Covington Howler

November 1, 2016

Covington Elementary commits to a high level of learning for every student and adult. Together we foster a safe culture, where we learn actively and collaboratively, think creatively and critically, develop perseverance, live respectfully and responsibly, and contribute positively to our diverse community and beyond.

Important Dates:

• Nov 4 - Coffee with the Principal- Parent input on positive campus climate initiative

• Nov 4 - First Day of Lunch Time Run Club

• Nov. 10 - PTA Meeting 8:30am

• Nov 11 - Veteran’s Day: No School

• Nov. 15 - Parent Ed Talk Cyber Safety., 6:30pm, Multi

• Nov 21-22 - Parent-Teacher Conferences: No School for Students

• Nov 23-25 - Thanksgiving Holiday: No School

• Nov 28 - Dec 2 - Book Fair

• Dec  1 - Kindergarten and New Student Information Night.

• Dec 8 - Winter Concert 1pm, Grades 4-6

• Dec 9 - Covington Choir Concert 6:30pm, multi

• Dec 19 - Jan 2 December Recess

• Jan 3 - School Resumes

Principal’s Message

Dear Covington Community,

Hurray to our staff!

A key reason for my decision to take the helm of Covington was the chance to work with the staff.  The teachers and faculty of Covington have long had an excellent reputation across the district; I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with such a dedicated group of people.

Now that I’ve had the time to work with staff, on all kinds of projects and issues, I am even more impressed and thankful than I expected.  Their dedication and caring to our students is amazing.  Our teachers really know their kids.  They know their strengths and their challenges.  And, they put plans in place to support all of their students.  The staff works tremendously hard to make great things happen!  They support each other and jump in to help whenever and wherever needed.  Indeed, they have inspired and taught me things in just a short amount of time.

This time of year is hectic. With Halloween behind us (what a great parade yesterday!) and parent conferencing ahead, teachers are running on all cylinders at this point.  Having the pleasure of getting into all of our classrooms, I can see that teachers are still conducting relevant and engaging lessons for our students.  Good stuff is happening!

I make it a point to call out a teacher’s great work when I see it.  Research shows us that authentic praise is highly motivating so I use it as often as I can with students and teachers.  And while a principal’s compliment to a teacher feels good, an even more powerful impact can be made when a parent calls out something positive they are seeing.   It doesn’t take much effort or time to send a complimentary email or to say some encouraging words to a teacher.  We all feed on praise.  If you get a chance, give some authentic recognition to any adult on campus who is making a positive impact on your child’s life.  Those words help all of us at Covington- staff, students and parents alike-  continue to make this a caring and vibrant community.  

Regards,

Wade Spenader

Principal

Parent Ed Talk on Cyber Safety

Cyber-safety: What Parents Need to Know.

On November 15th, at 6:30pm in our multi, Los Altos Police and School Resource Officer, Ryan Langone will be presenting a parent talk about keeping kids safe in the cyber world.  This is a great presentation to attend in order to catch up on the latest trends in social media as well.   This presentation would also be an excellent follow-up to Oct. 25th’s showing of Screenagers.

PTA News

Walkathon Sponsor Checks Due Friday! This Friday, November 4th is the last day to turn in your sponsorship funding for the Walkathon. Remember, you do not need to turn in the sponsor form -- just the check please. Thank you again for your support!

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Covington’s Run Club is starting on Friday, November 4th at lunch time!!  Run Club is offered every Friday at lunchtime, except on special party days and when it’s raining.   Run Club is an optional noontime activity available to all 1st - 6th graders.  Kids can choose weekly if they’d like to participate and they can run as many or as few laps as they desire.  Parent volunteers help encourage kids, count laps by punching mile cards, and distribute ribbons earned weekly to teachers. Every week 100 - 150 kids participate. Please note, there is no special parent sign-up required. Kids simply come to the track at lunchtime, fill their name in on a lap card and start running. Encourage your kids to come & join the fun! For more information, contact: Anna Barragan annabarragan3@gmail.com, Jen Springer jen_springer@mac.com

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PTA Meeting Next Thursday Nov 10th: Agenda: School Photo Vendors

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School Directory.  Fourleaf is the online package we use for our school directory.  It's fast and simple. You can access it from any device, anytime, anywhere, using the app or website. Fourleaf is, organized, and current and a great way to get contact details for school friends and other families.  Unfortunately at the moment it is incomplete!  

Many people are worried about sharing their personal contact information online.  There are privacy settings within the system which allow you to control how much information you would like to share and who has access to it.  The information contained in Fourleaf is for use by families and staff of Covington Elementary for non-commercial purposes only. It is NOT available to the general public. Fourleaf does not connect to ad networks and does not sell personal information.

We would love to have our school directory up to date and complete for all students across school.   You may have already agreed to have your details in the directory through the Infosnap registration process that was done for every child in early August.  If not, please go to the Covington website and choose the school directory tab from the list on the left-hand side, or click on the link below to bring you directly to the Covington page.  

https://fourleaf.net/app#/a/o/55d3b95b395afc3757629042

We are also considering printing a small number of paper directories for those who really like to have the information in hard-copy form.  If you are interested in having a paper copy, please contact fionnualal@gmail.com putting 'School Directory' in the subject line.  

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Lost & Found is overflowing! There about 80 jackets and many water bottles, etc... These will be donated at the Thanksgiving break, if not claimed before!!

Los Altos Educational Foundation

Good news is coming soon! We are busy processing donations from the many families who donated in support of our $100,000 Matching Challenge LAEF’s Board of Directors and the Honor Roll of Realtors Leadership Circle. As of Friday 10/28, we were within a few hundred dollars of meeting the match. Stay tuned for good news and in the meantime a big thank you to the 1,520 families who have already contributed to LAEF to pay for essential enrichment teachers and program staff for this year’s programs. To learn more about LAEF, pledge or donate, go to LAEFonline.org.

Have you ordered your Holiday Cards? Buy from Tiny Prints & support LAEF  It’s that time of the year! By ordering your Thanksgiving or Holiday Cards through Tiny Prints at https://www.tinyprints.com/storefront/laef, you’ll save on your cards and LAEF will receive a donation from every order!

Thank you Covington Community!

Socktober Success! So proud of our 1st graders for collecting 490 pairs of socks and 2,366 toiletry items for Socktober.  Thank you for your support and generosity!

From the School Nurse: When to Stay Home From School

School is a place where colds and diseases can spread rapidly. Children who are ill should stay home from school, rest and recuperate. Sometimes it is difficult, especially early in the morning, to know whether or not to send your child to school. The following guidelines are indications that you should keep your child home:

• Fever of 99.6 F or higher

• Vomiting or diarrhea

• Chills

• Nausea

• Coughing, sneezing and/or runny nose

• Headache

• Wheezing or trouble breathing

• Sore throat or trouble swallowing

• Rash or unusual sores or spots

• Generalized muscle aches and pains

• Unusually red, crusted or burning eyes

• Head Lice or Nits

It is required to keep your child home until he/she has been symptom free without medication for 24 hours.

Also, NOTIFY THE OFFICE IMMEDIATELY if your child is exposed to or contracts chicken pox, mumps or measles.  These conditions can be life threatening to students who are undergoing therapies that suppress their immune systems. Please click here for the LASD Health policies.

Attendance

Absences and late arrivals are to be reported to the school by a parent or guardian by calling the Covington Attendance Line at (650) 947-1101 by 9:00am, or sending a electronic form via our website http://covingtonschool.org/covingtones/8208-Untitled.html

Children who arrive after the school day begins must sign in at the office to receive a late arrival (blue slip) pass. For an appointment during school hours, please go to the office to sign out your child. Your child will be sent to the office to meet you.

LASD & Community Announcements

How to Submit an Article to the Covington Howler

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.