CVUSD's Communication Snapshot

• Welcome to the First Edition of the Communication Snapshot for the 2024-2025 School Year!
• A Welcome Message from CVUSD Superintendent, Dr. Mark McLaughlin
• Reminder: The First Day of Classes for the New School Year is this Wednesday, August 21st!
• Available in Q on 8/19 & 8/20: Student Class and Teacher Assignments
• Free School Meals for All Students
• Please Review: 2024-2025 Annual Notice for Students, Parents, and Staff
  
• CVUSD Families Please Complete: Important, Required Annual Updates for the 2024-2025 School Year
• Now Available: Chromebook Accidental Damage Protection for the 2024-2025 School Year
• Parent/Guardian Participation - A Top Priority: Learn About CVUSD's Advisory Councils/Committees
• How CVUSD Communicates With You
• New Faces in New Places: Meet the Newest Leaders Across the CVUSD!
• A Voice for Students: Meet Aidan Light, Student Board Trustee for the 24-25 School Year
• We're Hiring Paraeducators: Join Us for a Walk-In Interview on Monday, August 26th!
• Save the Date: CVUSD's Annual College Fair Returns on September 19th!

Welcome to the first edition of the Communication Snapshot for the 2024-2025 school year! The purpose of this districtwide message is to provide you with a brief, weekly overview of updates, important information, news, events and highlights related to the CVUSD, our schools, our students and the community we serve. This message will be sent out via email, text and CVUSD app each Monday at 4:30pm, unless there is a holiday or school break, in which case the message will be sent on the day classes resume.

Note:

• Language Translation: This newsletter features a built-in language translation feature by selecting the "Translate" button at the top of the newsletter.

Dear CVUSD Community:

I am excited to welcome you to the 2024-2025 school year, beginning on Wednesday, August 21st! Our beautiful campuses and dedicated staff members are eager to greet you for what will be another exceptional year in the CVUSD.

Whether you are new to the CVUSD community or a returning student, family member or staff member, we want you to know that you play a crucial role in making CVUSD an outstanding place to learn and grow.

What makes the CVUSD so special is “our people:” our phenomenal educators, committed administrators and wonderful staff members who are dedicated to the success and well-being of all students. Together, we proudly offer a diverse range of academic opportunities and extracurricular activities that cater to students' interests and passions, as well as comprehensive services to support students' overall wellness and mental health.

Our commitment to providing exceptional educational opportunities to all students is guided by our strategic plans, which are “living documents” that have been carefully developed by our leadership team with engagement and input from key shareholders like you. The foundation of these plans are our four districtwide goals, which you may learn more about in the infographic below.

To learn more about all of our CVUSD comprehensive plans, please visit the new CVUSD Strategic Plans webpage, which outlines our focus on the primary drivers of these district goals: optimal learning, equitable access, and positive student outcomes.

The future is bright for the CVUSD, as we continue to adapt and innovate to best serve our community of learners. Let's make this school year our best one yet by supporting each other, staying curious, and striving for excellence in all that we do.

To help prepare for the school year ahead, please review the important information in this newsletter below.

We look forward to a great year ahead!

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark McLaughlin

Proud Superintendent of the Conejo Valley Unified School District

📅 The complete 2024-2025 school year calendar is available to view online here.

Future school year calendars are also now available for the following years:

📅 View the 2025-2026 school year calendar.

📅 View the 2026-2027 school year calendar.

Reminder: Student class and teacher assignments will be available via the Student and Parent Q Portals beginning at 12 p.m. on Monday, August 19th for students entering grades 6 through 12 and beginning at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20th for students entering grades TK through 5.

School meals for the 2024-2025 school year will be available to all students at no charge.

🍎 Click here to view your school's menus!

⭐ Although all students will receive free meals through the duration of this school year, we request for all families to please complete the Free / Reduced Meal Application for the 2024-2025 School Year - available online here. A PDF of this application is also available here.

The Free / Reduced Meal Application affects a variety of areas unrelated to school meals, including school funding, college application fees, SAT fees, bus passes and more. Even if your child does not plan to eat school lunches, it is important to fill out this form to help ensure our schools and families receive the available resources.

In accordance with California Education Code 48980, every school district must notify the parents and guardians of each pupil and staff annually of their rights and responsibilities related to school. Please click here to review the 2024-2025 Annual Notice for Students, Parents, and Staff (English) / Aviso Anual para Estudiantes, Padres y Personal (Spanish) which provides a summary of those rights and responsibilities.

As with each new school year, required Annual Updates must be completed by parents/guardians prior to the first day of instruction. We are pleased to be able to provide all Annual Updates information, including required acknowledgments and permissions, within the Q-Parent Connect Portal again this year. Click here to learn more, including to view a step-by-step instruction guide.

We are proud to provide all students with a Chromebook through the District’s 1:1 Program. While Chromebooks are provided at no cost to families, proper use and care of the Chromebook is the responsibility of the student and their parent/guardian. To support this program, CVUSD is offering Chromebook Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) program for families to eliminate the concern and costs of repairing or replacing damaged, or stolen Chromebooks.

💻 Click here to learn more about the Chromebook ADP program, and for the steps on how to purchase the ADP for your student's Chromebook.

Parent engagement and participation is a major priority of the CVUSD. Family involvement is encouraged through many formal and informal organizations and activities: including our six parent advisory councils. Learn more by reviewing the below flyers and/or by visiting the District's Parent Participation webpage.

✋ Parent/Guardian Participation: A Top Priority - Overview Flyer (English/Spanish)

✋ District Advisory Councils/Committees: 2024-2025 Meeting Schedule (English/Spanish)

Our goal is to keep all stakeholders informed of all things CVUSD. Whether that’s via our website, social media channels, the CVUSD mobile app, or in more traditional settings – we hope you will find the perfect touchpoint for staying up to date on all things CVUSD.

📲 IMPORTANT: We strongly encourage all CVUSD families and staff members to double check the contact information (phone number, email, and SMS number) provided within their Q profile. If you do not provide a mobile/SMS number and check the box to opt in to receive text messages, you will not receive text message communication - which is a crucial communication method for urgent information to be shared. If you are unsure what contact information you've provided, need assistance to update contact information and/or need to add a mobile/SMS number, please contact your school site's main office.

🛑 Note: This message was deployed via email and text message. If you did not receive a text message communication, this likely means that our communication system does not have a mobile/SMS phone number in your profile and/or you did not check the box to receive text communication.

Follow us on:

👉 Facebook
👉 Instagram
👉 Threads

We also proudly welcome the following (previously announced) school principals and district administrators to their new roles:

• Brian Mercer, Principal of Conejo Valley High School - Read the Announcement
• Jennifer Dobson, Principal of Colina Middle School - Read the Announcement
• Tammy Farhit, Principal of Walnut Elementary School - Read the Announcement
• Kristina Keener, Principal of Redwood Middle School - Read the Announcement
• Shanda Lee, Director of Special Education: Elementary & Preschool - Read the Announcement
• James Jenkins, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Read the Announcement
• Nicole Judd, Director of High School Education - Read the Announcement
• Shane Frank, Director of Middle School Education - Read the Announcement

Please join us in welcoming Aidan Light to his role as the Student District Advisory Committee (SDAC) Student Board of Education Representative for the 2024-2025 academic year! Mr. Light is a 12th grade student at Thousand Oaks High School. This is the sixth consecutive year that a student from the Student District Advisory Committee (SDAC) will serve as a Student Board of Education Representative. We look forward to having Mr. Light's unique perspective and input on the dais - click here to learn more.

We're hiring Paraeducators! Our award-winning schools have both full-time and part-time openings for this important role that supports students with disabilities. Join us for a Walk-In Interview opportunity on Monday, August 26th from 2:30pm-4:30pm at our District Educational Office at 1400 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks.

📌 Click here for more information.

The annual CVUSD College Fair returns on Thursday, September 19th from 5:00pm to 6:30pm at Thousand Oaks High School: 2323 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks.

All CVUSD high school students and their families are invited to attend this cost-free event.

This event typically features representative from more than 120 colleges/post-secondary destinations. Directly following the College Fair, in-person workshops on a variety of important topics will be held from 6:45pm -8:20pm.

Attendees are encouraged to register for the event by visiting www.strivefair.com or scanning the QR code on the flyer below. Once registered you will receive a barcode for the college fair. Show your barcode to colleges who will scan it to send you more information about their schools. It’s free and saves you time!