about my experience with MS and hopefully inspire them to help!

The number of Canadians living with MS continues to increase every day and young people like myself are being diagnosed more and more. By fundraising for the MS Read-A-Thon you are making a difference in the lives of people living with MS.

I hope that as you participate in this program you never forget how thankful we are.

2 MS READ-A-THON

Amanda Piron, National MS Read-A-Thon Guest Speaker

The MS Society of Canada is the only national voluntary organization in Canada that supports both MS research and services for people with MS and their families. Since our founding in 1948, the core support of the MS Society has been from tens of thousands of dedicated individuals, companies and foundations in communities across Canada.

The MS Society’s net revenue is devoted to program areas such as MS research, services for people with MS and their families, MS clinics, social action, public education and chapter development. For more information, visit mssociety.ca.

3HANDBOOK 2010-2011

ABOuT THiS HANDBOOK

This handbook contains everything you need to know about hosting the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk at your school! It has information on all aspects of the program, sample materials, fundraising tips and, ways to engage teachers and students to participate and to end MS.

In order to provide you with the most current program information, please ensure we have your school's most up to date information. Contact our office at 250-314-0773 or toll free 1-888-304-6622 or email info.kamloops@mssociety.ca.

WHAT iS MulTiplE SClEROSiS?

● MS is the most common disease of the central nervous system among young adults in Canada.

● The disease affects an estimated 55,000 to 75,000 Canadians, with three more people diagnosed each day.

● Symptoms can include vision and speech problems, extreme fatigue, lack of balance and coordination, and even paralysis.

● MS is most commonly diagnosed be-tween the ages of 15 and 40, but can occur at any age. Children as young as three have been diagnosed with the disease.

● Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, but Canada is also a leader in MS research.

“I have been involved with running the MS Read-A-Thon for almost 15 years, in 3 different schools, and I think it is one of the best programs for the students.

Not only do they learn about MS and how to help others in our community, but they are also very motivated to read as much as they can. Even our reluctant readers seem to enjoy the challenge as they are able to choose their reading material. As a school, we have focused on setting classroom goals, as well as a school wide goal for the number of minutes read. The kids love it!

The program is very easy to organize. I feel it is an extremely worthwhile fundraiser that fits with curriculum and is fun too!

Cathy Garrard, Teacher, Adrienne Clarkson Elementary

School (Ontario)

HANDBOOK 2010-2011

mSreadathoN.cA

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How do we explain MS to kids? Find out online at msreadathon.ca.

4 MS READ-A-THON

GETTiNG STARTEDFirst, choose a program and a start time (Fall, Winter or Spring). Then contact Leanne Fisher at the Kamloops and Area Chapter office to register.

Phone: 250-314-0773 Toll free: 1-888-304-6622. Email: leanne.fisher@mssociety.ca

WHAT iS THE MS READ & WAlK?The MS Read & Walk is a new 1 day event, where the school determines the distance the students will walk/run and the amount of time the students will read that same day. Students can collect pledges or donations for this event and receive awards based on their fundraising amounts. This event combines physical education, literacy, as well as character education and philanthropy.

WHAT iS THE MS READ-A-THON? The MS Read-A-Thon is our traditional program where students read for 2-3 weeks and receive awards based on their reading and fundraising amounts. This program is designed to motivate students to read as well as raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis.

OuR pROGRAMS

We are pleased to offer two program choices through the Kamloops and Area Chapter office: the MS Read-A-Thon and the new MS Read & Walk. Both programs are FUN for students and EASY for teachers to organize! They also motivate children to read and promote school spirit. In addition, they allow students to make a difference in the lives of people affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Schools can choose any time of the year to participate - Fall Winter or Spring.

DiD yOu KNOW?Some of our materials are available in French! Contact us for more information.

NEED MORE iNfORMATiON fOR STAff?Invite a representative from the MS Society to speak at a staff meeting!

5HANDBOOK 2010-20115 MS READ-A-THON

Officially launch the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk to increase excitement at your school! Whether a representative from the MS Society of Canada will be visiting your school or if you or a member of your staff will be conducting the Kick-Off Assembly it is a great opportunity to teach students about giving back to their community.

Your MS Read-A-Thon Coordinator will work with you to arrange the best Kick-Off Assembly format for your school.

KiCK-Off ASSEMBly fORMATSSociety Hosted – An MS Society representative will conduct a presentation at your school

School Hosted – A self-directed presentation by someone from your school

SOCiETy HOSTED KiCK-Off ASSEMBly

● A representative from the MS Society will visit your school for the Kick-Off Assembly.

● Your coordinator will contact you a few weeks before to confirm the date, time and details.

● On the day of the presentation, we will bring everything you need to run the program, including student pledge envelopes, collection envelopes for the teachers, and posters to put up around the school.

● During the assembly, the MS Society presenter will explain what multiple sclerosis is, the importance of reading, the value of fundraising for a cause, and how the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk is going to work.

You or a member of your staff will be running the Kick-Off Assembly for your school’s MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk this year.

Your coordinator will provide you with all of the materials you will need for a successful Kick-Off Assembly.

To assist with the Assembly we will send you:

● A guide to hosting your own Kick-Off Assembly and a script to accompany the Kick-Off Assembly.

If you are interested in additional tools to incorporate into the assembly visit msreadathon.ca to find:

● Activities to help teach students about multiple sclerosis

● Videos and tools to accompany the presentation

This format allows you the flexibility to set your own dates for the program.

Once you have booked your MS Read-A-Thon start and end dates you will receive all of the material needed to run the program.

We will send you student pledge envelopes, collection envelopes for the teachers, and posters to put up around the school.

SCHOOl HOSTED KiCK-Off ASSEMBly

KiCK-Off ASSEMBly

6 MS READ-A-THON

GuEST SpEAKERS

6HANDBOOK 2010-2011

We are lucky to have the help and support of volunteer guest speakers at the Kick-Off Assembly. During the assembly, they will speak for 5-10 minutes about their own experience with MS. Their involvement adds a personal impact to the message as guest speakers may have MS themselves, or have a connection through a family member. They can answer questions from students and teachers and they bring a face to the disease.

Contact your MS Read-A-Thon Coordinator to arrange a guest speaker for your Kick-Off Assembly.

Courtesy of The Mississauga News

Track funds raised and minutes/hours read as a way to motivate students and staff while highlighting the benefits of participating in the MS Read-A-Thon. Use these ideas in addition to requesting donations! Some ideas for activities to enhance your MS Read-A-Thon are:

● Post and use the MS hourglass in classrooms or around your school (available at msreadathon.ca - Teachers section)

● Host a classroom race to 1,000 minutes read

● Reward the TOP fundraising class with an ice cream or a pizza party!

● Challenge students to ‘Beat the Librarian’ in minutes read

● Host a ‘Toonie Drive’ for a movie afternoon or dance

● ‘Pie the Principal’ if your school raises more than last year

● Create teams or reading buddies for a ‘Reading Boot Camp’

● Wear RED on designated days during the reading period to support MS

● Organize a one day reading and raising BLITZ with activities, games and prizes

● Contact your Coordinator or visit msreadathon.ca for more creative ideas!

The more you read, the more you raise, the more you help!

ACTiViTiES

ENHANCiNG yOuR pROGRAM

7HANDBOOK 2010-20117 MS READ-A-THON

AWARDS

If you have selected the Individual Awards option for your school, you will be receiving the student pledge envelope shown here. Students who raise $20 or more will be eligible to receive an award.

Make your fundraising dollars go even further! Students can

choose to be an MS Superstar and donate their prize back to the MS Society of Canada.

Prize posters will be delivered to your school with all materials.

MS

SupER

STAR

Student Pledge Envelope

JOIN THE MINUTES CLUB

Through hard work and devotion, Jessica became Canada’s top MS Read-A-Thon fundraiser in 2009

raising over $4,000. Motivated by her mother’s diagnosis of MS, Jessica remains positive and

determined to make a difference.

Jessica Sanftleben, Student

awardSTotal your pledges and choose your award.

Fill out total minutes read to become a member of the

Minutes Club. Members are entered into a draw for

OWL/chickaDEE/Chirp Magazine subscriptions.

Note: The MS Society reserves the right to substitute awards of equal or greater value. Awards are not cumulative.

$1000+ ❏

❏

Digital Camera OR$100 Chapters-Indigo Gift Card

$500-$999.99 ❏

❏

iPod Shuffle OR$50 Chapters-Indigo Gift Card

$250-$499.99 ❏

❏

iHome Speakers OR$25 Chapters-Indigo Gift Card

$100-$249.99 ❏

❏

Crayola Twistables OR$10 Chapters-Indigo Gift Card

$75-$99.99 ❏

❏

❏

Beat the Parents Board Game ORHeadlamp Booklight ORCrayola Presto Dots Multi-Pack

$50-$74.99 ❏

❏

H2O Bottle ORCrayola Model Magic - 6 Pack

$35-$49.99 ❏

❏

Lunch Bag ORCrayola Scentsations

$25-$34.99 ❏ Pencil Case

❏ I want to help even more! Instead of sending me an award, please donate it back to the MS Society

Have you read even MORE? That’s great! Just write the total number of minutes you have read in the “Total number of minutes read” box above.

MINUTE TraCkErStudents: Keep track of the minutes you read by colouring in the hourglass.

My reading goal is: minutes

Grades k-3 (400 minutes or more)

Grades 4 and up (1000 minutes or more)

minutes

minutes

Total number of minutes read: minutes

MIN

UT

ES

To download the MS read-a-Thon prize poster and for games and trivia visit msreadathon.ca.

Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada • 175 Bloor St E, Suite 700, North Tower • Toronto, Ontario • M4W 3R8

KiDS lOVE

AWARDS!

MiNuTES CluBPrimary students who read more than 400 minutes in the and Intermediate students who read more 1000 minutes in the MS Read-A-Thon qualify for the Minutes Club. A draw will be made from all qualifying students in the Kamloops and Area Chapter region.

TOp READER AND TOp fuNDRAiSER CERTifiCATESA special thank you to the students who made an extra special effort!

A REMiNDER! Teachers do not need to count any money for either of our programs.

8 MS READ-A-THON

OTHER RECOGNiTiON

B100/CfJC TV BROADCAST CENTRE TOuRSWith support from Cheryl and Steve at B100 Radio station, we are pleased to offer our Top Fundraisers and Readers (primary and intermediate) a tour of the CFJC Broadcast Centre and B100 radio station. Students also have the opportunity to be interviewed on B100. Out of town schools have the option of phoning into the radio station.

BuilD yOuR SCHOOl liBRARySchools receive sample Scholastic Books as a thank you for participating in the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk. As well, we offer Scholastic Gift Certifcates as school registration and fundraising incentives.

2009 Top Students During their Broadcast

Centre Tours

TOOlS yOu CAN fiND ON THE WEBSiTE: ● Videos about reading and MS ● Printable hourglass to track class reading and

fundraising goals ● Online publications to help you explain MS to kids ● Fun ways to encourage older students to read

While your students are busy reading, your MS Read-A-Thon Coordinator will contact you to discuss the money collection procedures for your school. At this time we will schedule an appropriate pick-up date. Please remind teachers to collect Student Pledge Envelopes for their class and submit their Class Collection Envelope to you before the pick-up date.

MONEy COllECTiON

9HANDBOOK 2010-2011

GET EVERyONE iNVOlVED

Running the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk at your school can be a big job and it’s important to have the support of your colleagues in order to make the campaign successful. Here are some tips to help you get staff at your school involved in the program:

GET yOuR COllEAGuES iNVOlVED

Tell parents about the importance of participating in the MS Read-A-Thon and what your school is doing to help those living with MS in your community.

● Incorporate the messages into your school newsletter. ● Distribute copies of the Parent Information Letter. ● Invite parents to your Kick-Off Assembly

GET pARENTS iNVOlVED

Put if in your school calendar!Inform your collegues at a staff meeting that you will be participating in the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk. Let everyone know when you're planning to run the program to ensure other fundraising events are not scheduled at the same time.

Host a Pre-Program RallyYou'll find information about multiple sclerosis and the MS Read-A-Thon online at msreadathon.ca under the Teacher Resouces section. Sharing this information with the rest of the staff will give them a better understanding of the cause they're supporting and will also help them answer questions students may have once the program begins.

Set school-wide goals for dollars raised or minutes readEncourage teachers to set classroom fundraising or reading goals, or challenge another class or grade to see who can read or raise the most. A little friendly competition can go a long way to motivate students and teachers too!

Promote the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk in your schoolHang up a poster in the staff room, highlight it in your school's monthly newsletter, and use the morning announcement templates. Include important dates, such as the end of the reading period, student envelope collection week, and the pick-up date.

Additional materials are available online at msreadathon.ca in the Teacher Resouce section for helpful documents including:

● Email templates to send to your collegues reminding them of deadlines

● Printable activities to track reading and fundraising goals

● Information on how to explain muliple sclerosis to kids

● Motivating short videos about MS

10 MS READ-A-THON

MORNiNG ANNOuNCEMENTS

Here are some sample morning announcements for before, during and after your MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk Kick-Off Assembly. Please visit the Teacher Resources section of our msreadathon.ca for more examples!

DAy BEfORE THE KiCK-OffTomorrow we will be having our MS Read-A-Thon (or MS Read & Walk) Kick-Off Assembly. Please wear RED to the assembly to show your support!

KiCK-Off DAyToday is the start of the MS Read-A-Thon. You will be called down to the (INSERT LOCATION) at (INSERT TIME) for a Kick-Off Assembly where you will learn about the MS Read-A-Thon and how you can participate.

DAy AfTER KiCK-OffThe MS Read-A-Thon has started! We have (INSERT LENGTH OF READING PERIOD) to read and raise money to help people with MS. This is our chance to make a difference in the lives of people in our community. So get sponsors and get reading!

DuRiNG THE READiNG pERiODDid you know that between 55,000 and 75,000 Canadians have MS? You can help them just by reading. If you haven’t started the MS Read-A-Thon already, it’s not too late! Every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference!

Last year, students in the Kamloops and Area Chapter region raised over $9,300 dollars

through the MS Read-A-Thon. Someof that money was used to help scientists research the causes of MS and create new medications to help people who have MS. They are doing great work, but there’s still no cure! By reading and getting sponsors, you play a big part in finding a cure for MS. There’s just (INSERT #) reading days left!

MONEy COllECTiON WEEKHave you remembered to put your name on your Student Pledge Envelope for the MS Read-A-Thon? Please bring the money that you’ve collected from your sponsors as well as your MS Read-A-Thon Pledge Envelope to school by (INSERT DAY OF WEEK). Thank you for a job well done!!!

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR TEACHERS: The MS Read-A-Thon collection period concludes (INSERT DATE). Your students will be handing in their envelopes to you this week. Please make sure to use your Class Collection Envelope to keep all the student submissions from your class together. Please make sure all envelopes are sealed and handed in to (INSERT NAME OF SCHOOL LIAISON) by the end of the day on (INSERT THE DAY).

11HANDBOOK 2010-2011

BEfORE THE KiCK-Off ASSEMBly:

Confirm your Kick-Off time and date with your Coordinator. They will call you to confirm the details of the program and answer any questions you have.

Mark the MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk on your school calendar!

Post an information poster in the staff room. Let everyone know at your next staff meeting and encourage each class to participate.

Visit msreadathon.ca for resources and tools to help make your MS Read-A-Thon or MS Read & Walk a huge success!

KiCK-Off DAy: Ask teachers to distribute a Student Pledge Envelope to each student on the day of your Kick-Off.

Have FUN and encourage students to read, track their reading minutes, and gather pledges.

DuRiNG THE READiNG pERiOD: Read the scripted Morning Announcements over the PA.

Download “Classroom Activities” to help boost reading and fundraising, available at msreadathon.ca – Teachers section

Expect a call or email from your Coordinator. We will contact you to see how you are doing, hear what’s happening at your school and discuss submission of funds.

AfTER THE READiNG pERiOD: Remind teachers to gather Student Pledge Envelopes and place them in the Class Collection Envelope. Teachers should record the amount raised as indicated on the Student Pledge Envelopes but assure them they don’t have to count funds.

Ensure teachers submit their Class Collection Envelope to you by the deadline.

Confirm your pick up date with your coordinator to ensure your funds are safely transferred to the MS Society.

AfTER MONEy COllECTiON: Contact us if you receive any late submissions to the MS Society and we will coordinate an additional pick-up.

Expect awards and certificates to arrive at your school approximately 6-8 weeks after funds have been received by the MS Society.

The MS Society will contact you to arrange your Broadcast Tour or Radio Call-In (out of town schools) for top readers and fundraisers.

pROGRAM CHECKliST

THANK yOu TO OuR SpONSORS

MS Read-A-Thon Kamloops & Area Chapter Suite 180 - 546 St. Paul Street Kamloops, BC V2C 5T1

Website: msreadathon.camssociety.ca/kamloopsEmail: info.kamloops@mssociety.ca Phone: 250-314-0773 or 1-888-304-6622

iMpORTANT DATES:

MS Read-A-Thon Kick-Off date:

MS Read-A-Thon Kick-Off time:

Reading ends:

Student Envelopes submitted by:

Pick up date: