Hello, Conejo Oaks Academy Families and Community Members!

It's been a hot one out there recently! I hope you are finding ways to stay cool during this recent heatwave. At COA, the start of the school year has been a busy one with students and staff organizing work experiences and community based instruction activities. Joe on the Go officially opened back up for business last week and community based instruction outings are revving up.

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

• CVUSD's Focus on the Future Fair
• Picture Day Re-Takes
• Work Experience Applications
• General Program information and last month's newsletter

I am currently working on planning October's Coffee with the Coordinator. If you have a topic you'd like to discuss or speaker you'd like to attend, please reach out to me for future Coffee with the Coordinator events.

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.

• September 19-CVUSD Focus on Your Future Fair at TOHS
• September 25- Picture Re-Takes from 9:00am-10:00am at COA
• October 1- Special Education District Advisory Council meeting from 9:15-11:15am at University MPR
• October 1- Back to School Night from 5:00-6:00pm at COA Campus
• October 3- Holiday (No School)
• October 17-Minimum Day (School ends at 12:30pm)
• October 21-Non-Instructional Day (No School)
• November 1- Professional Learning Day (No School)
• November 11- Holiday (No School)
• November 25-29 Fall Break (No School)

The CVUSD Focus on the Future Fair will be held on September 19th from 5:00-6:00pm at TOHS. After the fair, in-person workshops will be held from 6:45pm-8:20pm.

Our students are encouraged to attend to learn about college programs and to help share about Conejo Oaks Academy at our booth. I will also be sharing about our program during one of the in-person workshops from 6:45-7:10pm in room 103 at TOHS. Students are welcome to attend the workshop and share about their personal experiences at COA to anyone who attends.

Transportation and supervision will not be provided for this event, however we are hoping to have a great turnout and COA representation.

Students will be able to have their picture taken for the first time or re-taken on September 25th from 9:00-10:00am in Room 15 at COA. Students will also receive a COA ID card. If a student's picture was taken on the first day of school, they should receive a new COA ID card from Cornerstone within a week.

If a student would like to get paid for their work experiences at COA, they will need to complete a CVUSD Employment Application packet (linked below). The application packet MUST BE TURNED IN TO THE STUDENT'S TEACHER BY SEPTEMBER 18th. Students will begin completing timesheets in October and will receive their first pay check for the month of October. If a student completed a packet and was paid for their work last year, they DO NOT need to compete a packet this year.

Our first Coffee with the Coordinator was held on September 3rd to assist students/families with completion of the Employment Packets. If you were unable to attend and still have questions, please contact Carrie Holmquist directly at cholmquist@conejousd.org.

Conejo Oaks Academy's hours are:

8:00am - 2:00pm

Monday-Friday

*Minimum Day hours are 8:00am-12:30pm*

(Transportation will be provided on minimum days)

Minimum Days (Thursdays):

September 19

October 17

November 21

January 23

February 20

March 20

May 15

1025 Old Farm Road

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Below is a general weekly schedule.

Please note that schedules may change when different Community Based Instruction (CBI) opportunities arise. Your student and teacher will be communicating with guardians to ensure they are aware in advance of any changes to the schedule. I will be working with teachers at the beginning of the school year to determine which subjects each teacher is teaching. Students and teachers will notify guardians prior to the rotating schedule starting.

Why are we rotating classes this year?

Rotating classrooms will provide students with options and varied experiences between different teachers, ensure continuity between classrooms, and offer more opportunities for student voice/choice. Rotating classes will also enhance and expand student's interactions with staff on the campus which will prepare them for real-world scenarios where students will interact with various individuals in work, school, college, and community settings.

We recognize that this is a significant change. We will monitor the schedule throughout the year and offer opportunities for feedback from education partners once the schedule has been fully implemented for a period of time.

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