Panda Assessment Week

March 23-27; Tuesday 3/24 10th Grade Virtual Day, Wednesday 3/25 9th Grade Virtual Day, Spring Break March 30-April 3.

Parents, this week is Panda Assessment Week. Please have your student come prepared by wearing comfortable clothing for movement and bringing a water bottle and a towel or yoga mat. Students perform their best when they have a good night’s rest and eat breakfast. Please help your student to be on time to school and encourage them to eat breakfast at home or at school.Students will participate in mindfulness activities, state testing, and registration-related experiences such as college and career exploration. Middle school students will complete Individual Learning Plans (ILPs), and high school students will complete Next Step Plans. Some students will attend staged readings by the High School Theatre Thespian Troupe, and high school students will also participate in a workshop with Enlace focused on healthy relationships and dating violence prevention.  All of these activities are required. They are designed to build community, provide meaningful learning experiences outside of the typical class period, and support students in performing their best on state assessments. Participation in state testing is required for state and federal compliance and funding. At PAPA, we also use this data to identify skills and target interventions at each grade level.

Please note: once a student begins a testing session, they will not be pulled out. If your child has a medical appointment that cannot be rescheduled, you will need to pick them up before testing begins.

Testing schedule:

Tuesday & Wednesday: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Thursday (8th grade only): 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Thank you for your partnership in supporting these important requirements.

AUDITIONS – Advanced Dance Classes – next year

Auditions will take place on Friday, March 27, 2026, in the Cafe. Please see the dance teachers to receive an audition pass.

8:30 am – 9:15 am Hip-Hop

9:30 am- 10:00 am Contemporary

10:15 am – 10:45 am Flamenco

11:00 am – 11:30 am Jazz

APPLICATION PROCESS

Each applicant will be required to learn and perform a short movement combination.

A PAPA Dance Faculty will score the audition. The application for Advanced Dance Classes can be found on the High School and Middle School Google Classrooms. Teachers, if a student is not in good standing in your class, or if they cannot miss the material you are presenting, please feel free to deny them from attending the audition, and they can work out an alternative audition.

Capital Outlay Appropriations – Good News!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to make a quick announcement to say that four of our PAPA students went to our state capital to represent our school to advocate for money for improvements to our space and to create a performing arts center.  I want to share that through our advocacy, we were able to raise  $275,000 in Capital Outlay Appropriations! We worked really hard, and we’re super happy that we were able to help our school. We still have a lot of work to do to get a whole performing arts center, but this REALLY helps!  I also want to say congratulations to the other three students who went with me. The four students include Laney Winchester, Lukas Boulom, Damian Mitchell, and Adele Jee.  It was a really cool experience, and I’m so glad we got to do it together. Thank you to everyone who participated in making our school better.

Final Exam Schedule and end of school events:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10t7Ol6EJ3Bxczy06Y6CV-6BUg-F2Adzk0v8_v_R747o/edit?usp=sharing

Senior Locker Strip (new this year)

This is a way to celebrate your senior’s final month at PAPA. PAPA provides the template for the locker strip at no cost; families purchase decorations and magnets. The template fits PAPA lockers, and decorations must stay within the template border. If a student does not have a locker, we will assign an empty locker for the strip.  We will have a Locker Strip Installation Day where families can escort their student and watch them hang their strip, with the option to pay and eat at the Spring Family Luncheon on April 9th. Strips can be removed by the student on senior check-out day, May 5, 2026.

Spring Family Cookout

Parents and Guardians, you are invited to come have lunch with your PAPA student on April 9th during their regular lunch time (A lunch 11:40 and B lunch 12:40). You must RSVP and pay $5/meal by April 6th so we can have enough food for you. Here is the link to RSVP https://forms.gle/kLdTZqAZwQiAUMmE8 Payment link https://www.paparts.org/make-a-payment-here/ We will be grilling either hamburgers or hot dogs for the day. We will update the menu shortly.

Accessibility

It’s important to keep our bathrooms clean and free of inhalants. Accessibility stalls are there for physical and mental impairments and for those who need a little extra support. Some disabilities or impairments are visible, while others are invisible. Even if it seems like someone doesn’t need the stall, your judgment shouldn’t determine their usage. Vaping or taking up the stall, if you don’t need it, is unfair to those who do. The chemicals released from nicotine products cause secondhand smoke exposure. This exposure is especially damaging to individuals with invisible disabilities like asthma or lung disease. It also removes individual choice for students to live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. Your choices impact others around you. Thank you for helping create a healthy space and considering other people’s needs.

Dayana Diaz Award Nominations

We are now accepting nominations for the Dayana Diaz Award. To nominate, please submit the application to Ms. Lopez either in person or by email.  Staff, students, or community members can nominate students for this award.  A  committee assigned by the administration will determine the award recipients.  In addition to serving as a student ambassador in at least one PAPA  event during the school year, the recipient of this award must be a student in good academic and behavioral standing (academic standing based on New Mexico  Activity Association guidelines and behavioral standing with no discipline referrals during the current year).  It will be presented to a student or students who consistently demonstrate qualities of compassion for school peers and members of the greater community.   The recipient(s) must have provided unpaid service during the current school year for at least (2) two organizations not affiliated with the school.  Community service is not limited to performing arts, although it is highly encouraged.   Award recipient(s) must also attend at least one community-based workshop, conference, or event promoting social justice, diversity, safety, non-violence, or healthy habits. Applications are due April 10, 2026. Link to application: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12bg3Teq7KoozgWMOx-Kf2NdGZ60RPdxtwW2GPGF_32Q/edit?usp=sharing

PAPA School Calendar 2026/27

The Governing Council has approved a calendar for next year. Please review: https://www.paparts.org/papa_uploads/2026/01/PAPA-Calendar-26.27.pdf

Teacher Grading

Parents, please be on the lookout for updates from teachers that review weekly educational plans, the week at a glance. Teachers will be putting at least 2 grades in the gradebook each week. Please check PowerSchool for updates in grades weekly. If you need help logging in to your PowerSchool account, email or call our Registrar, Mrs. Lucero; llucero@paparts.org.

Teacher Emails

When emailing staff, please use the .org email address. Staff emails are first name initial, last name @paparts.org. The .net emails are for students and Google Classroom only. If you need any help or assistance, contact the front office or email info@paparts.org.

Drop Off/Pick Up

This is a reminder that students may not be dropped off or enter the building before 7:30 a.m. per our Student Handbook. This expectation is essential to ensuring student safety on campus, as there is no supervision before 7:30 a.m.  The building will remain locked until 7:30 a.m. Students arriving early will need to wait with their parent/guardian until doors open. In addition, we ask that all students be picked up promptly at the end of the school day. If a student is not picked up promptly, staff will attempt to contact parents/guardians. If we are unable to reach anyone, we may contact CYFD or APD as appropriate to ensure the student’s safety.

General Info

Possession or distribution of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, nicotine liquid containers, alcohol, mood-altering substances, and illicit drugs in school buildings, school premises, and away from school grounds at school-sponsored activities is prohibited for all. This includes students, staff, and families.

Student Drop-off & Pick-up Safety Reminders

• Be patient during drop-off and pick-up.

• Have your child ready with belongings before stopping in the loading/unloading zone.

• If your child needs extra time, please park on the street or in a parking spot.

• Do not block crosswalks, entrances, or exits.

• Refrain from honking, yelling, or using inappropriate language.

• If you’re running late, do not speed—safety comes first.

• We’ve had a few close calls; please help us keep all students and families safe.

8th Period

Students not enrolled in 8th period class may not stay on campus unless they have an appointment with a teacher. Students may not loiter on campus.

Cell Phones

Per the NM Legislature, students are not permitted to be on cell phones during instructional time. Instructional time means during class time. Take a moment right now and put yours in your backpack out of sight. Students must have a pass from their teachers if they need to be out of class for any reason. Leave your phone in the classroom if you need to leave in the middle of class. Please review the cell phone policy in the student handbook. Students who violate this rule will have their phones taken away or locked in a pouch. If you don’t want this to happen to you, make sure your phone is out of sight during instructional time.

College Ready?

Did you know that even though some colleges are test-optional, there is still a standard to meet for admission?  At UNM, you must have a 3.0 G.P.A. and a 1030 on the SAT or a 20 on the ACT. All grades at PAPA are striving to improve their grades, attendance, and scores on standardized testing. All students will record their interim test scores in their PAPA data folder and track their progress. Is your score college-ready?  If not, are you working to get college-ready?

5•7•10 RULE 

● Five unexcused absences: When a child has accumulated five unexcused absences, school personnel will arrange a meeting at the school with the parent or legal guardian to discuss the unexcused absences. A plan to improve attendance will be developed and implemented.

● Seven unexcused absences: When a child has accumulated seven unexcused absences, school personnel will arrange a second meeting at the school with the parent or legal guardian to review the attendance plan and discuss the impact of truancy on the future of the child. At this time, the child may enter into an attendance contract requiring him or her to attend school regularly, or other consequences may be applied (i.e., removal from PAPA to attend the child’s home school in the case of transportation issues).

● Ten unexcused absences: If a student has accumulated an equivalent of ten or more unexcused absences within a school year, the parent shall be given written notice by personal service or certified mail that the student is habitually truant and is not in compliance with the Compulsory Attendance School Law. At that time, the student shall be reported to the probation services office of the judicial district where the student resides for an investigation as to whether the student shall be considered to be a neglected child or a child in a family in need of services because of habitual truancy.

Being Present Matters!