The Cove Connection 

Sunday, September 11th, 2022

Issue #5

For Previous Issues Click Here

Clockwise from top left: Staff picture on photo day, Safety Drill- coyotes practicing emergency evacuation, Board of trustees celebrating newly tenured teachers, 4th graders exploring parts of speech in a creative way

Principal's Message

Fostering Independence

Going to school is a natural chance to foster independence that leads to academic progress, a sense of pride and social emotional growth and in our children. 

This article from Edutopia shares the insights of one early childhood educator: What Have I Been Doing for My Students That They Could Do for Themselves? The author, Katerina Watson says, “One of the most essential yet difficult strategies for promoting independence is to let failure happen... Allowing them opportunities to fail catalyzes reflection and critical thinking.

As parents, you can help with this important process as well. 

Cove Cart: At Cove, we have a lot of forgotten lunches, snacks, water bottles, jackets, homework assignments, band instruments, etc. We have a cart that is right outside the office where students can pick up essential forgotten items. We know there will be times when you need to bring something to school for your child. However, before you bring something to leave on the cart, consider this:

• We always offer food to students if they don’t have food. They don’t always like it, but they do get something healthy in their stomachs. We don’t let them go hungry,

• There are natural (usually small) consequences to forgetting an assignment or homework folder. Consider letting these play out to help your child learn to remember it next time.

• When you drop something off on the cart, we ask that you email the teacher. The teacher may or may not see the email before the end of the school day. The best plan (other than sending everything your child needs at the beginning of the day) is to let your child know in the morning if there is a plan to bring something to them during the school day. Then you can tell them to check the cart at lunch time, for example.

• Every time we email a teacher or interrupt them, that’s time away from their teaching and direct work with students. Teachers’ priority during the school day is to give their students- including your child- their full attention. 

While letting our kids be independent often takes more time and often means more mess, more forgotten items, and sometimes even tears... in the long run it pays off. Thank you for your teamwork on this!

Sincerely,

Michelle Walker, Principal

School & PTO News

Coffee Chat on CGI Math - Tuesday, 8:30 at Cove! Join us for a Superintendent Coffee Chat at Cove School from 8:30am-9:30am in the Cove Gallery. Parents from all schools are invited. Math is a district-wide focus, and we are dedicated to supporting every mathematician in our schools. Come learn about our CGI approach to math instruction, how to support your child at home, and ask any questions you have!

Our first Safe Routes Walk & Roll to School Day

is Wednesday, September 14!

Walk N Roll Wednesday is Back! Walking, biking, skating, scooting, parking and walking, carpooling or taking the bus are all excellent ways to participate!  Make sure to stop by our welcome table on the blacktop for a fun prize. See you there!

Thank you to our contributing PTO members! Click here for a list of those who have contributed as of September 7th. We welcome your contribution to make The Cove School an incredible place for not only the kids, but for staff and parents. Log into your Actionaly account or click here to donate to the Cove PTO.

PTO Board Meeting Thank you to all who came out to the first PTO meeting last week. We had record attendance on a hot and steamy morning in the library - a true test to your dedication to The Cove.Click here to view the zoom recording of the meeting. Questions about the PTO?  Interested in joining the board? Have time to volunteer? Email 2022-2023 PTO Co-Presidents, Kate Kropf and Catherine Wold at: president@covepto.org

Picture Day Success! Thank you to our volunteers who kept picture day running smoothly. We took class photos and individual photos. If you missed photo day, retakes will be on Friday November 4th. 

Annual Giving - We need You! In order to reach our $1.5M goal, we need participation from every family. This means you! Every donation, at any amount, makes a difference for every student and Annual Giving makes up 80% of overall SPARK revenues. Make your donation today.

The 7th Annual Fun Run is on October 2nd Tickets are on sale now! Purchase before September 19th at 9m and get a free t-shirt with each paid registration.

SPARK Volunteer Needs - Can you Help? We are looking for volunteers to help with the folding and stuffing for our Annual Giving mailing this Thursday, September 15th from approximately 9:00 am - 12pm. Come for any period of time that works for your schedule. Please email bmitchell@SPARKschools.org to sign up!

Biz Partner Spotlight: F45 Corte Madera Owned by District parents, F45 is personal training in a group setting. 45-minute classes with a mix of circuit and HIIT (high-intensity interval training), geared towards everyday functional movements. SPARK families and friends get 50% off a one-week trial and if you join, you’ll receive a free month plus swag from F45 and Lululemon! Click here for this special offer, promo code LCMSD. Plus, all proceeds from trials will be donated back to SPARK! If you’ve been wanting to try F45, now’s your chance! Expires 9/30/22

SPARK Giveaway: Stay up to date with SPARK events and happenings by following us on Instagram, and Facebook! Look out for a social media contest and giveaway next week!

Volunteer for the Fun Run To put on a community event of this scope means we need all hands on deck. Check out our volunteer needs here and sign up! 

District News

LCMSD Updates On September 7th the Board met and celebrated recently tenured teachers/staff. Trustees approved the unaudited actuals, Board authorizations for teaching assignments, and the sufficiency of instructional materials. All agendas can be found here. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for October 19th at 6:00pm in the Hall Library.

Community News

Please click link for Community News that includes updates from:

• Corte Madera Parks & Rec

• Corte Madera Library Happenings

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.