Handbook
APS Student Handbook Links
Attendance
Students may not arrive before 9:00 am. Please make sure your student is in line ready to go to class by 9:15 AM. Tardies and absences add up quickly in lost instructional time. If your child is tardy (arriving after the 2nd bell), a parent/guardian will need to sign him/her in at the front office.
To report an absence, call our attendance line at 505-897–5174 and then press 2. Use this line to report all absences, whether the absences are due to illness, emergencies, or Doctor's/Legal appointments. Then, on the next day at school, please provide the clerk with a copy of a doctor's (or other) note stating the reason for the absence. Any student who is absent without a call from the family will be counted as an unexcused absence.
Signing students out at the end of the day does pose a disruption to the classroom as teachers are finishing with end of day instructions. If you need to pick up your child during the school day, please arrive before 3:30 pm as we avoid releasing students the last 30 minutes of the day.
Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.
Cell Phones
We highly recommend that cell phones not be brought to school. If for some reason you need to send one to school with your child(ren), the following will be enforced:
- Cell phone must be kept in the student’s backpack at all times during instructional hours.
- Cell phone must be turned off during instructional hours (9:15 – 4:00) including after-school activities.
- If a student is seen using or sharing the phone with another student, it will be taken from the student by an administrator and kept in the office. The first incident the phone may be picked up by the parent/guardian at the end of the day. The second incident the phone may be picked up by the parent/guardian at the end of a scheduled administrative/parent meeting.
Dress Code
The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education supports equitable and equal educational access and a student dress code that fosters an educational environment that values, affirms, and welcomes ALL students. Dress codes shall be enforced consistently, equitably, equally, and in a manner that does not lead to differential treatment on the basis of racial identity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, cultural or religious identity and observances, household income, body size/type, or body maturity.
All students should be able to dress comfortably and the primary responsibility for a student’s dress lies with the student and the family, with the exception of schools that require a uniform. Schools shall not impose punishment related to student dress and dress code enforcement should not result in barriers to student attendance or participation unless related to safety. Student dress choices should respect the district’s intent to sustain an inclusive community. Student attire shall not interfere with students’ health or safety, nor contribute to a hostile or intimidating learning environment. All students and staff are responsible for managing their own distractions without regulating another student’s dress.
While each individual school may adopt its own dress code, no student in any APS setting may wear clothing that contains:
- obscene or violent language or images
- depictions of alcohol or drugs or other illegal item or activity
- racist content, hate speech, profanity or pornography
- accessories that could be considered dangerous or used as a weapon
School dress codes are an opportunity for student, family and community engagement. In the most recent survey, the Chamiza community opted to continue to follow the District's Student Handbook dress code Policy, which is listed above.
Drop-off & Pick-up
Campus
To ensure your family's arrival and dismissal at Chamiza is as quick and safe as possible we have four options for student arrival and departure from school. Please review the options below to determine the style(s) that work best for your family. All families are asked to put your phones away and stay alert when you enter the parking lot. A distracted driver is dangerous. Please use this time to help ensure your students have their backpacks and personal items ready when exiting the car. This will help expedite the process for when teachers begin their duty time at 9:00 am for arrival, and 4:00 pm for dismissal.
***Breakfast will be provided for students upon arrival, to eat in the cafeteria***
***If you need to pick up your student prior to the end of the day, please ensure you arrive to the school no later than 3:30pm. Students will not be checked out the last 30 minutes of the school day as this poses a disruption to the classroom, as teachers are finishing with end of day instructions.***
Walk-Up Drop-Off/Pick-Ups Families who wish to drop off or pick up their students up, by walking to the front of the school may do so. If driving to the school, we ask you to park in the main parking lot only and cross over with your student. Please wait for guidance from the staff member on duty to cross at the cross walk to ensure the safety of drivers and pedestrians. We will support pedestrian crossing between the main entry and the parking lot every 2-5 minutes or until all cars have passed through, whichever is sooner.
Walking Families Students who live in the neighborhood north/north-east of the school will be able to enter the school grounds using the gate to the field, that enters into the neighborhood. This gate will be open prior to school beginning, as well at the end of the day. Students who need to arrive before 9:00 am or leave after 4:10 pm will need to enroll in one of the before or after-school programs. The accessibility of the field/neighborhood gate is available if the gate remains functioning to ensure the safety of Chamiza students/staff.
If you are picking your student up at the front of the school to walk home, please stay on the sidewalk when leaving the school grounds and model safety by only crossing streets at a pre-identified crosswalk and/or with the crossing guards.
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Parent Drop Off/Pick Up To minimize our lines before and after school we will be allowing our Kindergarten SCS students (and their siblings) to be dropped off/picked up at the west parking lot. A placard will be given to you to display in your front window. If you need more than one please let your student’s teacher know. All other students will be able to be dropped off and picked up at the east parking lot drive through loop, which is directly in front of the main entrance. When dropping off or picking up students at parent drop off/pick up, please help keep students safe by:
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Bus Pick Up/Drop Off Please go to My Bus Stop and enter your address to confirm your bus stop location. Please remember, kindergarten students riding the bus will need to have an adult meet them at the bus stop.
No Parking
There is no parking at all on Homestead due to the bike lanes. The staff parking lot is for staff only. Families may not park there to drop off or pick up students. When we have special school events we can obtain permission from the city to allow parking on Homestead to accommodate all of our families.
Traffic patterns are enforced from 9:00 am to 9:45 am in the morning and from 3:30 pm to 4:45 pm in the afternoon.
Changing Same Day End of Day Plans
To ensure our students' safety, please do not make changes after your child has arrived at school. We understand that emergencies do occur. If there is an emergency that requires an after-school change the following process will be reinstated: parent/guardian will need to text site administration (505-373-4608) to share the name of the student, the teacher of the student, what the emergency is, and what change is occurring. Once the administration receives the message they will confirm receipt AND will then send a second message once the student has received the message. If two messages are not sent back from the administration - that means it is not guaranteed that your change has been communicated to your student. The office staff has been directed not to communicate after-school changes going forward. Only changes in an emergency will be communicated through the above steps.