Hello, Conejo Oaks Academy Families and Community Members!

The weather has taken a bit of a turn and I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of fall!

There are a lot of great resources, collaboration, and learning opportunities through our Ventura SELPA. I encourage you to check out their fliers for opportunities coming up for parents, students, and families. One of the best learning opportunities for our students and families is the Fall Transition Fair that is held virtually in November. The fair helps to connect our families and students to community agencies and resources relating to transition and is a great source of information. You can find details on the event in this month's newsletter below.

In this month's newsletter you will find information on the following:

• Ranger the Therapy Dog Visit Information
• A Message from COA SEDAC Representatives
• SELPA Virtual Fall Transition Fair
  
• General Program information and last month's newsletter

Coffee with the Coordinator will be held from 2:15pm-3:15pm on October 29th in the Adult Education Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). Students, parents, and staff are invited to attend. This month's topic is Inclusion and Transition from a Student/Parent's Perspective. Suzanne Lezotte, accomplished author and COA parent, and her son Owen will share their resent successes and challenges as it relates to community access, post-secondary educational opportunities, and employment. I will take notes and/or share materials provided for anyone who does not have the opportunity to attend.

I just received our student photos from Cornerstone and will be sending out a digital directory within the week. If you would like your/your student's information in the directory, please complete the directory form linked below.

Directory Opt-In Form

Take Care,

Amanda Glover MS.Ed.

If you have any questions, concerns, and/or compliments for our program, you can always reach me at aglover@conejousd.org or at 805-660-5262.

• October 14, Bus Safety Evacuation Drill
• October 15 - Ranger the Therapy Dog visit
• October 17- Great American Shakeout Earthquake Drill
• October 17-Minimum Day (School ends at 12:30pm)
• October 21-Non-Instructional Day (No School)
• October 29- Coffee with the Coordinator (2:15pm in the MPR)
• November 1- Professional Learning Day (No School)
• November 11- Holiday (No School)
• November 20- SELPA Virtual Fall Transition Fair (5:30pm-7:30pm)
• November 25-29 Fall Break (No School)

All school buses that drive to COA will be conducting an annual bus evacuation drill with student(s) on each bus on October 14th. When buses arrive in the morning, before letting the student(s) off the bus, the driver will go through what to do in case of an emergency. This is estimated to take 2-5 minutes.

We are excited to share that we will have a Therapy Dog, Ranger, visit our program on Tuesday, October 15th.

Please notify me and your teacher/case manager if you/your student has any known allergies, asthma, or other health condition that may impact your visit with Ranger the therapy dog so that we can take appropriate measures to protect you/your student from exposure to the animal.

Hi Parents,

It was wonderful meeting many of you at Back-to-School Night. We look forward to interacting with you throughout the school year. We are excited to serve as parent representatives for SEDAC, Special Education District Advisory Council, for the 2024-2025 school year. We also advise the Conejo Valley Unified School District Administration and Board of Education on matters related to educational programs, policies, procedures, and specific actions being taken for students with an IEP or 504 plan.

As your SEDAC reps, we want to learn what issues are on your mind. Our hope is to be a supporting voice for our kids and yours throughout the school year. We look forward to sharing SEDAC news, events and special education information with you, teachers, staff and students. Overall, we look forward to supporting one another throughout the year and enjoying a positive year here at the Conejo Academy.

We Welcome you All,

Cathy Parker

catherineparker2023@gmail.com

Marisol Lewis

Sol15uk@aol.com

Help young adults with disabilities prepare for the quality adult lives they envision. Students, parents, teachers, and care providers are invited to join us at the Transition Fair. Meet local agency representatives and get information to help you make decisions about adult life.

When: November 20th

Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm

Click the flier links below for details.

We enjoy having guests at COA. To ensure the safety of our student's we ask that all visitors/volunteers check-in and receive badges prior to coming on to school campuses. Our comprehensive campuses have the equipment needed to print badges in the front office. Since Conejo Oaks Academy does not have a front office on site, we ask that people visiting our program first check in at the District Educational Center (DEC) before coming to our campus. The DEC is located at 1400 Janss Road. Please contact your Coordinator, Mandi Glover, if you have any questions and to arrange a visit.

Please reach out to Mandi Glover if you would like to arrange a time to review the site safety plan or have any other questions about site safety.

We will be practicing safety drills throughout the school year. See the schedule below. More information will follow in future newsletters and from your student and/or teacher.

Safety Drills Schedule

• Fire Drills-September/January
• Earthquake Drills-October/February
• Intruder Drills-November/March

• Occupational Therapist- Rachel Yashouafar
• Psychologist- Shannon Higgoda
• Adapted PE Teacher- Victoria Alvarez
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher- Karen Mestre
• Speech Pathologist- Jennie McIntosh
• Board Certified Behavior Analyst- Karli Karamanlian
• Nurse- Jill Chen

• VCOE Transition to adult life resources: https://www.vcselpa.org/For-Families/Transition-to-Adult-Life
• Tri-Counties information/link: https://www.tri-counties.org/
  
• Department of Rehabilitation information/link: www.dor.ca.gov

Email: aglover@conejousd.org
Website: https://www.conejousd.org/Page/1724
Location: 1025 Old Farm Road, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
Phone: (805) 660-5262