Dear Altura Prep Parents and Caregivers,
Happy September! We have had a fantastic start to the 22-23 school year here at Altura Prep. We firmly believe that this school year will be spectacular as we continue the Altura Prep tradition of providing rigorous academic experiences for all our students that are rigorous, relevant and that will help them build lasting relationships with their peers inside and outside the classroom.
September Core Value: Fairness
Our Core Value for September at Altura Preparatory School is fairness. Understanding the concept of fairness is critical in a young person's life, and it is imperative in school. For example, some children may receive accommodations to help them meet academic or behavioral goals in your Prepster's classroom. There might be other children who will inevitably receive more adult attention through special services. They may even need an individual behavior plan with built-in incentives that seem special or "not fair." As children become more exposed to the concept of fairness and equity, they will learn to be more considerate of others' needs and more aware of their own.
A child who understands and recognizes fairness can also be more empathetic with their own parents, who often try to do their best juggling work and parenting. They may exclaim, "That's not fair!" when their adult forgot to pick up a special treat from the grocery store, but maybe they'll be a little more understanding when you explain that you were rushing to get home after a long day at work and to spend some quality time with them. Why? So that you can help provide for the family and buy the things everyone in the family needs to live well.
They may be disappointed, but that is part of life. Children will not always get what they want whenever they want, and if they did, it would be detrimental to their development. Learning and applying the concept of fairness will help stretch a child's ability to be patient and lay the foundation for developing empathy and sensitivity towards others.
Here is an excellent video from a third-grade teacher that recently went viral for her class meeting on fairness. This link has some great picture books for children about fairness. Helping our children understand fairness is integral to growing up and practicing empathy. When we understand what others need and perhaps what we don't, we recognize our differences and learn to think a little beyond ourselves.
Month-At-A-Glance
September 5- Labor Day
September 28- Early Dismissal (12:00 noon)
September 29- No Classes for Students (Teacher Professional Development Day)
September 30- No Classes for Students (Teacher Professional Development Day)
Volunteering
Please read about Altura Preparatory Schools volunteer guidelines here. In addition, individual teachers will reach out to parents about volunteer opportunities in their classrooms in their classroom newsletters.
Fall Picture Day and Picture Retake Day
Fall Picture Day at Altura Preparatory School takes place Friday, September 23, 2022. Picture packets will be sent home Monday, September 19, 2022. The digital flier can be found here. For your convenience, you can also order directly from Campos Photography online here. The access code for ordering online is KPYJFK6N.
Picture Retake Day will take place on Friday, November 4, 2022. Families that are not happy with their original fall photos or students who are absent on 9/23/22 will be able to take pictures at this time.
Absences
Regular school attendance is an essential part of the educational program for each student at Altura Preparatory School. Therefore, we request that you call or email the school to inform us if your child is ill or, for some other reason that your child is not coming to school. The school's main telephone number is 505.539. 5369. You may also email Cynthia Hernandez at [email protected] or [email protected]. You should always call whether the absence is for the morning, afternoon, or the entire day. This procedure not only helps us fulfill required attendance monitoring obligations but also helps assure our students' safety.
All absences must be reported before 7:45 am. Regardless if you call or email the school, please include the following information:
- Student's name
- Student's homeroom
- Length of absence
- Reason for absence
COVID-19 Updates
The Public Education Department released an updated COVID-19 Response Toolkit to guide New Mexico schools on August 24, 2022. It should be noted that the New Mexico Department of Health still has the authority and responsibility to temporarily close any public facility, which includes public schools, if infection case counts become dangerously high. The NMDOH has also recommended that students who are identified as close contacts and who are participating in our school's test-to-stay program should wear a mask for the first five days of test to stay, so we will be abiding by those guidelines here at school.
Please call the school immediately if your child has tested positive for COVID-19. If you need to report a positive case outside of the school day or when school is not in session, please email [email protected].
Lost and Found
Our lost and found accumulates items very quickly. Please help avoid the loss of costly items and LABEL EVERYTHING! Water bottles, coats, sweatshirts, sweaters, umbrellas, lunch boxes, backpacks– anything your child brings to school. Labeled items are returned to students each day. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Water Bottle Slings
Are you tired of your child losing their water bottle each day? A water bottle sling is super helpful for students to keep their water bottles with them throughout the day. Amazon has many options for you to purchase for your child. We have found that these have been very effective for ensuring your child stays hydrated throughout the day and assisting them with not misplacing their water bottles around the school.
My School Bucks Update
We have struggled for the last few weeks with the MySchoolBucks app syncing to our PowerSchool student information system. The problem has been escalated to the program developers, and we will let you know when it is functional. (We are hoping by Tuesday, 9/6!) Thank you again for your patience.
Every family MUST fill out a school lunch application, even if you do not plan on purchasing a school breakfast or lunch. We must have a school lunch application for every family on file. This is a federal requirement under the USDA's National School Lunch Program. Only one application per family is needed.
Professional Development Days- September 28-30
The Altura Prep Team will be traveling to Los Angeles to attend the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) from the afternoon of September 28 through September 30. We can't wait to implement all that we will have learned when we get back to school!
Please remember to mark your calendars because we will have early dismissal on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at 12:00 noon. There will be no classes for students on Thursday, September 29, 2022, and Friday, September 30, 2022.
Finally, a big thank you to all of our Altura Prep families for a great start to the school year, and we hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day holiday weekend. As always, we thank you for entrusting your children to us, and we look forward to a productive and exciting September!
In partnership,
Lissa and Meaghan
