Covington School Howler - Dec. 2, 2014

Dear Covington Families,

This week is the annual Covington Book Fair and it has already been a busy and bustling two days! At the end of every recess, there is a mass exodus of students swarming out of the multi exits holding blue book request forms filled-to-the-brim. There are older kids, younger kids, kids with goofy grins, and some who take choosing books very seriously, given their pensive faces. The love of books is an incredible and wonderful sight to behold.

Over the past two days I have asked many students if I could take a peek at their request list and they very eagerly share titles I am well acquainted with (Harry Potter, Amelia Bedelia) and some I have never heard of but am planning to learn more about (Smiles, Sisters, The Day the Crayons Quit). Their excitement is palpable; who doesn't love reading or listening to a good story? Being a bookworm myself, I have visited the Covington Book Fair at least five times already, always looking for an excuse to immerse myself in books, even if just in their physical space, and experience the Book Fair through the eyes of the students.

Through books, we laugh (Bugs in My Hair), we cry (The Fault in Our Stars), we surrender to silliness (Say Hello To Zorro!), and learn how to be brave in the face of our deepest fears (Percy Jackson series). Books can provide a gateway to explore the human condition in every possible way. If you want to listen to a children's book author expound on good books (and if you are in the mood for a good chuckle), check out Mac Burnett's TEDTalk: Why a Good Book is a Secret Door. He also has two books available at the Book Fair, Sam & Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn, if your children enjoy playful and creative stories.

Also, if you would like to plan a trip to the Book Fair this week, please see the schedule below (25% of all proceeds go directly to the PTA to support Covington students!) :

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

Family Night: Wednesday, December 3rd, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Parents and Pastries: Thursday, December 4th, 8:30am-9:30am

Kindergarten & New Family Information Night, this Thursday Dec.4th at 7pm: We will hold our Kindergarten/New Parent information night for students entering Kindergarten or moving to our district for the 2015-16 school year. Information will be presented on our district and school programs, highlights and registration. If you have a child who will be entering kindergarten in the fall, you won't want to miss this night! Please join us at 7pm in the library on Thursday night.

Enjoy the week!

Raquel Matteroli
Interim Principal, Covington School

Important Dates:

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. 9 - Dine Out for Covington @ Maltbys.
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.

Friendly Reminder: Rainy Weather is here. Please plan for extra time to travel to school in the morning to avoid an unexcused tardy.

From Ms. Farley our STEM Teacher:
Next week (December 8th-12th) is Computer Science Education Week, a week dedicated to showing students in grades K-12 the importance of computer science education. This fabulous opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for computer science is organized by code.org with the goal to get as many students as possible of all ages (and adults, too!) to participate in one hour of coding during that week- appropriately called the "Hour of Code"!

According to code.org, "90% of K-12 schools in the U.S. do not teach computer science." Los Altos School District, thanks to funding from LAEF and an unbelievably supportive community and staff, is fortunate enough to fall within the 10% of U.S. Schools that are offering every student the opportunity to learn computational thinking through the STEM and C-STEM program.

During Computer Science Education Week, each student at Covington and throughout LASD will be participating in at least one computational thinking/coding lesson.

Grade Level Lessons During Computer Science Education Week

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
Code.org tutorials
Scratch, Jr (http://www.scratchjr.org)

3rd - 5th grade
Code.org tutorials
Scratch: http://scratch.mit.edu/

6th grade
Will continue with c-STEM curriculum

Both days of LEGO Lunch in the STEM Lab will also be dedicated to allowing students the opportunity to engage in computer programming. LEGO Lunch is held on Tuesday for grades 1 and 2, and Wednesday for grades 3 - 6 at lunch recess in the STEM Lab. We are strongly encouraging parents to join their children during LEGO Lunch on either day!

Don't hesitate to contact me (kfarley@lasdschools.org) with any questions or concerns. We sincerely look forward to your participation in this year's Hour of Code next week!

"Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer…because it teaches you how to think."- Steve Jobs

LAEF End of Year Reminders

Haven't contributed to LAEF yet? Donate before December 31 to get your deduction for the 2014 tax year. Remember that the money raised now is for staff who are *already* in your child's classroom. LAEF's $3.3M goal was committed in the Spring so that LASD could hire teachers for every school and every student in the 2014-15 school year.

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

Already donated? Thank you so much for supporting smaller classes, enrichment, innovation, and STEM. You can also order holiday cards from TinyPrints - 25% of the proceeds go to LAEF: http://www.tinyprints.com/storefront/laef

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:

Dine out for Covington: Please come by and enjoy some classic comfort food at Maltby's in Los Altos on Tuesday, December 9th. Maltby's will donate 15% of proceeds from Covington supporters all day. Please remember to mention Covington. Maltby's is open for lunch from 11:30-2:30 PM and for dinner from 5-9 PM. Maltby's is located at 101 Plaza North. (650) 917-8777. http://www.maltbys.com/

Holiday Crafting Workshop! Calling All Elves! Join your friends in Santa's workshop for a Holiday Craft and Cookie Party. Enjoy some holiday treats while you make some fun crafts and decorations, and cookies to take home!
Sunday, December 14th 2-5pm, Covington Multi ,$30 per student
Please contact Valerie Cairns vjcairns@yahoo.com to sign up

Mother/Daughter Yoga Party. Enjoy a unique and enlightening experience with a mother/daugther Yoga Class! While doing simple and fun GroovYoga dance combinations, yoga poses and a guided meditation, you will build trust, connection and have a great time. Taught by Yoga instructor and Covington mom Kathi Donnelly
Saturday, December 13th, 10:00am Ivivva, Valley Fair Mall $40 per couple
Please email vjcairns@yahoo.com to sign up

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.

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

Girls on the Run Program Registration Opening Soon!
Girls on the Run is a fun, life-changing, after-school program for (3rd-5th) grade girls. The 10-week program teaches girls life skills such as confidence, how to be a good friend and how to stand up for themselves and others while inspiring them to be joyful, healthy and confident by using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running.

Girls on the Run begins the week of March 2, 2015, and concludes the week of May 18, 2015. The Covington team will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:40-4:30pm. There will be no lessons the week of spring break. The culminating event of the season is the Girls on the Run 5K, on Saturday, May 16, 2015, at Vasona Park in Los Gatos, where program participants and community members come together for this celebratory fun run/walk.

Program registration is online only at www.gotrsv.org and will open at 8:00 am on Saturday, December 13, 2014. Space is limited and girls will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis.

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

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.