The Cove Connection 

 Sunday, November 1st, 2020

Issue #11

For Previous Issues Click Here

UPCOMING DATES

• November 11 Veterans Day, No School

• November 12 School Picture Day (see information below)

• November 17 SPARK Giving Day

Weekly Dates

• All Mondays LunchMaster pickup 11:00am - 12:30pm

• All Fridays 

  • All School Assembly 11:30-12pm via Zoom

  • Library Book Pick Up and Return 8:00am - 4:00pm

  • Spiritwear Order Pick Up (if ordered) 8:00am - 4:00pm

  • Classroom Materials Pickup 8:00am- 4:00pm (*as notified by your classroom teacher)

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Dear Parents,

The upcoming presidential election is ripe with potential fallout and will inevitably affect all Americans. As such, it should be discussed with the utmost care and responsibility. This will be the first election that many of our students remember, and the first one some of them are old enough to think about on a more critical level. First and foremost, every child and family is safe and welcome at Cove- no matter their political view.

I want to offer parent resources and share my expectations around how election discussions are handled at school. I expect school discussions to be filled with respectful dialogue and critical thinking. A web resource that was created in 2019, Allsides.com, says, “Students who want to effectively evaluate news and information and engage with others on complicated issues may not know how. Instead, they retreat into filter bubbles where they engage only with people and information that reinforce their existing beliefs and ideas.In this challenging landscape, it is essential to equip students with media literacy skills to assess news and information more critically. But that’s only half the challenge. A healthy democracy also requires that we build relationships and have conversations with others on difficult topics, even (or especially) when we have different opinions.”

As adults, let’s model speaking with an educated voice and listening with an open ear. We can help students understand that it is okay not to know, it is better to find out, but it is never a good thing to speak when you have no idea.

As a school and district our focus is on continuing to strengthen our community by providing a safe space to explore, share and examine our ideas and feelings. Our educators (citizens themselves) have their own beliefs, values, feelings and responses to the election. However, our focus at school is on the children in front of us. Our focus is on helping our students process and reflect while learning the art of respectful discourse and active, empathetic listening.

I offer these resources as guides for conversation. There are many others out there. I invite you to think forward and envision all the ways we can individually and collectively make a positive difference in the world. As adults, we need to reinforce that we are all in this together.

• Election materials for parents

  • Common Sense Media on Guiding Kids Through Election Process

  • Using the Election as a Teaching Tool- Article from Edutopia

  • When Do Teachers Stay Neutral

  • https://allsidesforschools.org/

Sincerely,

Michelle Walker, Principal

SPARK UPDATES

Giving Day Participation Challenge is ON! This is the time, now more than ever, to invest in your children’s schools with your Annual Giving Donation. In a time when so much is out of control, an opportunity exists for this community to come together and ensure that our financial commitment to the District is stable for next year and beyond. This is the time, now more than ever, to invest in your children’s school. Your support has never been more crucial. In case you need another reason to make your Annual Giving donation this year, we've sweetened the pot with a treat from Amy's Drive Thru. If we reach 60% participation by November 17th, every student gets a free shake from Amy's Drive Thru! Make a donation or pledge by November 17th and be entered to win a Peloton Bike! Increase your odds -  families new to our District who make a donation or returning families with a higher donation than last year will receive two entries in the raffle. 

SCHOOL and PTO NEWS

Picture Day is Thursday, November 12 Please see here for ordering information. Orders are online only this year! You may find your child's schedule here- including remote learners. Please note, no parents are allowed at picture day and we are unable to accommodate any special requests.  

The Cove Spiritwear Shop Need some new Cove swag? A new mask? Shop our inventory here! If you have not yet picked up your previous order, please do! Contact-free pickup at the Cove loop Fridays, 8am-4pm.

LCMSD UPDATES

• Lunch orders must be ordered online, please click here to order. Orders must be placed by 10am on Thursdays.  Be sure you receive an email confirmation. Lunch will be available the week of Thanksgiving break, please do not forget to pick up the lunch you order.
  
  

• Absences and Illness 

  • Communicate! PLEASE remember to email coveabsentee@lcmschools.org and your child's teacher to let the office know when your child will be out for any reason.

  • Please review THIS IMPORTANT GUIDE, which has all necessary information for navigating absence and illness (Test or 10, live streaming, decision guide, travel, etc). As we will be changing tiers throughout the year, we will always use the latest “Decision Tree” (from Marin County Department of Public Health) which determines what symptoms require various levels of response. The most up to date version of the “Decision Tree” will always be on the LCMSD COVID Response webpage (symptoms and illness).
    
    

• Help Wanted - Substitutes Many parents have been asking how they can help support our schools. One important need is to build our substitute teaching pool. To attract a larger substitute pool, we have temporarily increased our rates by 20% for the 2020-21 school year ($180/day and $192/day after 10 days). Please visit the MCOE website (here) to sign up and/or get more information. Additionally, for substitutes already registered, we will be hosting another substitute orientation on Monday, November 2nd from 2:00pm-3:00pm at Hall. The orientation is designed to provide substitutes with necessary training on our safety measures at all sites. To sign up for the orientation, please click here.
  
  

• Health & Wellness Committee (Lunch) The primary purpose of this committee is to collect feedback and evaluate how the hot lunch program is going, as well as any recommendations for 2021-22. Please complete this form if you are interested and able to commit to the following meetings via Zoom from 3:45pm - 4:45pm:  11/14, 1/16, 3/19, and 5/21.The composition of the committee will be as follows: 1-2 teachers and/or staff from each site, 1-2 parents from each site, 1 school administrator, 1 Board member, 1 school nurse, the CBO, and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) administrator. We appreciate your interest in providing meals for our students. 

COMMUNITY NEWS

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

• The CM Parks & Rec Department Offerings

• Measure M

• LCMSD, CMPD, FD Holiday Gift Drive

• Marin Prevention Network is launching a Social Host Ordinance (SHO) Awareness campaign

• PAAM Class Offering with CIM’s Lisa Shields

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.