January 25 Readathon at Neil Cummins
January 27 Variety Show Sign Ups Close
February 6-11 Early 1:30pm Release All Week for Reading Assessments

Principal Message

This coming Wednesday is our school-wide Readathon! We are excited for a terrific line-up of authors speaking live, as well as reading and reading-related activities to promote a lifelong love of learning. As you know, Readathon is our largest PTO fundraiser–every donation funds vital programs to enrich your child’s learning experience at Neil Cummins. The Readathon supports PTO to fund important things at Neil Cummins like: 

• Alan Scofield Dance Storytelling and Miwok Programs
• Joni DeGabrieles’ Musical Moments
• Student Classroom Supplies
• Playground and P.E. Equipment
• Hawks Garden
• And More!

Thank you for all of you continued support of PTO and all of our fundraisers and events through the year that support Neil Cummins in so many ways!

Sincerely,

Kyle Shaw, Principal

Independent Study

LCMSD no longer has an independent study Board Policy; therefore, we are not permitted to offer independent study for students. If your child is absent, please know that unless it is for a health reason, it will be marked as unexcused. When students have 10% or more absences during a school year they are treated as a “chronically absent” student per state criteria. Frequent absences lead to gaps in learning and initiate a process that can ultimately lead to you and your child attending School Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting with school or district administration.

If your child must be absent for 5 or more consecutive days, please notify their teacher(s) in advance. Should the absence be due to a family emergency, bereavement, or a medical reason, the teacher will identify work that your child may complete during their absence. Should your child be absent due to an extended vacation/travel, teachers are not required to provide resources or activities for students. 

Board Updates

On January 18 the Board celebrated Cove and Neil Cummins being awarded California Distinguished Schools. Congratulations students, teachers, and staff! Trustees approved supporting the East Corte Madera territory transfer petition withdraw, the revoking of independent study, and school accountability report cards. Additionally, Trustees were provided with an update on literacy and the independent auditor’s report. The Board Budget Study Session is scheduled for February 1 at 6:00 in the Hall Library.

Readathon is THIS Wednesday! Please get your kids ready for a fun day of reading activities in school this Wednesday, January 25. Readathon tote bags will be sent home - you can help your child build a bag of books to read on Readathon day. Visit the library, and stock up on just the right books that will keep your child engaged throughout the day. You can also support your child by continuing to help them fundraise through their 99Pledges page. We are aiming for 100% participation, and no amount is too small.

We held a fun contest last week to drive donations and some friendly competition. The classrooms with the highest participation were Ms. Hamik’s, Ms. Shawn’s, Ms. DeBruyne’s, Ms.

Restani’s, and Ms. McGuiness’ classrooms, each with 100% participation, CONGRATULATIONS!! These classrooms have ALL won a popsicle party, and the Hawk will go to Ms. Hamik’s class, who as of Friday, had the highest donation total. Up next is our bookmark contest, so please stay tuned.

Please visit the Readathon Website for more information about our authors, book recommendations, and everything you need to know about the Readathon. Make sure to swing by one of our Readathon tables on Wednesday morning during school dropoff, and let’s get READY to READ! 

🎤 Variety Show 2023 Calling all 2-5 graders, we can’t wait to see you on stage! Sign up your act by January 27. Check out our website for more info https://neilcumminsvarietyshow.com

Prospective Hall Middle School Families
Is your child getting ready to move on to middle school? If you would like to join us for a tour of Hall Middle School please use this link to sign up and plan to arrive with plenty of time to park and check in at our main office for a visitor's badge. Note that this is for parents only, no students.

 Parent Education Workshops See here for the full calendar of wonderful learning and sharing events, both in person and on Zoom!

Registration for School Year 2023-24 

Registration for the 2023-24 school year IS NOW OPEN. If you, or anyone you know has an elementary or middle school student  who is not currently attending LCMSD but would like to attend next year, please pass along this information. Click here for information on the registration process. 

IMPORTANT: If your student is currently enrolled in K-7 and you will be attending for the 2023-24 school year, there is no need to re-register. Your student will automatically roll up to the next grade.   

Spring Online Auction is March 15-20

Volunteer Needs: 

• Join the solicitations team - we provide you with an email template and reach out to businesses on our hit list. These are mostly businesses that frequently support SPARK so they are familiar with our outreach efforts which begin in mid-January and through late February. This is a 4-week commitment and you can sign up for as many as 20 accounts or as few as 5. Our success depends on great items and we need your help to make this happen! Contact info@SPARKschools.org
• Join the catalog team - we provide you with a style guide and you work on copywriting and editing the auction item package blurbs. A great job to do at home! We need 5-8 people to help out. This is a 2-3 week commitment during February-March before the online auction opens on March 15th. Contact Jennifer Ginsburg at jginsburg@SPARKschools.org
  
• Do you love being in your car or on your bike? Be a "runner" and help pick up auction items that businesses have already agreed to donate. Contact info@SPARKschools.org
• Do you have an item like a vacation home or sports tickets to donate? You can specify available dates and any other restrictions or important info. Click here to donate your item online.
• Learn more about our SPARK spring fundraising events here  

SPARK Biz Spotlight: Legarza Kids is turning 34 and giving YOU the gift of 34% off their programs of camps, leagues, skills training, after-school care and more. With basketball, all-sports and S.T.E.A.M. options there’s something for every child. Their all-star coaches don’t just teach the fundamentals but also life lessons to lead to future success. Head to legarzassports.org and use the code “34YEARS” for their biggest savings all year (good on all programs and vouchers to use on future camps! Cannot be combined with other promotions). 

Corporate Match Have you taken advantage of your company's Corporate Match program with your Annual Giving donation? Last year we raised nearly $155K alone through Corporate Match Programs. Not sure if your company participates? Find out here if you can double your donation!

Follow SPARK on Social Media Follow us on instagram or like us on Facebook.

• Tidalwaves Swim Registration Now Open 
• Parent Education Workshop Series
• Marin Girls Chorus 
• Twin Cities Community Preschool Open House Sign Up
• Corte Madera Parks and Rec                                                            

58 Mohawk, Corte Madera, CA 94925 | Phone 415-927-6965

The Neil Cummins Weekly is a digital bulletin published by the NC PTO and distributed to the school community each Sunday via email. To submit an article, email the Editor at nchawksweekly@gmail.com. Articles must be received by Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. in order to be included in the next Sunday's issue.To receive a subscription to The Neil Cummins Weekly or to change your email address, send a note to emailupdates@lcmschools.org.  Need more information? Contact The Weekly Editor at nchawksweekly@gmail.com or visit one of the following websites: Neil Cummins, Larkspur- Corte Madera School District, Neil Cummins PTO or SPARK.

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