Handbook

Attendance line: (505) 890-7375 ext 2.

How to Report an Absence

Please call the attendance line by 8 a.m. EACH day that your child is absent. If we do not hear from you, the absence is unexcused. You can leave a message anytime on the 24 hour automated attendance line. Record the following information:

• Student's full legal name
• Grade
• Teacher's Name
• Reason for absence (if a reason is not given it will be marked unexcused)
• Your name
• Contact phone number

About Absences

• The district’s automated Parent Link notification system will begin contacting parents at 8:10 a.m. with a safety call alerting you that an absence or tardy has been recorded for your child. At 6:30 p.m. you will receive a call for absences that have not been accounted for by a call to the school or the child arriving at school as tardy.
• Absences can be updated from unexcused to excused up to 3 days after the absence with a parent call or written note stating the reason for the absence. After 3 days, the parent must meet with the principal to have the absence excused.
• APS students are allowed no more than (5) five unexcused absences per semester, and no more than (10) unexcused absences per school year. In compliance with New Mexico state law, APS reports students with excessive unexcused absences to the APS district attendance office, Bernalillo County Children’s Court and District Attorney’s Office. Elementary students whose tardies are considered excessive also may be referred to the Children’s Court Liaison.
• Absences may be excused for the following reasons, with appropriate documentation:
  • Doctor’s appointment
  • Illness
  • Death in the family
  • Family emergency
  • Religious commitment
  • Diagnostic testing
  • School or college visit
• In the event that the school has not received notification of an absence by a parent for 3 consecutive days, the school must make an attempt to contact the parent/guardian.
• Excessive excused absences may result in further inquiry from the principal and request for additional documentation.
• Family vacations are considered unexcused absences, and it is expected that parents will schedule vacations during periods of time when school is not in session.
• Non-school sponsored activities or trips are considered unexcused.
• A parent/guardian must notify the school each day that a student is signing out before the end of the instructional day in accordance with notification procedure established by the school.

Tardy Policy

• Students are expected to be in line by 7:53 a.m. They should arrive about 5 minutes before that so they can get to class on time. We will have teachers on playground duty beginning at 7:35 a.m. every day. Please avoid dropping off your student prior to 7:35, as there are NO ADULTS ON DUTY. During inclement weather students may also wait for school to begin in the cafeteria. This allows plenty of time for your student to be on campus before the first bell.
• ALL students who are tardy MUST be signed in at the front office by a parent or guardian. Teachers will NOT allow late students to come in without a tardy pass.
• We are serious about the importance of your child’s attendance at school. Please avoid early pick up and late drop off of your child. We will not allow parents to pick up their students 30 minutes before the end of the school day (unless in case of an extreme emergency). Your child’s attendance for the entire day is directly related to his or her success in school.

Review the complete APS Attendance Policy.

Bus service is provided for students who live within the Ventana Ranch boundaries but live one mile or more away from school grounds. We highly encourage students to ride the bus to school, as it helps tremendously with keeping students from being tardy to school. Bus stop and routing information is available at registration or by calling the transportation office at 880-3989.

Complaints about bus service should be addressed with the bus company or the transportation office at 880-3989.

Children should follow the school rules while waiting for the bus, boarding the bus and while being transported by the bus. Please remember that bus riding is a privilege that may be revoked if rules are violated. APS Transportation forbids children from riding buses other than those for which they are registered.

Students will be able to have a cell phone as long as it is turned off and remains in their backpack during the school day. Students will not be allowed to use cell phones during the school day unless it is in an extreme emergency and they have teacher permission. Misuse of cell phones during the school day or on campus will result in the phone being confiscated and given to the principal. For all confiscated items, parents must come to the office and retrieve the phones in person. Parents will be held responsible for the content of their child’s phone. Ventana Ranch will NOT replace or reimburse any lost, damaged, or stolen cell phones or other electronic devices.

Review APS Personal Electronic Devices policy.

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.

Unacceptable clothing and accessories include, but are not limited to:

• Accessories that could be considered dangerous or used as a weapon
• Clothing or accessories promoting:
  • Drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)
  • Sexual activity
  • Violence
  • Racist content, hate speech, profanity or pornography

In addition to this, individual schools may adopt student uniform dress codes. At Ventana Ranch:

• Hats, hoods, and bandanas are not to be worn on students’ heads inside buildings or classrooms, but are encouraged for wear outside to protect from sun damage.
• Shorts and skirts should be no shorter than “fingertip length” (must extend beyond the fingertips). Students are encouraged to wear shorts or leggings under skirts/dresses for active play on playground or PE.
• The width for shoulder straps should be three fingers wide or wider. Midriffs or tying t-shirts above the waist is not permitted.
• Students may not wear “Heelys”, “Roller Blades”, or any other shoes with wheels while on the campus.
• We highly encourage closed toed flat, hard bottom shoes in order to stay safe while on the playground.

If the dress code violation is correctable at school, the student will make the necessary changes. If the student needs a change of clothing, a parent/guardian will be contacted to provide appropriate clothing. If your student needs basic needs items, please reach out to the school office or Counselor.

Field trips provide an opportunity for teachers to expand on what is being taught in class or reward students for exemplary behavior. The APS district requires prior approval of field trips by the principal. Students may not participate in field trips without official APS school field trip forms on file. Please be sure to fill out and sign both sides of the permission form. Verbal permission or handwritten notes will not be accepted. Fees may be required in order for students to participate in field trips. If fees are a hardship for families please contact the office, or teacher, for assistance. Please adhere to the due dates for all field trip money. If the deadline is missed your child will not be allowed to attend the field trip.

Please note that off campus field trips are a privilege, not a right. Your child’s field trip can be taken away for safety, behavior, excessive absences or tardies. Please check with the classroom teacher when and if this occurs. Money paid for a field trip is nonrefundable if a child misses the activity for any reason.

• Teachers will not release students from the field trip location. Parents must check students out in the office before leaving or upon returning to school.
• Finally, student’s siblings will not be permitted to attend field trips.

Parents who have concerns about their child’s progress or well-being in school should first discuss issues with their child’s teacher. Most issues are resolved during this important step. We do ask that parents refrain from addressing these issues with teachers during instructional time. Please make time before or after school to talk with teachers regarding these issues. Should there be continuing concerns, please contact an administrator.

In the case of illness or another concern, your child’s teacher, the health room, or the office will contact you by phone. Students are not allowed to call home unless directed to by their teachers. To curtail interruption of precious instructional time, messages will not be given to children over the intercom system. In the case of an emergency, the child will come to the office, where a staff member will assess the situation and make the necessary phone calls.

If your child is to go anywhere other than their regular destination, you must send a note stating the appropriate destination prior to 12:30 p.m. Your child will be sent to their regular destination unless we have a note from you stating otherwise. We will not hold busses or make phone calls to inquire about a student’s destination. Please do not wait to call the school at dismissal time and ask us to hold your child at school or ask that we tell them to go to a different destination. The office and classrooms become very busy at the end of the day. It is sometimes impossible to get a message to your child and waiting to inform your child of their destination often leads to added confusion for your child as well as staff members.

Students are placed in classrooms based on a variety of criteria. Due to the extensive process used to place children, changes in placement will not be honored without observation of the Placement Policy. Following the policy does not guarantee a change in placement.

Placement Policy

No changes in placement will be considered until the student has been in his/her assigned class for a minimum of four weeks. Should a change in placement ultimately be approved, the new placement will be based, in part, on existing class sizes and compositions.

The steps listed must be followed in order when seeking a change in placement.

1. The parent makes an appointment through the office to observe in the classroom during instructional time and then observes for a period of thirty minutes or more. The parent will be accompanied by an administrative staff member and may also be required to obtain a background clearance.
2. The parent makes an appointment with the teacher to discuss concerns after the observations.
3. If this does not resolve the problem, the parent writes a letter to the principal with a copy for the teacher, stating the reason(s) for the requested change in placement. (The teacher has the option of seeking support in an effort to respond to the parent’s concerns)
4. The parent, teacher and principal will then meet to discuss the change request and attempt to come to consensus about approving or disapproving the change in placement. If the group is unable to reach consensus, the final decision is made by the principal.

If the change in placement is approved, the new placement will be made considering existing class sizes and compositions.