🐾Welcome AMES Families🐾

Hello A. Montoya Families,

My name is Principal Day, and I am thrilled to welcome you to a brand new school year at A. Montoya Elementary! As we open our doors for another exciting year of learning, we look forward to the growth, opportunities, and adventures that lie ahead for our young Mountain Lions. Each new school year brings a fresh start—and this one promises to be filled with discovery, connection, and success. Together, we will continue to build a strong and supportive community where every student thrives. Let’s make it a fantastic year!

If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to reach out and say hi, please feel free to send me an email at andrea.day@aps.edu.

All the best,

Andrea Day

Principal

🐾A. Montoya Elementary School

• Tuesday, August 5 @ 10 am- Class Lists will be posted on the front windows
• Wednesday, August 6 12:30-2:30- Meet Your Teacher
• Thursday, August 7- First Day of School (1st Grade through 5th Grade)
• Monday, August 11- First Day of School (PreK and Kindergarten)
• Monday, August 11 7:45- 8:30 Boohoo/Woohoo Breakfast (details to come)
• Friday, August 15 @ 3:00 p.m.- Ice Cream social/PAWSS (A. Montoya PTO) in cafeteria
• Friday, Augst 22 @ 4:00 p.m.- Movies with Monty: Curriculum Night & Community Event (more details to come)

Kindergarten through 5th grade:

Arrival Time: 7:45 a.m. - 7:59 a.m.

• Students may arrive on campus at 7:45 AM and report to the cafeteria for free breakfast or head to the playground.
• At 7:56 a.m. the first bell will ring.
• At 8:00 a.m., the tardy bell rings and studenst must be in class.
• Students arriving after 8:05 AM must be escorted to the front office to be signed in.

• Students enter vehicles using the door closest to the sidewalk. If you have a younger student, K-1, please make sure to use the lane closest to the school. K-1 families will receive a sign wtih student names and teachers to display in the passenger-side window.

• Families must remain in their vehicles if using the drop off/pick up lane; staff will assist with loading if needed.

• Students will wait in the designated area in the front of the school and will not be allowed to head to any car before the first crosswalk.
• Please follow directions from staff directing traffic.

• Bus lane is to the east of the school. Be courteous and yield to buses.
• Students must ride their assigned bus and stop. Changes require bus company permission. If a change is granted the bus company will contact Principal Day.
• Visit my bus stop to locate your child's bus stop.
• Bus company 505-253-0287

PreK Students:

All Pre-K students must be signed in each morning. Teachers will greet families just west of the cafeteria. A patio area is available for family members to wait until teachers begin accepting students at 8:00 a.m. Any Pre-K student who arrives after 8:10 will need to be escorted to the office and signed in. A. Montoya staff will then escort your child to his/her classroom.

Dismissal for PreK is at 2:15 and will happen in the same location, in the patio space just west of the cafeteria.

*Families who will be utilizing the Los Vecinos Community Center for before/after school care will be provided information at a later time. The pedestrian bridge between the center and the schools was damaged by a storm this month. We are working with the county and the district to find a solution to this problem.

Campus Entry:

• Students will enter through the front doors starting at 7:45 a.m.
• Parents must sign students in if they are arriving after 8:05 a.m.
• Visitors must sign in with the front office staff.

• August 7: 1st - 5th grade families may walk students to class; leave campus by 8:05 a.m.
• August 11: Pre K and Kindergarten families may walk students to class and then attend the Boo-Hoo/Woo-Hoo Breakfast (7:45 a.m. -8:30 a.m.) This will take place outside of the Kindergarten classrooms.

• All visitors must check in at the Administration entrance and wear a visible badge.
• 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
• A photo ID is required to check out a student.
• 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.

• Tardies are recorded at 8:05 a.m.; students must be walked into the office.
• 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 requaired 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.

• Breakfast: 7:45 a.m. - 7:59 a.m. in the cafeteria

• Grades K-1: 10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
• Grades 2-3: 11:15 - 11:45 a.m.
• Grades 4-5: 12:00 - 12:30 p.m.
• Shared table available in the cafeteria for unwanted food.
• Students remain in the cafeteria until picked up by their classroom teacher.
• Students should not share food or drinks.
• Hot lunches are only available through the cafeteria. Students cannot microwave food brought from home.

Students receive:

• One 15 minute recess, one 20 minute recess, and a 10 minute structured movement break prior to lunch.
• The school provides all play equipment; personal toys are not allowed except with permission from the school for special events and spirit days.
• Playground rules are taught and will be reviewed regularly.

• No phones during school hours. Please see the APS Acceptable Use of Personal Electronic Devices Policy.

1. Device will be taken until the end of the day; returned to the student; guardian will be contacted
2. Device will be held by the administrator; returned to the guardian during a conference.

From time to time, students may make choices that are not appropriate for the school setting. As educators, our first responsibility is to guide students by reteaching expected behaviors. If these reteaching efforts are not successful, the situation will be referred to the administrator for appropriate follow-up in accordance with the APS Student Handbook for Success.

PAWSS will be selling headphones for $5 as part of a school fundraiser. These will be available for purchase at meet the teacher day. 🎧

Kindergarten

1 full-size backpack

1 set of personal headphones - preferably chew resistant cords (Please do not send earbuds!)

2 pink pearl erasers

1st Grade

1 backpack

1 large pencil box

3 count hi-polymer block erasers

headphones

2nd Grade

1 backpack

3 PLASTIC pocket folders

1 eraser

1 set of headphones or wired earbuds

3rd Grade

1 backpack

3 folders with pockets

2 spiral notebooks

headphones

4th Grade

1 backpack

1 large school box

headphones

5th Grade

1 backpack

1 pack erasers

2 highlighters - any color - yellow is best

small hand-held sharpeners

pencil box or bag

1 set of headphones or earbuds (non-bluetooth, 3.5 plug)

PAWSS will be selling headphones for $5 as part of a school fundraiser. These will be available for purchase at meet the teacher day. 🎧

Visit our school website at https://amontoya.aps.edu/ for up-to-date announcements, event calendars, and school supply lists.