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Covington Middle School Newsletter

August 26th - 30th, 2024

Covington MiddleSchool NewsletterAugust 26th - 30th, 2024

Important Upcoming dates!

  • August 28th - Title One Presentation for Parents @5 pm in the gym
  • August 28th - Back to School Night! @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
  • August 30th - Wear your favorite College Colors Day!
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Principal's Message

Dear Covington Middle School Parents / Guardians,


What a fantastic first week of school! Even though we had to power through a day with the HVAC not working correctly, our students, faculty, and staff showed incredible resilience. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our parents for your patience and trust during this situation. Your cooperation in following our pick-up and drop-off procedures has been invaluable, and we truly appreciate your support.


I also want to thank you for backing our new cell phone policy. The students have been doing an excellent job adhering to the guidelines, and I encourage them to keep up the great work.

Looking ahead, we have our Back to School Night on Wednesday, beginning at 5:30 PM. More information can be found below. I’m excited to continue working together to improve and strengthen the Covington community.


Here’s to a great first week and many more to come!


Proud Principal,


Cedric Maddox

Sports News!

Football practice will be after school next week 4:00-5:30. Friday's practice will end early at 5:00. There will be a football parent meeting on back to school night at 4:30. Contact coaches McPherson, Dost, or Silva with any questions.

COUNSELORS CORNER

Covington Counselors Corner Week of August 26, 2024


We want to thank all the parents, guardians, students, and staff for making the first four days here at Covington a wonderful experience! We can not wait to see what the 2024-2025 school year has in store for us!


We just wanted to let parents, guardians, and others know about some processes the Covington Middle School Counseling Department has implemented in order to help ensure student success and safety!


Referral Process for Students to See a Counselor:


Students will have paper and electronic copies of the referral form to see their counselor. This form should be submitted during lunch, before school, or after school. A counselor will see them within one school day during COLT time. Counselors will not be available during scheduled class times unless it is an emergency. Students are not allowed to come to the counseling office without a pass or without a counselor picking them up. If it is an emergency, teachers will message a counselor so that a counselor can pick up the student without a referral being required. The referral is also located here:


Covington Middle School Student Referral to See A Counselor


Parents - You are able to refer your child to see the counselor if you feel they could benefit from speaking with one. Here is the link to do so (for emergencies, please call 9-1-1):


Covington Middle School Parent Referral for Student to See a Counselor


Schedule Changes:


Student schedules WILL NOT be changed the first two weeks of school. The process for a schedule change will be explained in the next newsletter and will begin shortly after the Labor Day holiday. This will give students time to adapt to their classes, learn the “ins and outs” of where everything is located, and get a handle on things before classes are possibly moved around and making it difficult for them to navigate.


Gifted and Talented (GT) Referral Window


Families, teachers, or staff may nominate students for the GT screening process. The referral window for the 2024-25 school year is August 20 - October 7, 2024. Contact Debra Austrum, GT Advocate, if you have questions about the process.


AISD Gifted & Talented (GT) Referral Form


Information about the 8th Grade PSAT - Test date October 9th, 2024✏️

Our 8th Graders will be taking the PSAT test this year.

Here is some helpful information to prepare your student.

PSAT : https://parents.collegeboard.org/college-board-programs/psat-nmsqt

(check out this link for useful information or resources).

The Parents Guide to PSAT/NMSQT

Learn how the PSAT/NMSQT helps students get ready for college and qualify for scholarships and how parents and families can support students in doing their best on the test

  • Student Study Resources

    • Khan Academy PSAT Prep: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/new-sat-how-to-prep/a/full-length-psat-nmsqt

    • https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice

    • PSAT/NMSQT: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/psat-nmsqt-student-guide.pdf

PSAT 8/9: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/psat-8-9-student-guide.pdf

PSAT practice test (NMSQT) PDFs (official) (article) | Khan Academy

Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more. Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission of providing a free…


Back to School Tech Updates and Tips

To support a smooth transition into the 2024-25 school year, please see these Back to School Technology Updates and Tips.


Important Dates

August 20th - October 7th - Gifted and Talented (GT) Referral window

September 3rd-5th - Schedule Change Request window

October 9 - PSAT Testing (8th grade students only)


Thank you and we are looking forward to a great school year ahead!


Mrs. Debra Austrum

6th Grade & 7th Grade A-L

debra.austrum@austinisd.org



Ms. Rabecca McDonald

7th Grade M-Z & 8th Grade

rabecca.mcdonald@austinisd.org

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Meet Our Communities In Schools Program Manager!

My name is Carlina Silva, I am the Communities In Schools Program Manager here at Covington. This is my second school year here, but I have been with CIS for almost 5 years. I graduated from UT in 2018, Hook'em! I love to read, I always have a book on me in some format and I love to go to the gym before the sun comes up. When I am not doing either of those things, you can find me hanging out with my dogs or my mom and siblings.


Feel free to email me with any questions about CIS!

carlina.silva2@austinisd.org

Makerspace with Mr. A

Makerspace with Mr. A

I'm a public educator in the Austin area with over 20 years of experience. My videos are related to middle school construction and engineering lessons and are intended for students and teachers. My lessons follow the design process, problem-based learning (PBL), and a purposeful play philosophy.

launch youtube.com
Makerspace with Mr. A! Check it out!
Click here for Con mi madre!

Parent Support Corner - AISD Learning Opportunities & Community Resources

The education of our children depends on a successful partnership between you and Covington Middle School. That is why your involvement is important. There is no one like you! The more that you learn and grow, the more your children will too.

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Find resources you may need:

Your Parent Support Specialist can help find assistance when needed. Learn new things about school and how to help your child succeed. Look for parent workshops throughout the year!

Esther Garcia, Parent Support Specialist 512-414-3276 ext:54748

esther.garcia@austinisd.org

Submit your request here: https://forms.gle/H3WXDRyYz7rCckYw5

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Become leaders in our school!

Your input and participation in the Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) joinpta.org and other school committees such as Campus Advisory Council (CAC)

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Become a Parent Volunteer!

Volunteers are welcomed and needed! We could use parent volunteers in our West office, Mon-Tues-Thurs-Friday's.

Everyone who volunteers will need to attend a volunteer orientation: https://austinisd.voly.org

Click here to check out their website!
Haga Click Aqui!

Join the Covington PTA - Únase a la PTA de Covington Join the Covington PTA - Únase a la PTA de Covington

https://covingtoncoltspta.weebly.com/
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PTA is focused on making every child's potential a reality by strengthening education and taking a comprehensive approach to community success. And we know there is no community without YOU – our members, our business leaders, our decision-makers.


Thank you for supporting PTA in your Community! Please select the school district* and name of the PTA you would like join. During checkout you can easily add multiple members to the same PTA.


Go to: https://www.joinpta.org/

Choose the district: Austin ISD

Choose the School: Covington Middle School


Follow us on Facebook: Covington Middle School PTA - Austin | Facebook

Covington PTA: https://covingtoncoltspta.weebly.com/


La PTA se centra en hacer realidad el potencial de cada niño reforzando la educación y adoptando un enfoque integral para el éxito de la comunidad. Y sabemos que no hay comunidad sin USTED - nuestros miembros, nuestros líderes empresariales, nuestros tomadores de decisiones.


Gracias por apoyar a la PTA en su Comunidad! Por favor, seleccione el distrito escolar* y el nombre de la PTA a la que desea unirse. Durante el proceso de compra puede añadir fácilmente varios miembros a la misma PTA.


Vaya a: https://www.joinpta.org/


Elija el distrito: Austin ISD

Elija la escuela: Covington Middle School

Síganos en Facebook: Covington Middle School PTA - Austin | Facebook

PTA de Covington: https://covingtoncoltspta.weebly.com/

Covington Middle School
#Colts Strong!

3700 Convict Hill Road, Austin, TX 78749

512-414-3276


https://covington.austinschools.org/

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