Be Me Preschool Newsletter
August 2025 - Welcome Back To School!
Welcome to the 2025-26 School Year! I hope you all had a wonderful summer, filled with fun, laughter, and special memories. As we begin this school year, I want to extend a warm welcome to our returning families and a special greeting to those who are joining our program for the first time. We are thrilled to have you with us and look forward to a year filled with exploration, growth, and discovery.
Our dedicated teachers and staff have been working hard to prepare a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment for your children. We are committed to providing a high-quality preschool experience that supports their development in all areas – social, emotional, cognitive, communication, and physical. We encourage you to be an active participant in your child’s preschool journey by communicating with teachers, attending school events, and working collaboratively with us.
We are looking forward to welcoming our families back to both sites - University Center and Sycamore Canyon. For our classroom students, please SAVE THE DATE for our Be Me Preschool MEET and GREET event on Friday, August 22nd. Classroom assignments will be sent by email prior to this date. See below for more details.
For our students who only receive speech/language and other related services, our service providers will be contacting you in the next couple of weeks to schedule service days/times. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as they create their schedules. Services will begin the week of September 2nd (due to the Labor Day Holiday on Monday, Sept. 1).
We are excited to welcome the following new staff to our amazing team. They come with a wealth of knowledge and experience and will be true assets to our program.
Sushana Chaudhary, teacher
Danielle Crowder, teacher
Cindy Galvez, teacher
Jillian Russell, school psychologist
Additionally, Martha Alvidrez is joining our Be Me Office team as a Senior Office Assistant. Sadly, Kris Yanagi will not be returning to our team as she accepted a new position outside the district. She has played a crucial role in keeping our office and program running smoothly and will be greatly missed. Please contact Martha with any questions you might have.
We have been very busy ensuring that each family has their enrollment information completed and up-to-date. Please see below for more information about how to complete annual updates. This is required for your child to start on the first day of school (and/or to receive services). If you have any questions about enrollment, please contact Martha.
Enjoy the rest of the summer! We are looking forward to a wonderful school year!
Shana Grudsky
Coordinator of Special Education
Be Me Preschool
Welcome Martha!
We are excited to welcome Martha Alvidrez to our Be Me Office Staff! She comes to our program with several years of experience that range from school sites to our District Educational Center (DEC). She is quickly learning all the ways she'll be supporting our students, families, and staff. Please welcome her when you see her in the office or speak with her by phone. ¡Habla español!
August 22nd- Be Me Preschool "Meet and Greet"
8:30 - 9:30 am at University (classrooms)
10:30 am - 11:30 am at Sycamore (classrooms)
August 25th - First Day of School, Be Me Preschool
8:15 am - 12:15 pm at University
8:30 am - 12:30 pm at Sycamore (NEW TIMES)
Be Me Preschool - University
Parents/Guardians and Be Me Classroom Students are invited to our annual Meet and Greet! Please arrive promptly to the University Center on Friday, August 22, at 8:30 am so we can welcome you to Be Me Preschool at University Center. Please abide by all traffic rules and parking lot signs around the school.
University Center
2801 Atlas Ave
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Be Me Preschool - Sycamore
Parents/Guardians and Be Me Classroom Students are invited to our annual Meet and Greet! Please arrive promptly to the Del Prado loop side gate on Friday, August 22, at 10:30 am so we can welcome you to Be Me Preschool at Sycamore. Please abide by all traffic rules and parking lot signs around the school.
Sycamore Canyon School
4601 Via Rio
Newbury Park, CA 91320
- Wednesday, August 20 - First Day of School, Elementary and Secondary
- Friday, August 22 - Meet and Greet, Be Me Preschool
- Monday, August 25, First Day of School, Be Me Preschool
- Monday, September 1 - Holiday, Labor Day - No School
- Week of September 2 - Related Services (i.e speech, OT, etc.) Begin
- Tuesday, September 23 - Holiday, No School
- Thursday, October 2 - Holiday, No school
- Week of October 13-17 - Minimum Days, Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Monday, November 3 - No School (Staff Professional Learning Day)
Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to your child's development when receiving their related services (i.e. speech/language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.) at Be Me Preschool University Campus.
We kindly ask that you review and adhere to the following Be Me University office rules, effective immediately:
Respect Confidentiality: Mini-conferences with your child’s Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) or other service providers (Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, etc.) can no longer be held in the front office due to confidentiality concerns and staff appointment schedules. If you'd like to discuss your child’s progress during their therapy sessions and/or strategies to implement at home, please contact your SLP, OT, and/or PT to schedule a time for a brief parent conference.
Be Punctual: Please ensure you arrive on time for your scheduled appointments and promptly pick up your child. We ask that you are already in the office waiting for your child at least 5 minutes before their session is due to finish. Our service providers often have back-to-back appointments and therefore can not be supervising students in the office when parents/guardians are late.
Maintain a Calm Environment: We ask that you supervise your child and/or siblings at all times in the office. Please help us maintain a peaceful environment by not allowing your child and/or siblings to run, jump, or have loud conversations in the office. Clean up with your child after they use the materials (books, puzzles, coloring). Please be respectful that office staff are working to support our program.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued partnership in fostering a positive and supportive learning experience for your child.
CVUSD ANNUAL UPDATES
Please log into Q-Parent Connect to access the Annual Updates information that was emailed out by CVUSD on 8/1/25. These updates must be complteed prior to the first day of school for each of your students. There are mutliple pages you need to update so be sure take the time and look at each page. If you have any questions, please reach out to Martha in the Be Me office.
Please complete the required Annual Updates for each of your CVUSD students by Tuesday, August 19, 2025.
1. Log into your Q Parent Portal: https://conejo.vcoe.org
2. Sign and initial each page of the forms provided.
You will need to use the email address you initially provided during enrollment. Be sure to review and update any phone numbers or email addresses that have changed. If you’ve moved, please contact the office with your updated proof of residence (e.g., a recent utility bill).
For those that do not have access to Q Parent Connection, paper copies of the required Annual Updates forms may be obtained from the Be Me Preschool Office or are attachments below.
See attached instructions for logging in to Q Parent Connection and for accessing and completing the Annual Updates.
How to link to the Q-Parent Connect website
Note: These steps are for new users to Q only. You must use a computer to retrieve your Login Information. Do not use a cell phone or mobile device when initially registering. After you have access to your Login, then mobile use is available.
- Click here for the direct link
- Click on the Q-Parent Portal Connection option
- Click the Need Your Login Information option
- Enter the email you provided from your Emergency Card to obtain your Pin and Password.
- If the above steps do not work go to the CVUSD website at www.conejousd.org and click on the QLogin icon located at the top of the page and follow step 3 above
Free and Reduced Meal Application:
We also ask that you complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application as soon as possible. You can access it here: https://conejo.vcoe.org/fsonline/Main/Login. This helps provide free snacks for the students and supports our program. The information provided by families remains confidential. Whether or not your child plans to eat school lunches, it is important to fill out the application to ensure our schools receive maximum funding.
If you are still experiencing difficulty logging in, please email Martha Alvidrez at malvidrez@conejousd.org for further assistance.
If you have questions regarding your unique login information, after following the "Need Your Login Information?" steps, please contact Be Me Preschool Office.
Be Me Preschool - University
For students who only attend for speech (and/or OT, PT, etc.) services:
Per district policy, parents/guardians are not permitted to attend sessions with their child. They may be walked to the back office door, given a hug/kiss/high five, and the therapist will walk them to/from the therapy room. Parents/Guardians are welcome to wait in the front office, grab a coffee, and/or wait in their car in the parking lot. Thank you for your cooperation.
Be Me Preschool - Sycamore Canyon
For late arrivals (after 8:35 am) and early pick up (before 12:30 pm)
Please come to the gate on Del Prado. Call the office, (805-498-1573) ask for your teachers extension (Tresa x 207, Sushana x 208, Danielle x 209) to let the teacher know you are at the side gate. They will send someone to/from the car. The only exception is if you are picking up your child from the Health Office, due to illness.
We look forward to inviting our school volunteers back for the 2025 - 2026 school year. Please check with your child's teacher if you would like to volunteer.
Each school year every volunteer must resubmit their paperwork to be cleared prior to their first day volunteering on campus. Once you have all forms filled out, please print them and bring them to the front office. Should you have any questions please reach out to us.
District Volunteer Requirement Guide - This form outlines what each level of volunteering requires. All of our volunteers are considered Level 1.
The following forms are required:
Special Education District Advisory Council
CVUSD is pleased to offer parents/guardians of students with disabilities the opportunity to participate in the Special Education Advisory Council (SEDAC). CVUSD’s SEDAC is searching for site representatives to join SEDAC and be a part of an active and highly engaged group of representatives who advise on matters related to educational programs, policies, procedures, and specific actions being taken for students receiving special education services to support high-quality programs and services for students with disabilities. If you are interested in representing Be Me Preschool as a SEDAC representative, please contact Shana Grudsky at sgrudsky@conejousd.org or 805-492-4051. Should you have questions about SEDAC, you may visit the SEDAC webpage. The meeting days/times are listed here.
CVUSD se complace en ofrecer a los padres/tutores de estudiantes con discapacidades la oportunidad de participar en el Consejo Asesor de Educación Especial (SEDAC). SEDAC de CVUSD está buscando representantes de sitio para unirse a SEDAC y ser parte de un grupo activo y altamente comprometido de representantes que asesoran sobre asuntos relacionados con programas educativos, políticas, procedimientos y acciones específicas que se toman para estudiantes que reciben servicios de educación especial para apoyar -programas y servicios de calidad para estudiantes con discapacidades. Si está interesado en representar a Be Me Preschool como representante de SEDAC, comuníquese con Shana Grudsky en sgrudsky@conejousd.org o 805-492-4051. Si tiene preguntas sobre SEDAC, puede visitar la página web de SEDAC.
Additional Resources:
Coordinator, Shana Grudsky sgrudsky@conejousd.org
Senior Office Assistant, Martha Alvidrez malvidrez@conejousd.org
All questions/calls about absences, registration, enrollment, etc. should be directed to the main Be Me Preschool Office at University.
Be Me Preschool - University
2801 Atlas Ave.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
(805) 492-4051
Be Me Preschool - Sycamore Canyon
4601 Via Rio
Newbury Park, CA 91320
(805) 498-1573