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Hello Altura Prep Families,
We hope you all enjoyed a restful Thanksgiving with family and friends. We want to thank all of our families, teachers, and staff who collaborated and planned for time to meet during our family report card conferences. We had 99% family participation for conferences this trimester! A strong partnership between parents and educators is essential for the success of our students. We can't thank you all enough for your continued support!
Important Dates
Wednesday, December 13th, 2023: Schoolwide Spelling Bee
Thursday, December 21st, 2023: Winter Festivities, Regular Dismissal Time (3:15 pm)
Friday, December 22nd, 2023: First Day of Winter Break (No School)
Friday, December 22nd, 2023- Monday, January 8th, 2023: Winter Break (No School)
Tuesday, January 9th, 2024: First Day Back from Winter Break
Winter Festivities
We will have our annual schoolwide winter celebrations on Thursday, December 21st, 2023.
K-2
Students in K-2nd grades will close 2023 with a magical Polar Express Pajama Party celebration. A SignUpGenius.com event organization email will go out to parents and caregivers next week with detailed information on our Polar Express Pajama Party needs.
3-5
Students in 3rd-5th grade will have a Hogwarts "Yule Ball" Sock Hop to close 2023. Students are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Harry Potter character or wear their most comfortable Harry Potter pajamas. A SignUpGenius.com event organization email will go out to parents and caregivers next week with detailed information about our Hogwarts "Yule Ball" Sock Hop needs.
Spelling Bee
The Altura Prep Schoolwide Spelling Bee will be held Wednesday, December 13th, at 9:00 am in the school cafeteria. Grade-level representatives participating in the Schoolwide Bee can invite two adult supporters each to attend the Bee.
Traffic Safety
We have had an uptick in parents parking along Alameda and walking to the east side of the parking lot to pick up their students on foot. The pediatrician and dental offices facing Alameda have informed us about Altura Prep students peering into their windows while patients are in exam rooms for appointments.
We have had several reports that both cars AND pedestrians are not moving with awareness of one another and that there have been a couple of near misses where drivers have come very close to experiencing an accident with a family crossing the Alameda entrance on foot.
We kindly ask that all parents use the carline for pick up unless you are picking up your child early for an appointment. Please remember that during regular school days, dismissal changes and early pickup must happen before 2:30 pm. We will not dismiss students after 2:30 pm for early pickup/dismissal/
Families in the neighborhood picking up students on foot will continue to wait at the designated point just east of the school parking lot, across from the fire hydrant. This selected pickup location will allow us to keep track of all children.
Yearbook
Altura Prep 2023-24 yearbooks are on sale now! Visit Josten's online to purchase yours today. Prices will increase according to the following schedule:
-Order by January 26th, 2024: $35.00
-After January 26th, 2024: $38.00
Inclement Weather Procedures
With the winter season quickly approaching, we wanted to remind all Altura Prep families and caregivers about weather delays and closure protocols this year. We will follow Albuquerque Public Schools for all inclement weather delays.
Although APS has announced "remote learning" instead of snow days, Altura Prep will not require remote learning for days the school is closed due to inclement weather. Please note that in the event of a full-day school closure, instructional hours must be made up at the end of the school year.
Delays and cancellations will be publicized on the school's website, KOB-TV (Channel 4), and KOAT (Channel 7). We also ask that all families download the Edlio School News App, the fastest way to get updates on your iOS and Android mobile devices. Need help? Find the quick start instructions here.
Ways to Support Altura Prep
There are many ways that parents, grandparents, and caregivers can support our teachers and students here at Altura Prep. Here are a few ideas:
-Mabels Labels will support Altura Prep by giving us a 20% commission on every sale when you order their personalized labels online—just type in "Altura Preparatory School" once you are on their "support fundraiser" page.
-Many companies in New Mexico use donation matching as a corporate giving initiative, in which an employer matches their employee's contribution to a specific cause, increasing the gift. For example, if an Intel employee donates $50.00 to Altura Schools, the matching gift would be Intel's additional donation of $50.00. Please reach out to your Human Resources department for more information.
-Donations are always welcome from our families! You can donate online by going to the Contact Us tab on our website and clicking on Donate Today. Checks can also be made payable to "Altura Schools." In addition, you will receive a donation acknowledgment letter to document your charitable gift/donation for tax purposes.
-We are collecting positive quotes to share in future marketing materials. If you want to share your thoughts about why Altura Prep has been great for your family, we invite you to send a few sentences to [email protected]. You can shout out teachers/events/anything else that has made your child's experience positive. Thank you!
Value of the Month: Kindness
Kind kids are compassionate, considerate, polite, generous, helpful, and friendly. Research shows that kindness benefits others and has positive effects on our bodies and minds. Kindness:
- makes us happier,
- improves immune function,
- changes the chemical balance in the brain to reduce depression,
- releases oxytocin (a happy hormone!),
- decreases inflammation in the body, improving our health,
- helps us feel better about ourselves,
- Decreases bullying,
- increases peer acceptance, and
- is contagious
Some ways to practice kindness at home:
- Write a thank you card.
- Let someone go ahead of you in line.
- Carry something for someone who needs help.
- Tell someone why they are special to you.
- Talk to someone new at school.
- At a restaurant or store, tell an employee what an excellent job they did for you.
- Pick up litter.
- Help make dinner.
- Write a poem for a friend.
- Talk to a lonely neighbor.
- "Seek to understand, then to be understood."
Talking to your children about being kind is important, but kids learn what they see, so the more they witness and experience kindness, the more they will practice it themselves. While state standards and assessments influence what teachers teach, the choice to lead and model kindness makes a difference for our students today and their futures.
Ultimately, it's kindness that supports us in helping learners to be successful in their learning journey. Kindness is linked to a strong sense of belonging and increased self-esteem as acceptance of peers develops. When these needs are met, students can better focus on learning and are more likely to engage in critical thinking, express creativity, collaborate, communicate effectively, and persevere through challenges -- essential skills our youth require. No matter which way you teach or model kindness, the world will always be a better place because of it.
On behalf of the entire Altura Preparatory School teachers and staff, we would like to wish you all a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season.
In partnership,
Lissa and Meaghan
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