The Cove Connection 

 Sunday, May 16th, 2021

Issue #34

For Previous Issues Click Here

UPCOMING DATES

• May 17- May 21 - Math CAASPP State Testing, 3rd-5th grade

• May 18- LCMSD Board meeting, 6pm, via Zoom link

• May 26 - PTO Board Meeting, 7:00pm, via zoom

• May 31- Memorial Day Holiday, No School 

• June 9- 5th Grade Culmination, 10:30am, In person at Cove

• June 10- Last Day of School, early dismissal 11:30am

All Fridays

• Lost & Found outside at the loop

• Assembly, 11:10am, distance learners, please log on 

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Ms. Derby and our school Derby Den are funded by SPARK!

SPARK - Let’s Do This!

When we look back on the 2020-2021 school year, it will be remembered by our community coming together and showing our children that we are stronger together. Because of the pandemic, SPARK was instrumental in getting back to school in person by providing funding for safe return to schools and support distance learning. Our specialist teachers have taken on new roles and provided additional supervision, outreach and intervention services. 

Our gratitude list is very long this school year - in addition to being thankful for our amazing teachers and staff who have had to pivot in ways we may not have anticipated, we’re also incredibly grateful for our community and parents who have stepped up to provide support at lunch, in the classroom, and at home. 

When parents ask how they can help our schools, the top answer is to support SPARK. Supporting Fund the Gap is a critical way to do this and help our schools to finish the year strong. SPARK is making its last big push to reach its $1.5M fundraising goal for this school year and relies on everyone to make this happen. 

View this year's SPARK video here. 

If you have not already done so, donate today. 

Staffing and Class Placement for 2021-2022 

As the end of the year approaches, we are hard at work to ensure a smooth start to the upcoming school year. I am happy to share our tentative staffing plan for next year. We have some teachers who are moving grade levels or positions, some who are going to be job sharing and one (Mrs. Alice Franco) who is retiring. Exciting changes for all; congratulations Alice! Check out our DRAFT Cove Staffing 2021-2022. 

We are currently working on designing balanced classes for next year. We will not honor requests for a specific teacher, so please do not ask! 

We consider multiple factors when designing class groups. We look at learning styles, gender, language, learning needs, friendships, and level of independence among many other variables throughout the process. Once our preliminary process is complete, there are many changes that happen over the summer with regards to new enrollments, people moving, etc. For that reason, we share final class lists in August, a few days before school begins.

In the meantime, only if there are extenuating circumstances or factors that are unique to your child as a learner please be sure to communicate these (in writing/email​), to your child’s teacher. Please remember that your teacher knows your child very well, and only needs information that they do not already know (ie. a need to be separated from someone in another class). Please do not talk with teachers about their colleagues - that makes them very uncomfortable.

We take this job of class placement for your child very seriously.  Thank you for respecting our process!

Sincerely,

Michelle Walker

SCHOOL & PTO NEWS

CAASPP Testing Continues in Grades 3-5 Next up, Math! Teachers and proctors are all doing a great job of establishing a calm testing environment and encouraging students. Some great things we have seen in the first week of state testing:

• Mindfulness breathing techniques before beginning the test.

• Movement routines (yoga, crossing midline, balancing, stretching, jogging).

• Quiet music playing when students enter the room.

• Motivational notes from teachers to students (or students writing them to themselves)- “You’ve got this”, “take a deep breath”, “keep focusing”, “take your time”, etc.) on their desks. Thank you, Cove Team!

Bike to School was a smashing success! 

Coyotes rode with Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Osterman 

from Larkspur and Corte Madera. 

They formed and joined bike trains. Our bike racks were full. 

They all did a fantastic job taking the Green Route! 

Yellow Bus Challenge Passes Go on sale Monday, May 17th for the 2021-2022 school year. They may be purchased at www.buschallenge.org. 

Membership Moment Brought to You by the Cove PTO

“Being a board member of the PTO means I get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek on all the amazing things we do for our teachers and school. I had no idea how much the PTO funds beyond classroom supplies (Did you know the PTO funds an entire paid position that is vital to our school staying open during Covid?!) We also have the privilege to get to know the teachers very well and work together to build this great community. Grateful to be part of this amazing team!”  Kate Kropf, PTO EVP

We are still looking for a few helpers for our 2021-2022 PTO Board. If you would like more information, please email PTO President, Kristen Slowe. 

DISTRICT NEWS

Board Updates On May 12, 2021 a Special Board Meeting was held and both the CSEA and LCMEA Tentative Agreements were approved. All LCMSD staff have done an exceptional job to bring back students to full classroom in-person learning while navigating the complexities of the pandemic. We are so proud of our District and the way in which we responded to an extraordinarily difficult situation. This is a much-deserved raise that was provided through the strategic use of one-time monies and reductions that did not require a layoff. 

 On May 18, 2021 (Zoom link) the Board will hold their regularly scheduled meeting where a COVID Update will be presented, the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) draft will be discussed, the Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant Plan will be voted on, and all staff will be recognized for this year’s Golden Bell Awards. Here you can find LCMSD Board Agendas. 

SPARK UPDATES

Fund the Gap - $16K to Go! Help us reach our $1.5M fundraising goal for 2020-2021. Five generous families have put together a $50K Challenge Grant if we reach $65k donated! Since we’re halfway there, we’ve already received half of the $50k challenge grant funding from one generous family, $25k! We need $16k more to hit our goal so we can unlock the remaining $25K and we’re counting on you to get us there!

Any “paddle raise” donation will be counted towards your family's Annual Giving contribution for this year. 

Check out our progress here, and donate here. Let’s do this! 

Art Sale with Ms. Mathews Saturday, May 22nd  Neil Cummins’ teacher Ms. Mathews created a great deal of arts and crafts during the pandemic. Stop by her front yard on Saturday, May 22 from 9:30am-4:00pm and stock up on unique and colorful cards, tags, weavings, birdhouses, paintings, handmade journals, and more! 20% of all proceeds go straight to SPARK to support all the wonderful arts projects happening in our schools!  There will also be a raffle to win beloved distance learning art mascot, Rainbow Bear! 234 Monte Vista Ave, Larkspur (outside, masks required)

Spring Online Auction Items Still Available In case you didn’t get a chance to bid on items, we have a select group of items still available as well as open sign-up party spots.  Check them out here.

Want to join the SPARK Board next year? We have several openings including a Biz Chair, Treasurer, and Annual Giving support. Please contact info@SPARKschools.org

COMMUNITY NEWS

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

• Corte Madera Parks & Rec offerings:

  • Summer Camps

  • Kindergarten Camp at The Cove

  • Soccer

  • Father’s Day

  • and More!

• NY Broadway Training Camps and Classes

• Warriors Basketball Camp at Redwood High School

• Summer Volleyball Camp at Piper Park

• The National Academy of Athletics Camps in Corte Madera

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.