Handbook

Abbreviated Day

The abbreviated day schedule is a shortened school day that begins TWO HOURS LATER than the regular schedule but ends at the regular time. For Barcelona, the school day will begin at 11:15 a.m. and end at our usual time of 4:00 p.m.

The most common use of the abbreviated day schedule occurs when severe weather causes street conditions that would endanger the safety of students to school and school employees to work. The decision to institute an abbreviated schedule will be made and announced through the news media and on the District’s web site no later than 6:00 AM. Parents may also receive information about an abbreviated day or school cancellation through the School Messenger notification system. Please do not call the school, as we are not notified any earlier than the media.

Cancellation of School

Following the decision to implement an abbreviated schedule, weather conditions occasionally worsen to the point that makes it necessary to close the schools. This announcement will be made no later than 8:00 a.m. All students, parents, and employees are encouraged to listen to the radio or watch television for announcements concerning changes in the school schedule.

Playground supervision begins at 9:00 AM. Children dropped off prior to that time will be unsupervised. Children are not to go to the classrooms before the bell rings at 9:15 AM. Please assist us in making sure that your children are safe by ensuring they do not arrive at school before the playground is supervised at 9:00 AM.

After school is dismissed, children should quickly leave the grounds or report to the appropriate after-school program. Be sure your children know how to get home -- whether walking or riding. All arrangements for getting home should be made before coming to school. Make sure your children understand they should follow through with after-school arrangements. The playground is not supervised after school ends at 4:00 PM. Children who have not been picked up within 15 minutes of dismissal will be asked to go to the office to wait.

On time, daily attendance is mandatory for students to derive maximum benefit from any instructional program. 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.

Barcelona’s Attendance Policy

If your child misses school, it is difficult to do our part instructing him/her. Barcelona’s attendance goal is 95%, which means no more than 10 absences for the ENTIRE school year. On days your student is absent, you must call the school office to excuse the absence.

The Albuquerque Public School District Goal is 95% attendance for all students in each grading period. This means no more than 5 unexcused absences per student, per semester, is acceptable.

The parent/guardian must notify the school each day the student is absent. Absences may be excused for the following reasons, with appropriate documentation: • Doctor, dentist, and psychological appointments with appointment verification • Death in the family • Religious commitment • Illness (please provide doctor’s excuse if a child misses more than three (3) days of school.) • Family emergency (excluding vacations) • Diagnostic testing

You may receive a School Messenger automated attendance call at some point during the school year notifying you that your child is absent. If you have already notified the school, please disregard the message. However, if you have not notified the school of the absence, please call the office to report the absence. Also, if you think this is a mistake, please call the office and our office staff will make the necessary corrections.

Because students are limited to 5 absences per semester, it is expected that guardians will limit student vacations to periods of time when school is not in session. Barcelona’s administrative staff recognizes guardians’ right to take their children out of school for a family vacation. However, absences accrued for family vacations will be recorded as unexcused.

If a guardian has not made contact with the school after several days, a staff member will make a good faith effort to contact the guardian to discover the reason for the student’s absences.

Students with excessive absences may be referred to the Health and Wellness Team for attendance intervention.

Attendance letters will be sent out during the school year. These letters may come from the District based on attendance entered in our office. Our office staff also sends out attendance letters to contact you about our concerns about your child's absence from school and to offer our assistance in overcoming any hardships or barriers to your child's successful participation in school. If you receive a letter and feel that there has been an error, please speak to our Attendance Clerk and provide documentation in order to correct the attendance.

Please refer to the APS Student Behavior Handbook for more details.

Our school is an integral part of our community. We are pleased to offer our facilities for use to community organizations and other groups. In all cases, an APS Building Usage Agreement must be submitted online for approval by the Chief Operations Office and then routed to the school principal for approval.

Our cafeteria offers free breakfast and lunch to all children attending school. We participate in Breakfast Before the Bell. Please see the School Meals page for more information.

We will follow the district policy on Religious Issues and Holiday Practices. In accordance to District policy on the celebration of holidays, please see the Instructional Guidelines regarding Religious Issues and Holiday Practices in the APS Staff Handbook and board approved procedural directives. Holidays can be appropriately studied relative to Common Core State Standards. Classroom parties should not exceed 30 minutes of instructional time. Birthday parties are not permitted. If parents bring in cupcakes or treats, please try to incorporate the treats into the final 30 minutes of the day. If gifts are brought to school for a student, the gift will remain in the office until the end of the day. Birthday party invitations should NOT be disbursed at school.

Current APS policy allows students to have personal electronic devices on campus. These include, but are not limited to cellular phones, music and media players, gaming devices, tablets, laptop computers, and personal digital assistants. However, these devices must be kept out of sight and turned off during school hours unless permission has been given by a member of the school staff. If the device is being used without permission or is interfering with instruction, the device will be confiscated and must be picked up by the student’s parents. Please see the APS Student Acceptable Use of Technology Procedural Directive for more information.

Students who bring an electronic device from home do so at their own risk. If it is lost, no time will be spent during class to find the item.

Please see that your children come to school dressed appropriately. Encourage your children to layer their clothing, as our mornings are usually quite cool and a light sweater or jacket is almost always needed as children wait outside until 9:15 a.m. and play outside during morning recess.

Be aware of your child’s physical education schedule and see that they are appropriately attired for this class. Slacks and canvas shoes are recommended.

The APS Community Clothing Bank partners with Goodwill Industries of New Mexico to make sure students in need have clothes, shoes, undergarments and coats so they can focus on learning. Please contact the school counselor, Crystal Armijo, or the Community Coordinator, Addy Maldonado, for more information.

Our school counselor, Crystal Armijo, is available to the entire school community. Her office is located in the Intermediate Building in room 211. She facilitates classroom lessons on various academic, career, and social/emotional topics in room 213. She invites families to come in for lessons with their children during their classes' designated lesson time (see the Counseling section for the Counseling Program schedule). She also conducts small group counseling sessions in room 212 for extra assistance in developing crucial life skills that lead to academic, personal, and social success. Additionally, she can meet with students individually on a limited basis to help them cope with personal and social challenges and provides referrals when students need more intensive or consistent counseling support. Ms. Armijo leads our school's Health and Wellness Team and is available to consult with parents, staff members, and students. 

Please contact Ms. Armijo at 877-0400 ext. 52009 to schedule an appointment to meet with her.

The Board of Education and Barcelona's community expect student dress and grooming to reflect high standards of personal conduct which promotes a positive, safe and healthy atmosphere within the school. Student dress may not present a health or safety hazard, violate municipal or state law, or present a potential for disruption to the instructional program. Attire and accessories which advertise, display or promote any drug, including alcohol or tobacco, sexual activity, violence, gang affiliation, disrespect and/or bigotry toward any group are not acceptable.

To ensure student safety, children leaving school prior to the end of the day must be signed out through the main office.

The office staff will call your child up to the office to meet you so that we can make sure s/he leaves with you. Teachers will not be allowed to release children directly from the classroom.

We ask you to adhere to this policy so we may verify the identity and authorization of those persons picking up children before school ends.

In the event we need to send children home unexpectedly prior to the end of the school day, we will follow the instructions you provided us when you completed the Emergency Dismissal Form. It is crucial that you keep the information on this form current (including changes in day care arrangements and list of people who are allowed to pick up your child) and that we have your current home, work, cell, and emergency contact numbers.

If we send children home early, you will not have enough time to make contingency plans. Please make plans now so your children understand your expectations during an emergency.

Please remind your children to come to the office for assistance any time they are frightened, confused, or need to contact you to confirm after-school plans.

Field trips allow students to learn about the world first-hand, outside the boundaries of the classroom. Teachers will send home a permission slip for parents to read and sign. APS policy prohibits student participation on field trips unless the child has returned the APS-approved field trip form, which has been signed by a parent or guardian.

The Health Office is staffed by a Registered Nurse and a Health Assistant. The professional nurse assists the students by assessment, referral, identification of health problems, health management and teaching. The Health Assistant is trained in First Aide and CPR.

In the event of student illness or injury, the School Nurse, Health Assistant, or other person designated by the principal will provide first aide. First aide guidelines in the NM School Health Manual will be followed. Parents will be contacted immediately when a child needs to be sent home due to illness or injury.

If a student needs emergency care and a parent or guardian cannot be reached, the child will be transported to a hospital for medical attention. Please be sure that the Health Office has current work, home, and cell numbers so that contact can be readily made.

APS Medication Policy

Albuquerque Public Schools has a Procedural Directive and Medication Policy that all School Nurses and Health Assistants must follow:

• Students who take medication at school need to have a physician’s order for their medication on file in the Health Office.
• The medication label cannot be used in place of a physician’s written order.
• Students who take over-the-counter medications while at school must have a parent authorization form on file in the Health Office.
• Students carrying any medication should only bring to school the dose necessary for that school day. It should be in the prescription or original bottle. At no time will a student be allowed to carry a medication classified as a controlled substance (ex: Ritalin, Adderall, or Tylenol with Codeine).

If your child needs medication for any reason during the school day, please contact the Health Office for information regarding the complete APS Medication Policy.

Per NM State Immunization Law, your child will not be permitted to enroll or continue enrollment unless immunizations are complete and verification is presented to the School Nurse. Parents who object to immunizing their child must complete a Certificate of Exemption from Immunization requirements form, send it to the NM Immunization Program, then return an approved copy to the school. This must be renewed yearly. For information on required vaccines or to download an exemption form, please visit the New Mexico Department of Health website or contact the School Nurse.

Every school in APS is required to have an Instructional Council (IC). This council coordinates all school instructional activities, through the development of instructional strategies and the coordination of goal and grade-level team activities.

The Barcelona Elementary Instructional Council encourages parents and guardians to participate in the IC by attending meetings, submitting questions or concerns to our IC Chair and administrator, or becoming our official parent member. Visit the Leadership Team section of our website for more information.

APS and Barcelona provide technology resources to students for educational purposes. The goal in providing these resources is to promote educational excellence by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication with the support and supervision of parents, teachers, and support staff. Internet use will have an educational focus and be supervised by an adult at all times.

With internet access also comes the availability of materials that may not be considered of educational value in the context of the school setting. APS and Barcelona have made a good faith effort to restrict access to controversial materials. However, on a global network it is impossible to control access to all materials, and an industrious user may discover controversial information. We firmly believe that the valuable information and interaction available on the internet far outweigh the possibility that users may procure material that is not consistent with the District’s and school’s educational goals.

The use of these technology resources is an educational right; with this right come responsibilities and consequences for not meeting those responsibilities. Users should be aware that their activities are visible and can be tracked. Inappropriate use of the Internet will result in a cancellation of access. The principal, teacher, and members of the Barcelona Technology Team will deem what is inappropriate use and their decision is final. Also, the principal, teacher, and Technology Team may deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts.

Misuse includes, but is not limited to: abusive language, software piracy (illegal use of software); copyright violation, or otherwise using another person’s intellectual property without their prior approval or proper citation; unauthorized use of network; interfering with or disrupting other users, services, or equipment; attempts to learn or use the password of others; accessing another person’s materials, information or files without the permission of that person; destruction or alteration of files or data belonging to other users; and accessing inappropriate areas on the internet such as pornography, sites unrelated to class assignments, chat rooms, or downloading or playing videos or audio clips.

Ultimately, parents and guardians of minors are responsible for setting and conveying the standards that their children should follow when using media and information sources. It is impossible for APS to restrict access to all controversial materials. The District is not responsible for restricting, monitoring, or controlling the communications of individuals utilizing the network, however we reserve the right to do so. Access to commercial email accounts (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) by students using APS equipment/resources is permitted but still governed by this policy.

The Barcelona Library is open during school hours on the days our librarian is on campus. The number of books that may be borrowed and times they may be renewed are dependent upon grade level, if books are required for assignments, and whether the student has a good record of returning books. We suggest that students keep their library books in a safe place, handle them carefully, and accept responsibility for returning them in as good condition as when they borrowed them. Parents and children are responsible for lost or damaged books.

The Lost and Found is located in the cafeteria by the Staff Lounge. Smaller, more expensive items are kept in the Main Office. Please have your children check these locations for lost items. At the end of each month, we remove all items and donate them to the Clothing Bank or charitable organizations.

Please write your child’s name on all personal items. Identifying all your child’s belongings with a name will help us return items to owners. The school is not responsible for lost, stolen, torn, or broken items.

Vision

"Honoring our past. Sowing the seeds of dedicated learners. Blooming tomorrow's successful leaders."

Mission

"We, the Barcelona Staff, are committed to supporting the needs of all school community stakeholders, to continually improve classroom instruction, and to increase student achievement.”

We urge and welcome your participation in your child’s education. If you wish to visit your child’s classroom, please make arrangements with your child’s teacher and the administrator. We ask that you do not engage your child’s teacher in a conversation during class time, including teacher preparation time. Please do not bring younger siblings to school. Check with your child’s teacher or the office staff if you wish to volunteer. We are always in need of assistance! Note that every parent and visitor must always report to the main office to sign in and get a visitor’s badge before going to any classroom or activity on campus. This serves two purposes.

1. The badge identifies you as a registered, “sanctioned,” visitor. 2. We calculate yearly volunteer hours for public relations’ purposes.

As a courtesy, make arrangements (via a note, phone call, or email) with teachers in advance if you wish to help in the classroom. Parents may leave messages with the office staff for teachers to return phone calls.

Parental Support and Participation

Your assistance in encouraging your child to complete all homework assignments and projects is necessary. When asked by the teacher, please review your child's homework. Attending scheduled parent-teacher conferences is expected. We are here to provide a quality education for your child and your support/participation is a valuable link to your child's academic success. Your child's teacher will work with your child to make sure he/she fulfills his/her academic and developmental potential, but the teacher needs your support as well. Working together is the key to your child's success.

Stay involved and informed by joining our ClassDojo and regularly communicating with your child's teacher!

Parent Conferences are held once in the Fall Semester and once in the Spring Semester. Conferences for this year are noted on the APS calendar. Teachers will meet with parents to discuss students’ grades, progress, growth, and needs.

Teachers often schedule parent conferences at other times throughout the year to discuss individual student’s needs and progress. Likewise, parents/guardians are welcome to schedule parent-teacher conferences to discuss concerns that may arise throughout the school year. Maintaining regular lines of communication will undoubtedly improve student performance and nip any problems before they become prominent.

Guardians should not interrupt instructional time by dropping by the classroom unexpectedly to discuss a concern. They should schedule an appointment if they wish to have a lengthy conference to discuss their student’s needs and progress.

We ask that you do not bring animals on campus at any time. Some children are afraid or allergic to animals. Please do not put yourself in a possible litigious situation by bringing an unauthorized pet on campus. If necessary, we will call the Animal Control Center to remove animals from the playground. If your child wants to bring a pet for sharing, special arrangements can be made with the teacher in order to assure that APS guidelines are followed.

All children will be given two recess periods a day, in the morning and afternoon. (Some playground time is also included in the student lunch period.) Research indicates that students perform better academically with regularly scheduled, unstructured physical activity.

All students will be expected to go outside for recess unless we have a note from you or the doctor specifically requesting that the child remain inside. Occasionally we will cancel outside recess periods because of harsh weather conditions. This happens very infrequently and children will be expected to go outside at all other times. Please make sure that your children wear coats and warm clothing to school so they may enjoy playing outdoors.

Expectations for ALL Recesses:

• You must follow all the expectations that were explained by our teachers at the beginning of the school year about safe use of playground equipment.
• You may NOT go on the sidewalk or into the street.
• You may NOT go near the openings to the sidewalks and streets.
• You may NOT play around the portables.
• You may NOT play in the Breezeway or do flips on handrails over concrete.
• You may NOT climb the trees.
• You may NOT go outside the supervised playground area (e.g., hallways, bathrooms, classrooms) without permission from a staff member on duty. If you need to go to the nurse's office, the bathroom, the library, or anywhere outside of the playground area, you must ask a staff member on duty for permission.

The Barcelona community recognizes the rich cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity of our students and families. As a community, we strive to broaden our knowledge of each others’ heritage and to display sensitivity toward one another.

Barcelona abides by the APS Procedural Directives and School Board Policy in regard to religious and holiday practices. We do not aim to promote or prohibit any religion or absence of religion. With community involvement, we will teach our children to have respect and acceptance for one another.

Guidelines

• No child shall be expected to participate in activities that violate his/her personal convictions or those of the child’s parents. A relevant alternative must be provided for the child who cannot participate in a classroom activity.
• Religion is an appropriate topic of classroom discussion. Classroom activities may focus on the origin, history, and meaning of religions and/or religion’s relationship to history, art, music, literature, etc.
• Classroom activities should address curricular objectives and learning outcomes. The school’s approach to religious holidays should be academic, not devotional or celebratory.
• When a particular symbol has both a cultural and religious significance, it should be considered a religious symbol and dealt with according to APS School Board Policy. It will be the school staff’s responsibility to assure that these policies are adhered to by any guests or parents in the classroom.

Any Barcelona community member who feels that the above guidelines have not been met is urged to discuss the situation with the classroom teacher and/or principal. If further action is needed, a written comment should be sent to the Instructional Council (IC), the body ratified by the school community, to address instructional community concerns.

School begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. each day.

School Messenger is a district-wide communication system which uses e-mails and phone messages to keep teachers and administrators in contact with parents of students. School Messenger can be used for both non-emergency and emergency situations. Reminder announcements regarding Parent Teacher Conferences, holidays, professional development days, or special events can be sent to your preferred phone number or email address. While we hope we don’t have to utilize the emergency notification component, it would allow the school to inform parents about the nature of a situation, give instructions, and keep you informed as to what you can do to help.

School Messenger and Attendance

On a day-to-day basis, parents will receive a phone call or text message every time their child is late or absent. Please continue to notify the school of absences before 8:25 a.m., if possible. Phone calls or texts from School Messenger will start at approximately 8:45 a.m. for morning absences. The amount of time it takes the ‘human element’ to retrieve the messages from the school’s attendance line each day, check in students who arrive late, and then record this information into the APS information system can vary from day to day. Your patience will be greatly appreciated on the days when children’s needs come first and we are not able to enter all calls by 8:45 a.m. By the same token, if you are unable to call by 8:25 a.m., we will continue to update the system throughout the day to record your call as quickly as possible. Keeping your preferred phone number current will assist in timely communication. Please understand that School Messenger is not optional and is district wide.

The Barcelona community says the following school pledge daily to promote positive school behaviors, good citizenship, and a commitment to education and achievement:

We the staff and students of Barcelona Elementary,
Pledge to uphold the Six Pillars of Character Counts!
We promise to be Trustworthy, Respectful, Responsible,
Fair, Caring, and model Citizens.
We will uphold these virtues and make wise decisions
At home, at school, and in our community.
These qualities will make us terrific people.
Honoring our past.
Sowing the seeds of dedicated learners.
Blooming tomorrow's successful leaders!

Every grade has a supply list that you should have received at registration or through the school website. During the remainder of the school year, the teachers will let you know what supplies, if any, will be needed. If you are unable to purchase school supplies, please contact the school counselor, Crystal Armijo, or the Community Coordinator, Addy Maldonado. We will assist you in getting supplies.

With only a few lines coming into Barcelona, we try to keep the phones open for school business and emergencies. You can help us by making all transportation, child care, and recreation arrangements before you send your child to school. Please discourage your children from using the office phones to call you regarding after-school arrangements. We want to be considerate of our hard-working office staff who are taking care of the entire school.

Students who bring a toy or electronic device from home do so at their own risk. If it is lost, no time will be spent during class to find the item. This includes balls and other items which are tossed on the roof. If a member of the staff feels that the toy is interfering with the safety of students or with instruction, the toy will be confiscated and must be picked up by the student’s parents/guardians.

School is in session from August 3, 2023, until at least May 31, 2024. The school calendar is planned to avoid conflicts with religious holidays. In the event of an unforeseen conflict, students will be given an excused absence to observe a religious holiday. Please call the school at (505) 877-0400 so that we may note this excused absence.

Every parent and visitor must always report to the main office to sign in and get a visitor’s badge before going to any classroom or activity on campus.

Student visitors must make arrangements in advance. A Student Visitor Permission Form must be signed by parents as well as the sponsoring teacher and the principal prior to the visitation day.

Student visitors (from another APS school) may be permitted to remain on the school campus at the discretion of the principal. No student who is currently suspended from another school and/or who has been the cause of a disruption in any school shall be allowed to remain on campus.

Because of the potential for disruption to the instructional process and to minimize the risk of injury and liability, children who are not enrolled in an APS school or program are not permitted on campus or on field trips unless they are visiting under the immediate supervision of their parent or guardian. Students may not bring children or siblings who are not enrolled in a program at the school to school or on field trips as visitors or to “babysit.” Employees may not bring their own children to work at school or other district facilities during the duty day without prior authorization from their principal or manager.

If you wish to withdraw your child from Barcelona, please notify the main office at least two days prior to the move. You will need to personally come to school to withdraw your student. Before records can be released, library books must be returned or library fees paid.