Covington School Howler - Nov 18, 2014

Dear Covington Families,

Conferences are upon us! November 24 and 25 are designated conference days. Like all good conversations, parent–teacher conferences are opportunities for both parties to talk and listen. The conference is a time for you to learn about your child’s progress and engagement in school. This should focus on the whole child including both academic progress, and how your child connects with his/her peers and participates in our school community. This is also a time for the teacher to learn about what your child is like at home. Be sure to bring a list of questions that you would like to ask the teacher. Follow up after the conference by writing down the things that you and the teacher will each do to support your child. We all look forward to seeing you during these two very important days.

The parent-teacher partnership is a critical component of your child's school experience. Thank you for making time to meet with your child's teacher. Parents and staff working together is a critical combination for our student's success!

I also am happy to announce that Ms. Green had her baby. Charlotte Kathryn Bhola was born Sat. 11/15/14 and weighed 6 lbs. 5 oz.!

Enjoy the week!

Raquel Matteroli
Interim Principal, Covington School

Important Dates:

Nov. 18 - Dine Out for Covington @ Aldos - Tonight!
Nov. 24-25 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, No School for Students
Nov. 26-28 - Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec. 1-5 - Book Fair
Dec. 4- New Family & Fall 2015 Kinder Information Night 7p @ Covington Library
Dec. 9 - 4th-6th Grade Winter Concert 1pm
Dec 12 & 13 - PTA Play, Alice In Wonderland
Dec. 15-19 - 6th Graders to Walden West
Dec. 22-Jan.2 - December Recess, school resumes on Jan 5th.

Donate to LAEF on #GIVINGTUESDAY 12.2.14
We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.
On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. Donate to LAEF on #GivingTuesday and support every child in grades K-8 by funding smaller class sizes, enrichment programs and more junior high electives. Giving to LAEF is investing in what we all value: our children’s education.

Donate at www.laefonline.org (or bring a check to the school office on Dec 2)

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

PTA News:

Walkathon pledges are still being collected. If you haven't already done so, please help your child collect his pledges and turn in the checks in the Walkathon Box in the office. We still have many more outstanding pledges. Thank you for your cooperation. Any questions, please contact Carolyn LeBaron or Katherine Lyon (calolsen@yahoo.com, lyonkatherinek@gmail.com)

COMING SOON: COVINGTON BOOK FAIR- 12/1 thru 12/5
Come visit our Scholastic Book Fair and enter a kingdom of books! From December 1st through December 5th, 2014 the Covington Multi will be transformed into Sir Readalot’s Castle - an amazing bookstore filled with engaging, fun books.

Hours: 8:15am—3:30pm, December 1st – 5th

Family Night: Wednesday, Dec. 3rd 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Parents & Pastries: Thursday, Dec. 4th 8:30am – 9:30am

Our Bookfair needs volunteers as well as shoppers! Please sign up through SignUpGenius on the Covington Website, or by clicking here: http://www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F044DACAD2FAA8-2014

In the event that you won't be able to join us at the Multi during that time, you can still shop online for Covington!

Online book store NOW open through December 8:

http://onlinebookfairs.scholastic.com/default.aspx?f=3343559

- Send wish lists to family and friends
- All orders ship free to the school
- Browse an expanded book selection for all ages

Thank you!
Questions? Ask Mara (marastarkey@gmail.com) or Elise (elise55@gmail.com)

Dine out for Covington: Bon Appetito! Please come enjoy an Italian meal and support Covington by dining at Aldo on Main Street Tonight, Tuesday November 18th!. Aldo will donate 20% of earnings from the entire day to the Covington PTA. Please mention Covington. Aldo is open for both lunch and dinner at 388 Main Street, Los Altos. (650) 949-2300.

Covington elementary school is partnering with family giving tree as a community, yet another year. Please consider donating to this wonderful organization either by picking up a wish card through your child's class or through virtual giving tree- https://vgt.familygivingtree.org/covingtonelementaryschool/
Also this year to celebrate the generosity of our Covington community, we are organizing a PTA sponsored movie in the multi on Friday, Jan 9th. Details about Family Giving Tree were sent out through room parents last week.
Contact kavithaherle@gmail.com for any questions.

Make Your Holiday Shopping Count For Covington!
eSCRIP ONLINE MALL: Automatically earns Covington money every time you shop through their links. Sign up or sign in at www.escrip.com
Click on the Online Mall logo
Shop your favorite brands at online retailers to automatically earn for our group.
1800flowers.com, Adidas Store, American Eagle Outfitters, Apple Store, BestBuy, Bloomingdale’s, Disney, eLuxury,
Gap, Home Depot, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Old Navy, PetSmart, RadioShack, Sony, Toys RUs, and many more.

AMAZON SHOPPERS: Earn referral fees for Covington while purchasing books, electronics, holiday gifts, and more. It’s EASY and DOESN’T COST YOU ANYTHING!
Go to www.covingtonschool.org
Click the Amazon logo on the lower right side to go to the Amazon website
Select and purchase your items as you normally would.
Covington will automatically receive a referral fee of at least 6.5%! No sign-up required.

Lost & Found: We will be donating items during the Thanksgiving Break. The Lost & Found rack is located on the side of the Multi, next to the water fountains. Look for the blue bin, with a double hanging rack. Please check for your any items you might be missing. The racks are overflowing!

Alice in Wonderland: Don't miss the Covington PTA sponsored after-school play, Alice in Wonderland! Performances: Friday December 12, 2014 @ 7pm Covington Multi
Saturday December 13th, 2014 @ 3pm Covington Multi. Tickets are paperless: $10 Adult $5 Children. To Purchase Tickets: complete a ticket form from the "Alice" box in the office, include a check, and drop back into "Alice" box.
email Arezou arezoua@yahoo.com for info

EDtalk: The Los Altos School District will be hosting the second EDtalk of the school year on December 12, 2014. This EDtalk discussion will focus on updates to the district's CSTEM and STEM programs. Information will be shared about LASD’s approach to teaching Computer Science and STEM to all our students. Parents and community members will have the opportunity to engage in some of the many activities our students are experiencing in their innovative classrooms, including participating in the Hour of Code .Friday, December 12, 2014 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. iLearn Studio 205 Covington Road, Los Altos RSVP: https://edtalks-cstem-stem.eventbrite.com

Covington Stem Teacher Links:
tinyurl.com/covingtonstem
https://sites.google.com/a/lasdk8.org/covington-stem/class-newsletters

School & Community News now found via Peachjar: https://www.peachjar.com/index.php?a=28&b=138&region=54001

Festival of Lights Parade: Sunday, 11/30/14, 6:00 p.m. Join your friends and neighbors for an amazing Los Altos holiday tradition! Since 1977, the Festival of Lights Parade has brought "A Child's Holiday Fantasy" to life -- and with renovated floats and newly lit costumes, this year will be our brightest year yet! Visit www.losaltosparade.com for a route map and viewing guidelines (for example, please do not set up before noon on Sunday, and do not use chalk or tape to mark your spots), or even to volunteer. We look forward to seeing you and your family at the parade!

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.