11 things to know before going back to school

Teachers will be back in classrooms Thursday and students will flood the hallways next week as the school year gets underway for Albuquerque Public Schools.

Here are dates and tips to keep in mind before going back to class:

1. The first day of school is Wednesday, unless you’re in kindergarten.

For students from first through 12th grade, the first day of school is next Wednesday. Pre-K and kindergarten students start on Friday, Aug. 9.

2. Tax-free weekend starts Friday.

New Mexico’s tax-free weekend is Friday through Sunday, and anyone can save on school supplies.

During tax-free weekend, New Mexico allows gross receipts tax to be deducted from qualifying items. The GRT rate ranges from 5.1% to 8.8% in New Mexico, depending on where in the state the business is located.

The tax holiday can help parents and teachers manage their back-to-school budgets with reduced prices on a huge range of items, including laptops priced under $1,000, clothing and the classic crayons, pencils and paper.

3. Find free school supplies.

Worried about busting a budget? Free school supplies are available.

On Saturday, the city of Albuquerque will be giving away school supplies and backpacks at the Mesa Verde and West Mesa community centers from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Cruzin’ into the School Year event will also feature food trucks, games, resources and show cars. Kids have to be present to get the giveaways, and preregistration is required. To register, visit cabq.gov/cruzin.

On Sunday, the New Mexico Public Education Department Black Education Act Bureau is hosting a Back to School Kickoff with food, music, games and resources from 1 to 3 p.m. at Taylor Park, 7701 Indian School NE. Backpacks have been donated by Youth and Family Services. Email bianca.jones@ped.nm.gov for more information.

4. There’s a new bell schedule this year.

Make sure to set those alarms.

Albuquerque Public Schools announced new bell schedules for the 2024-25 school year in February. Elementary school start times range between 7:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m., while most middle schools will start earlier than they did last year, at 8:05 a.m. and release students at 2:50 p.m. High schools are generally beginning around the same time as the previous school year.

5. Students will have slightly shorter days.

The school district is shortening instructional days by 15 minutes at most schools this year.

Last school year, teachers started and ended their work days at the same time that students started and ended classes, which made it hard to supervise kids before and after school, according to a news release. That problem has been solved this year by shortening instructional time by 15 minutes in the day so that teachers can cover morning or afternoon duties.

6. APS has a new boss.

The Albuquerque Public Schools district has a new superintendent, Gabriella Blakey. She started on the job July 1 and is visiting several schools on the first day.

7. And 26 APS schools also will have new leaders.

Of the district’s 143 schools, 26 will have new principals this year. That includes 14 elementary schools, eight middle schools and four high schools.

8. Absenteeism is a big problem.

Chronic absenteeism has been on the rise across the country, and the school district is encouraging parents to get their children to school every day.

9. Less paperwork for free meals.

All APS students can get free breakfast and lunch at school this school year. Families no longer will have to fill out a meal application to take advantage of the free food, according to a news release.

APS served more than 6 million lunches and over 4 million breakfasts last year.

10. The school district has a new customer service tool.

APS has launched a new online communications platform, Let’s Talk, meant to make it easier for families, students and staff to ask questions or share feedback. Let’s Talk can be found at aps.edu/contact-us.

11. School staff have crisis alert badges.

APS also has new crisis alert badges for school staff, a safety measure being added to existing security and safety measures. The new security measure is in all of the district’s schools, according to APS.

The Centegix CrisisAlert system is meant to allow school staff to call for help from anywhere on campus. APS employees have crisis alert badges they can use to alert campus officials of an emergency or security threat, or to notify APS police. The badge relays the exact location of the person who activated it.