The Tri-Valley Herald is sponsoring the fourth annual Book Bucks Family Reading Program, to take place February 2-6.

The program encourages students to read the newspaper along with their parents in a quest for "Book Bucks," coupons which they earn via their participation. At the conclusion of the program, a catalog is distrib uted featuring prizes donated by local companies which may be received in exchange for the Book Bucks coupons.

Starts in the Classroom

The program begins in the classroom, where students receive that day's newspaper.

"A lot of the teachers use the curriculum support that we provide," says Michael Dullaghan, education services manager for the Herald. "They spend some time with their class using the newspaper, but they are also instructed to tell the kids to take the papers home each night and tell mom and dad that they have some home work to do together. The assignments are structured so that the parents need to work with the child to complete the assignment."

Last Year, Screenplays

The 1997 Book Bucks program assignment centered around the idea of creating a screenplay from ideas found in the newspaper. Each day, the students and their parents had to come up with a different aspect of the movie.

"On Monday, flipping through the newspaper, they had to find an idea for the plot," says Dullaghan. "On Tuesday, they had to develop their characters."

By the end of the week, students had chosen a setting and had even decided how to market their new film.

"It all culminates in a cute little story at the end," Dullaghan adds.

This Year, "NewsQuest"

This year, the theme for the Book Bucks assignments is "NewsQuest," in which a variety of different pieces of information must be culled from each day's newspaper.

"It's kind of like a scavenger hunt, if you will, to get them into the newspaper with their parents," says Dullaghan.

The teachers oversee completion of each assignment and also serve as bankers, distributing Book Bucks for completed assignments.

By the end of the week, each student could receive a total of up to 800 Book Bucks. On Friday, the Herald publishes the "Cool Stuff Catalog," which features a number of items for which Book Bucks may be redeemed.

Opportunities Abound

There are two different ways in which businesses may participate in the Book Bucks program.

Sponsors who donate money to the program receive exposure in the newspaper throughout the Book Bucks program. Sponsors must meet a deadline of January 28.

Prize Donors offer items or services which the students can receive in exchange for their certificates. The deadline to become a prize donor is January 26.

For more information on participating in the Book Bucks program, contact Dullaghan at (510) 208-6707 or access the Book Bucks web site at www.newschool.com.

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