Handbook

Bus Questions

• APS Transportation Services
  Phone: (505) 880-3989
  Visit the MyBusStop Information Website

APS Phone Numbers

• Diane Kerschen
  Associate Superintendent Elementary Schools
  Phone: (505) 880-2589
• Community Service Center
  Phone: (505) 855-9040

Cafeteria

If your child brings lunch money on a daily basis, please have them keep it in a safe place. If students lose their lunch money, they will be allowed to call home. We encourage parents to pre-purchase lunch using My Schoolbucks. Applications for free/reduced lunch tickets are available from the cafeteria manager.

Students may also bring lunches from home and purchase milk at school.

Cafeteria rules are:

• Enter and exit calmly
• Practice good manners (restaurant etiquette)
• Use an indoor voice
• Eat your lunch
• Clean up after yourself

School Supplies

Supply lists by grade level are available in the office or on our website. These lists are also posted at surrounding area stores. If purchasing school supplies is a hardship, please see the principal. All students are encouraged to take good care of their supplies.

Seven Bar Instructional Council

The Seven Bar Instructional Council consists of the principal, staff, parents and other community members who meet to set goals for our school. Our emphasis is on providing programs and services that best serve the students needs. We encourage and support parent and community involvement.

New Mexico law dictates that:

• Students between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age are mandated to attend public school, private school, home school or a state institution.
• Schools will provide intervention strategies that focus on keeping students in school.
• Habitual truants are reported to appropriate authorities such as the APS Attendance Office, CYFD staff, Juvenile Probation & Parole, District Attorney, Truancy Court, and the State of New Mexico.
• Consequences in New Mexico law include: license revocation, fines, and loss of New Mexico Works Program monetary assistance.
• Students receiving financial assistance from the New Mexico Works program must comply with school attendance requirements, or the student’s financial assistance may be removed.

It is understood that sometimes families may need support to help their child be successful. School staff can assist with locating possible resources within the school community.

Attendance Policy

• A parent/guardian must notify the school that the student will be absent in accordance with the notification procedure established by the school.
• 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 the notification procedure established by the school.
• Teachers will take attendance by class period for each instructional day.
• Absences may be excused for the following reasons with appropriate documentation:
  • Illness (including chronic illness documented on a health plan, IEP or 504 plan)
  • Limited family emergencies; family deaths
  • Medical, health or legal appointments
  • Suspensions
  • Religious commitment
  • College visit
  • Limited extenuating circumstances as approved in advance by the school principal
• All absences for other reasons are unexcused including:
  • Non-school sponsored activities or trips
  • Family vacations outside of the normally scheduled school breaks
• In APS, a student is considered “a student in need of early intervention” (truant) at five (5) unexcused absences and a habitual truant at ten (10) unexcused absences in a year.
• School staff will make an attempt to contact the parent/guardian if the school has not received notification of absences by a parent for three (3) consecutive days.
• Principals may request additional documentation for excessive excused absences.

Make-Up Work

• Students may complete work for all excused and for up to 10 unexcused absences.
• Once a student is identified as a habitual truant (10 unexcused full day absences) make-up work may be provided for the student unless the principal and teacher determine otherwise based on the date provided.
• On the first day back to a class, students are responsible for requesting make-up assignments.Failure to complete make-up work in the time allotted may place students at risk of not earning class credits.
• Students will have the opportunity to complete the work in a period of time equal to the number of days absent unless other arrangements have been mutually agreed upon by the student and the teacher.
• Teachers may need 24 hours from the time of the request to compile assignments.

Excessive Absences

• Schools will identify and provide intervention strategies for students with unexcused absences.
• School-related activities taking students out of school are not included when evaluating excessive absences.A student is not allowed more than ten (10) school-related absences per class per semester.
• State law requires schools to withdraw a student after ten (10) consecutive days of absence, but only after the school has exhausted its efforts to keep the student in an educational setting through a variety of interventions.
• Schools may not use out of school suspension or expulsion as punishment or truancy.

Interventions for Students with Excessive Absences

Students who miss more than ½ of their school day are considered absent a full day.

Tardy

• Students who are tardy for class receive consequences according to district guidelines adopted by each school.
• Consequences for being tardy will be determined by the school administration. Examples of consequences include time in an alternative academic or community service setting (i.e. lunch, recess, after school.)

Elementary School Student Drop-Off/Pick-Up

• Parents must not leave their children on a school campus longer than fifteen (15) minutes either before or after the school day.
• School grounds are not supervised except during the school day.
• If extenuating circumstances prevent a family from picking up a student on time, the school must be notified within fifteen minutes of the end of the school day.
• If students are repeatedly left on campus outside of the school day hours, an administrator will attempt to contact the family to discuss the problem.
• If the problem continues, the student may be considered abandoned and the police will be notified. Such children may be subject to transportation to a designated state shelter.

Bicycles may be ridden to school only if the student has a lock. The bicycle is placed in the bike rack during school hours. The school will not be responsible for theft or damage to student bicycles. We strongly encourage students to wear helmets when riding their bikes to school.

Children should follow the school rules while waiting for the bus and boarding the bus. Buses are owned by contractors and have rules that apply to students who ride them. APS Transportation Department provides the school with bus handbooks, which describe rules and consequences. Please remember that bus riding is a privilege. When children violate bus rules, parents will be notified in writing. Repeated violations may result in suspension of bus privileges. APS Transportation Department does not allow children to ride home with friends or take a different bus than normal.

Should you have any questions, please contact APS Transportation at 880-3989 or visit their website.

The goals of our discipline plan at Seven Bar Elementary are to provide clear expectations for students, parents, and staff, prompt communication with parents and students, and consistent rules, consequences and reinforcement for common areas of school.

The purpose of discipline at Seven Bar is to teach students the pillars of Character Counts!

Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Caring, Respect, Fairness, and Citizenship

Wrangler Code of Conduct

All Wranglers will:

• Respect others including personal space, property, and rights.
• Take responsibility for words, actions, property at Seven Bar.
• Show a caring attitude toward self, others, and school.
• Treat others as you would like to be treated.
• Follow school rules and do what you can to make Seven Bar a better place.
• Be a person of your word and deed.

To Follow the Code of Conduct Student Wranglers will:

• be quiet while passing classes in between portables and in hallways.
• walk only between portables and in hallways.
• stop playing when the bell rings.
• follow general safety rules for all play equipment.
• show respect for all adults and students.
• practice good manners.
• listen and follow directions the first time.
• avoid adults without badges or visitor stickers and report them to school personnel.
• ask questions if not sure of a rule.
• admit mistakes and apologize if accidents happen.
• model courtesy using please, thank you, and addressing adults with ma'am and sir.
• play in designated areas only.
• stay away from dangerous areas.

To Help Everyone Follow the Code of Conduct Adult Wranglers will:

• walk behind class when escorting them across campus to monitor behavior.
• wear badges and visitor stickers to identify themselves as a safe person.
• model good manners.
• ask questions if not sure of rule or policy.
• admit mistakes and apologize if accidents happen.
• show respect for other adults and children.

Reinforcement for Code of Conduct

Incentives

• Students who are model citizens at Seven Bar and follow the Wrangler Code of Conduct can be nominated by the members of their class to have a pizza lunch with the principal. Each class can send up to two students per month as a recognition for practicing Character Counts!
• Citizenship Awards — Each grading period students will be awarded a Character Counts Award if they have received all checks and pluses on their report card in the behavior section.
• Recognition on morning announcements of students practicing specific pillars of Character Counts

Consequences

Consequences In the common areas of Seven Bar (playground, hallways, cafeteria) these are unacceptable behaviors and will result in:

Caution Slip to Teacher

Students will lose remainder of recess and go to designated area to write a refocus plan.

• Jumping off swings
• Running up slides
• Playing between portables
• Playing in bathrooms
• Using monkey bars without hands
• More than one on slide at a time
• Head first on slide
• Playing tag on play equipment
• Climbing fences
• Going under portables
• Littering
• Throwing inappropriate objects
• Throwing food
• Spitting on grounds
• And other safety violations

Referral to Office

Students will be sent immediately to office with referral slip for further disciplinary action determined by principal or designee.

• Physical aggression including self-defense
• Threats of physical aggression
• Verbal aggression
• Fighting
• Sexual harassment
• Racial slurs
• Vandalism
• Stealing
• Weapons possession (knives, guns, including look - alikes, sharp objects)
• Drugs and alcohol possession (including look - alikes)
• Spitting on person

Seven Bar complies with the APS Board of Education Policy, which specifies:

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.Student dress choices should respect the district’s intent to sustain an inclusive community. Student attire shall not interfere with students’ health or safety, nor contribute to a hostile or intimidating learning environment. All students and staff are responsible for managing their own distractions without regulating another student’s dress.

While Seven Bar's community has adopted its own dress code, no student in any APS setting may wear clothing that contains:

• obscene or violent language or images
• depictions of alcohol or drugs or other illegal item or activity
• racist content, hate speech, profanity or pornography
• accessories that could be considered dangerous or used as a weapon

In addition, students at Seven Bar:

• Students must wear appropriately fitting clothing (not excessively tight or revealing; “sagging and/or bagging” is prohibited.)
• Students may not wear clothing where underwear may be exposed (bra straps, underpants, boxer shorts, excessively torn jeans above the knee.)
• Students may not wear clothing that advertises, displays, or promotes drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sexual activity, violence, disrespect and/or bigotry.
• As a matter of courtesy, hats, caps, and hoodies are not to be worn in the building; except when there are specific instructional, safety, religious, or medical reasons.
• Ball caps, beanies, hoodies, or hats may be worn outdoors
• Students may not wear spiked jewelry, chains, or belts with more than a 2 inches excess.
• Are not allowed to bring any form of make up products to school including glitter, lip gloss, fake eyelashes, and hair products.
• May not wear spaghetti straps (may wear sleeveless shirts if strap is three fingers wide or wider.)
• May not wear short or skirts that are considered too short (as measured 3 or more inches above the knee.)
• May not wear shirts that expose midriff or chest (half shirts, mesh, transparent, low cut)
• May not wear shoes with wheels.
• May not wear heels or open toed shoes for safety (shoes safety and appropriate for running are best.)

If the violation is correctable at school, the student will make the necessary changes. The teacher will refer the student violating the dress code to the office to notify the parents of the violation. If the student needs a change of clothing, they will wait in the office until the parent arrives with the appropriate clothing. They may make up any work they miss while they are waiting.

The Board of Education expects student dress and grooming to reflect high standards of personal conduct so that each student’s attire promotes a positive, safe, and healthy atmosphere within the school.

Field trips provide an excellent educational experience for students. The APS district does require prior approval of all field trips by the principal. Field trips that are activity based require an extra fee paid by students to cover liability insurance. Money paid for a field trip is non-refundable if a child misses the activity for any reason.

Students MAY NOT participate in a field trip unless a parent permission form has been signed by the parent or guardian and returned to the school.

Due to legal implications involving liability, oral permission over the phone and handwritten notes are not acceptable substitutes for the signed parent permission form.

Frequently parents are invited to accompany the class on a field trip to help the teacher supervise students. Parents who go on field trips MUST have a background check. Non-school age children cannot be accommodated on field trips requiring bus transportation.

Seven Bar complies with the Albuquerque Public School “Religious Issues and Holidays Policies.” APS requires that educators make curriculum decisions and guide discussions sensitive to varying beliefs, which neither inhibit or advance a particular religious belief. Holiday activities (religious and/or cultural) must have a strong curriculum tie to District Standards.

If you have specific concerns or issues you wish to discuss regarding holidays, please notify the school.

Homework provides an opportunity for students to develop responsibility. Teachers at Seven Bar will provide meaningful activities that reinforce skills introduced in the classroom. It is a tool for nurturing communications and interactions between the student, parent, and school.

Homework is assigned on a regular basis either daily, weekly, or monthly. It is assigned to be consistent with district minimum and maximum time limits based on age and grade levels.

• Grades K-2nd: 20-30 minutes of homework per night
• Grades 3rd-5th: 30-60 minutes of homework per night

Some homework will be assigned for extended periods (Science Fair projects or specific research projects).

Seven Bar follows APS policy of providing homework for students upon their return to school. When a student returns to school he/she will have the same number of days to make up the work missed as the number of days he/she was absent in order to receive full credit. For more information, please see your child’s teacher.

Reading (Literacy)

Teachers at Seven Bar teach reading using a structured literacy approach plus variety of strategies. All students in APS use a common core reading program and adhere to NM State Standards. Specific standards for reading are further defined on our website. Students who speak a language other than English receive special attention and strategies to help them become proficient in English and successful in school. Students who are nearing proficient or at beginning steps as measured by standardized tests also receive an additional 30 minutes of direct instruction and may be referred to the Student Assistance Team for additional help and resources. See your child’s teacher for more information.

Writing

Teachers at Seven Bar all use a process approach to teach students writing skills. Each grade level is expected to address certain skills. Student’s writing is collected in a portfolio and scored on a rubric. Portfolios are sent on to the next teacher each year.

Math

Students will be learning math using a problem solving approach. All schools in APS use a core math program and adhere to NM State Standards. The teachers at Seven Bar use a math series called “iReady.” Students will be asked to practice skills in context. Math goals and skills are defined by grade level on the website.

Science

APS supports the use of hands-on science application. Students are provided with science kits that provide experiential learning activities to address the NM State Standards.

Social Studies

APS adheres to the NM State Standards for the teaching of social studies. Students receive instruction using a combination of resources.

Fine Arts

Students receive instruction in art and music from teachers provided by the Fine Arts department in APS. 

Physical Education

Students receive physical education weekly from teachers at the school using NM State Standards. In addition Seven Bar also help student develop the skills, habits, and mindsets that will help them be successful in life. 

The laws in the state of New Mexico are such that school districts cannot assume liability for costs incurred through student accidents. Therefore, the Board of Education makes a student accident policy available to students in the Albuquerque Public Schools. A brochure sent home at the beginning of each new school year explains this optional policy.

Library books and textbooks are very valuable. Please encourage your child to care for their books and return them as required. Lost books must be paid for so that the school can replace them. Outstanding debts may impinge upon a student’s registration status.

Parents may come to the school at any time to check the Lost and Found. Clothing items and/or lunch boxes are usually placed in the Lost and Found. Money, pieces of jewelry, or small items are kept in the office when they are found. When the Lost and Found box gets full, we notify parents in the school newsletter so you may claim items before we give them to the APS Clothing Bank. We strongly recommend marking your child’s first and last name on clothing, lunch boxes, etc.

Teachers and staff communicate with parents in a variety of ways, several of them are described below:

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences

Communication between school and home regarding a child's progress is vital. To help facilitate this communication, mandatory parent conferences have been scheduled two times each year: fall and spring. Dates for the conferences are determined by the District.

Students do not attend school on the days parent-teacher conferences are held.

It is the goal of the teacher to meet with the parents of every student during the conference period. Parents sign up for conference times during Meet the Teacher day before the first day of school. Teachers will notify parents in writing as to the scheduled time. Please send back the verification that you can attend or need to request a different time. If you cannot attend one of the scheduled days, you may arrange another time with your child’s teacher AFTER the scheduled dates. Due to Negotiated Agreements with the Teachers Union, NO CONFERENCES WILL BE HELD PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED DATES to allow the teacher time to prepare. Other parent conferences may be scheduled with your child's teacher as the need arises.

Teachers will try to coordinate conferences for families that have more than one student at like times but in the event that families need to reschedule a conference, this cannot be guaranteed.

Please note, teachers will hold only one conference per child. It is important that parent/guardians, that live in different locations, hear the same information at the same time.

Progress Reports

Progress reports are sent home every twelve weeks. The first and second progress reports are discussed during the parent-teacher conference. Progress reports are sent home with the student at the end of the third and final reporting period. Teachers also send home weekly and daily progress reports. If your child does not attend the last day of school, you may send a self-addressed stamped envelope to school. The office will mail your child’s report card home.

Recess

Recess is an important part of student growth and social emotional development. 30 minutes of recess is counted as instructional time. During inclement weather, the principal or designee will determine if recess is changed to indoor recess. Temperatures under 32 degrees combined with other factors, such as wind chill, usually warrant an indoor recess.

Seven Bar Website

The Seven Bar website is available for enhanced communication between home and school. Parents have access to class webpages, email addresses for specific teachers, and links to parent resources as well as student games and websites that enhance learning.

SchoolStatus Connect

Your child's teacher will give you information to join the school communication app (SchoolStatus Connect.) Classroom and school information is posted on this app.  It also has a two-way messaging system and teachers will often share photos of your child's school experience with you. 

Students may not bring large and/or expensive toys, electric devices (cell phones, portable media players, game systems, etc.) and/or items that may be harmful to themselves or other students in school. If brought to school, they will be kept in the office. Parents will be called to pick up the items. The school is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged personal items brought to school by students.

Deliveries of flowers, balloons or other personal items are not permitted during the instructional day.

Pets are not allowed at school unless special permission is granted by the principal or teacher. The parent/guardian is responsible for bringing and picking up the pet if the pet is at school for a special reason. Please do not bring your pet onto school grounds when picking up your child from school. This presents a dangerous situation if your pet should accidentally bite someone.

If a pet follows the child to school, the student will be allowed to call home or work to pick up the pet.

If parents or guardians need to pick up a student before the school day is over, please come to office first. We have a sign-out sheet and will check I.D. Please have your driver's license available. We also check the name of the person on your child's release to record.  If the name of the person picking up the child is not listed, we will not release the child to the person without permission of the parent/guardian documented in ParentVue.

Please make sure all persons who pick up your child are updated in ParentVueWe will not check out students after 3:45 as the last 15 minutes of the day is very important for homework instructions, etc. If there is a reason why your child needs to go home with someone other than arranged at home, we require you to fax us the information with your driver’s license or other identification on the fax. We do this as a precaution for your child’s safety. Please make all arrangements for your child prior to coming to school. Messages will be given to children only in the event of an emergency.

The health room staff are committed to maintaining a healthy environment that will enhance the learning and well being of all students at Seven Bar. All students entering an APS school for the first time must present a certificate showing immunization against:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Pertussis
• Polio
• Measles (Rubeola and Rubella)
• Hepatitis B
• Varicella

It is against New Mexico State Law for a student to attend class who is not current on his/her immunizations.

Accidents

Should a student be involved in a serious accident, the school makes every effort to contact a parent immediately. It is extremely important that the health room have current emergency contact information. Office personnel will call 911 only in a situation deemed appropriate by the health office or the principal. Please stress the importance of reporting school-related injuries to the health room.

Illness

In an effort to provide a healthy environment for all students, the health staff treats all students who are ill by

1. taking their temperature,
2. checking symptoms, and
3. administering appropriate care.

If warranted, the health office will contact the parent to pick up the student.

Any student who has experienced a fever, persistent cough, vomiting, and/or diarrhea within 24 hours of the school day needs to be carefully evaluated before coming to school. If your student is not fully recuperated from an injury or illness, please keep your student at home.

Medication

APS policy regarding medication states that no one on the school staff, except the nurse, may administer medication to students. In the absence of the nurse, the Health Assistant supervises the self administration of medication by the student.

Forms signed by the student’s doctor are required for a student to receive any prescription medication, as well as any over the counter medication taken for more than 5 consecutive school days.Students are allowed to have over-the-counter medication available in the health room on an as-needed basis, provided a parent completes the appropriate form and the medication comes to school in the original packaging. These forms are available in the health room. All medications are kept in a locked cabinet in the health room. Students will be allowed to carry inhalers with them, provided the appropriate form has been signed by parent and doctor. Any medication brought to school by a student must be taken to the health room before the start of the school day. Students will not be allowed to keep their medication with them on campus.

Great care is exerted in finding the optimal classroom placement for each child who attends Seven Bar Elementary. Students are placed in classrooms based on classroom balance composition, parent input (using the Learning Styles Survey,) and numbers of students. Interviews, classroom observations, and teacher requests are not granted prior to placement.

Change of Classroom

Students are given a minimum of two weeks to adapt to a new classroom environment before any changes in placement will be considered. After two weeks if placement concerns are still present, the following steps will be initiated:

1. The parent/guardian meets with the classroom teacher to identify concerns, to establish open communication, and to develop a plan to solve or minimize any concerns. The plan must be implemented for a minimum of two weeks.
2. After the plan has been implemented and all cooperative efforts are exhausted, if the parent continues to have concerns, the parent must notify the principal in writing about those concerns and request to set up a meeting (an email will serve this purpose). The principal will arrange a formal conference with the parent and teacher to discuss the previous plan and its outcomes, as well as the continuing concerns. A placement decision will be made at this meeting and a record of the conference kept on file in the office.
3. If a change in placement occurs, the principal will place the student according placement criteria which includes but is not limited to: English language learner support requirements, special education requirements, and other placement criteria for maintaining balanced classrooms. Individual teacher requests are not granted.

Seven Bar has only three lines available for business use, so students are not allowed to use the phone. School personnel will notify parents in case of an emergency or illness. Please refrain from using the phone for incidental messages such as last minute permission requests or personal messages. The office will deliver messages to students with minimum disruption to the classroom instruction.

Parent & Visitor Cell Phone Policy

In order to minimize disruptions to instruction, NO cell phone use is permitted at Seven Bar except in the lobby or office. Please turn your cell phone to vibrate or silent while at school. Students are allowed to have cell phones at school. They must remain in the backpack and turned off during the day, but may be used to contact parents before or after school.

During the school year your child may be individually tested to check academic achievement levels and progress. Individual teachers use different instruments to assess learning. If you or the school feels your child needs extra support to enhance learning, you or the teacher may request a referral to the Student Assistance Team.

The Student Assistance Team (SAT) will discuss interventions to try in the classroom and make recommendations to parents to increase the child’s success in school. Sometimes the Student Assistance Team will recommend testing by a licensed Evaluation Specialist. After a battery of tests, the parent will be contacted for a meeting to discuss the test results and appropriate interventions. If you have questions about this process, please contact the school office.

District & State Assessments

APS uses standardized tests to assess program effectiveness and student achievement. In elementary school, these tests occur in third, fourth, and fifth grades where students are tested using the NM-MSSA. Results from these tests help determine a school’s designation. For more information, please contact one of the Seven Bar administrators.

In order to help us keep track of "safe" adults on campus, parents are not to be on the playground, by the buses, or by the classrooms before and after school. Parents are welcome to wait with their child before school in front of the school or in the lobby.

Visitors are required to make prior arrangements or an appointment to visit the classroom in order to minimize disruptions to the instructional program. If you want a conference with your student's teacher, please make arrangements with your student's teacher to meet before or after school. All visitors and volunteers are expected to adhere to APS policies and code of conduct.

APS district policy requires all visitors to check in with the office. We have a visitor’s sign-in system in the office. Visitors will receive a visitor’s badge to assure our students' safety. If a staff member or student sees a person on campus without a badge, they will be reported to the office.

Parents are welcome to volunteer in the classrooms, chaperone field trips, or occasionally eat lunch with your child in the cafeteria as long as you have an APS background check. New Mexico State Law requires that you have a background check performed prior to having unsupervised contact with a child in the classroom (or in any classroom-related events). Please see the office for more information.

Classroom Observations

In efforts to protect instructional time in the classroom and student confidentiality, observations are not permitted. Exceptions may include observations done by students in certified educational programs. Any requests for observations must be requested directly to the principal for approval.