🐾December Newsletter🐾

Dear A. Montoya Families,

Thank you to all the families who joined us for our traditional Thanksgiving Lunch on November 13th. It was truly wonderful to see so many of you here on campus sharing a meal, visiting with your children, and celebrating together as a community. Your presence helps make our school feel warm, connected, and full of Monty pride.

As we look ahead, we have 15 school days left before the end of the year, and we are committed to making every one of them count. Teachers have planned high-quality learning experiences to keep students engaged and growing, and we also have several fun activities and events coming up. Please take a moment to read through this newsletter carefully so you don’t miss any important dates or opportunities.

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and your ongoing support of A. Montoya Elementary. Together, we make this an incredible place for students to learn, grow, and thrive.

With gratitude,
Andrea Day
Principal, A. Montoya Elementary School

We are thrilled to welcome Coach Buchen to the A. Montoya Mountain Lion family! He brings great energy, a passion for physical education, and a commitment to helping all students grow stronger, healthier, and more confident.

Please take a moment to read a little bit about him and join us in giving Coach Buchen a warm A. Montoya welcome!

Hello wonderful parents and guardians of A. Montoya E.S.!

My name is Jason Buchen and I am honored to be your students’ new Physical Education

teacher. I have 20 years of experience being an APS teacher, and I am hoping to add to the positive

energy and pride to A. Montoya E.S. I am a resident of the East mountains and have been since 1979.

Growing up I attended San Antonito, Roosevelt, and Manzano H.S. If you are ever on campus, please feel free to stop by the gym and say “Hi”.

Sincerely,

Jason Buchen

Go Mountain Lions!

We are proud to announce that one of our very own A. Montoya teachers, Mrs. Kristie Phillips, has been selected as the APS Teacher of the Month for November 2025! This is an incredible honor and a reflection of the hard work, heart, and dedication our staff pours into students every single day.

Please take a moment to watch the celebration video below and help us congratulate this amazing educator. We are so proud of her—and grateful to have such exceptional talent here in our Mountain Lion community!

https://youtu.be/raRFFnWmFOI

• All visitors must check in at the Administration entrance and wear a visible badge.
• A photo ID is required to access the school or to check out a student.
• Only cleared volunteers (with prior teacher/admin permission and updated background checks) may stay on campus to volunteer.
• Volunteer info: https://www.aps.edu/police/background-and-fingerprinting/background-checks-for-prospective-volunteers
• All items must be dropped off at the front office. Office staff will deliver them to the appropriate classroom. For minimal disruption, families are not permitted to deliver items directly. If preferred, the office can call the student out of class to retrieve the item upon request.

Happy December! Montoya Families!

The air is definitely chillier, and we are all excited about winter break just around the corner.

This is a wonderful time of year, but it is also prime time for winter colds, the flu, and other

illnesses to circulate in an elementary setting. Our goal in the health office is to keep as many

students healthy, in class, and learning as possible right up until break starts.

Here are a few essential tips, reminders, and updates to help your family navigate this festive

(and frosty) month.

❄️ The Big Chill: Dressing for Outdoor Recess

Fresh air is vital for concentrating in the classroom! Please remember that our students do go

outside for recess during the winter, so long as temperatures allow.

Please help your child come prepared every day with:

● A heavy winter coat (hoodies are often not enough)

● Hats and gloves/mittens

● Proper footwear (if snow is on the ground)

⭐ THE GOLDEN RULE OF WINTER GEAR: LABEL EVERYTHING! ⭐ Our Lost and Found

quickly becomes overflowing with very nice, unlabeled winter coats. Please take a sharpie to the

tag of every glove, hat, and coat your child owns. If it has a name on it, we can almost always

return it to its owner!

�� The 24-Hour Rule&Reminder

We are currently seeing an increase in a variety of illnesses. [hand-foot-mouth disease, strep

throat, stomach bugs, and colds/flu].

It can be tough to keep kids home when holiday parties and events are happening at school, but

sending a sick child to school spreads illness to classmates and staff, and usually slows down

your own child's recovery.

Please keep your student home if they have:

1. A Fever: A temperature of 100.4°F or higher. They must be fever-free for 24 hours

without the use of fever-reducing medication (like Tylenol or Motrin) before returning.

2. Vomiting or Diarrhea: They must stay home for 24 hours after the last episode of

vomiting or diarrhea.

3. Persistent Coughing: A cough that will disrupt their learning or the learning of others.

If your child is out sick, please remember to call the attendance line and let them know the

reason for the absence.

�� Winter Break Wellness Tips

Winter break is a time for fun, family, and relaxation, but the shift in routine can sometimes be

hard on little bodies.

● Prioritize Sleep: While it’s tempting to let kids stay up late during break, try to keep

wakeup times somewhat consistent. A rested child is a happy child!

● Hydration is Key: Amidst the hot cocoa and holiday treats, don't forget plain water. Dry

winter air in heated homes can lead to dehydration quickly.

● Handwashing Hustle: Before holiday meals, after shopping trips, and after playing with

cousins—keep washing those hands for at least 20 seconds!

Change of Clothes: Please double-check your younger student's backpack for their emergency

change of clothes. Make sure the clothes in there now are seasonally appropriate (swap shorts

for long pants) and that they still fit!

Wet Clothes: The health office does not have clothes to give to students who get wet from

snow or mud on the playground. Please reinforce with your student to stay clear of wet

playground equipment, or wet, sloppy snow on the field. Thank you for your help with this.

Have a wonderful, healthy December and a restful Winter Break!

Warmly,

Nurse Holly

holly,diedrich@aps.edu

505-281-0880 ext 24405

Hello A. Montoya families,

Please know that as a parent or guardian you have the right to request a Health & Wellness meeting with our team. The purpose of a H&WT meeting is to explore our students' individual needs and provide them with extra support in order to help them succeed in the academic, social and emotional areas.

If you are interested in scheduling a H&WT meeting or in need of resources, please feel free to contact me via email, phone or in person by scheduling an appointment.

Kind regards,

Alheli Baca, MA, LPCC, NCC

alheli.baca@aps.edu

(505) 281-0880 ext.5

We are now accepting donations for our annual Elves’ Workshop! Please consider sending in gently loved small gifts for all types of family members — men’s gifts are especially needed this year. We are also collecting gift bags (please no wrapping paper) and are looking for volunteers to help wrap gifts during the event.

A few important reminders:

• A supervised background check is required for all volunteers participating in this event. Please complete this as soon as possible if you haven’t already.

• Online payment will be available for Elves’ Workshop.
  However, we ask that you still write your child’s guest list on the provided envelope, and if possible, limit gift selections to 5 recipients.

• While donations are encouraged (this event helps support our school), no child will be excluded. If contributing is not financially possible, we still welcome and encourage every student to participate and choose a few gifts for their loved ones.

Thank you for helping us make this special tradition meaningful and joyful for all of our students! 🎁

• Tardies are recorded at 8:05 a.m. After that, students must be walked into the office by an adult.
• For early pickup or if a student becomes ill, please bring a valid ID to the front office. This helps us verify that you are listed as an authorized contact for student release.
• Doctor's notes are required to excuse medical appointments.

• Keep ParentVue contact updated at all times.
• Call the office by 2:15 p.m. for emergency end-of-day changes. We will do our best to accommodate last minute requests.
• APS and AMES uses SchoolMessenger to send alerts via phone/email.
• Weather closures or asynchronous days will be announced via SchoolMessenger, school website, ClassDojo, and news outlets.

• AMES Website

• Monthly Smore Newsletter: This will be sent out monthly and posted to the school website.
• School Messenger: School-wide phone/email messages. These will be sent out with important messages, reminders, or updates, as needed.
• Teacher Communication: Your child's teacher will send out communication regularly.
• Parent-Teacher Meetings: These will be scheduled as needed.
• Class Dojo, Facebook, and Instagram