News from Conyers Learning Academy
January 27th, 2022
Dear CLA Families,
All of our students have done a great job returning from the long winter break; especially our newest friends in Ms. Carol’s, Ms. Lauren M’s, and Ms. Kiki’s classes. It has been a great start to 2022!
Each day our classes will try to go outside if the weather is appropriate and safe for recess and gross motor time. Please be sure to dress your child ready to go outside. Due to some of the recent extremely cold days we have been experiencing, we will keep our students inside for recess and gross motor time. If you are in need of any additional winter clothes, please contact your teacher or classroom team.
We are looking forward to sharing the CLA love with all of our students this month and celebrating Valentine's Day in February. Please see more information below regarding the procedures for Valentine's Day activities and cards.
Important Dates:
Feb. 2nd - CLA PTA Meeting at 6:30 (virtual)
Feb. 7th - Non Attendance Monday for all EC Students
Feb. 21st - No School - Presidents Day
Feb. 22nd - No School - Teacher Institute Day
We hope everyone stays warm and healthy!
Matt Warren
New Start Time for CLA on Feb. 23rd, 2022
Just a reminder, at the last two Board of Education Meeting, it was discussed that District 15 would be transitioning to a 3-Tier Bus Schedule due to the Bus Driver shortage. All District 15 schools will have new start and end times. CLA’s new start and end times will shift 15 minutes later than our current times. To see all of the new times, go to https://www.ccsd15.net/Page/10299. This change will start on February 23rd, 2022. New bus pick up and drop off times will be provided in soon so families can plan accordingly.
Mon. - Thurs.
ACES/MN: 9:15 am - 3:55 pm
AM EC: 9:15 - 11:50 am
PM EC: 1:20 - 3:55 pm
Extended Day: 9:15 am - 2:00 pm
Friday
ACES/MN: 9:15 am - 3:05 pm
AM EC: 9:15 - 11:25 am
PM EC: 12:55 - 3:05 pm
Extended Day: 9:15 am - 1:00 pm
If you have any questions regarding this change, please contact our office.
News From CLA PTA
Here are a few Important Reminders from the CLA PTA:
Winter Gear Drive - If you have gently used Winter Gear that no longer fits, please send it in to be donated. The drive ends on Jan. 31st
(RESCHEDULED) Winter Snow Play Date - Saturday Jan. 29th from 3:00-4:00 for a Snow Play Date at Palatine Hills (512 W. Northwest Hwy, Palatine). The PTA will provide hot cocoa, snow paint, a snowman activity, and a few sleds. Please make sure to bring your own sled and dress warm! This is a family event and siblings are welcome. Parents are expected to be present during the event. We can’t wait to see you there.
Check out the CLA Flyer for Winter Happenings from CLA PTA - CLICK HERE
February PTA Meeting:
The CLA PTA’s next meeting is on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd at 6:30pm. The meeting will be VIRTUAL and a link will be sent out next week.
Valentine’s Day at CLA
With Valentine's Day only just over two weeks away, we wanted to review a few of our D15 and CLA procedures for this special day. Each classroom will be having their own special activities within the classroom. Students are welcome to bring in Valentines for their classmates (NOT REQUIRED) and they will be sent home in each student's backback.
Procedures for Valentines:
Students are welcome to bring in Valentines for their classmates (NOT REQUIRED) and they will be sent home in each student's backpack. If your child brings in Valentines, be sure to bring one for every student in your child’s class (your child’s teacher can provide you the names of the other students in class if needed).
No Food or Candy - do not send in any food or candy to be eaten in class or sent home.
We hope to make Valentine’s Day a special day for all of our students and staff! If you have any questions, please contact our office.
Important Information from Mr. MAC
For those of you who’s students started the year at CLA, you might remember Mr. MAC and the heavy focus on social emotional learning for the first six weeks of school. Well, Mr. Mac is back! CLA embraces our three PBIS core values of Be Safe, Be Kind, and Be Ready in all aspects of the school day. For the month of January, your student’s class reviewed the critical components of these core values to further develop their prosocial behaviors, which are the foundation of Early Childhood Education! The use of similar language at home can help your child generalize these concepts, so read this letter for an overview of the topics (Parent Letter English / Parent Letter Spanish)
Erin's Law
Next week, your child will participate in the state mandated, sexual abuse awareness and prevention education program, as required in response to Erin’s Law. Erin’s Law requires public schools to implement a developmentally appropriate, sexual abuse prevention program. This teaches children in grades PreK - 12th grade age appropriate techniques to recognize child abuse and tell a trusted adult.
For Early Childhood, your child will be presented a social story on how to recognize a safe touch versus an unsafe touch. This material will be presented in collaboration with the school social worker assigned to your child's team. We use developmentally appropriate terms and visual supports to help them understand this concept as well as how to say “stop” and ask for help. The main focus is that children are “the boss of their bodies” and if they ever feel uncomfortable or unsure, they should tell a trusted adult. We encourage you to reiterate this at home. Preschool is a great time to start having these conversations with your children. We encourage you to talk to your child about safe adults in their life and situations that might call for adult assistance, especially for children who are not yet toilet trained. Regular, comfortable conversation with your children about their bodies and safety sets an early precedent for open communication!
Erin's Law Social Story - English Spanish
If you have any questions or would like to have your child opt out of this presentation, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.
***Students in Ms. Carol’s, Ms. Lauren M’s, and Ms. Kiki’s classes will have a slightly different presentation from the ECDEC staff that will cover the same content. Their lessons and presentations were previously scheduled prior to their classrooms moving to CLA.
Family Resource Center
The CLA Staff have put together a Family Resource Center website for all of our CLA Families and the community to access. You can find information about our program and links to resources and information at CLA and around the community. If you are looking for more information about any of the topics or other ways to support your child at home, please contact our team.
English - https://sites.google.com/ccsd15.net/cla-parent-resource-center/home
Spanish - https://sites.google.com/ccsd15.net/clapadres/home
D15 is HIRING!!!
If you or someone you know is looking for a position, D15 has a number of OPEN positions with various hours and positions. D15 will be hosting Job Fairs at the Palatine Library throughout the school year (see attached flyer). At CLA, we are looking for Special Education Program Assistants to work within our Early Childhood and ACES/Multiple Needs Programs. Please check out our flyer and pass it along to anyone interested!
Contact Information at CLA
Our Administrative and Office team is here to support you and your family throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us.
Office Contact Information (for all office contacts)
Matt Warren - Principal - warrenm@ccsd15.net (847) 963-3405
Christy Loh - Assistant Principal - lohc@ccsd15.net (847) 963-3415
Megan McFalls - Assistant Principal - mcfallsm@ccsd15.net (847) 963-3404
Matt Stary - Assistant Principal - starym@ccsd15.net (847) 963-3492
Jamie Rocha - Student Services Coordinator rochaj@ccsd15.net (847) 963-3426
John G. Conyers Learning Academy
Website: www.ccsd15.net/CLA
Location: 2800 Central Road, Rolling Meadows, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-3400
Facebook: facebook.com/ConyersLearningAcademy