Thunderbird Update
"Where all Thunderbirds Thrive"
Week of July 22-26
Thunderbird Families,
Welcome to SY 24-25! We have been busy getting our building ready and we are excited for the privilege to serve your children this year. We believe Zia is a place where all of our students can Dream, Believe, Achieve, and Thrive!!! Middle School is a great time of transition, whether you are a 6th, 7th, or 8th grader. The greatest gift we can give our kids is a partnership to support their development through all the ups and downs of this time in their lives. You may notice your kids are extremely tired or a little moody as we settle into the first couple of weeks. Some kids take a month or more to adjust to school routines. We know they are resilient and we will work through the changes together. Please stay in communication with our staff so we can support your kiddos!
Parent Drop off and Pick-up
- School Hours are from 8:55am-3:55pm
- Parents will drop off and pick up students in the parent drop off area on the East side of the school.
- East side gate opens at 8:00am. Students will report straight to the cafeteria.
- Please no drop-offs before 8:00am, as there is no supervision and we want all our students to be safely monitored.
- Please no check outs after 3:30pm as it is extremely disruptive to classrooms and office end of day responsibilities.
Some structures that are the same this year:
- We are a no cell phone and earbud school. Students will turn them off and in backpacks from the start of day to end of day. This is not negotiable.
- School announcements will be in English and Spanish.
- We will have separate grade level lunches.
- No Door Dash or Uber Eats deliveries will be accepted for students.
- No pajamas, slippers, blankets, or stuffed animals.
Some changes to our school this year:
- No schedule changes will be made.
- We are one of 5 schools in New Mexico selected to be a Model Disciplined Literacy School. With $50,000 in funding we will be able to fund Lexia PowerUp Reading Intervention, receive on-site coaching by a qualified literacy coach, and participate in extensive professional learning as a staff. We believe all teachers are responsible for the teaching of reading and will work together to implement strategies in all classrooms that reflect that belief. You will see some common writing, annotating, and note taking expectations campus-wide so students have clarity.
- Mrs. Avelar will facilitate a beginning teacher support group so we not only recruit the best, we will retain them in our community!
- There will be two periods of advisory this year on Tuesday and Thursday (instead of one). This gives us time for progress monitoring and academic intervention.
- Karen's Closet II is now available for student use! This space has clothing, period products and hygiene essentials for all students to access based on any need.
- Bathroom/Water break passes: Students will receive a card that allows three breaks per class, per quarter. This is to encourage mindful use of regular break times and reservation of extra breaks only when necessary.
- 6th grade PE will dress out, so will need grey t-shirts and a combination lock. It is time to bring back a practice that was long lost in Covid.
New to the Zia Staff
- Kimberly Davis-Low Incidence SPED
- Laura Carrion-Gifted/Yearbook/Drama
- Janet Infante- Bilingual Education Assistant
- Dahlia Perez-English Language Arts
- Luis Salais-PE
- Ken Tanuz-Mariachi
- Stephanie Taylor- Assistant Principal
- Jessica Wedekind-Gifted/Social Studies
As you all know it is blistering hot and we have not escaped late afternoon monsoonal weather. Please send your kiddo to school with a water bottle.
Go Thunderbirds!
Sincerely,
Tisha Apodaca
Principal
Zia Middle School Shelter in Place Dismissal
In the event of a weather-related or other incident at the end of the school day that leads to us being in a shelter in place, the procedure below will be followed. Please note that only Parents/Guardians or Emergency Contacts listed in Synergy have authority to pick up students.
Shelter in Place Dismissal:
Your student(s) will remain safe in the classrooms.2
Parents/Guardians or Emergency Contacts who come to pick up their student(s) will be directed to enter the building using the EAST side Library door located near the south end of the parent drop off parking lot.
Parents/Guardians or Emergency Contacts will proceed to Library circulation desk where staff will check credentials and retrieve student location information.
Please make sure to have your identification/driver’s license ready.
Student(s) names and location will be written on the release ticket and given to Parents/Guardians or Emergency Contacts.
Parents/Guardians or Emergency Contacts will proceed to the classroom to pick up their student(s).
Staff will be available to direct Parents/Guardians or Emergency Contacts to appropriate classrooms.
Parents/Guardians or Emergency Contacts and student(s) will exit out the northeast gate for the east parking lot or the southwest gate for the west parking lot.
Note: Buses will run after the shelter in place has been lifted. Once the shelter in place has been lifted, any student remaining will be released to head home via their normal transportation method.
Progress Reports
Progress reports will be printed and sent home through advisory every other Tuesday. They are due with PARENT/GUARDIAN signature by Thursday. Please see exact dates below.
August- 8/6, 8/20
September- 9/3, 9/17
October- 10/15, 10/29
November- 11/19
December- 12/10
January- 1/21
February- 2/4, 2/25
March- 3/25
April- 4/8, 4/22
May- 5/6, 5/20
Zia Bell Schedule
Course, Attendance, & Behavior Expectations
Zia expectations will be coming home with students this week. Please review with your student, sign, and return. This will help us work together as a team to ensure our students have a safe, productive learning environment each day.