Good Afternoon Covington Community,

What a great start to the school year! It was wonderful to see the excitement and energy our students brought into the building during our first week. Whether reconnecting with old friends, meeting new classmates and teachers, or simply figuring out how to navigate a new schedule and routine, our students did an outstanding job adjusting to the start of the year. Thank you, parents and families, for your patience, flexibility, and partnership as we worked through the many moving parts that come with opening a new school year.

As we begin our second week, we will start the process of “No Showing” students who have not reported to school and balancing our classes based on our actual enrollment. As a result, some students may experience a schedule change this week. I realize that a schedule change after students have begun settling into their classes may not be ideal; however, this is a normal and necessary part of the beginning-of-year process as we work to balance class sizes and ensure appropriate staffing across our campus.

Our Guidance Department will also send information this week explaining the process for students and parents to request a schedule change. While we will make every effort to accommodate requests when possible, please understand that class size, course availability, and staffing will ultimately determine whether a requested change can be made.

I also want to provide an update regarding our remaining teacher vacancies. We have filled the majority of our open positions and are currently waiting for final AISD hiring procedures to be completed for  our new teachers before they can officially begin on campus. We appreciate your continued patience as we work to get these final staff members into their classrooms as quickly as possible.
Finally, we are excited to welcome our families back to campus this Wednesday, August 26, for our Annual Title I Parent Meeting and Back-to-School Night. This will be an opportunity to learn more about Covington, meet your student's teachers, visit classrooms, and get a better understanding of what your student will experience this year. We look forward to seeing our hallways filled with Colt families Wednesday evening!

We had a great first week, and now it is time to continue building on that momentum. Thank you for being an important part of the Covington community.
Let's have another great week!
                                            This week’s schedule:

*August 26th: Title 1 Meeting - Gym @ 5:00 pm

*August 26th: Back to School Night @ 5:30pm - 7:30pm

*August 27th - Girls Volleyball vs. Means @ Covington 6 - 8pm

With that, we are gonna throw a lot of stuff at you. So, read carefully. Open the attachments. Take care of what you can take care of, sooner rather than later. We know it's long, but keep scrolling. Important info all the way down! 

Below, you'll find a map outlining our morning and afternoon traffic flow. The safety of our students is always our top priority, so we ask that all parents and guardians driving students to school strictly use the designated drop-off and pick-up zones off of Convict Hill Rd.

To keep our campus safe and accessible, please do not use the staff parking lots or bus lanes for drop-off or pick-up at any time.

Morning Arrival: Please pull all the way forward in the drop-off line to keep traffic moving smoothly. Our staff will be outside guiding cars to help make morning arrival as safe and efficient as possible.

Afternoon Dismissal: A single line forms along Convict Hill Rd. and extends down Lochinvar St. Even if you arrive early, please pull as far forward as possible in the loading zone. Out of fairness to parents who have been waiting in line and to prevent dangerous traffic backups, drivers approaching from the west on Convict Hill Rd. will be routed past the pick-up entrance beginning at 3:45 PM.

Loading & Unloading Safety: For your child's safety, always pull completely up to the curb before letting them in or out of the vehicle. Please never allow students to load or unload from an active lane of traffic or walk between moving cars.

Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and partnership in keeping every Covington Middle School student safe!

To help maintain a safe, organized, and learning-focused environment, backpacks and bookbags are not permitted in Covington classrooms. Backpacks can create clutter and safety concerns in classroom walkways and can also become a source of distraction during instruction. Every student will be assigned a locker and combination during the first days of school, where backpacks and personal belongings should be stored. We understand that lockers, especially combination locks, can take some practice, so plenty of adults will be available to assist students until they become comfortable using them independently.

Students are responsible for the belongings stored in their assigned locker and should never share their combination, allow another student to store items in their locker, or leave their locker unlocked. We will also help students develop routines for visiting their lockers at appropriate times so they can retrieve necessary materials without being tardy to class. We ask families to reinforce these expectations at home as we work together to keep our classrooms safe, organized, and focused on learning.

 🚌 Important Austin ISD Bus Update: Middle School Neighborhood Stops Restored!

Based on community feedback, Austin ISD is restoring neighborhood-level bus stops for middle school students for the 2026–27 school year!

Middle School Students: Neighborhood stops are being added back into the system. Finalized routes will be available on the Bus Stop Finder by Thursday, Aug. 13th

Check the Bus Stop Finder (middle school routes will update over the next few days; final updates posted Aug. 13)

SCHEDULE

Covington Middle School will operate on an alternating A/B Day schedule. Students will attend Periods 1–5 on A Days and Periods 6–10 on B Days. Unlike previous years, we will no longer have "C Days" where students attend all of their classes. To provide consistency and make the schedule easier for students and families to follow, Mondays and Wednesdays will always be A Days, while Tuesdays and Thursdays will always be B Days. Fridays will alternate between A and B Days depending on the week.

We understand that alternating schedules can become confusing, especially when holidays or other events affect the school calendar. To help everyone stay on track, we will send weekly reminders to students and families identifying the schedule for the upcoming week. In addition, as we get closer to the start of school, we will post a monthly A/B Day calendar on the Covington website and continue including schedule reminders in our weekly parent newsletter. Our goal is to make the schedule as clear and predictable as possible so students can arrive each day prepared for the correct classes.

Welcome to Covington!  Now is a great time to bring in medical forms, discuss your child’s medical needs, and ask questions. Here are some reminders:

To attend school, Texas law requires all students to be immunized or have a valid exemption on file. If your child is not up-to-date:

Tdap and MCV4 vaccines are required starting at 7th grade

Bring an updated immunization record after receiving necessary vaccines

For more information go to Immunizations | Austin ISD

If your child has a medical condition that requires care at school such as (but not limited to) Seizures, Asthma, Anaphylaxis/Severe Allergic Reactions, Diabetes:

Schedule an appointment with me to go over provider orders and meds

Bring a recent copy of the doctor’s order, school time instructions, or action plan.

Bring a completed Provider/Parent Medication Permission Form (physician and parent signature)

Forms are here Medical Forms | Austin ISD

If your child has a medication that needs to be administered at school:

Bring a completed Provider/Parent Medication Permission Form (physician and parent signatures required)

Forms are here Medical Forms | Austin ISD

Upcoming Health Screenings Fall 2026:

7th graders will have vision and hearing screening, and acanthosisigricans screening

8th grade boys and 7th grade girls will have spinal screening

For more information go to https://www.austinisd.org/health-services/screenings

I look forward to working with you and your children! Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. 

Thank you,

Bianca Wan, BSN, RN

Covington Health Room

bianca.wan@austinisd.org

512-414-5382

Schedule Change Request Forms Available Monday, August 24th, in the Front Office

Schedule Change Request forms will be available in a paper format only beginning Monday, August 24th, at 8:00 am in the front office. Students must complete these forms in a detailed manner, telling counselors what elective class they want to be removed from, what class they are interested in moving to, and why. Both a student and parent signature is required. Completed forms are due to Counselors no later than Wednesday, August 26th, at 12:00 noon. 

Please note that in order to fulfill a schedule change request, multiple periods may change. Students do need to continue with their current schedule until the new schedule is delivered personally to them.

Please contact your child's grade level counselor with any questions: Ms. Austrum - 6th Grade, Ms. Moczygemba ("Mooch") - 7th Grade, and Ms. Cryer - 8th grade.

We appreciate your patience with this process!

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 (Advisory). Counselors will not be available during scheduled class times unless it is an emergency, crisis, or pre-scheduled appointment. This is so students are not missing instruction. 

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. 

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 Form for Counselor

Important Dates

August 24-25th - Student Schedule Request Form available (paper only for elective change requests)

August 26th - 12:00 Noon - Student Schedule Request Forms due to Counselors

September 4th - #AustinISDCollegeColorsDay - Please join Austin ISD in celebrating National College Colors Day on Friday, September 4th

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

Debra Austrum

6th Grade Counselor and Lead Counselor

(512) 414-3276 x59860

Jennifer Moczygemba

7th Grade Counselor

(512) 414-3276 x59815

Niomi Cryer

8th Grade Counselor

(512) 414-3276 x74040 (extension not yet working)

WHEW! QUICK BREATH. ALMOST DONE