Covington Howler - Sept 5

September 6: LAEF Community Playdate 10:00-12:00pm

September 8: Full day TK begins

September 16: Picture Day

September 25: Talent Show 6:00pm

October 4: Walkathon 9:00-1:30pm

Good afternoon Covington families,

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and we have had a great week here at Covington! Our kindergartners are now with us all day long and we are so proud of how well they are doing. Next week our TK students begin a full day and they are ready to go. Thank you to all our K and TK families that have made arrival and dismissal so seamless and thank you to our teachers and aides that welcome your children every morning with a smile and eagerness to ensure our students have a wonderful day!

A Message from our Superintendent, Sandra McGonagle

LASD’s Rally Week was a huge success! Through the strong partnership of PTA’s and Los Altos Educational Foundation, LASD is committed to giving all of our students an exemplary educational experience. Please watch this message from LASD Superintendent, Sandra McGonagle- which highlights the strong work of our partnership.

Covington’s Got Talent - Coming Soon

Our talent show is early this year and is a great opportunity for our students to share their skills with their classmates and our community. Here is the schedule of events:

● Week of September 8: Talent Show “Auditions” during lunch

● September 19: Mandatory Dress Rehearsal, 3:00 -5:00 PM in the Multi

● September 25: Covington’s Got Talent! 6:00 - 7:30 PM in Multi (For all Covington families)

● September 26: Covington’s Got Talent! 1:00 PM in Multi (For Students only)

● Here is the link to sign up for an audition

Community Playdate

The Los Altos School District is holding a district-wide playdate on September 6th from 10:00-12:00 here at Covington. There will be food trucks and fun activities so stop on by and meet some LASD families from across our district.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kevin Armstrong

Principal

Congratulations to our Coyote Award winners!

TK first trip to the Library!

5th Grade horn section is small but mighty!

Yard Duties Needed

• We have 4 volunteers from the Principal Coffee and I am excited to get them on campus supporting lunchtime. Please let us know ASAP if you are interested in becoming a noon yard duty here at Covington.

• Even if you can only commit to one day a week, we will take the support.

• Training will be provided.

After School Activities

We are pleased to share with you the list of vendors who are providing After School Cubs for students. You will find more information and registration links here.

Please read their timetables carefully as activities do not always line up with the school calendar dates. Any questions you might have should be directed to the vendor directly.

Let’s come together and support a high-quality, well-rounded education at Covington this school year.

Check out LASD Superintendent Sandra McGonagle’s “Welcome Back to School” video with insights about this school year and how to support our students.

Donate or Pledge to LAEF and help fund teachers and staff for physical education (PE), library, music (4th-6th), the Art Docents program, the Living Classroom program, computer science support, junior high electives, and mental health counseling this year. Gifts of any amount are appreciated.

Get to Know Your Covington LAEF Board Representatives

Brandon Kam:
Hi fellow Coyotes! This is my 3rd year volunteering as an LAEF representative for Covington, and I do it because I strongly support the amazing programs that are funded by LAEF. My wife Stella and I have two daughters, Violet (3rd) and Beatrice (Kindergarten). I look forward to (re)connecting with you all this school year!

Shivanjali Srivastava:
Hi, Covington Families! I have a 6th grader at Covington and a 9th grader at LAHS. This is my second year on the LAEF board, representing Covington. We moved to LASD four years ago for the excellent, well-rounded education and strong community. Many of the programs at school that my son enjoys are funded by LAEF. I look forward to collaborating with you to support our students and teachers. If you have any questions about LAEF and how we help with school funding, please feel free to reach out!

Gaurav Jain:
Hi, Covington Families! I have a 2nd grader at Covington, and I am really excited to represent Covington on the LAEF board for the second year. My first year on the board was a wonderful experience during which I got to see firsthand how all our contributions are making a positive impact on the LASD school experience. The community is what makes this school district amazing, and so I look forward to collaborating with all of you to support our students and teachers in the coming year. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about LAEF or would like to partner in any of our upcoming fundraising efforts. Looking forward to connecting with all of you during the coming year! Go Coyotes!!!

Reach out to your Covington LAEF Board Representatives by sending an email to CovingtonReps@LAEFonline.org

LASD Community Playdate (9/6)

Come join the inaugural LASD Community Playdate on Saturday, September 6th, from 10 AM to 12 PM right here at Covington! All families are welcome for a day filled with fun, games, and new and old friends from all nine schools. Let’s make some great memories together as the LASD community!

SIGN UP by 9/7 for Covington’s Got Talent!

Covington's Got Talent, our school wide talent show featuring the amazing talents of our students is coming up at the end of this month and we want to see your talents! SIGN UP HERE by September 7.

The show is open to any student at any grade level interested in participating. Students will need to “audition” their act during lunch next week (schedule will be shared this weekend) and commit to a mandatory dress rehearsal on Friday, September 19 from 3:00 - 5:00 PM before the big shows. There will be two shows, one for our Covington families and one for students only.

Covington's Got Talent in the Covington Multi

September 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM

September 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM (Students only)

Any questions? Please contact Abigail Mortimore (abigailhmortimore@gmail.com)

Walkathon T-Shirt Family (and Corporate) Sponsorships due 9/9

Our annual Covington Walkathon is coming up on Saturday, October 4 from 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM. It is a fun filled day with our Covington community and one of our biggest fundraisers for the school, one that our students can directly participate in by getting sponsor donations by walking laps. Your students will be receiving their sponsor/permission form this Friday! Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved and what you and your student need to do.

Every Covington student will get a Walkathon t-shirt and we need both family and corporate sponsorships to help cover the costs. By sponsoring, you (or your business) can help Covington produce a t-shirt for every student AND have your family name or business logo printed on the back of the t-shirt.

● Click here to be a family sponsor or bring a check (made out to Covington Elementary for $40) to the Walkathon box in the front office— if bringing a check, please let us know what name you would like to be printed on the t-shirts. **Don't forget that if you purchased a PLATINUM or GOLD Back-to-School Bundle, this family sponsorship is included (you can also still purchase the bundles too!)

● ​We are also looking for local businesses to help support our event. There are varying levels of corporate sponsorships or you can email ​vpfundraising@covington-pta.org.

Finally, official planning for this event is underway! Interested in joining the fun? Please reach out to Diem Le Sakar (diem10@gmail.com) for more information and to learn how you can help at any capacity!

LASD Education Partners + Covington Back To School Bundles

Keep up the Covington spirit! Please continue to help support all the great programs for our students.

Ready to donate to Covington PTA directly? Covington PTA is here to support our students, teachers and overall Covington community to help ensure our students continue to receive a well rounded, top rated educational experience. In addition to volunteering your time at Covington, you can also support our community through our ongoing fundraising efforts starting with our annual Back To School Bundles. Please take a look and support our school. We would love to see as much participation as possible at any amount that works for your families.

Get to Know Your Fellow Covington Families!

With the kick off to the new school year, we encourage you to support and join Coyote Connections (aka Covington Sign-Up Parties). As part of our overall fundraising efforts, we invite you to celebrate our amazing school community by attending one (or more!) of these upcoming social events. It's a great way to continue to build friendships, bond and connect with our awesome Covington families. The events are hosted by Covington families with all ticket proceeds going back directly to the school.

We have quite a few coming up in the September: :

● 9/12: Hiking Trail Mixer

● 9/20: Dinks for Dollars (Parents Only)

● 9/27: Poker Night (Dads Only)

Hope to see you there! Any questions? Please contact Adrienne Ludwick (bernie15@gmail.com)

Learning Challenges events for Fall 2025

For local coverage of issues related to learning challenges and special education, please check out the Learning Challenges Committee https://sites.google.com/view/learning-challenges-committee

Calm Down Kit making sessions - Volunteers will make Calm Down kits for classrooms throughout Mountain View and Los Altos and learn how to make their own for their home! Monday August 25 11-1, Wednesday August 27 11-1, Thursday September 26 (5-7 pm), Tuesday September 30 5-7 pm. For location, contact lccmvla@gmail.com

Learning Challenges Committee General Meeting

August 26, 7:30 pm on Zoom

The LCC is working on providing a support group for parents, and planning to create a wish list for teachers throughout Mountain View and Los Altos for classroom supplies to support sensory needs. Would you like to help? Other ideas to support students and families with learning challenges? Join us here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Gx7nTSl_Qd6THfx8Rj1myQ

Morning Let’s Talk Parent Support group

September 10, 10 am on Zoom.

IEP/504 support group. Have questions about the process to get help for your child? Have an IEP but are not sure how to make changes? Need to vent? This is your confidential group. Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/43T8I-6ETxO3rjNLzqEN7Q

Learning Challenges Committee General Meeting

October 7, 7 pm in person (TBA) and Zoom hybrid

We will be finishing up the Wellness Wish List and will likely need a work session to finish up packing orders for delivery to classrooms! For more info, email lccmvla@gmail.com

Evening Let’s Talk Parent Support group

October 15, 7 pm on Zoom.

IEP/504 support group. Have questions about the process to get help for your child? Have an IEP but are not sure how to make changes? Need to vent? This is your confidential group. Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/oRwz1WmTQXagqaurq4MkeQ

Missed past Parent Education events?

We have a YouTube channel with many of our past events including the recent talk on Assistive Technology, info summer camps and recreational activities, Anxiety and Depression in Children with Learning Challenges, SMART Goals and IEP Troubleshooting, and more. Channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuy7IcVz-4LTDxv2Jaq13nw