What are the goals of the Reading Olympics?
A: To foster a love of reading and to teach cooperation and teamwork.
Registration
How do I register a team?
A: Registration opens November 1st. If you are registering an Intermediate Team, (grades 4-6) you may register on line. If you are registering a Middle School Team (grades 6-8) you will fax your registration in.
How will I know if my registration has been received?
A: You will receive an email confirmation and a contract to be signed by the team coach and the principal. The contract must be returned in order for the registration to be valid.
When does registration close?
A: January 15th is our deadline, but registration will close when all slots are filled should that happen sooner.
What happens if I am put on a waiting list?
A: If a team drops out, or more space is secured you will be called in the order that you registered.
How many teams may I register?
A: For 2011, you may register: Intermediate teams – 2 teams – 12 students + 2 alternates for each team. Middle School teams – 1 team per school with 12 students + 2 alternates. No more than 14 students per team may attend the competition in May for either competition.
If I register an Intermediate team and a Middle School team will they be competing on the same day/place?
A: No, the Middle School competition is held in a different week.
Why are there limitations on the number of teams and students per team?
A: We have limited space at our host colleges and universities. We’d like as many schools/groups to participate as possible.
The Books
How do I find the booklist?
A: The book lists are posted at the beginning of the school year. The Intermediate Book List of 20 books and the Middle School Book List of 15 books can be found on this website under their respective tabs.
Where can I get the books?
A: Teams are responsible for finding their own books. Both Trappe Book Company and Children’s Book World are vendors we have worked with and accept purchase orders. Often the Philadelphia Reads book bank has some of the books, stop in on Wednesday afternoon during the school year.
What happens if I am unable to get one of the titles on the list?
A: Each team is responsible for having read all the titles on the lists. Each team will be asked questions about each of the books. There are no exceptions.
Where can I get sample questions for the books?
A: Sample questions are provided in the Middle School Coach Manual or the Intermediate Coach Manual 2010.
The Competition
When will I know the date and location for the competition for my team?
A: You will receive an email in late January or early February after registration has closed.
What time is the competition?
A: Registration begins at about 9:30. There are 3 rounds of competition. The first round usually begins about 10 am. The actual time depends upon the arrival of teams. Each round lasts approximately ½ hour. The award ceremony begins as soon as the third round is completed. We try to begin as early as possible so that we can have everyone back on his or her buses no later than 12:30.
Why is the competition in May?
A: The colleges and universities that we use to hold our competitions have the space we need to hold our competitions during the week between the spring semester and the first summer session.
Why aren’t lunch or snacks provided?
A: Most of the colleges and universities do not allow food in their classrooms and auditoriums. In addition, we have no funds to purchase lunch for the students. Many schools have lunch celebrations for their teams when they return to school.
Why don’t the questioners (moderators) read the books first?
A: The moderators and scorekeepers are volunteers. We require about 200 volunteers to run the Philadelphia Reading Olympics. We rely on businesses, civic groups and retirees to serve as volunteers. We are grateful for their help and cannot require them to read the books.
Why don’t we have one overall winner?
A: Our goal is to foster a love of reading and to teach cooperation and teamwork.
If I have a question whom should I contact?
A: Call or email Bonnie Stone at Philadelphia Reads, 215-279-7516, bstone@philareads.org
