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April 19, 2016
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Covington Howler|
In This Issue:
Quick Dates for your Calendar:
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Principal’s Message |
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Dear Covington Families & Community Members, Welcome back from Spring Break! We are now entering the crazy, fast-paced downhill portion of the roller coaster ride. You know that feeling, when the coaster comes over the top of that really long upward hill that goes so slowly, and then suddenly takes off as it races through the rest of the course. The upward hill seems to take forever and the end rushes up so quickly that you wonder what happened to the rest of the ride. While it may feel like the world is rushing by, it’s helpful to remind students that the end is where we finish strong. We still have much learning and excitement ahead before we hit the end of the track. I love this time of year because students are reaching their stride. They have a feel for the course and they lean into the turns. Remind them to take a deep breath and enjoy the best part of the ride. Next week our students in grades 3-6 will participate in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium California state testing (SBAC). The test is completely online for English-Language Arts and Math, while the California Standards Test (CST) in Science will still be administered in paper/pencil format to 5th and 8th graders. We are in our second year of SBAC testing and both teachers and students are more comfortable with the online format. Good food and plenty of rest can help students stay focused and comfortable during tedious testing sessions. Our teachers do an excellent job of balancing those long hours with engaging learning experiences and with helping students feel successful throughout the process. While testing provides us with important data around student learning, it is only one piece of a rather large puzzle. Testing can raise anxiety levels in students and it’s helpful to remember that not everyone’s genius will be apparent in the results. This is Genius. It’s important that we keep sight of the students among the test scores. 2016-2017 Staffing plans... Staffing plans are currently being made for the 2016-2017 school year. Each year there are a few staff adjustments in teaching assignments due to postings within LASD, and other various reasons. As soon as plans are finalized, I will share our 2016-2017 staffing list with you. As we look forward to next year, our staff will continue our commitment to building balanced classes. Research indicates that achievement is higher in classrooms that have healthy dynamics. We seek to develop the best possible dynamics in EVERY classroom. This includes balancing classes by gender, personality types, social needs, cognitive skills, and English language needs so that all students have an equal opportunity to learn, be challenged and develop into their full potential. Teachers, administrators and specialists follow a systematic process to ensure each child is placed in the best possible learning environment for his/ her success. If you feel your child has specific needs that we may not be aware of, please stop by the office and complete a parent input form. Forms are available in the office and must be returned by May 18th. Thank you ahead of time for not requesting a specific teacher by name. I appreciate your support and look forward to sharing our staffing assignments with you in the near future. Warm Regards, Kami Thordarson Covington Principal |
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Commute to School Survey |
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The district would like to know how each and every Covington family commutes to school. As such, could you please complete this very short survey as soon as possible? |
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LASD Junior Olympics |
The 56th LASD Junior Olympics is coming! Saturday, April 30, 2016 / 8am-4pm / Mountain View High School General Information JUNIOR OLYMPICS: The Junior Olympics are coming up! The Junior Olympics is a district-wide event bringing our Los Altos community together through friendly competition between our district elementary schools. Like the Walkathon, but bigger, it is a day of fun competition, community bonding, and lots of fun activities. The Junior Olympics is for everyone in the district! Although students must be in Grades 4-6 to be eligible to compete, all students and families of LASD are welcomed and encouraged to attend the Junior Olympics to cheer on their school. Visit our Junior Olympics website for more information and make sure to mark your calendars for Saturday April 30. The 1320 yard run kicks off at 8am and Opening Ceremonies will commence at 9am. All local sports events are canceled specifically for Junior Olympics so you can come cheer on our Covington athletes. More information is available at lasdjo.com. |
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PTA Announcements |
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Jeff Baier, Superintendent of LASD Schools, is scheduled to come to our Multi on April 20th at 8:30am to gain input about our school and what exactly we would like from an incoming principal. He would love to gain input on: (1) what makes Covington unique and what makes us proud of our school, (2) how we envision our school engaging students in learning over the next 5 years, and (3) what are our desired leadership characteristics of an incoming principal.
______________________________ Covington PTA Presents: Aladdin Jr. Performances are at the Covington multi: Saturday April 23rd 7pm & Sunday April 24th 3pm. Tickets are $10 each - general admission. **Last day to pre-buy your tickets to this weekend's performances of Aladdin Jr. is Thursday. Tickets will be sold at the door if space is available. ** Ticket forms can be found here:
http://www.covingtonschool. Please print, complete and drop off with payment to the Aladdin box in the office. Additional forms are also available in the box. Doors open half hour before the shows. Concessions will be available for purchase. Please contact Arezou arezoua@yahoo.com with any questions.
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LAEF |
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LAEF’s in the final S-T-R-E-T-C-H: We need 30 more families to give! There are just a couple weeks until LAEF makes its 2015-16 grant to LASD at Junior Olympics on April 30th. With $279,056 to raise between now and then, every dollar you give will help! Did you know that if 30 more families gave at each school, we would reach our goal? Your donation to LAEF directly benefits your child’s educational enrichment THIS school year. Please give online today at www.laefonline.org or bring a check to the school office this week. |
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LASD & Community Announcements |
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Pack 76 Cub Scout Picnic: Cub Scouts is fun! Come to Pack 76's Spring picnic to learn all about Cub Scouts. During the school year, we go camping, hike, help the community through service projects, build and race Pinewood Derby cars, build and shoot rockets, eat s'mores around the campfire, and learn new skills. When: Thursday, April 28, 2016 Time: 5-7pm Where: Shoup Park, 400 University Ave, Los Altos What: Free food/beverages and fun activities Who: Boys in K-4th grade interested in Cub Scouts + a parent RSVP: Lauren Hasenhuttl, Pack 76 Committee Chair (lhasenhu@gmail.com) District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC) meeting is rescheduled for May 5th, 8:45 AM in the LASD Board Room; the April 21 meeting is cancelled. There will be a District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC) meeting, a meeting about the English Learner program in the Los Altos School District. This is a public meeting and all who are interested are invited to attend. Please contact Ann Haigh at (650) 947-1180 if you have questions. The district-wide meeting is in the LASD Board Room, 201 Covington Road, Los Altos.
School & Community News now found via Peachjar: https://www.peachjar.com/ |
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How to Submit an Article to the Covington Howler |
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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 Howlerscheduled for the following Tuesday. |