WELCOME TOPPER PARENTS
Don’t Just Be A Bystander, Help Keep Our School Safe!
Two Ways to Report: Call: (505) 663-2570 • E-mail: lahshelp@laschools.net
Dear Hilltopper Students and Families,
The governor has released new public health orders that are attached here. The orders require all New Mexicans 2 years and older to wear masks indoors. In LAPS public schools, we already have this requirement in place. Everyone should wear a mask indoors at all LAPS facilities. The change is that this new order includes indoor sports. All athletes must now wear a mask while indoors even during competition. No one has to wear a mask outdoors.
All LAPS staff who are not vaccinated will have mandatory weekly surveillance testing. Parents can find information on testing at https://cv.nmhealth.org/
If you are interested in getting a covid vaccine for yourself or your child 12 and older, UNM-LA will host a walk-in vaccine clinic on Wednesday, August 18 from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm 1183 Diamond Drive, Suite D. They will have Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines available. This is open to anyone who is 12 years or older. Children under 18 must have parent/guardian consent. You can also schedule an appointment at https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.
I realize that everyone will have different reactions to this news. Please understand that we will have changes throughout the year as the community situation with the virus changes. I appreciate your patience and kindness with each other and diverse opinions. LAPS is committed to continue to work to keep staff and students safely in school and learning. I am always happy to answer any questions or talk about your concerns. You can also reach out to me or the school nurse.
Important Links
School Song: Our Alma Mater, Praises now we sing.
From mountains, high will come our spirit bold. Soon we will dream of golden days gone by; our love will never fade for L. A. HIGH and when we leave our dear old hilltop high, oh, let us cheer for all the green and gold. We’re stronger than giants; we’ll march to victory. With such an alliance for L. A. HIGH
Fight Song: Go, Toppers go, or the green and the gold. On down, the field, may our battle cry be bold. Fight, fight to win. May our Victory begin! Go, Toppers go. And we’ll win, win, win!
Teacher’s Office Hours: Throughout the year teachers hold office hours in their classrooms from 2:40 to 3:10 p.m. to assist students with make-up work and homework problems.
Checking Students Out of School: If arrangements have not been made in advance with attendance to pick up a student from school, the parent or guardian must come into the school and have a driver’s license or a picture ID that verifies his or her identity as a custodial parent in order to check the student out of school.
Drop-Off & Pick-Up of Students: In order to increase student safety and to reduce the risk of accidents, students and parents will not be able to enter the Smith parking lot from Diamond Drive from 7:30 am to 7:45 am, as it is reserved for school buses. Students should use the entrance off Orange Street. We recommend parents to drop their students off the Sullivan Field parking lot. Please do not drop students off at the faculty parking lot behind the Auxiliary Gym or its access drive off Canyon Road
LAPS uses the School Messenger system to notify parents for reasons that impact safety and academic performance of students.
Once your child is enrolled at LAPS, you will be automatically enrolled to receive email notifications from School Messenger. LAPS highly recommends that parents also sign up for text messaging so that they may receive important announcements via text, such as emergency notifications. To sign up for text messaging, please follow these instructions in English or Spanish.
If you have a student in one of our schools, please ensure that your school contact information and emergency contact information is up-to-date.
If you need to make a change to your contact information, please call or visit your school office.
- Learn about Parent Controls
- Understand Usage/Sites
- How to use tools to promote digital citizenship
- How to receive Parent Google Classroom updates
- Understanding student Google Classroom Gradebook
- Understanding student View Assignments (missing assignments or zero assignments)
- Learn how to identify signs, signals and threats of someone in crisis
- Three ways to report
- How reports are triaged and referred to police and school administration
Click here to view.
Absences must be excused before 10 a.m., but no later than 24 hours following the absence.
TO EXCUSE AN ABSENCE:
• Call the LAHS Absence Line – 663-2511 or
• Email the Attendance Office – lahsattendance@laschools.net or
• Take a parent/guardian note to the Attendance Office or
• Take a medical/dental slip to the Attendance Office
Remember to include:
• the student’s full name
• parent/guardian’s name
• daytime phone number
• reason for absence
• date and time of absence
Long Term Absence Request Form
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How do I get out of class for a medical/dental appointment?
Before the appointment, get a slip from the Attendance Office and give it to your teacher. When you return to school, stop by the Attendance Office to drop off your medical/dental slip and get a slip to return to class.
PowerSchool shows an absence for me, but I was in class. What should I do to clear this absence?
Speak to your teacher and if an error was made, ask them to notify the Attendance Office.
My parent/guardian needs to get me out of class immediately because of an emergency. What does he/she need to do?
Your parent/guardian must come in person to the Main Office and bring their driver’s licenses. Your student will be brought to the Main Office.
How long does my parent/guardian have to excuse an absence?
Your parent/guardian has until 3 p.m. the following day to excuse your absence.
My parent/guardian is taking me on an extended trip (more than two days). What do I need to do beforehand?
At least five days before the proposed trip, print the Student Travel Request (link) or get a copy from the Attendance Office. Have each of your teachers and your parent/guardian sign the form. Take the form to the Main Office for review by the Principal.
Why does my parent/guardian receive absence/tardy emails from the Attendance Office that do not specify to which student and which period the email refers?
Because of the number of students at our school, a generic email is generated from a PowerSchool report of all absences and tardies. The parent/guardian may check the specifics of the absence/tardy on PowerSchool.
Where do parents/guardians and students get their user name and password for PowerSchool?
Parents/Guardians may obtain their PowerSchool access information by calling 663-2519. Students may obtain their access codes at the Data Specialist’s Office in the Counseling area.
TFA/LAHS Bell Schedules
Daily Schedule
7:50 ‐ 9:25 Period 1 A/B
9:35 – 11:15 Period 2 A/B
11:15 – 11:50 Lunch
12:00 – 1:35 Period 3 A/B
1:45 – 2:35 Period 4
2:40 – 3:10 Academic Time
7 Period Schedule
Used after a cancellation or sometimes before finals.
- Period 1A: 7:50 – 8:38
- Period 1B: 8:44 – 9:32
- Period 2A: 9:38 – 10:26
- Period 2B: 10:32 – 11:20
- Lunch: 11:20 – 12:00
- Period 3A: 12:00 – 12:48
- Period 3B: 12:54 – 1:42
- Period 4: 1:48 – 2:35
- Academic Time: 2:40 – 3:10
Homecoming Assembly Bell Schedule
1 7:50 – 8:55
2 9:02 – 10:02
3 10:09 – 11:14
4 11:21 – 12:00
A 12:10 – 12:50
Notes:
- 7 minute passing periods
- 4th per teachers are to escort their classes as a group to the gym following a route that they describe to their students before releasing.
- Teachers with 4th period prep are asked to monitor students heading to gym to make sure all students head to the gym.
- All teachers and staff are to monitor students in the gym.
- Students are released for the day from the assembly at 12:50. School Busses Leave at 1:00 PM
- No lunch will be served after the assembly.
- No Academic Time
- Homecoming Parade Begins 2:30 PM. Staging on floats begins at 1:30 PM.
- Staff work day ends: 3:10 PM.
- Staff attending the parade do not need to take leave.
Textbooks at LAHS are issued through the book depository.
Textbooks are the property of the State of New Mexico. Books are on loan to students for their use. Any lost, stolen, or damaged books are the responsibility of the student to whom the texts were issued. Students must report stolen textbooks to school security and file a report. Books will be reissued. A school ID is required to check out any textbook. Fines will be assessed at the end of the year for damaged or lost books.
Book Depository Hours
A Days: 7:40- 11:30am/ 1:35 – 3:00 pm
Closed 3A
B Days: 7:40- 11:30am/ 1:35 – 3:00 pm
Closed 3B
TBC phone number: 663-2559
Contact: b.baker@laschools.net with any questions
GENERAL BEHAVIOR
By nature of being enrolled as a student at LAHS, you agree to accept and follow all school board and LAHS policies as stated in the Code of Conduct.
All students are expected to behave in a manner appropriate to a high school age student while on campus and/or while participating in any school sponsored activities. Students are expected to carefully consider their choices and to be prepared to accept the consequences of their decisions. Students are expected to:
– Attend every class on time.
– Complete the work given on time.
– Be respectful and expect the same from others both in and outside the classroom.
Students are expected to behave in an appropriate manner that does not interfere with the rights of others, does not interfere with the educational process, and does not create an unsafe environment. These include, but are not limited to, the following prohibited acts:
– Congregating in the halls and disrupting the flow of traffic during passing periods;
– Actions (verbal or written) that threaten the safety or well-being of students and staff (e.g., expressions of violence, verbal or physical assault, et. al.);
– Bullying, intimidation and/or harassment;
– Refusal to cooperate with school personnel;
– Refusal to adhere to the Dress Code;
– Refusal to adhere to the Electronic Signaling Devices Policy;
– Refusal to identify one’s self;
– Falsely identifying one’s self when asked for name from school personnel (including but not limited to attendance call-in either for calling in to excused one’s self or another person for an absence);
– Failure to carry a school issued identification card;
– Obscenity, profanity, libel, slander and “Fighting” words or symbols;
– Sexual harassment;
– Participating in initiations and/or hazing;
– Presence in hallways or on campus during unsupervised periods;
– Leaving the room without having the teacher write his/her initials and the time in the agenda book on the day/date student leaves the room for a bathroom pass, getting materials, etc.;
– Recording or filming anything on campus without permission by certified staff and/or administration;
– Selling for personal profit, including but not limited to cigarettes, sodas, burritos, jewelry, etc.;
– Gambling;
– Defacing, graffiti, and/or vandalism to school property including the use of shoe polish, paint, markers, etc.;
– Criminal damage to property, criminal trespass, and criminal libel;
– Extortion;
– Larceny, robbery, burglary, or theft;
– Leaving campus during a scheduled class time without parental permission;
– Interfering with the educational process;
– Pulling of false alarms;
– Calling in to excuse one’s self or another person for an absence;
– Forging a signature;
– Snowball throwing or tossing;
– Skateboarding/rollerblading, scooters, roller skating shoes, and/or bicycle or unicycle riding on campus;
– Using laser/pointer pens;
– Failure to use the overpass.
Disruption of the Educational Process or any act of misconduct shall be subject to the discretionary action by appropriate school personnel. Consequences for violation of a prohibited act may include but are not limited to any of the following: a verbal warning, loss of access to a particular area or to certain activities or a class, an out-of-school suspension, lunch detention, clean-up, restitution and/or a fine. In situations involving a violation of municipal, state or federal statute, police will be notified and a report will be filed.
Two or more of the same violations of the code of conduct may result in a suspension to a long term suspension (LTS) or expulsion hearing.
ANY of the above infractions that occur during the last two weeks of school may have consequences that are completed during the following school year.
NOTE: The following prohibited acts are considered “non-negotiable” and WILL result in an out-of-school suspension, which MAY lead to a hearing with the superintendent, and MAY result in an out-of-school long term suspension (LTS) or expulsion. In situations involving a violation of municipal, state or federal statute, police will be notified and a report will be filed.
– Verbal or physical abuse of staff;
– Fighting, assault, and/or battery;
– Gang activity or activities;
– Use / possession of alcohol and/or drugs and drug look-alikes, and/or drug paraphernalia;
– Use / possession of weapons or any item or device that may be used as a weapon;
– Bomb threats and other acts of violence, including but not limited to gangs, hate groups, et.al.
– Promoting, initiating, or encouraging behavior in others that may result in physical, emotional, or social harm.
– Repeated inappropriate behavior for which consequences have not deterred.
Click here to access the 2021-2022 school supply lists.
¿HABLA ESPAÑOL?
Estoy a su disposición si tiene alguna duda, problema o necesita cualquier información relacionada con la escuela.
Patricia Burnside p.burnside@laschools.net