White Sands School

The City of Las Cruces will be working with the United Way of Southwest New Mexico in hosting a financial literacy program. The program will teach residents about their finances, how to save, budgeting, fixing their credit and other topics. The English cohort starts on Tuesday March 8th and the Spanish cohort starts on Wednesday March 9th. For more information please contact Amanda Morales with United Way at 575-524-7561 or at impact@uwswnm.org.

A big Sunchief welcome to Melody Holman! "I’m very excited to be at White Sands! My name is Melody Holman. I’ve been in education 28 years. Throughout my years, I’ve had a variety of experiences in the classroom and in administration. One of my most favorite experiences has been teaching art. I’m eager to get to know the students, the community, and the staff at White Sands."

There will be an opportunity for children 5-11 to receive a Pfizer vaccine on February 25, from 1:00pm-4:00pm at Alameda Elementary Community School, located at 1325 N Alameda Blvd, Las Cruces, NM 88005. Walk-ins are welcome and snack bags will be provided. Parents and guardians must register their child by visiting: www.vaccinenm.org. Español: Habrá una oportunidad para que los niños de 5 a 11 años reciban una vacuna de Pfizer el 25 de febrero, de 1:00 p. m. a 4:00 p. Se proporcionarán bolsas de bienvenida y refrigerios. Los padres y tutores deben registrar a su hijo visitando: www.vaccinenm.org

District Lifts Mask Mandate : Following orders from the governor, Las Cruces Public Schools has lifted the indoor mask mandate for students and staff. Effective immediately, masks will be optional while district officials evaluate current COVID-safe practices. Please click the link for more information in English and Spanish: https://www.lcps.net/article/661646

Expanded COVID-19 Testing Opportunities happening in Dona Ana County! Free COVID-19 testing opportunities will be available Monday – Saturday from 08:30am to 5:00pm at the Field of Dreams Football Stadium West (home) parking lot. Testing is free to the public. Each person seeking a COVID test must register/create a separate account on the eTrueNorth web portal prior to test. • Users can access the website via the link: https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/LasCruces_NM_16177.html or, by QR Code attached in the flyer.

Expanded COVID-19 Testing Opportunities happening in Dona Ana County! The testing opportunities will be held Monday – Saturday from 08:30am to 5:00pm at the Field of Dreams Football Stadium West (home) parking lot. Testing is free to the public. Each person seeking a COVID test must register/create a separate account on the eTrueNorth web portal prior to test. • Users can access the website via the link: https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/LasCruces_NM_16177.html or, by QR Code attached in the flyer.

Vax Mobile is offering Free Covid-19 Vaccines from Feb. 5-6 in Doña Ana County! No insurance necessary, and walk-ins are welcome. See poster for more information.

February is Black History Month! We are kicking the month off by recognizing the great Clara Belle Williams who lived, studied and worked in Las Cruces. Williams was the first African-American graduate of the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now NMSU) in 1937. After graduation, Williams taught at the Booker T. Washington School in Las Cruces for twenty-seven years before retiring and moving to Chicago in 1951 to join her sons who had opened a medical clinic. A pictured plaque of Williams is on display on the Legacy Wall at the Las Cruces Public Schools Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Administration Complex. The plaque honors Clara Belle Williams, recognizing her establishment of Booker T. Washington Elementary School, calling her a pioneer in education.

*Attention parents of 8th graders: The LCPS Freshman Next Step/Registration schedule for 2022-2023 is out! Please click the link for more information: https://5il.co/14p0k *As of 1/24/22, registration for all schools will be held in person

*Attention parents of 8th graders: The LCPS High School Open House Schedule is out. Please click the link below for more information. Schedule: https://5il.co/14p0l * As of 1/24/22, all Open Houses will be held in person

VaxMobile has arrived to Dona Ana County. Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine is fast, effective, and in your community. VaxMobile will be here this weekend of January 14-16th at Gadsen Schools in Anthony, NM from 10am – 6pm Registration and more information on locations for vaccination can be found at https://goodtimes.vaccinenm.org/stay-ahead-nm/ VaxMobile will also be offering its services on January 18th and 19th at the Butterfield Community Center from 10am – 6pm and again on January 20th and 21st at the Vado/Del Cerro Community Center from 10am – 6pm. Walk-In Appointments available!

Virtual Learning Academy - Interested in becoming a fully online student for the 2022-2023 school year? We welcome you to join us on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. to learn more about what the Virtual Learning Academy at LCPS has to offer. Application deadline: January 21, 2022. Meeting link: https://lcps.zoom.us/j/84783416459 VLA Application: https://form.jotform.com/213004693882154

COVID-19 Test Sites at LCPS The following locations are available for Test to Stay, surveillance and symptomatic testing for students and staff: Las Cruces High School 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. M-F / de lunes a viernes B-Wing Lot on East Side of Campus En el lote del ala B en el lado este del campus Organ Mountain High School 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. M-F/ de lunes a viernes Parking Lot on East Side of Campus/ En el estacionamiento en el lado este del campus Mayfield High School 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. M-F/ de lunes a viernes Staff parking lot, east side/En el estacionamiento del personal, lado este Sierra Middle School 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. M-F/ de lunes a viernes West side of campus in parking lot next to gym/ En el lado oeste del campus en el estacionamiento junto al gimnasio Mesa Middle School 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. M-F/ de lunes a viernes Front parking lot/ En el estacionamiento de enfrente Conlee Elementary 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. M-F/ de lunes a viernes North parking lot off Montana/ Estacionamiento norte el lado de Montana Tombaugh Elementary 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. M-F/ de lunes a viernes Front parking lot/ En el estacionamiento de enfrente Alameda Elementary 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. M-F/ de lunes a viernes South parking lot/ En el estacionamiento sur

Thank you families for your patience while we worked on getting your children home with food for the winter break. Food will still be available for students who were absent yesterday and can be picked up today at our 11:00 a.m. dismissal. Otherwise, it will be sent home on the bus with the student.

Dear LCPS Families, Las Cruces Public Schools has become aware of a troubling post that has been shared widely this week on the social media platform TikTok. The post refers to a threat to school safety “for every school in the USA, even elementary,” on Friday, December 17. The post appears to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in our school district. We have heard reports from other districts that the same post is circulating in their schools. While we do not believe the threat to be credible, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously. Additionally, the district has been in contact with the Las Cruces Police Department regarding the post. We may have an increased police presence in our buildings on Friday as an added precaution. This situation serves as a good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats. Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff. We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online. If you or your child become aware of any potential threat posted to social media or anywhere else, please notify a school staff member or trusted adult right away. As always, thank you for your partnership as we work to ensure a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for our students. Sincerely, LCPS Administration Estimadas familias de LCPS: Las Escuelas Públicas de Las Cruces (LCPS, por sus siglas en inglés) se ha enterado de una publicación preocupante que se ha compartido esta semana ampliamente en la plataforma de redes sociales TikTok. La publicación se refiere a una amenaza a la seguridad escolar el viernes 17 de diciembre "para todas las escuelas en los Estados Unidos, incluyendo la primaria". La publicación parece ser parte de una tendencia nacional de TikTok y no se originó en nuestro distrito escolar. Hemos escuchado informes de otros distritos de que el mismo correo está circulando en sus escuelas. Consideramos que la amenaza no es creíble, sin embargo estamos monitoreando de cerca la situación y tomándola en serio. Además, el distrito se ha puesto en contacto con el Departamento de Policía de Las Cruces con respecto a la publicación. Es posible que tengamos una mayor presencia de la policía en nuestros edificios el viernes como precaución adicional. Esta situación sirve como un buen ejemplo de por qué es importante evitar compartir publicaciones en línea que se refieran a amenazas a la seguridad escolar. Incluso si no son amenazas creíbles, pueden causar mucho estrés y ansiedad a nuestros estudiantes, familias y personal. Pedimos a nuestras familias que controlen la actividad de sus hijos en las redes sociales y hablen con ellos sobre el comportamiento adecuado en línea. Si usted o su hijo se dan cuenta de alguna posible amenaza publicada en las redes sociales o en cualquier otro lugar, notifique a un miembro del personal de la escuela o un adulto de confianza de inmediato. Como siempre, gracias por su colaboración mientras trabajamos para garantizar un entorno de aprendizaje seguro y positivo para nuestros estudiantes. Atentamente, Administración LCPS

It’s everything LCPS, in your pocket. Las Cruces School District is launching a new mobile app that helps students, parents, and community members know what is happening on campus, right from their phones. We know that families are using smartphones as a primary means to communicate. That’s why we’ve created an app that is custom-built for mobile. On the app, you can find documents, contact information for staff, and event information. You can download the app for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Thank you, Señora Maria Flores for your advocacy and lifetime support serving the students of Las Cruces Public Schools. You served your community with honor and distinction as both an educator and board member. Thank you!

Congratulations to our newly elected & re-elected LCPS School Board Members - Ray Jaramillo District 1, Pamela Cort District 2, Robert Wofford District 3.

Boys Middle/LCYSA School Soccer "Cup Series" Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021