The Cove Connection 

 Sunday, May 17th, 2020

Issue #33

For Previous Issues Click Here

UPCOMING DATES

• March 17 - June 11 School Closure; Remote Learning 

• May 4- May 29 Safe Routes Walk & Roll Recess Challenge (more resources/ info here)

• All Mondays-  Lunch Pick-Up, Hall Middle School, 11am-12pm

  • Para información sobre almuerzos sin costo clickee aquí

• May 18th, Tuesday- 8-2pm

  • Return Library Books in the box outside of school

  • Lost and Found Accessible outside

  • Teacher Boxes of materials outside- optional, only if your teacher emailed you

• May 20th, Wednesday- Elementary Parent Budget Meeting Session with Dr. Geithman and Principals. We are offering 2 sessions (8am and 12pm) so that you can attend at the time that works best for you.

  • 8am Zoom Link    

  • 12pm Zoom Link

• All Fridays- Cove Zoom Assembly, 12:00pm

• May 25th- Memorial Day Observed, No School

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Congratulations to our 2020 Golden Bell Award recipient, Lucia Cortright! This honor is peer-nominated and peer-selected. 

Ms. Cortright is an intelligent, mindful, compassionate educator who teaches 1st grade at Cove. Lucia understands the importance of teaching to the whole child and is responsive to student needs. She is accomplished in differentiating instruction based on current assessment data as well as on her in-the-moment observations. She expertly incorporates socio-emotional learning in developmentally appropriate ways throughout the school day. Additionally, Lucia is a leader on our staff. She is a collaborative staff member and a supportive mentor for new teachers. She is reflective and open-minded, always looking to improve her practice. 

When Lucia is not busy teaching, she loves spending time with her husband Seth and their two children Hanna (12) and Cole (15). She enjoys hiking, travel, reading, puzzles, and swimming.

I am grateful for Lucia’s dedication to Cove and our students. Please join me in congratulating her on earning this well-deserved award!

Sincerely,

Michelle Walker, Principal

SCHOOL NEWS

Following is Dr. Geithmans speech celebrating Principal Walker:

In 2012, Michelle Walker, an already experienced and successful principal, was named the principal of The Cove School which was scheduled to be open in 2014. She was given the daunting task of taking research regarding school design and instructional practices and creating a school. This included both the physical space and also instructional philosophy. Her research included workshops at Harvard, visits to other school communities, meetings at Apple and Google for inspiration, and an abundance of reading in both educational journals and investigation of optimal spaces for learning. This ultimately led to the school's philosophical foundation, the guiding principles: experiential learning, social emotional development, creativity, and community. These guiding principles defined how the classrooms were designed (learning suites with nano walls for collaborative teaching, breakout rooms, flexible seating, and architectural features aimed to empower children). They also defined instructional practices and pedagogy such as collaborative teaching, multi-age classes, and instruction that would be deemed as workshop, constructivist, and experiential. The guiding principles are used on a regular basis with the school site council, leadership team, staff, and parents to guide decisions and reinforce practices. Recently, Michelle and the school site council created "Cove Alive," which is a project to use art in campus features that symbolize the guiding principles. The guiding principles were also the foundation in building community with staff and parents. She created staff development that fostered strong relationships amongst colleagues, while also deepening their understanding of what the guiding principles look like in practice. Collaboratively leading this work on defining the guiding principles has led to sustainability as the entire staff owns and embraces them. Additionally, new staff are brought into the fold by the Cove community with the guiding principles as the foundation, adding to sustainability. Michelle Walker's leadership of Cove School both in the design and sustainability has been celebrated throughout the educational community through videos, articles, and presentations. Edutopia, local universities, and schools throughout the state have visited Cove School for inspiration in both the physical and instructional design. Michelle Walker's transformational leadership has built a school where both the physical space and instructional practices actualize what the school community values. 

Sarah Mueller, LCMSD Board Member was also nominated as a Golden Bell Recipient, to read Dr. Geithmans speech, click here.

For a complete list of district nominees, click here

So well deserved! Thank you for your outstanding leadership! 

Art Lesson Photos- Please upload a photo of your artwork (you can be in the photo too if you want!) into this Google Photo Album of Cove Art by Wednesday, May 20 at 12:00pm. Here is the link to Ms. Mckee’s art lesson plans for each week.

Resource - A Social Story to help your young child understand When We All Come Together Again.

Specialist Zoom Times! For more information, see weekly lesson plans or clickhere.

LCMSD Lunch Service: All LCMSD students are able to receive lunch at no cost. Mondays at Hall Middle School from 11-12pm. No prior ordering required.For more information click here. Para información sobre almuerzos sin costo clickee aquí *Para ayuda en español por favor contacte a Florencia Frankenberg castelanellif@yahoo.com o 617-971-7785. 

Moving for Next Year? If your K-5th grade child is NOT planning to attend Cove in 2020-21, please notify your child's teacher, Michelle Walker (mwalker@lcmschools.org), Diana Nay (dnay@lcmschools.org) andcovesecretaries@lcmschools.org as soon as possible. 

PTO UPDATES

Welcome 2020-2021 Incoming PTO Board! At the Wednesday, May 13th our new 2020-2021 board was voted in. We would like to thank the 2019-2020 Board for all their help and dedication to our school. An especially big thank you to our outgoing President, Elena O’Brien- you will be missed! Any questions or comments, please email our new PTO Board President, Kristen Slowe.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Please click link to view Community News that includes updates from: 

• Community Assistance for Marin’s Vulnerable Populations

• Comcast offering Free WIFI

• Marin County Free Library Links

• The Marin County Free Library’s Kids at Home Series 

• Town of Corte Madera Virtual Recreation & Resource Point

Follow Us! #CoveSchool  #WeAreLCMSD

ABOUT THE COVE CONNECTION The Cove Connection is a digital bulletin published by the CovePTO and distributed to The Cove School community each Sunday via email. To submit content to the Cove Connection, please email info@covepto.org. To receive a subscription to The Cove Connection, or to change your email address, send a note to  covesecretaries@lcmschools.org.