Important Message from PTA regarding upcoming bike rodeo:   Bike Safety Rodeo for Covington Elementary

First annual PTA Bike Safety Rodeo will take place on Friday, October 3rd from 3 - 5pm.  Students must have a parent present to attend. Permission slips are due into the office by this Thursday, October 2nd. We are in need of parent volunteers for this event. If you can help out for the afternoon, please contact, Christine Wedner, cwedner@mac.com

Covington School Howler - September 30, 2014

Dear Covington Parents and Community,

LASD Learning Principles

Have you been hearing bits and pieces from your child’s teachers about the LASD Learning Principles? New this year in LASD, our district has adopted the seven simple principles to act as guideposts for teachers in designing learning experiences on our journey of revolutionizing learning for all students.  The LASD Learning Principles are used in a myriad of ways to assist us in guiding decision making throughout the district.

• Connect Experiences
• Personalize Learning
• Nurture a Growth Mindset
• Process & Outcome
• Empower Students
• Leverage Technology
• Act Now

Lately, I have been thinking about how we empower students. At Covington, we strive to empower students by providing students with choices both inside and outside of the classroom. Teachers have implemented Genius Projects in the classroom to encourage students to pursue projects representing their passions and some teachers have even had students “design their own homework.”  Students creating their own Covington newspaper, independent of any adults on campus, is authentic example of how students are empowered each day.

Just last week, almost 40 student leaders stood before our student body on Thursday at an assembly and shared their passions, voices and why they should be selected to lead various positions on the Student Council. Not only was I thrilled to see such enthusiasm for students to participate in shaping the culture of our school, but I was amazed by many of our student’s speeches, presentations and creativity!  

At the end of the day, what is more meaningful than being elected to an office, is the manner in which each student embraced the challenge.  All of the students were willing to take a risk and share a part of themselves with the entire student body.  Whether it involved singing, rapping, or leading the audience in cheers, every student felt empowered by both the process and the positive reception to each presentation.  I am so proud of our Covington Coyotes!

Here’s to empowering students!

Homework Club is Coming!
Many of you have been asking about Homework Club.  In the Howler next week more information and sign-up procedures will be detailed.  

Best Regards,
Erin S. Green

Important Dates:

Oct 3 - Otter Pop Friday - turn in Walkathon Cards
Oct 11 - Covington Walk-A-Thon
Oct 14 - Minimum Day, Early Dismissal
Nov. 11 - Veteran’s Day Holiday - No School
Nov. 24-25 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, No School for Students
Nov. 26-28 - Thanksgiving Holiday

LAST CHANCE: Double your LAEF Donation with Matching Funds Until October 8!

Make your donation work harder by taking advantage of LAEF’s matching program. Until October 8, any NEW and INCREASED donation will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, by DeLeon Realty and a group of private donors.  

How it works:

If you are a new family or new donor, 100% of your donation will be matched.

If you have donated in the past, any increase over your last gift will be matched.

Every K-8 LASD student benefits from this year’s LAEF grant so our goal is 100% parent participation. Requested donation per student is $1,000 (or $100 per month for 10 months). Every gift in every amount is appreciated.

Make your tax-deductible donation today: www.laefonline.org (or bring a check to the school office).

LAEF Questions?
Web: www.laefonline.org.
Phone: 650.559.0445
Email: admin@laefonline.org

Thanks in advance for your support of LAEF!

The LAEF parent-volunteer team

Back to School Combined Payment Form: Families can still order BTS purchases (PTA membership, Class fund, Class Field Trips, Birthday Book Club, directories, Covington Wear). One FREE copy of the School Directory is included for each adult PTA membership.  BTS items can be ordered through link on Covington website (http://www.covingtonschool.org —>  Covington Purchases —> Back to School Purchases) OR using the paper order form (also available on website).  Payments can be made through electronic checks, paper check or cash (to be put in PTA box in office).  Questions:  Please email Trish Carballar (ntrishwish@yahoo.com).

_____________________________________________________________________

WALKATHON NEWS

Sponsor cards due on Friday, October 3!  Turn in sponsor cards on Friday afternoon at the Otter Pop station in front of the Multi or return them to the Walkathon box in the main office.  Everyone who hands in a card by Friday afternoon gets an Otter Pop.

Volunteer at the Walkathon!  This is THE most fun event of the school year; volunteer to be a part of the good times.  Help with field set-up, registration, Safari Snack Shack, water and first aid, field monitors, or face painting. One hour shifts are available.  Please sign up on the Google spreadsheet located here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgCd_21OaAiFdG9PRWkyVUhBMjRUMlNUSVNoZ2liR0E&usp=sharing#gid=0

Covington Priceless Parties:  Each year, our wonderful Covington teachers hold parties for students in each grade level.  These parties are both fundraisers AND community-building events.  Kids get a chance to spend time with their teachers in a social setting, and the PTA benefits from your donations. Sign-ups for these parties will be at the Walkathon.  Each grade level will have one or two events, but space is limited!  Sign-ups open at 10:30 AM and will close when each party is full.  Plan to arrive on time with your checkbook/cash to take advantage of these fun events. A list of the parties is below.

Geography Club: If your 4th, 5th, or 6th grade child is interested in geography and would like to spend some extra time with peers to prepare for this year’s Geography Bee (January 2015), then the Geography Club is for them!  We will meet every Tuesday, beginning October 12th, in room 18 from 2:45-3:30.  The dates for our meetings are: During our meetings, we will study world geography and review Geography Bee practice questions.  A sign up sheet is hung up in Room 6 on the bulletin board right inside the door.  Students may come during recess to sign up.  Please sign up by 10/5.  Once sign-ups are complete, we will email you more information!

Thank you! Mrs. Chan, Mrs. Scatena, and Ms. Wyosnick

PTA News

INFORMATION REGARDING YEARBOOK Hello ! We will be using TreeRing again this year to help create our yearbooks. If you have received email promotions to order your yearbook feel free to take advantage of TreeRing's offer. If you are new to Covington and would like to pre-order your yearbook, please follow the steps below:

• log onto:   www.treering.com/validate?PassCode=1013595707721745
• use the passcode:    1013595707721745

Follow the prompts to order your yearbook for this year. Yearbooks are generally distributed a week before school ends. Thank you!

ART WORK FOR THE COVINGTON DIRECTORY Calling all students!

We are looking for art work for our Parent Directory this year. The theme is "Take a Walk on the Wild Side".  The winning picture will be featured on the cover of the directory. The rest of the submissions will be featured on the inside of the directory.

Please send all submission to me, cwedner@mac.com, in a black and white PDF.

Deadline for artwork is: Friday, October 10th.

Covington Stem Teacher Links:

tinyurl.com/covingtonstem

https://sites.google.com/a/lasdk8.org/covington-stem/class-newsletters

GSACA Schools Survey: The Greater San Antonio Community Association (GSACA) seeks input from local residents regarding the need for elementary school facilities in our area.

The Los Altos School District has placed a "Measure N", a school bond measure on the November ballot.  The district has assembled a Facilities Master Plan Committee to provide community guidance on how to spend the bond funding, should the measure pass.  GSACA is running a survey to poll the interest in pursuing a new school in the "North of El Camino" area (the LASD attendance area bounded by El Camino Real, Adobe Creek, the Caltrain Tracks, and Ortega Avenue).

We seek responses from residents of the "North of El Camino" area. Please share this announcement with your neighbors, so we can have as broad participation as possible.

Link to survey:  http://tinyurl.com/GSACA-survey

Questions can be directed to Tanya Raschke (tanya_raschke@comcast.net) GSACA Representative to the LASD Facilities Master Plan Committee.

School & Community News:http://www.lasdk8.org/PDF_Files/Current_School_News.pdf

Post an Announcement in the Howler? If you have an announcement to include in Howler, please send it to sevard@lasdschools.org.  Announcements must be received by 12:00pm on Friday in order to be considered for the Howler scheduled for the following Tuesday.