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Attendance Policies and Procedures |
2006-2007 STUDENT HANDBOOK
897-5174
CHAMIZA ELEMENTARY PHONE NUMBERS
Attendance Call before 10:00 am 897-5176 (Available 24 hours)
Principal Rhonda Vendetti 897-5174
Assistant Principal Olivia Flores 897-5174
Counselor Mary Doyle Schluter 897-5174
Evaluation Specialist Donna Torres 897-5174
Secretary Loretta Garcia 897-5174
Clerk Michelle Lawrence 897-5174
Cafeteria Terri Quesada 792-1610
Campfire Before/After School Care 842-8787
Herrera Bus Company 242-1108
Helweg & Farmer Bus Company 898-8301
Joseph Gonzales 899-7624
Albert Sanchez 877-0697
Sanchez Bus Company 345-4616
Susie Peck, Cluster Assistant 842-4592
Community Service Center 842-3742 Albuquerque Public Schools Click here for the 2007-2008 Traditional School Calendar
Breakfast served: _____________________8:15 am
Classes Begin: 8:25 am
Morning Recess Intermediate 10:10 – 10:20 Primary 10:20 – 10:30
Lunch & Recess 11:30 – 12:55 Recess Ends: 5th – 12:15 4th – 12:25 3rd – 12:35 2nd – 12:45 1st – 12:55
Afternoon Recess Intermediate 1:40 – 1:50 Primary 1:50 – 2:00
Dismissal M, T, Th, F 3:10 Wednesday 12:20
Full Day Kindergarten _____ M, T, Th, F 8:25 – 3:10 Wednesday 8:25 – 12:20
***** Children are not to be at school before 8:15 am as there is no duty coverage until this time. Thank you for your cooperation!
When weather conditions prevent starting school on time, APS schools will go on a “late arrival” schedule and start 2 hours later. Bus schedules are also delayed 2 hours. An abbreviated day announcement is made on radio and television by 6:30am.
Lunch will be served, but not breakfast.
Classes begin at 10:25. Classes dismissed at 3:10, including Wednesday.
Occasionally inclement weather will prompt an early dismissal. The news media will announce when school will dismiss and when buses will transport students home. It is imperative to have a back-up plan for your childcare should this situation occur. Please be sure to contact the office if your emergency contacts change, or if home and work numbers change.
Should a student be involved in a serious accident, the school makes every effort to contact a parent immediately. If a parent cannot be reached, the school will call 911. The parents are responsible for any expense of treatment. The school strongly recommends that parents consider accident insurance. Every school sends out insurance information at registration time. Accident reports are filed on every student who has a serious accident on the school grounds. Please stress to your child the importance of reporting all school injuries.
Animals may be brought to classrooms only if they serve a direct instructional purpose and if the animal can be cared for in a humane manner. Please check with your classroom teacher or with the office before bringing an animal on school grounds. ATTENDANCE POLICIES
& PROCEDURES
Prompt and regular school attendance is essential for a student to attain success in school. Please refrain from planning vacations during school calendar days. Students and their families must assume responsibility for the student’s absences and recognize that excessive absenteeism, regardless of the reason, will negatively affect the student’s achievement in class.
In accordance with district guidelines, absences may be excused for the following reasons only:
*Doctor’s appointment *Illness *Death in the family *Religious commitment *Diagnostic testing *Family emergency *Extenuating circumstances agreed to by the administration prior to the absence.
When a student is absent for any reason, please call the Chamiza attendance number at 897-5176 before 10:00am on the day of the absence. Calls that are made the day or days after the absence, will be counted as unexcused. Please share the following information when your call is answered:
Student’s Name Teacher’s Name Grade Reason for the absence
Extended anticipated absences due to illness, out-of-town trips, family emergencies, etc. may be reported by notifying the school office. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
The Federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that states, school districts and schools be held accountable for
ensuring that all students meet high academic standards. On time, daily attendance is a critical
component of this educational process.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Parents picking up their child from school MUST COME TO THE OFFICE TO CHECK THEIR CHILD OUT. PLEASE BRING YOUR PHOTO I.D. NO CHILD WILL BE ALLOWED TO WALK HOME DURING SCHOOL HOURS. Teachers will not be allowed to release children directly from classrooms. This enables the office staff to identify those persons picking up children and to ensure the safety of your child. Anyone checking out your child must be on the student’s registration card or Early Dismissal Form. Please allow enough time for your child to come to the office. We will no call your child to the office until you arrive.
If your child is late to school, they must be signed in at the office. The person delivering them to school must sign them in at the office and the student should get his/her attendance card from the teacher’s envelope for the office to mark tardy instead of absent.
Transportation will be furnished to students who qualify for bus service. Bus privileges may be revoked for students who do not obey bus safety rules. Bus regulations prohibit students from riding buses other than their own. The bus drivers will hand out transportation booklets and bus registration forms.
MILK $0.30 ADULT MEALS $2.00 STUDENT MEALS $1.40 ADULT BREAKFAST $1.00 STUDENT BREAKFAST $0.75
Parents of those students who qualify for free or reduced-priced meals should fill out an application form, which available in the school office at the beginning of each school year. Reduced-priced meals must be purchased in groups of 5, 10, 15 or 20 meals. Price of reduced meals is $0.40 each.
Lunches on a ticket are not lost when a student is absent. Students may also bring lunches from home and purchase milk at school. The cost of milk is $0.30. If a student loses part, or all of their lunch money, they may be permitted to call home. The cafeteria staff will send a notice home when meal tickets are expiring. We have found that students who buy meal tickets do not have the problem of lost lunch money.
Students are expected to be courteous, display good manners, and behave appropriately while eating in the cafeteria. Students must bus their own trays and throw trash into the trash bins. Students may also be asked to help in the cafeteria. This can include serving and helping to clean. This practice supports our beliefs regarding the importance of community service and promotes school pride.
CAMPFIRE BEFORE/AFTER
SCHOOL PROGRAM
The Campfire Program will provide before and after school care. Parents can sign up during registration or can call 842-8787.
Our counselor, Mary Schluter, works with children, families, and school staff. She will support children to achieve their fullest academic, social and emotional potential. The counseling program includes classroom guidance lessons, small groups and large groups for students addressing specific needs, as well as individual support for students. Parents are invited to call on the counselor any time during school hours to discuss any concerns about their child.
Students who walk to school must be escorted across Taylor
Ranch by a crosswalk guard. There will
also be a crosswalk guard and flashing lights on
The PRIMARY GOAL OF DISCIPLINE in the Albuquerque Public Schools is to provide and maintain a safe, just, affirmative and appropriately challenging environment, which promotes learning and positive personal growth. Discipline measures will be aimed toward assisting each student in the development of self-control, self-worth, social responsibility, and the acceptance of appropriate consequences for his/her actions. Our school discipline plan is based on the utilization of conflict mediation and adult intervention. Students are expected to treat other students, adults, and school property with respect. A student who:
Will receive appropriate consequences and a Behavior Report will be written to document the misbehavior. A copy of this report will be sent home for parents to review with their child, sign, and send back to shool.
The consequences for misbehavior are listed below:
BEHAVIOR REPORT CONSEQUENCES
Behavior Report 1 Teacher calls parents; student loses recess for 1 day.
Behavior Report 2 Principal calls parents and discusses the misbehavior with the student. Student loses recess for 1 day.
Behavior Report 3 1-day suspension; parent conference.
Behavior Report 4 1-3 day suspension; parent conference.
As part of the curriculum students will receive instruction in dispute resolution and problem solving skills. This curriculum will be shard by our counselor as well as by classroom teachers.
We also expect that our students exhibit safe behaviors during recess periods. Tickets are also given to students who do not follow our playground rules. Consequences include:
Chamiza Ticket 1 & 2 Sent home for parent signature and returned. Chamiza Ticket 3 Student behavior plan and parent contact. Chamiza Ticket 4 Student conference with principal about _________________________behavior plan.
We are also asking for your help with the following:
The Board of Education expects student dress and grooming to reflect high standards of personal conduct so that each student’s attire promotes a positive, safe and healthy atmosphere within the school. Student dress may not present a health or safety hazard or present a potential for disruption to the instructional program. Attire or accessories that advertise, display or promote any drug, including alcohol or tobacco, violence, disrespect and/or bigotry towards any group are not acceptable. As a matter of common courtesy and respect, hats are not to be worn while inside buildings except when there are specific instructional, safety, or medical reasons.
During the year teachers schedule field trips for instructional purposes. Written permission is required when students are transported away from the school. Permission forms are usually sent home three to five days prior to the scheduled trip. Money paid for a field trip is non-refundable if a child misses the activity for any reason.
A part-time nurse and a full-time, trained health room assistant staff our health room. Should your child be injured or become ill, he/she will be sent to the health room. If the injury is serious, parents will be contacted. The health room assistant keeps an emergency card on file. It is the responsibility of the parent to keep all home and work numbers updated by calling the office when there are changes.
Vision and hearing tests are routinely done on all Kindergarten, 3rd & 5th grade students.
Only the school nurse & health assistant may assist a student with self-medication per APS Medication Policy. In order to do this, a medication authorization form signed by a doctor must be in the health room and medicine must be in a pharmacy labeled container matching the doctor’s order. Medications will not be given after 2 p.m. For further information, contact the nurse.
The laws of
Children are responsible for the books they check out. Payment is required for lost or damaged books. Please encourage our children to be respectful of our books.
Parents may come to the school at any time to check the lost and found. Clothing items and/or lunch pails are usually placed in the lost and found, which is located in the Conejo Café. Money, jewelry, or other small items are kept in the office when they are found. We strongly recommend marking your child’s name on clothing, lunch pails, etc. Items not claimed are sent to the APS Clothing Bank periodically during the school year.
Outside agencies and service providers may be allowed to provide health and support services to our children and families at Chamiza Elementary. These providers are not APS employees and APS is not responsible for their work. These providers are responsible for obtaining informed consent from the parent/guardian before beginning any service, unless the student has confidential access to these services as provided by NM State Law.
The 1998 New Mexico Legislature passed the Open Enrollment Act for all public schools. It sets priorities in which students can enroll in public schools. The Act replaces District transfer processes. Persons who are of public school may enroll at schools according to the following:
Priority Two: Persons who were enrolled at the requested school on the last day of the immediately preceding school year.
Priority Three: All other requests.
Request for transfers can be obtained at the APS Transfer Office, 725 University SE (District Office). Please be aware that all transfers are based on space availability.
Parents who have concerns about their child’s progress or well being in school should first contact the child’s teacher and make arrangements for a discussion of these concerns. Most concerns are alleviated during this step. Should there be continuing concerns however, please do not hesitate to contact the principal.
Frequent communication between parents and teachers is encouraged. Your child’s teacher will schedule a conference with you after the 1st and 2nd reporting periods. This is a time to discuss the academic performance, social skills, work habits and behavior of your child. It is also a time for you to ask questions about curriculum and instruction. Teachers are happy to confer with parents at other times. Please call to schedule appointments with the teacher.
Classroom visitors are always welcome. If you wish to visit your child’s classroom,
please make arrangements with your child’s teacher. All
visitors must gain permission from the office before entering the campus (
In the case of illness or another concern, your child’s teacher, the health room, or the office will contact you by phone. Students are not allowed to call home unless directed to by their teachers. To curtail interruption of precious instructional time, messages will not be given to children over the intercom system. To ensure the safety of our students, students will not be given messages unless the message is faxed with the parent’s driver’s license. Please make all after-school plans at home in the morning, since a change in travel plans does not constitute an emergency.
STUDENT DROP-OFF AND
PICK-UP GUIDELINES
Use the map printed on the next page in conjunction with the rules listed below.
If we work together, this process will work smoothly and safely. Thank you for your compliance and cooperation in an effort to make our school safer for everyone! PLACEMENT POLICY FOR CHAMIZA ELEMENTARY
No changes in placement will be considered until the student has been in his/her assigned class for a minimum of two weeks. Should a change in placement ultimately be approved, the new placement will be based in part, on existing class sizes and composition.
The steps listed below must be followed when seeking a change in placement:
Physical education is a part of the curriculum. All students are expected to participate unless he/she has a doctor’s statement excusing him/her. Please help your child to be successful by making sure that they dress appropriately on the day they have P.E.
All children go outside to play at recess. Help your child plan for outdoor time by dressing appropriately. Children who are ill should stay at home until they are able to play outside. During inclement weather, children will have recess indoors.
THE SCHOOL-BASED
FAMILY COUNSELING PROGRAM
The School-Based Family Counseling Program is a unique opportunity for students and their families to receive additional support and counseling for reducing barriers to learning for students.
Counseling sessions are free to APS students and their
families, and take place at the
For students who qualify for special education services, we offer a variety of programs: physical therapy, remediation, speech and language therapy, enrichment, and occupational therapy. The special education staff works as a team with regular education teachers to ensure that individual student needs are met. Parents are in integral part of this process and work closely with this team in developing their child’s Individual Education Program (IEP).
INFORMATION REGARDING
SECTION 504 OF THE
REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 AND
THE AMERICAN WITH
DISABILITIES ACT (
Section 504 and
In order to fulfill its obligation under Section 504 and
The school district has specific responsibilities under Section 504, which include the responsibility to identify, evaluate, and if the child is determined to be eligible under Section 504, to afford access to appropriate education services.
If the parent or guardian disagrees with the determination made by the professional staff of the school district, he/she has the right to a hearing with an impartial hearing officer.
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act also specifies rights related to educational records. This Act gives the parent or guardian the right to: 1) inspect and review his/her child’s educational records; 2) make copies of these records; 3) receive a list of all individuals having access to those records; 4) ask for an explanation of any item in the records; 5) ask for an amendment to any report on the grounds that it is inaccurate, misleading, violates the child’s rights; and 6) a hearing on the issue if the school refuses to make the amendment.
Please see your child’s teacher for a supply list. Each grade level has items that are common to that grade level. Each individual teacher will also have items that are unique to their class.
During the school year your child may be individually tested to check academic achievement levels and progress. Individual teachers use different instruments to assess learning. If you or the school feels your child needs extra support to enhance learning, you or the teacher may request a referral to the School Support Team.
The School Support Team will discuss interventions to implement in the classroom and make recommendations to parents to increase the child’s success in school. Sometimes the School Support Team will recommend testing by a licensed Evaluation Specialist. After a battery of tests, the parents will be contacted for a meeting to discuss the test results in an appropriate intervention.
DISTRICT TESTS
APS uses standardized tests to assess program effectiveness and student achievement. In elementary school, these tests occur in 3rd, 4th & 5th grades where students are tested using the NM Achievement Assessment and in the fourth grade, the NM Portfolio Writing Assessment.
Textbooks are selected through a process outlined by our NM State Dept of Education. Individual school districts are allowed to choose the most appropriate texts for their students after receiving input from parents and staff members. Students will be charged for textbooks they have been assigned that are lost or damaged. |