APS Community Newsletter -September

What an incredible start to the school year! There is nothing quite like the energy of having our classrooms full again and seeing our Tigers back on the fields, courts, and in their favorite clubs. From our inspiring AHS FFA students sharing their passion with the School Board to the amazing Holloman AFB volunteers who rolled up their sleeves for campus projects, our community is already wrapping its arms around our schools.

As we build great daily habits for this year and get ready for Statewide Be Here Day on Sept. 8, we’re also celebrating International Literacy Day that same day with a districtwide D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) event, and we invite our entire community to grab a book and join in at 9:30 am or anytime that day! Inside this issue, you’ll also find our updated curriculum resources, details on Parent University (Sept. 17), video guides for our Rooms communication tool, fall sports schedules, and a look back at our first-day smiles. Plus, get a head start on painting the town Black & Gold for Homecoming! Grab your Tiger gear and dive in to see all the great things happening across APS.

Click the graphic above to view the first days of school photo album with so many wonderful happy faces from schools across the APS district, and below, check out the video from the All-staff Back to School Bash held in the Alamogordo High School Tiger Pit on August 7th, the energy is infectious! We love Team APS!

Click the graphic above to share your Awesome News with our communications team!

At this month's regular board meeting, our Alamogordo High School FFA officers updated the APS Board of Education on their incredible accomplishments from the past school year and shared plans for the potential opportunity to travel to the FFA National Convention this fall!

Highlights from Last School Year:

▪️Leadership Development: 10 members competed in district Leadership Development Events, building vital leadership, public speaking, and communication skills.

▪️State Qualifiers: 5 teams qualified for State Career and Leadership Development Events after competing in local invitationals: Veterinary Science, Horse Evaluation, Food Science, Agricultural Mechanics, and Entomology!

▪️State Delegates: 4 delegates represented Alamogordo FFA at the State Convention, taking part in key decision-making and activities.

▪️Ag Literacy Recognition: The chapter earned recognition for its work with agriculture in the classroom and promoting agricultural literacy.

▪️Essay Achievement: AHS FFA chapter treasurer received a special award for his essay recognizing his hard work and dedication to his agricultural experience.

▪️Special Individual Recognition: After an intensive interview on his Supervised Agricultural Experience, Treasurer Caleb Ramsey qualified for the FFA Star Greenhand Farmer Award! He also qualified for the National FFA Choir and will perform at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this October!

A huge thank you to the Holloman teams who gave back to our schools through this year’s Casa Big Give! At this month’s regular Board Meeting, Superintendent Crabtree recognized two organizations for their community-improvement projects at Alamogordo High School.

The 49th Air Craft Maintenance Squadron Weapons Section transformed the AHS teachers’ lounge, giving our staff a more comfortable, welcoming space to enjoy. The 704th Test Group took on the AHS STEM room, completing a major clean-up and remodel to create a more functional space for our students participating in robotics and LEGO League. Superintendent Crabtree also recognized Mrs. Heather Kangas for helping coordinate the project.

Superintendent Crabtree also recognized Casa Auto Group for sponsoring the Big Give and investing in projects that make a meaningful difference in our community and schools.

We are so grateful to everyone who gave their time and hard work to make these projects possible!

The next School Board Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 16, at 6 PM

Find more information on our website.

Alamogordo Public Schools is proud to serve as a community partner by providing information on local events, programs, and activities that support and enrich the lives of our students and families. To ensure equal access for all members of our community, all shared content is formatted to meet federal digital accessibility standards. Community Opportunities Webpage

COMMUNITY INFORMATION NOTICE: Alamogordo Public Schools permits this material to be made available solely as a community-information service. APS does not sponsor, endorse, supervise, recommend, or independently verify the sponsoring organization, activity, program, service, fees, safety practices, or representations. Participation is voluntary and is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

Welcome to September and National Attendance Awareness Month! As we kick off the new school year, our focus this month is Be Here & Build Great Habits. Establishing consistent morning and evening routines helps set our students up for success, ensuring they arrive on time and ready to connect, learn, and grow every single day.

Mark your calendars for the statewide Be Here Day on Tuesday, September 8th (the day after Labor Day), with our district goal of 100% attendance! We know that illness is unavoidable, and children should always stay home when they are sick. But when your child is healthy, present, and on time, it helps build the strong habits that carry them through the year.

To support your family at home, we have built easy-to-use tools to help track progress and stay on target:

• Rise & Shine Habit Tracker: A simple daily routine checklist to help students build great morning and evening habits, as well as set goals.

• Attendance Matters! Year-long Absence Tracker: A visual guide to help you keep track of missed instructional days throughout the school year.

Thank you for partnering with us to help your child start the year strong, build great habits, and make every school day count!

Additional tools and resources can be found on our website at: https://www.alamogordoschools.org/page/attendance

As we continue rolling out Rooms, our official two-way district communication tool built directly into the official Alamogordo Public Schools mobile app, we want to thank all our families for jumping in and getting connected!

We know that adopting a new communication platform can come with questions. Whether you are having trouble logging in, trying to figure out how to contact your student’s teachers, or trying to dial in your notification settings so you do not miss an important update, we are here to help.

Simple Video Guides & Resources

To make things as smooth as possible, we have built out a dedicated Rooms Resource Hub on our district website.

On this page, you’ll find:

• Step-by-Step Login Video Tutorial: A quick walkthrough showing you exactly how to log in through the mobile app or on the web.

• Notification Preferences Guide: Learn how to customize how and when you receive alerts (push notifications, emails, or SMS texts) so you get the exact level of updates you want.

• Feature Walkthrough Videos: Video overviews created by the Apptegy team to help you navigate class announcements and direct messaging.

3 Quick Tips to Get Started Today

1. Download or Update the District App: Ensure you have the latest version of the official Alamogordo Public Schools app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

2. Toggle to Rooms: Open the app and tap the Rooms toggle at the bottom to view your student’s classes and message teachers directly.

3. Adjust Your Notifications: Not getting alerted, or getting too many alerts? Visit your profile settings inside Rooms or on the web to fine-tune your preferences!

Access All Resources Now

Everything you need to get up and running is available in one spot:

Explore the Rooms Resource Hub

If you still need assistance after checking out the videos, please do not hesitate to reach out to our APS Call Center at 575-812-8573 or www.alamogordoschools.org/o/aps/page/contact. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school community connected!

Introducing Parent University: Partners in the Journey!

We're excited to launch a new parent involvement initiative designed to help APS families better understand our schools, district programs, and the many resources available to support student success. Join us on Thursday, September 17 at 5 p.m. at the HUB, located at 805 12th St. for our APS 101- Understanding Our School session.

Learn how to navigate the essential tools every APS family uses, including:

• PowerSchool Parent Portal

• District Communications - "Rooms"

• School Websites and Mobile App

• Student Access to Technology

• Best ways to stay informed throughout the school year

Learn more at: https://www.alamogordoschools.org/o/aps/page/parent-university

Fall sports are underway, and we want you to join us! Come out and cheer on our athletes at a game or match at Home or on the road! You can find the complete, always up-to-date Athletics calendar on our website, along with the link to purchase tickets through Hometown Ticketing. Reminder: entry to all regular-season home games is Free for students, staff, and children 5 and under. Support our students and continue the #ReturnOfTheRoar 🐯

Homecoming week will be September 28th - October 3rd. Join us for the parade on Friday, Oct 2nd before you head over to Tiger Stadium at 7 p.m., where our Tigers will take on Mayfield in our Homecoming game! The week wraps up with the Homecoming dance on Saturday, Oct. 3rd at AHS in the Commons. This year's theme is "A Night on the Bayou" (Disney's The Princess & the Frog vibes). More Homecoming information will be shared soon, along with a link to register your team, organization, or family for the Homecoming Parade!

The Alamogordo Public Schools Chatbot is available 24/7 to answer frequently asked questions. Start chatting now to get your questions answered. You can also call or text our APS Call Center during regular business hours at 575-812-8573.