The Cove Connection 

Sunday, January 22th, 2023

Issue #21

For Previous Issues Click Here

Principal's Message

Cove is a 2023 California Distinguished School! 

State Superintendent Thurmond said, “California Distinguished Schools represent examples of not just excellent teaching, learning, and collaboration, but also highly successful, data-driven school efforts ranging from professional development for educators to mental health and social-emotional wellness strategies to address the needs of students and families.”

While the state has just recognized us as a Distinguished School, this is the result of years of hard work and investment from our whole Cove community.

What do I think makes Cove “distinguished?” Our teachers…who plan engaging lessons that are just right for our students, are always growing and learning themselves, care about our school and our students and go above and beyond for them. Our staff members… who keep our beautiful school clean, make recess fun and safe, help our teachers, run our library, take care of us if we are injured or sick, run the office, work with students and so much more! Our parents…who volunteer in classrooms or for field trips, volunteer in school wide roles (Cove Alive, Site Council, Lunch recess duty), coming to events and meetings and conferences, help their children at home and truly team with our school to be the best we can be. Our PTO…who builds community, plans events, provides resources for our classrooms and our playground and takes very good care of our amazing staff.  Our SPARK foundation…who works tirelessly to raise funds for our music, art, science and wellness programs. Our leadership (Superintendent and Board of Trustees)… who are strategic in their goal setting and budgeting, supportive to our school sites and dedicated to doing what is best for students. And, of course, our students… who care about Cove, care about each other, give their best effort in learning, and strive to make good decisions, solve problems and show respect. 

Cove was selected for this honor based on data reported through the 2022 Dashboard, including CAASPP assessment results, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, and socioeconomic data. Neil Cummins, the other elementary school in our district, also received this honor. Cove and Neil Cummins represent two of the eight schools in Marin receiving this honor. State-wide, 6% (356 out of 5,872) of elementary schools were recognized. 

Way to go, Cove community. I am so proud of our school!

Sincerely,

Michelle Walker, Principal 

Registration for School Year 2023-24 Registration for the 2023-24 school year IS NOW OPEN. If you, or anyone you know has an elementary or middle school student who is not currently attending LCMSD but would like to attend next year, please pass along this information. Click here for information on the registration process.

IMPORTANT: If your student is currently enrolled in K-7 and you will be attending for the 2023-24 school year, there is no need to re-register. Your student will automatically roll up to the next grade.

5th grade Choir and Band performed to a packed house

on Thursday night for their winter concert!

Thank you Ms. Derby!

And thank you SPARK for funding music so we have our music program!

School & PTO News

Cove 99Pledges Website   Readathon Website 

Worm Tracking  Minute Calendar Tracking

 The Cove Readathon is off to a great start!

Coyotes read 86,698 minutes last week, can we beat it?

 Coyotes book shopping at our Cove Book Swap Book Shop,

Principal Walker’s Bedtime story and our ever-growing Readathon Worm!

 Readathon Happenings and Dates:

• Jan 26- Week 2 minute tracking for Readathon ends

• Jan 27- Feb 2- Week 3 minute tracking for Readathon

• January 27- Guest Author, Mat Heagerty

• February 3- Dress as Your Favorite Story Book Character Day and Assembly

• February 10- Closing Readathon Assembly

• January 27 - Guest Author Visit! Mat Heagerty will be on campus visiting with students. He will be available to sign copies of his new graphic novel, Lumber-Jackula. Copies can be purchased via BookPassage and will be delivered to school. To purchase a hardcover book click here. To purchase a paperback book click here. He will also have autograph cards if you do not wish to purchase a book but still want his autograph. Deadline to order his book is tomorrow, Monday, at 5pm.

Raffle Winners from Week 1:

• Valentina L.

• Nayab F.

• Julian B.

• Tyler W.

• Molly M.

• Caleb H.

• Evan G.

• Liza E.

• Aston B.

• Gavyn M.

Class with the Most Minutes Read for Week 1:

• K-2: DeAvila with 8092 minutes read!

• 3-5: Sloan with 11434 minutes read!

They win a Class Pajama Day!

Congratulations to all our winners! Check out more Readathon 2023 photos here. 

Actionaly notifications from the PTO This is our main form of communication and the way we are able to track minutes read. 

Does your child have a donation? Let’s keep reading and raising for our amazing Cove School! This is our ONLY site specific fundraiser. Did you know your PTO pays for many things such as:

• Cove’s Campus Support Helper- this includes yard duty at lunch!

• Tech Licenses

• Classroom furniture

• Teacher Classroom Supplies 

• School Office Supplies

• Professional Development Days

• Staff Appreciation

• Reading Support Position

• Playground Equipment & Maintenance

• … and more! 

The Cove Variety Show kicks off this Monday January 23rd! If you registered to perform in this year's show please make sure you have signed up for your Preview Day this week. Please visit https://www.covepto.org/events/variety-show for sign up links and information. If you are not performing please mark your calendars for Friday March 17th at 6:00pm to join in the fun and support your fellow Cove Coyotes as they perform!

Lunch Volunteers Needed! We are in need of lunch and recess helpers. See your loved one and help at lunch and recess! Sign up for a shift here

Spring Online Auction is March 15-20 

• Join the solicitations team - we provide you with an email template and reach out to businesses on our hit list. These are mostly businesses that frequently support SPARK so they are familiar with our outreach efforts which begin in mid-January and through late February. This is a 4-week commitment and you can sign up for as many as 20 accounts or as few as five. Our success depends on great items and we need your help to make this happen! Contact info@SPARKschools.org

• Join the catalog team - we provide you with a style guide and you work on copywriting and editing the auction item package blurbs. A great job to do at home! We need 5-8 people to help out. This is a 2-3 week commitment during February-March before the online auction opens on March 15th. Contact Jennifer Ginsburg at jginsburg@SPARKschools.org

• Do you love being on your bike or in your car? Be a “Runner” and help pick up auction items that businesses have already agreed to donate. Contact info@SPARKschools.org

• Do you have an item to donate like a vacation home or sports tickets? We would love to include them in our auction. You can specify available dates and any other restrictions or important information. Click here to make an online donation. 

• Learn more about our SPARK spring fundraising events here.

SPARK Biz Spotlight: Legarza Kids is turning 34 and giving YOU the gift of 34% off their programs of camps, leagues, skills training, after-school care and more. With basketball, all-sports and S.T.E.A.M. options there’s something for every child. Their all-star coaches don’t just teach the fundamentals but also life lessons to lead to future success. Head to legarzassports.org and use the code “34YEARS” for their biggest savings all year (good on all programs and vouchers to use on future camps! Cannot be combined with other promotions). 

Corporate Match Have you taken advantage of your company's Corporate Match program with your Annual Giving donation? Last year we raised nearly $155K alone through Corporate Match Programs. Not sure if your company participates? Find out here if you can double your donation!

District News

Independent Study LCMSD no longer has an independent study Board Policy; therefore, we are not permitted to offer independent study for students. If your child is absent, please know that unless it is for a health reason, it will be marked as unexcused. When students have 10% or more absences during a school year they are treated as a “chronically absent” student per state criteria. Frequent absences lead to gaps in learning and initiate a process that can ultimately lead to you and your child attending School Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting with school or district administration.

If your child must be absent for 5 or more consecutive days, please notify their teacher(s) in advance. Should the absence be due to a family emergency, bereavement, or a medical reason, the teacher will identify work that your child may complete during their absence. Should your child be absent due to an extended vacation/travel, teachers are not required to provide resources or activities for students. 

Board Updates

On January 18 the Board celebrated Cove and Neil Cummins being awarded California Distinguished Schools. Congratulations students, teachers, and staff! Trustees approved supporting the East Corte Madera territory transfer petition withdrawal, the revoking of independent study, and school accountability report cards. Additionally, Trustees were provided with an update on literacy and the independent auditor’s report. The Board Budget Study Session is scheduled for February 1, at 6:00pm in the Hall Library.

Community News

Please click link for Community News that includes updates from:

• Derby Den Show Choir

• Belvedere-Hawthorne Nursery School 

• Marin Girls Chorus Now Enrolling!

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.