The Cove Connection 

Sunday, September 30th, 2018

Issue #6

For Previous Issues Click Here

UPCOMING DATES

• • SPARK Board Meeting, Monday, October 1st, 7:30pm - 9:00pm, Hall Library

  • Cove Cafe Coffee, Wednesday, October 3rd, 8:14am - 9:00am, Cove Gallery

  • 5th Grade Outdoor Science Education, October 3rd-5th

  • No School, Monday, October 8th

  • Cove Fall Family Picnic, Wednesday, October 10th, 5:00pm -7:00pm

  • International Walk-to-School Day, Wednesday, October 10th

  • Student Conferences, Early Dismissal Week 1:15pm, October 15th-19th

  • Cove Library Book Fair October 15th-19th, Cove Library

  • Parent Ed Night, Tuesday, October 16th, 6:30pm-8:30pmHall Middle School

  • LCMSD Board Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 17th, 6:00pm-9:00pm, Hall Library

  • The Great California Shakeout Thursday, October 18th

  • District Leadership Alliance Friday, October 19th, 10:00am-11:30am LCMSD district office

  • Coffee with Superintendent Dr. Brett Geithman, Tuesday, October 23rd, 8:30am, Cove Gallery

  • Halloween Kindergarten Mask Parade Wednesday, October 31st, 12:00pm-12:20pm 

PRINCIPAL MESSAGE- READING WORKSHOP

At Cove, many teachers have been using Reading and Writing workshop for years. This year, as a district, we are zooming in on Reading Workshop to refine and build common practices across the board. Last week, every classroom teacher participated in a half-day Reading Workshop Lab facilitated by Momentum in Teaching. This is part of ongoing professional development to help each teacher grow in their individual practice.

The Workshop Approach: We view reading as a multi-faceted continuum, and our goal is to guide each child through this progression.  Reading Workshop is a way of structuring our literacy block so every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These research-based tasks are ones that will have the biggest impact on student reading achievement. Students receive explicit whole group instruction (in a 10-minute mini-lesson) and then are given independent/small group practice time to read and write while the teachers and other adults in the room provide focused, specific instruction to individuals and small groups of students.

Through this small group instruction, advanced learners are learning exactly what they need to be learning at their skill level, while students who need extra time and reinforcement have the opportunity for that as well.

Your child will learn to select “Good Fit Books” (books at their independent reading level) that they understand and are interested in. This summer, each classroom got a new library of leveled books to give students lots of high-interest books at many levels. They spend most of their time actually reading books at their level, which research supports as the number one way to improve reading.  We anticipate and hope the motivation and enjoyment of reading will skyrocket when this gift of choosing their own books is accompanied by extended practice and specific reading instruction for each child as an individual.

The Research: How do we know Reading Workshop works?  Years of research! Want to learn more? You can read the Research Base Underlying the Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop’s Approach to Literacy Instruction here.  

As a district, we are committed to best practice in literacy and doing whatever it takes to challenge, support, and know each student!

Sincerely,

Michelle Walker, Principal

SCHOOL NEWS

Parent Ed Event Plasticity and the Growth-Oriented Mindset The first in a three-part series featuring Dr. Kent and AdaptED, join us Tuesday, October 16th, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the Hall Middle School Gym to understand the how brain's adaptability can inform our everyday experiences and generate motivation and passion about learning. To register to attend click here or to learn more visit http://www.adaptedconsultants.com.

The Cove Book Fair Is Coming The Book Fair will be Monday, October 15th through Friday, October 19th. The Library would love volunteers to help with the Book Fair! Stop by the library to sign up for a shift or two.

Personal Electronic Devices We cannot allow students to have personal electronic devices at school, such as cell phones and watches with capability of internet connection, calling, texting, etc. If you need your child to bring a personal electronic device to school for special circumstances, please notify the classroom teacher so we can ensure that the device is not used during the school day. Students can always use the classroom or office telephone (with staff permission) to contact you during their time at school as necessary. Please know that we cannot guarantee the safety of personal electronic devices if your child stores the device in his/her backpack.

Zero Waste Tip of the Week - Say No to Straws! 500 million plastic straws are used in the US each day. Here’s the challenge: Next time you’re at a restaurant, order your drink without a straw. You could say, “I would like a lemonade without a straw, thank you.”

PTO UPDATES

The Cove School Fall Picnic - Don’t Miss the Fun! Your kids love this event! We invite you to our Annual Fall Family Get-Together! There will be activities led by Steve & Kate’s Camp, Face Painting, Family Fitness, Live Drumming and more! Dinner by the delicious Marin Pizza Company for sale. Come in costume! Wednesday, October 10th, 5:00pm-7:00pm. To RSVP click here. See you there!

“Cove Cafe” this Wednesday! Come grab coffee and a pastry and share a moment to connect. This Wednesday, October 3rd, after drop-off in the Gallery. We look forward to seeing you there!

Lost and Found We are looking for volunteers to help us organize and run our Lost and Found department! If you are interested in being our lead volunteer or helping in any capacity, please emailpresident@covepto.org.

Good Eggs and The Cove PTO Beginning this Wednesday, October 1st for every purchase made on Good Eggs using the our school code, they will donate 5% of your purchase back The Cove PTO. New customers get $15 off with this code. To redeem, visitschools.goodeggs.com, and enter code COVESCHOOL18. Any questions please contact Melissa Sheeline at: melissa@everydaynutritionco.com

SPARK NEWS

Annual Giving We’re making progress! Thank you to the over 150 families who have made their Annual Giving 2018-2019 donation. Check out our updated list. Remember, you can set up monthly installments to spread payments out over time. Or, you can pledge now, and pay later. We need all hands on deck to hit our $1.4M goal so we can continue to support programs at all three schools.

Fun Run Thanks A tremendous thank you to our fantastic team and especially Event Chair Jill Martay, who put on the 5th Annual Fun Run. It Takes a Village - and we’re excited to report that the event grossed nearly $15K and included 600 participants - a record for both!

Become a SPARK Biz Partner Get your business in front of our community of nearly 1,000 local families and support SPARK at the same time!  In return for your financial support, we provide SPARK Biz Partners a high level of visibility within our school community and -- most importantly -- our patronage. Learn more about sponsorship options here.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Click here for updates from:

• • The Cove and Book Passage

  • Marin County Girls Chorus

  • Marisa Joy Ganz Broadway Classes

  • No Belles: Women Chemists and Women in STEM

  • Tamalpais Unified School District, Measure J

  • Earthquakes & Disaster Preparedness!

  • Author Ian Lendler at The Cartoon Art Museum

  • MAGICKIDS at The Cove!

  • Passback Collection Donations A local Girl Scout troop is collecting soccer clothes and gear for The Passback Collection, more info can be found here. There will be a collection box in the office for donations. Thank you in advance for the support!