🐾January Newsletter🐾

Dear A. Montoya Families,

Welcome back, and happy New Year! We are so excited to kick off the second semester of school with you and your child. The semester officially begins tomorrow, Tuesday, January 6, 2026. We hope your family had a restful and enjoyable break, and we are looking forward to a strong and successful second half of the school year.

As we begin the semester, we encourage you to take some time to review the upcoming calendar of events. There are many opportunities ahead to stay connected and engaged with our school community.

Please remember that we are here to support you and your child. If you have questions, concerns, or need assistance at any point, do not hesitate to reach out to the school. Our partnership with families is essential to student success, and we truly value working alongside you.

Thank you for your continued support of A. Montoya Elementary. We look forward to another successful semester together.

Warm regards,

Andrea Day
Principal

A. Montoya Elementary School

• 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.

Welcome Back A. Montoya Families!

❄️ 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

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.

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.

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

• PAWSS will be accepting used gift bags in the vestibule for next years' Elves Workshop, for those interested in donating.
• Community movie night on January 16th (information will come out soon)
• January PAWSS Meeting, Monday, January 12th @ 3 p.m. in the cafeteria.

• 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