Parent Info Center

I wanted to share the recording from our Parent Info Session this week. The video shares tips for working alongside your student, helping them plan their week, and managing assignments. Adam Hailstone, one of our Williamsburg Learning executives, relays a tool that works in his family. Additionally, our Academic Counselor, Heather Evans, shares information about each student’s individualized Graduation Plan. Here’s the link! 

You can also find resources for supporting your student in our Parent and Student Handbook.

Our Leadership Academy of Colorado team is here and ready to provide support. Please let us know how we can assist you and your student!

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox
Executive Director, Leadership Academy of Colorado

Action Items

Sign up for Parent-Mentor Conferences! We sent you an email on Wednesday (January 25) with instructions on how to request a Parent-Mentor Conference or Parent-Mentor Update. We’ll send you another reminder email with instructions this Monday, January 30. We hope you’ll take advantage of this chance to get personalized insights about your student’s progress!

Open Enrollment is on now: You can now submit an application for your student to join us for the 2023-24 school year! Visit our How to Enroll page to get started!

The drop deadline is January 30: The last day for students to drop a class is this Monday, January 30. Any classes dropped after this deadline will result in an “F” that can only be replaced by retaking the class.

Announcements

In-Person Event at Boondocks: Join us on Friday, February 3, for an in-person event at Boondocks in Parker (18706 Cottonwood Dr, Parker, CO, 80138) from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM MT. LACO will pay for its students to participate in the activities. Please sign up here. Please note that we require parents to attend and be responsible for their own students. We plan to update our policy as soon as possible to allow for student drop-off, and we hope you’ll be patient with us as we ensure we have the required training and the pieces in place to do this.

Upcoming Events

January 30: 28-Day Drop Deadline: Last day for students to drop classes without receiving an "F"

January 30-February 3: Parent-Mentor Conferences

February 3: In-Person Event at Boondocks

February 7: LACO Open Meeting: Available for the public to learn about LACO and ask questions of our School Accountability Committee – 2:30 PM MT

February 13: LACO Parent Booster Club Meeting: We invite all parents to join us as we support the school and our students – 10:00 AM MT

February 17: LACO In-Person Student Valentine's Day Party (7575 Town Center Building, Denver, CO) – 1:00 PM-4:00 PM MT

We have been able to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this past week. With the recent holiday, I ponder one of his famous quotes: 

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” 

One of our goals at Leadership Academy of Colorado is to build community among our families and students. I hope your student is forming friendships and connecting with other students and mentors in their classes. I challenge each of us to reach out to others with kind words and a smile. Together, we can brighten the world by fostering an attitude of acceptance and offering a hand of friendship.

I hope everyone feels accepted and a part of Williamsburg Learning and LACO. Please know that we are available to answer questions or support your student in any way we can.


Warmly,

Cynthia Cox
Executive Director, Leadership Academy of Colorado

Action Items

Open Enrollment for the 2023-24 school year starts this Monday, January 23! Applying for the next school year is required whether your student is new or returning to LACO. Please see this page to review the details on our application process.

Parent Mentor Updates and Conferences: Parent Mentor Updates and Parent Mentor Conferences will take place from Monday, January 30, through Friday, February 3. Stay tuned for an email next Wednesday with instructions on how to sign up.

Required NWEA MAP Make-Up Assessments: Required NWEA MAP make-up assessments will take place today, and additional make-up sessions will be held next Friday, January 27 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM MT. Please see your email and your student’s Homeroom course in Canvas for details and the links!

Announcements

RSVP for our last January Parent Training Session! Our final session is happening next Thursday (January 26), and we’ll be discussing our best tips for supporting your student with at-home learning. Please fill out this form to RSVP, and we’ll send you a reminder email with the Zoom link before we start. You can view the recording of our last session on Getting the Most Out of Canvas here.

Remind your student to log in daily: Attendance is measured through daily logins. If your student must miss a day, here is the link to our Absence Request Form.

Please complete this survey and see this information and dates for our CMAS and PSAT assessments in April. These in-person assessments are required for our students, and we look forward to seeing you there! More details to follow, but we’d like to know if you plan to join us in Colorado Springs, Loveland, or Durango.

LACO Parent Survey: Here’s the link to our Parent Survey! We’d love any feedback you could provide. We aim to continuously improve and serve our families well.

Upcoming Events

January 26: Thursday Night Live – 3:00 PM MT (Find details in Homeroom)

January 26: Parent Training Session: The Graduation Plan and Supporting Your Student at Home – 4:00 PM MT

January 30: Parent Booster Club Meeting – 10:00 AM MT

January 30-February 3: Parent Mentor Conferences

February 7: LACO Open Meeting – 2:30 PM MT

February 13: LACO Parent Booster Club Meeting – 10:00 AM MT

Next week all students will need to participate in our middle-of-year NWEA MAP assessments. You should have received an email providing the dates, times, and Zoom Rooms. We strive for a 95% student participation rate, so please mark your calendars, and block time out for the assessments!

The NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) is an adaptive achievement test. It provides a personalized assessment by adapting to each student’s level of learning. If a student correctly answers a question, the computer assessment asks a more challenging question next. If they miss a question, an easier question is posed. The assessment provides essential information about what your student has already learned and what your student is ready to learn. 

The tool is one way to measure your student’s academic progress. 

You may note the increase in your student’s scores as your student progresses throughout the year and through each grade level. If you are interested in seeing the averages of scores for students, please see this chart for math and this chart for language arts. Your student’s assessment scores will be emailed to you within the next few weeks.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox

Executive Director, Leadership Academy of Colorado

Action Items

RSVP for our upcoming Parent Training Sessions! For more hands-on support this semester, don’t forget to RSVP for our remaining January Parent Training Sessions! Please fill out this form to RSVP, and we’ll send you reminder emails with the Zoom link before each session. We have two more sessions you can attend this month, on the following topics:

• Getting the Most Out of Canvas (January 19)
• Supporting Your Student at Home (January 26)

Ensure your student participates in NWEA MAP Middle of the Year Assessments (they are required for all students): Check your email, and be sure your student participates in the math and language arts assessment next week. We require each student to take the assessments at the beginning, middle, and end of each year. 

Join us for Fun Fridays! Fun Fridays are a LACO family event hosted by Adam Hailstone that combine a time for parents to learn strategies for working with students, homework support, games, and making connections with other LACO families. Parents must attend the event. We welcome friends, and this waiver must be signed by any non LACO student. Feel free to bring your favorite board games. Note that any food items shared by families must be store purchased and nut free. Please join us at 7575 Town Center Building in Denver from 1-4 pm every Friday.  RSVP by calling Adam at this number: 435-590-3524.

Upcoming Events

January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day – No Class, Offices Closed

January 17-January 20: NWEA MAP Assessments

January 19: Parent Training Session: Getting the Most Out of Canvas – 4:00 PM MT

January 26: Parent Training Session: Supporting Your Student at Home – 4:00 PM MT

January 30: Parent Booster Club Meeting – 10:00 AM MT

January 30-February 3: Parent Mentor Conferences

February 7: LACO Open Meeting – 2:30 PM MT

February 13: LACO Parent Booster Club Meeting – 10:00 AM MT

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a relaxing, fun-filled, and rejuvenating break! I enjoyed spending time with my family skiing and celebrating Christmas!
 
It’s exciting to start the Winter Semester at Leadership Academy of Colorado, and we welcome our new students! Thank you, families, for sharing your experiences with friends and neighbors! Our student enrollment is growing!
 
I want to remind you about our Fun Fridays! The activities begin today and will be held each Friday as an exciting opportunity for our students to get together in person each week! See the information in the “Announcements” section below. 
 
Please take note of our Parent Information Sessions that will take place each Thursday in January. We invite new and returning families to join us. Please bring your questions! If we can support you or your student, let me know! Our goal as a LACO Team is to make the best educational experience for our students and families possible! 
 
Enjoy learning and your classes this semester!

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox

Executive Director, Leadership Academy of Colorado

Action Items:

Join us for Fun Fridays starting today! Fun Fridays hosted by Adam Hailstone begin this week! This program combines homework support for students with playing games and hanging out together. There will be billiards, giant Connect Four, and Jenga, and feel free to bring your favorite board games. Please join us at 7575 Town Center Building in Denver from 1-4 pm every Friday. Please RSVP by calling Adam at this number: 435-590-3524.

RSVP for our upcoming Parent Training Sessions! For more hands-on support to succeed this semester, don’t forget to RSVP for our Parent Training Sessions each Thursday in January! You can fill out this form to RSVP, and we’ll send you reminder emails with the Zoom link before each session! The topics we’ll be covering are:

• Getting the Most Out of SIS (January 12)
• Getting the Most Out of Canvas (January 19)
• Supporting Your Student at Home (January 26)
  

Watch the recording of New Parent & Student Orientation: Last night we held this session to welcome new families to LACO for the winter 2023 semester. We're so glad you're here! In case you missed it, you can view the recording here.

Please remind your student to log in daily: Attendance is measured through daily log-ins. If your student must miss a day, here is the link to our Absence Request Form.

NWEA MAP Middle of the Year Assessments are coming up; please mark your calendar: One way we monitor the progress of our LACO students is by using the NWEA MAP assessment in math and language arts. We require each student to take these tests at the beginning, middle, and end of each year. We are scheduling the mid-year assessments for the week of January 16-20. Please mark your calendars, and stay tuned for more information.

Parents of Seniors: Help your student prepare for their graduation ceremony: Your student has been enrolled in the Graduation course for this May. Please make sure they complete this survey so we have the proper information for our ceremony and diplomas.

Upcoming Events:

January 9: Student Council – Mondays at 2:00 PM for all Colorado Students

January 12: Parent Training Session: Getting the Most out of SIS – 4:00 PM MT

January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No Class, Offices Closed

January 19: Parent Training Session: Getting the Most Out of Canvas – 4:00 PM MT

January 26: Parent Training Session: Supporting Your Student at Home – 4:00 PM MT

January 30: Parent Booster Club Meeting – 10:00 AM MT

With the beginning of a new year, we're excited to announce our new weekly activity—Fun Fridays, hosted by Adam Hailstone! 

This program combines homework support for students and parents and playing games/hanging out together. There will be billiards, giant Connect Four, and Jenga, and feel free to bring your favorite board games.

The space is lovely and spacious. It has many couches, tables, and a kitchenette—lots of room for everyone, both parents and students.

Students can get help with their assignments, learn valuable homework strategies from Mr. Hailstone, and even study together. At the same time, parents can get support with organizing their student's work, answering school-related questions, and learning how to best support their student's academic success.

Fun Fridays will be at the 7575 Town Center Building in Denver from 1:00-4:00 PM every Friday, beginning in January.

We will update you with more details after the holidays. We hope to see you there!

Enjoy the holiday break and time with your family! Monday, January 2, is a student work day, and classes begin Tuesday, January 3.

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox

Executive Director, Leadership Academy of Colorado

Action Items:

This is your last Weekly Parent Update via email; save this number to receive our texts! Starting in January, this Weekly Parent Update will be available exclusively through the Parent Info Center on our website (we’ll no longer be sending it via email). To make sure you never miss an update, we’ll send you a notification by text message on Fridays when it’s ready to review. (You’ll also get a link to the Parent Info Center in the SIS Weekly Progress Report email you receive on Saturdays.) We’ll be sending text messages from 833-420-1791, so please save this number in your phone so it isn’t marked as spam. Be on the lookout for a test message this afternoon!

Time’s running out to order your student’s books! Please make sure your student has their books in time for the winter semester by ordering them asap. Here’s a video explaining the process. LACO provides books and supplies through our Amazon Business Account. You may also review this information on our website. If you need assistance with book orders, please reach out to books@lacolorado.org. 

RSVP for our LACO Parent Training Sessions: To help you guide your student through this semester at LACO, we will be hosting weekly information sessions each Thursday in January at 4:00 PM! Please RSVP here to get the Zoom link. Sessions will be held on the following topics: 

January 12 - A review of our Student Information System (SIS), including how to order/return books, check grades, email mentors, and more!

January 19 - What is Canvas? How to set up a parent observer account, and how we take attendance.

January 26 - The LACO Graduation Plan and best practices for supporting your student at home

If you’d like to attend any of these sessions, please RSVP here. We’ll send you the Zoom link to join, as well as a recording of the meeting in case you can’t make it!

Announcements:

New Parents and Families: Please watch this video to be ready for the first day!If you’re new to LACO, please watch this short video to help your student have a smooth start to the semester.

Upcoming Events:

December 17-January 1: Winter Break; Happy Holidays!

January 2: Study Day – Complete Orientation Assignments in Canvas

January 3: Winter Semester Live Courses Begin

January 9: LACO Student Council (All Colorado Students Invited) – 2:00 PM MT

January 12: Info Session: SIS – 4:00 PM MT

January 19: Info Session: Canvas – 4:00 PM MT

January 26: Info Session: The LACO Graduation Plan – 4:00 PM MT

January 30: LACO Parent Booster Club – 10:00 AM MT

It’s an exciting time of the year as the holidays are approaching! With the hustle and bustle of preparing for celebrations and holiday festivities, I wanted to pause and celebrate with each of you the completion of our first semester at LACO!  

I am grateful for our school community, each student, parent, and our Williamsburg Learning/LACO Team, whose contributions make the LACO dream a reality and a gift of learning for families in Colorado! Thank you for sharing your children with us! 

We are seeing great interest in our school as potential new students are exploring our program and planning to join us for the winter semester! Thank you for helping our program grow and for sharing your experiences with others.

A final thought and reminder to encourage your students to finish the semester strong! Remember that on December 13, all live class assignments lock at 9:00 PM MT, and on December 16 - all self-paced assignments and finals lock at 5:00 PM MT.

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox

Executive Director, Leadership Academy of Colorado

Action Items:

Save this number to receive our texts in January! Starting in January, this Weekly Parent Update will be available exclusively through the Parent Info Center on our website (we’ll no longer be sending it via email). To make sure you never miss an update, we’ll send you a notification by text message on Fridays when it’s ready to review. (You’ll also get a link to the Parent Info Center in the SIS Weekly Progress Report email you receive on Saturdays.) We’ll be sending text messages from 833-420-1791, so please save this number in your phone so it isn’t marked as spam. We’ll send you a test message from that number next Friday!

Reminder: Please order your student’s books and supplies for Winter Semester. Here’s a video explaining the process. LACO provides books and supplies through our Amazon Business Account. You may also review this information on our website. If you need assistance with book orders, please reach out to books@lacolorado.org. 

Please remind your student of these assignment due dates:As we approach the end of the semester, we encourage you to remind your student of the upcoming assignment deadlines. All live class assignments are due by Tuesday, December 13, by 9:00 PM MT. All assignments in self-paced courses must be submitted by Friday, December 16, at 5:00 PM MT.

Announcements:

Is your student joining in on our LACO Student Holiday Party? The LACO Student Council will host this fun event this coming Monday, December 12, at 2:00 PM MT in Mrs. Cox’s Zoom room. We will have games and prizes! Students should wear a holiday hat or sweater and bring a fun picture of a hobby or their family to share.

Upcoming Winter Semester Orientation/Q&A Sessions: To help your student begin the winter semester smoothly, we are hosting an orientation session for both new and returning students and parents on January 5 at 4:00 PM MT. We will also be hosting weekly information sessions each Thursday in January at 4:00 PM on the following topics: 

January 5 - A Winter Session Orientation for new and returning parents and students 

January 12 - A review of our Student Information System (SIS), including how to order/return books, check grades, email mentors, and more!

January 19 - What is Canvas? How to set up a parent observer account, and how we take attendance.

January 26 - The LACO Graduation Plan and best practices for supporting your student at home.

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us! We’ll share the Zoom links for these events as they get closer.

Upcoming Events:

December 13: Assignments in live classes due before 9:00 PM MT

December 14: Study Day, No Class

December 15-16: Complete Final Exams

December 16: Assignments in self-paced classes and finals due before 5:00 PM MT

December 17-January 1: Winter Break

January 2: Study Day – Complete Orientation Assignments in Canvas

January 3: Winter Semester Live Courses Begin

January 5: LACO Live Parent and Student Orientation – 5:00 PM MT

January 9: LACO Parent Booster Club – 10:00 AM MT

As we are in the final weeks of the semester, I want to congratulate you and your students for all their hard work and accomplishments! It’s exciting to see the progress our students are making, and I enjoy hearing the feedback from our parents about our school’s first year!

During our Student Council last Monday, one student shared his growth this semester as he learned to reach out to mentors and take accountability for his academic success! I was excited to hear about his progress.

Here are a few other experiences shared by LACO students about their transformational learning:

“Pollyanna used resilient optimism to gain friends and experiences. Since that worked so well for her, I will try to use resilient optimism to do the same and have a better attitude about things.” - LACO Student

“We've done simulations in class to find out what it would be like if you were in the government, and it was really fun and engaging to be able to do those.” - LACO Student

I hope you all enjoy this holiday season, as we wrap up this first semester! Please note these two important deadlines: All live-class assignments lock December 13 at 9:00 PM MT, and all assignments and finals lock December 16 at 5:00 PM.

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox
Executive Director, LACO


Action Items

Is your student registered for the winter semester? The winter semester at LACO begins in one month, on January 2. If your student still needs to register for classes, you can help them do that in SIS.

[Time Sensitive] Please complete this assessment survey today: If you haven’t had the chance to complete the survey to tell us where your student will be taking the required Colorado state assessments in April, please do so today! Here is the link. We will conduct the CMAS assessments in three locations throughout the state (Loveland, Colorado Springs, and Durango). You can find the assessment schedule here. Please note: students in grades 9 and 10 must take the PSAT in Colorado Springs. The SAT for grade 11 will be administered using a voucher in a location near you.

Reminder: Please order your student’s books and supplies for Winter Semester. Here’s a video explaining the process. LACO provides books and supplies through our Amazon Business Account. You may also review this information on our website. If you need assistance with book orders, please reach out to books@lacolorado.org.

Please help us improve your experience at LACO: We hope to continue strengthening our program, and your input is essential to us. Please help us serve you even better by taking this LACO Parent Survey!


Announcements

Assignment Due Dates: As we approach the end of the semester, we encourage you to remind your student of the upcoming assignment deadlines. All live class assignments are due by Tuesday, December 13, by 9:00 PM MT. All assignments in self-paced courses must be submitted by Friday, December 16, at 5:00 PM MT.

Upcoming Winter Semester Orientation/Q&A Sessions: To help your student begin the winter semester smoothly, we are hosting an orientation session for both new and returning students and parents on January 5 at 4:00 PM MT. We will also be hosting weekly information sessions each Thursday in January at 4:00 PM on the following topics:

- January 5 - A Winter Session Orientation for new and returning parents and students

- January 12 - A review of our Student Information System (SIS), including how to order/return books, check grades, email mentors, and more!

- January 19 - What is Canvas? How to set up a parent observer account, and how we take attendance.

- January 26 - The LACO Graduation Plan and best practices for supporting your student at home.

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us! We’ll share the Zoom links for these events as they get closer.

Thank you to all who participated in our event at Boondocks last week! It was fun to get together in person! At this Thanksgiving time of year, I wanted to express my gratitude for each of you! Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education.

We have just finished our beginning-of-the-year MAP assessments, and student achievement reports have been emailed to you. Congratulations to our students for their remarkable performance! It will be exciting to see the academic progress as students take the assessments again in January and at the end of the year!

Assessments like the NWEA MAP are an important way for us to demonstrate that LACO is serving your family. The state also requires us to administer the CMAS, PSAT, and SAT. (In order to continue providing our program to your family tuition-free with state funding, we must have a 95% student participation rate on these annual assessments, which are conducted in April.) These assessments also provide important insights about your student’s academic progress and college and career readiness!

To prepare for these assessments next semester, please review this assessment schedule, mark your calendars, and plan to participate in April. We will conduct the CMAS assessments in three locations throughout the state (Loveland, Colorado Springs, and Durango); please complete this survey and let us know where your students in grades 6-8 and 11 will be testing. Please note that students in grades 9 and 10 must take the PSAT in Colorado Springs. The SAT for grade 11 will be administered using a voucher at a location near you.

Since we’ll be gathering in person for these assessments, we would also like to offer fun activities for families alongside each one. Please share your activity ideas with us, and let’s make some great LACO family memories!

Last but not least, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox,
Executive Director, Leadership Academy of Colorado


Action Items

Please order your student’s books and supplies for Winter Semester: Here’s a video explaining the process. LACO provides books and supplies through our Amazon Business Account. You may also review this information on our website. If you need assistance with book orders, please reach out to books@lacolorado.org.


Announcements

Assignment Due Dates: As we approach the end of the semester, we encourage you to remind your student of the upcoming assignment deadlines. All live class assignments are due by Tuesday, December 13, by 9:00 PM MT. All assignments in self-paced courses must be submitted by Friday, December 16, at 5:00 PM MT.

Parents of 6th-graders: If your 6th-grade student missed the CogAt Assessment last week, please have your student take the make-up assessment on Monday, November 21, at 2:00 PM. You can find login information and the passcode for the assessment in this document.

The holiday season is right around the corner, and our students will take their final exams next month! To be ready for their finals, students taking high school science, math, or social studies courses will need to secure a proctor by November 22

They may either use an approved live proctor or sign up for ProctorU, an online service we provide. Instructions for both options are included in the Secure Your Proctor assignment in your student’s Canvas courses. If applicable, please work with your student to ensure they secure a proctor on time. For any questions about proctoring, please reach out to our team at support@williamsburglearning.com.

Please encourage your student to take their finals on the first day they are available, where possible. Doing so will allow them time to work with their mentor in the event of technical or other difficulties. Final exams will be held December 15-16. All non-finals assignments will be locked on December 13, allowing students time to prepare for their finals or, if available, to take them early.

We are proud of your student’s achievements and look forward to seeing their progress this year. Thank you again for allowing us to be part of their educational journey!

Warmly,

Cynthia Cox, LACO Executive Director


Action Items

How are we doing with our communications? Please let us know in this survey. At LACO, we strive to make it easy to find the information you need when you need it. To help us make sure our communications are serving you, please fill out this brief survey.

Is your student registered for the winter semester? The winter semester at LACO begins on January 2. If your student still needs to register for classes, you can help them do that in SIS.

Parents of 6th-grade students, plan to join us for CogAt assessments: All parents of 6th-grade students have been sent information regarding the upcoming required CogAt Assessments used to identify Gifted and Talented students. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us. CogAt Assessments will be administered on Thursday, November 17, at 2:00 PM MT, and the make-up assessment will be held on Monday, November 21, at 2:00 PM MT. You can find login information for the assessment in this document.

Announcements

Asking for input on a change to our school calendar: Would you like it if our school year started a week later in August and ended a week later in May? We’re considering making this change to our school calendar, and we’d like your input! Please take 30 seconds to share your preference with us through this short survey. (This change would take effect next August for the 2023-24 school year, as shown in this draft of next year’s academic calendar.)

You can now order your student’s books and materials for next semester: With the holidays approaching, It’s never too early to start preparing for Winter Semester! Our book-ordering system will be ready on November 15th, and parents will need to order the books and materials directly from Amazon. Please review this information on our website, and order your books and materials today! If you need assistance with this, please reach out to books@lacolorado.org.