Frequently Asked Questions
We all have questions; after all, there’s a lot to know when it comes to your child’s education! To help you find answers fast, we’ve put together a list of our most frequently asked questions. If we missed anything, please call our office during regular hours, or find the answers in our student handbook located in the Parent Resources quick link category on the Home page. We encourage you to review the student handbook often with your child.
What time does school begin and end?
Students enter the school building at 8:10 a.m., and the tardy bell rings at 8:15 a.m. We dismiss for the day at 3:20 p.m. For a detailed bell schedule, please visit the Our School page.
I need to pick up my child early from school for a doctor’s appointment or other commitment. What is the proper procedure?
If you need to take your child out of school early, please call our office or notify the teacher in advance. Upon your arrival, we will call your child to meet you in the office where you may check him or her out of school by signing our release form. Except in the event of an extreme emergency, we will not permit you to check your child out of school after 2:45 p.m. Please make all special arrangements for students before 2:45 p.m.
What do I need to do when my child is sick or cannot attend school for other reasons?
Regular school attendance is important to the success of your child; however, there are times when a child must be home from school due to illness or other circumstances. We require parents or guardians to notify the school office on or before each day of absence and to provide us with the reason for your child’s absence. We consider all unverified absences as unexcused. We reward students with regular and consistent attendance with points added to their final nine-week grade average. After 11 absences in a single semester, we will place students on “monitor” status for possible retention.
What is the policy for make-up work?
In the event of an absence, make up work is the student's responsibility. We allow one day for students to make up work for each day of school he/she misses, not to exceed two weeks. We require that a student who misses only one day on the day of a previously announced test or deadline date to make up the test or work on the day he/she returns to school.
What is the drop-off and pick-up procedure?
Drop-off Procedure:
- Parents may drop students off in the designated drop-off zone on the west side of the parking lot in front of the school. Please drive all the way to the end of the parking lot to release your child.
- To maintain traffic flow, please have your child prepared to exit the car as soon as the car stops.
- If you need to visit the office or a teacher, please park on Centre Ave., and come into the office building.
- We do not permit you to drop your child off at the front door except in inclement weather.
Pick-up procedure:
- We require all students to exit through the front doors of Yeso and proceed to the pick-up area in front of the school.
- Please do not enter either parking lot until 3:20 p.m.
- We do not permit any parking or waiting for students in the drop-off/pick-up lane. Never park your car in the drop-off/pick-up lane!
- If you would like to have your child meet you at a designated location, please follow the walk home procedure.
Walk home and bicycle/scooter procedure:
- We will escort students who walk home from Yeso Elementary to Centre Ave.
- We require all students to exit through the front doors of Yeso School.
- Crosswalks are plainly marked, and your child should learn to cross the street only in the crosswalks.
- Please help your child find the safest route to school, and insist that he or she take the same route to and from school every day.
- Teach your child to stop on the curb and look both ways to make sure it is safe before crossing the street.
- We do not permit students to arrive at school before 7:45 a.m.
- Please help your child learn all the rules of bicycle and scooter safety. Your child must park and securely lock his/her bike in the bicycle racks. Should your child have a flat tire or any problem with the bicycle, we will have him or her call you. We are not responsible for bicycles left overnight.
- When students arrive on campus, they should walk their bicycles to the bicycle racks. In the afternoons, students should walk their bicycles until they are safely off the school campus. We require students to fold up and carry their scooter as soon as they arrive on the school campus. After school, we require students to carry their scooters until they are safely off the school campus.
What is the breakfast and lunch policy at Yeso Elementary?
We serve breakfast and lunch each day. We serve our students breakfast at 8:15 a.m. in the classroom at no cost. For the convenience of your child and our staff, we prefer that you purchase lunch meals by the week, bi-monthly, or monthly; however, if necessary, we will accept payment daily. We do not permit students to charge lunch. We understand that on occasion students will forget their lunch money; when this happens, we will loan your child the price of a lunch from our general fund. We require families to pay this money back the following day. If your child forgets the repayment, we will call you to bring the money to school.
At the beginning of each school year, we send home information and an application for the free and reduced lunch program. Should your income change any time during the school year, please don’t hesitate to come into our office and pick up an application.
Where can we find out what’s for lunch?
We post menus online, in the office, and in each classroom. The local radio station, KSVP 990, also broadcasts the menu daily at approximately 7:30 a.m. The Sunday edition of the Artesia Daily Press also publishes the weekly menu.
Is there a school nurse on campus?
Our school nurse is at Yeso Elementary each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and is available at all times in the event of an emergency. The nurse checks the height, weight, and teeth of all students once during the year as well as conducts vision and hearing screenings on all 2nd and 4th graders. Our nurse is happy to screen any student at a teacher’s or parent’s request to rule out a health concern; however, the nurse cannot diagnose any illnesses.
My child must take medication during the school day. How do I set it up?
We will administer medication to your child provided a completed authorization form is on file in the nurse’s office. Please contact us to obtain the necessary paperwork.
How do I register my child to attend school at Yeso Elementary?
We’re excited to welcome new students! Please visit our Registration and Immunizations page on our district website for the information necessary to register your child.
Is there a dress code at Yeso Elementary?
While we do not require our students to wear uniforms, we have certain rules and regulations to maintain a climate conducive to the learning process. The Artesia Board of Education believes that student appearance and dress have a direct relationship to student learning and that our students should dress appropriately for school and not detract from the learning process. For specific details about our dress code, please refer to the student handbook found on the Home page under the Parent Resources quick link category.
General guidelines include the following:
- Hair must be neat, clean, and well groomed. We will not permit a hairstyle that creates a hazard to the student's health or safety or distracts from learning. Hair may not cover the eyes. Boys may not wear their hair below the bottom of a standard dress shirt collar; however, we will permit boys not meeting the length requirement to pin it up during school hours and while participating in school activities. We require boys to be clean-shaven. We do not allow sideburns to extend beyond the earlobe.
- We require students to wear shoes appropriate for daily activities. We do not permit slippers.
- We require shorts and skirts to reach the mid-thigh. We do not allow cutoffs, biker shorts, or spandex shorts. We require pant stride and waistline in the normal position. We do not permit sagging clothing.
- We require students to button blouses or shirts at all times. We do not permit see-through clothing or off-the-shoulder blouses. We require students' tops/shirts to cover the top of the trousers, skirt, or shorts when raising their arms above their head. We prohibit bare midriffs and cleavage. We require sleeveless or tank tops to have at least a two-inch wide shoulder strap.
- We do not permit clothing with lewd, offensive, vulgar, or obscene logos. We do not permit clothing that advertises gang affiliation, tobacco, or alcoholic beverages.
- We do not allow nose rings, spiked jewelry, or studs. We do not permit students to wear or display chains and body piercing anywhere other than the ears.
- We strongly discourage tattoos for health reasons. We will not permit students to display tattoos that are lewd, offensive, vulgar, obscene, or distracting to student learning.