The Cove Connection 

Sunday, March 6th, 2022

Issue #26

For Previous Issues Click Here

Principal's Message

Talking with Students About Ukraine

A huge thank you to Marina, Sascha and Anna- 3 parents who shared a word of support for Ukraine in Friday’s assembly. They taught us about the Ukrainian flag and country and then emphasized the courage of Ukrainians during the current tragedy that is unfolding. Many Cove coyotes want to help, and I promised them that I would share resources. Here is a link to Save the Children. Our Student Council will be organizing a student support effort. As the timeless Fred Rogers' always said, when something scary happens, "look for the helpers." Let’s consider how we can help by taking positive action together and be the helpers.

Here are some resources from Marin County Office of Education about talking with kids about the situation in Ukraine. This includes a link to the recording of the March 2 webinar entitled: Empathizing with Tragedy: How to Talk to Kids about Conflict & War.

Our new coyote mural is complete! Tremendous thanks to Julia Mckee (our fabulous Cove art teacher), Ali Birnbaum (local artist) and Brianna Cutts (Cove Alive project advisor, The Sibbet Group) who spent three days during February break planning, painting and problem-solving...it looks AMAZING! Here is a 15 second video showing the creation of the mural.

Site Council’s Cove Alive team has been working together for over 3 years. Our goal is to create Inspiring and interactive enhancements to The Cove’s common spaces that infuse joy and help our community internalize The Guiding Principles.

Cove’s PTO supported this mural with proceeds from the Readathon. Thank you to everyone for making this special project possible.

School & PTO News

Parents from Ukraine spoke at Friday's Assembly

Cove students wore their colors to show school spirit on Rainbow Day

New Recess Help Needed! We are in need of additional support, specifically to oversee the soccer game during lunch recess from 12:30-1:00 Monday- Friday. Can you sign up for a day (or many?) to help support our coyotes in their play?  We also need lunch supervision volunteers. There is a huge difference between the days when we have volunteers and when we don’t. Thank you to the parents who are out there volunteering regularly- I appreciate you.  Please sign up here to help!

It is that time of year when we are starting to see the spread of lice.  This is a friendly reminder that families should be doing regular lice checks at home, and encouraging children with longer hair to wear their hair pulled back in braids or ponytails. Lice is most commonly spread with head to head contact, so teaching awareness to children is an important first step.  Though less common, it is good practice to discourage sharing of hats/helmets/scarves/combs/hair adornments, with friends or siblings, as this can also be a mechanism for spread.  Click here for Larkspur-Corte Madera District School Nurse, Gail Hurwitz’s information on treatment, prevention, and control.

Interested in being a Substitute Teacher in Marin? The Marin County Office of Education (MCOE) has updated information regarding applying as a substitute teacher.  All teachers need to complete the base requirements for a substitute permit, but the state has provided new flexibilities. Substitutes placed on our countywide substitute list need a credential or 30-day sub permit, valid fingerprint clearance with CTC and MCOE, immunizations including COVID vaccination, two online trainings and a few fillable forms. Here is the link to the countywide substitute registration packet. Here is a 10-minute video with Amy Ridings describing the process to become an active substitute on the Countywide List. Please feel free to contact MCOE with questions: (415) 499-5881.

Corte Madera Residents Is your child looking for a way to get involved with climate issues and wants to be a part of the solution? The Corte Madera Climate Action Committee is looking for you! Check out this letter to be an ambassador for this youth group!

Library Birthday Book Program is special way to celebrate your child’s birthday. Through the Library Birthday Book Program at the Cove, hundreds of new books are donated in celebration of many student birthdays.  The March & April birthday forms will be in your child’s backpack this week. You can also pick up a copy at the library. All you have to do is fill out the form, and donate (suggested donation = $20), and return the form to the library or your child’s teacher. Then your child may come to  the library to choose his or her book, and receive a commemorative bookplate in the book they choose with their name on it.  Thank you for your support in this fun program! Amy Benz & Melissa Scheeline.

Be Social with The Cove PTO! Find us online, on Instagram or on Facebook.

How does SPARK raIse $1.5M each year? You probably know that Annual Giving is the largest revenue source for SPARK (nearly 805!) but did you know that fundraising events like the Online Auction and the Spring Soiree (which includes a live auction and paddle raise) are also critical to reaching our goal?  Without SPARK and without your generous support through Annual Giving donations, online auction participation, and attendance at our Spring event, our schools would look very different. Learn more about SPARK here.

SPARK Online Auction is March 16-21: Get ready, the online auction will feature lots of items to bid on, including parent-hosted parties, dining, getaways, fashion & beauty, fitness & sports, and more!  Do you have airline miles to donate? Connections with local restaurant owners? An unused gift certificate you’d like to donate? Submit your donations online here ASAP.

SPARK Spring Fundraiser Dictionary: To get you up to speed, here’s a primer on some terms you might not recognize.

• Parent-Hosted Parties: Also known as sign-up parties. Extremely popular, and a fun way to get to know families in our community!  Parents host an event for kids, parents, or families for bidders to purchase a spot to attend. Pro tip: These parties are first come, first serve, so we recommend signing up early as soon as the online auction opens on March 16th at 12pm! 

• Give Smart: The online platform that houses the online auction. We will provide you with instructions on how to register in advance as it gets closer to March 16th.

• Spring Soiree: The in-person fundraising event that will be on Saturday, April 23rd at night. Book your sitters now and leave the kiddos at home! We will be announcing this year’s “theme” soon and tickets go on sale on March 23rd!

• Paddle Raise: AKA Fund a Need or Fund the Gap. Every year, at the culmination of the Spring Soiree, we ask parents to “raise their paddle” to Fund the Gap to reach our fundraising goal of $1.5M and commitment to the District.

Order Left Bank Meals Today Feeds a family of four for $50 and 20% will go back to SPARK. Order online here on Sundays, and pick up on Mondays.  

Thank you Biz Partner Sage Educators: This summer, train your student’s brain at Sage! While Summer is typically about soccer camps and swimming pools, it can also be a time to make significant academic strides. Choose from our customized one-on-one and small-group tutoring, academic workshops in math, reading, and writing, or get a jump start on test prep with our boot camps for the SSAT, ACT, and SAT. Learn more here. For kids in grades K-5 who enjoy learning and playing outdoors, Sage offers Nature Navigators day camp which takes outdoor exploration, imagination, and fun to the next level!  More info here.

District News

Board Updates On March 3 the Board met and appointed a new Trustee, Amir Movafaghi, who will be sworn in during the March 9 Board Meeting. Congrats Amir!! Additionally, on March 3, the Board unanimously approved a parcel tax resolution. Here is more information regarding the LCMSD parcel tax. On March 9, the Board will meet to celebrate President Jill Sellers six years of service and dedication to the students, staff, and community of Larkspur and Corte Madera. Thank you Jill! Additionally, the Board will be provided with a special education update, COVID-19 update, and will vote on the second interim budget. All agendas can be found here.

Mask Update & Coffee Chat Here is the masking update that was sent out earlier this week. On March 10 at Neil Cummins from 8:15-9:15 we will hold a coffee chat focused on masking and the revisions to the MCPH 32 point plan. Families from all schools may attend this coffee chat.

Community News

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

• CM Park & Rec Camps and Classes

• Read with a Librarian

• TinkerTech

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.