The Cove Connection 

Sunday, February 6th, 2022

Issue #23

For Previous Issues Click Here

Principal's Message

Global School Play Day 2022 was a HUGE success! It was fabulous to see students engaged in board games, outside activities, fort building and some good old musical chairs! The best part? Activities were 100% student driven! You can see more pictures here.

Reading Assessments This Week 

This week is 1:15 dismissal all week. Teachers will give each child a one on one reading assessment using the  Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (F&P assessments). Teachers will assess students for their instructional reading level.

These assessments look at fluency (how smooth is the reading), accuracy (how many errors does the child make) and comprehension (do they understand what they are reading). The primary purpose is to give teachers information to plan differentiated instruction and set personalized goals for your child.

When we send the assessment results home, you will see more information about how to choose “just right” books for your child to read independently at home. We encourage you to make sure they are reading books they are interested in and enjoy. Learning to know themselves as a reader- what they like, what they want to know more about, when to abandon a book, etc. - are all important lessons for readers to learn on their journey to becoming proficient readers, no matter the level. We encourage you not to limit your child to their exact reading level. 

Every child’s reading journey is unique. It is not a race; each child grows and develops as a reader at their own pace. Reading growth doesn’t always follow a linear growth pattern. Your child will move in and out of periods of growth and rest, and that is to be expected.

Thank you for rearranging your schedules to give our teachers this invaluable time with their students to learn about them as readers!

Sincerely,

Michelle

Calling All English Learner Families! We have our next Cove English Learner Community Connection (ELCC) meeting on Monday, February 7, 4:00-5:00 pm via Zoom.  We would love for everyone to join. The purpose of ELCC is to build connections with other English Learner families and learn more about the Cove School! This is a perfect opportunity to ask any questions about how to support your children. During this meeting, we will be discussing the Readathon, upcoming ELPAC assessments, equity work that is happening in our district and we will get an update from our EL teacher, Ms. Capo!

School & PTO News

Dress as your Favorite Storybook Character Day

Readathon Bears spotted

We’ve surpassed our Readathon Goal! 

Not only does that mean our PTO will be able to pay for many of the things we rely on at The Cove, but we can fund our Cove Alive Project!

Can we get 100% donation participation? All classes that receive 100% fundraising donations will receive a popsicle party! They’ll also earn two Books Passage gift cards-- one toward class materials and one especially for them! What a bummer if they didn't receive this!

For a complete list of prizes and incentives, click here.

This year we also have an exciting incentive If we achieve 100% school donation contribution our beloved specialist teachers, Coach Arroyo, Ms. Derby, and Ms. McKee will also receive the gift card prizes! 

How much did we read? Our Coyotes read 110,000 minutes this week!  Our three week total is 305,000 minutes read! Outstanding!

Raffle Winners Week 4 Assembly:

• Nathan D., Long

• Charlotte H., Wilmott

• Jacob T., Hancock 

• Emmet R.,K - Bisel/Valdry 

• Mia S. ,Maher 

• Jakoby G.,Estes & Maher 

• Ella B., K - Bisel/Valdry 

• Kayla S., Robbins/Osterman 

• Lyla C., Long 

• Mia A., Hawkins  

Congratulations to them!

Cove Spelling Bee Winners!

Valentine’s Day Many classes will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14. Please respect any communications from your child’s teacher/s around classroom celebrations. Students are welcome to bring Valentine’s cards (must include the whole class if you choose to give cards) with pencils, colorful erasers, stickers, tattoos, etc…but NO candy or food items please! Here are more ideas if you are interested. 

Lunch Order Reminder Please order lunch now for February. Click here for menus and to order.

Auction Items Do you own a vacation home? Do you have a connection with a unique experience or swoon-worthy items? Do you have an unused gift certificate you’d like to donate? Submit your donations online here by March 1st.

Parent Parties Our online auction will feature sign-up parties that are a great way to have fun and support SPARK at the same time. Parent-hosted parties are extremely popular and bring in a lot of revenue. Parents volunteer to host and cover the cost of parties and guests can purchase spots to attend the parties. Our top priority is health and safety - and we will follow Marin County Public Health’s current COVID-19 guidelines to hold these parties safely. We’re actively looking for parents to host parent-only parties, family-parties, or kid-parties. Contact Alison Bricker at alisonbricker@gmail.com

Thank you Biz partner SoccerKiddos Run by District parent, Sarah Vigil (aka Coach Sarah), Soccerkiddos is a developmentally age-appropriate program that introduces soccer to 18 month - 2 1/2 year olds in a fun, non-competitive, interactive manner. Spring Registration is open now for classes beginning March 1st. Visit soccerkiddos.registration.com or marinsoccerkiddos.com 

Thank you to our Fitness Biz Partners Don’t let those New Year’s resolutions fade away. Thank you to F45 Training Corte Madera and Orangetheory Greenbrae who can help your fitness goals become a reality. We encourage you to visit SPARK Biz Partners who support our schools and tell them SPARK sent you! 

Left Bank Meals are back! Starting in February, Enjoy Left Bank meals for four for $50 and 20% will go back to SPARK. New next month - Left Bank will feature a discounted bottle of wine to pair with your meal for $30. This month’s menu is on our website. Order online on Sundays, and pick up on Mondays.  

Community News

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

• Corte Madera Parks & Rec:

• Summer Camp Sneak Peek 

• CMFC Soccer Camps

• Adult & Youth Class

• Marin County Inclusion Inspiration Series 

• NY Broadway Training Program

• Derby Den Productions: Spring Music Program Opportunity - Intro to Theatre!

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.