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Dear Altura Prep Parents and Caregivers,
Happy October! Fall is officially here. The leaves are falling, and the sniffles are starting! Autumn's arrival often brings an uptick in colds and other viruses, so we encourage all our families to remind their children of the importance of handwashing. As people spend more time in closer quarters, we give viruses the perfect opportunity to spread. We're inside more, so we are all touching more of the same things.
Hand hygiene is paramount to staving off cold viruses. Please remind your child to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating or touching their face and after sneezing, coughing, or using the restroom. Antibacterial hand sanitizer gel can replace handwashing when they are in a pinch. At school, we remind our students to clean their work surfaces and wipe down everything before they rotate to their next class.
With cases on the rise of the flu, be sure to look out for the following symptoms with your child:
- Fever
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Muscle pain
Remember: with the common cold, a fever is quite rare. However, with the flu, a fever can get relatively high. Flu symptoms sometimes mimic colds, but a fever can be one of the unique signifiers. If you suspect that your child has developed the flu, be sure to take your child to see a doctor as soon as possible. If your child does not have flu-like symptoms, but you find that their mucus has changed color from clear to green, your child may have developed a secondary bacterial infection, and that requires a visit to the doctor, too.
As a general guideline, keep your child home only for the following two reasons:
- They have a fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit within the past 24 hours
- They have had episodes of vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours
Scenario:
Your child has been at home sick but has been fever-free, without any episodes of vomiting or diarrhea, for more than 36 hours. However, your child still has a runny nose and a slight headache. What should you do?
Answer:
Send your child to school! Worried? Call Ms. Cynthia in the office or let Meaghan or Lissa know at drop-off what is happening with your Prepster. Leave a phone number or any additional information about where you can be reached if more severe symptoms develop and they need to return home.
If your child will be late in the morning or miss school, you must report your child's absences to Ms. Cynthia by emailing her at cynthia[email protected] or calling the school at 505. 539. 5369, by 8:00 a.m. Parents must notify the school of a student's absence early so that we can ensure accurate record-keeping for all students and an accurate count of students on campus each day.
If your child is returning to school after being absent and you have a physician's note, email a picture of it to Ms. Cynthia or send it in your child's Home-School binder and have your child give it to their homeroom teacher. Your child's homeroom teacher will ensure that the note gets to the office, and we will make sure the absence is marked as excused.
October and November Calendar-at-a-Glance
Wednesday, October 11th: Regular Dismissal at 3:15 p.m.
Thursday, October 12th: Fall Break- No Classes
Friday, October 13th: Fall Break- No Classes
Friday, November 10th: Family (Parent-Teacher) Conferences- Regular 12:30 dismissal
Thursday, November 16th: Family (Parent-Teacher) Conferences- No Classes
Friday, November 17th: Family (Parent-Teacher) Conferences- No Classes
Monday, November 20th - Friday, November 24th: Thanksgiving Holiday Break- No Classes
Tuesday, November 28th: Field Trip for K-3 students to Popejoy Hall at UNM to see the Highlights of the Nutcracker performance.
October Value of the Month: Helping Others
Our October Value of the Month at Altura Prep focuses on Helping Others. By teaching our children to help others, we are helping to teach them that it is our moral responsibility to help and care for all members of our community. There are many easy and practical ways to instill a lifelong habit of helping others in your child:
1. Charity begins at home. It is our duty to help our family members. Encourage these habits by having your child complete chores at home, like placing the dirty dishes in the sink or wiping down the bathroom counter after they wash their hands.2. Entrust your child with responsibilities. By the time your child begins kindergarten, they are capable of doing many things on their own. Please remind your child of all you do for them, and then give them the responsibility of doing some of these chores independently to help you. Keeping an eye on a sibling while making dinner, setting dinner plates on the table, and getting their backpack and supplies ready the night before are simple things your child can do to help you as a parent. By giving your child responsibilities, you will find that, with time, your child will also learn to extend a helping hand outside the home.
2. Repeat to reinforce, "Practice makes permanent." Select a habit that your child can do daily to help others. For example, please have your child put an elderly neighbor's newspaper by their front door every morning before leaving for school. Encouraging your child to continuously engage in acts of helping others will reinforce the habit of helping.
3. Explicitly demonstrate to your child the power of selflessness. Read books or share news articles with your child about people who put the needs of others before their own. Research has shown that children who serve their community have more prosperous, healthy, and satisfying lives and are likelier to do well in school.
4. Teach your child to love their community. Begin to instill community-mindedness in your child, which will help them develop a sense of belonging, ownership, and social concern for others. For example, pitch in at the park by picking up litter as a family or delivering items to a food pantry. Having children volunteer alongside their adults teaches them how important it is to be in service to others.
Remember that praising, recognizing, and appreciating your child's good deeds will help to work wonders as they begin to understand how their helpful actions make a tremendous difference in making our world a better place. In addition, teaching your child the habit of helping others from an early age will help to ensure that this habit stays with them throughout their lifetime.
Yearbooks
Families can now order their yearbooks through this link. You can also order directly through our school website under the Student Life tab. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Ms. Cynthia at 505. 539. 5369.
Pick Up/Dismissal Reminders
A couple of reminders for a smooth dismissal each day:
1. Do not turn left from Signal Avenue NE into the pick-up line. We have asked all families to enter from Signal Ave heading west so that we only block one way on Signal Avenue NE. Please respect the school's neighbors. If our families block east/west traffic in both directions on Signal Avenue NE, it is a safety issue. We appreciate your cooperation.
2. Time your arrival at school so you do not need to wait along Signal Avenue before the gate opens, as this has caused challenges with the surrounding neighborhood association. We open the gate for pick-up at approximately 2:30 p.m., a full 45 minutes before dismissal, and this should give families plenty of time to plan their arrival accordingly.
Although many families choose to wait 45 minutes for their students to be dismissed, we ask that our school community be mindful of the effects of idling their cars for such a lengthy amount of time on the environment. Idling your car reduces your vehicle's fuel economy, costs you money, and creates pollution. Idling a car for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more emissions that contribute to smog and climate change than stopping and restarting your engine does.
3. Please leave your hanging car tag on your mirror until your child has entered your vehicle. We use these tag numbers to double-check that we are placing the right students in the right car. Please remember that not all of our staff members know every vehicle belonging to every family, so hanging your car tag ensures that every child is delivered safely to their adult at the end of the day.
Stuffie Day on October 31st
While we recognize that Halloween is a fun tradition for many, it is not a holiday celebrated by all of our Altura Prep families for various reasons, and we want to honor that. In this spirit of inclusivity, our position at Altura Prep is that Halloween is an at-home experience and celebration for our families participating in Halloween festivities.
In lieu of traditional Halloween activities at Altura Prep, we will have Stuffie Day on Tuesday, October 31st. Our Prepsters may bring their favorite stuffed animal to school on that Tuesday. Teachers will have fun-filled, "stuffie-themed" activities for the students and their favorite toys. This is always a fantastic day for our students and will surely be a memorable experience for your child.
Thank you again for your continued support. Have a great week and an extraordinary Fall Break!
In partnership,
Lissa and Meaghan
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