Frequently Asked Questions

School begins at 8:40 a.m., and the tardy bell rings at 8:45 a.m. Students must be in their seats before the tardy bell! School ends at 3:40 p.m. every day except for Mondays. On that day, we release students early at 2:10 p.m. Parents, please don’t bring your children to school any earlier than 8:15 a.m. We do not have supervision before then.

When it is absolutely necessary for a student to be absent from school for any reason, parents must notify the school. If it is not possible to call the school by 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the absence, please contact the school as soon as possible. Although a parent call does not excuse the absence, this communication between the parent and the school ensures that the school is aware of the absence. The school may then assist the parent and student with information regarding schoolwork and what may be needed for documentation if the absence is to be excused, such as a doctor’s note for illness.

If it is necessary for the student to be picked up during the school day, parents must check out the student through the front office. The classroom teacher will receive a notification that the parent is in the office to pick up the student. Students will not be dismissed to waiting cars. Students are learning up to the end of the school day. Removing them from the classroom even a few minutes early results in a loss of instructional time. Students will not be dismissed early to walk home or to appointments without the parent checking them out through the office.

Truancy is defined as being absent from class or school without parent or school permission. Every child between the ages of six and sixteen failing to attend school during the hours of school operation is truant unless excused (ARS 15-802, 15-803, or 15-901). The district encourages students to attend school daily. It is important for parents to communicate with school officials regarding any absences of their children. According to Arizona Revised Statutes, excessive absences are defined as being absent 10% of the instructional days for the school year, or above 18 days. If a student accumulates more than 18 absences, the absences must be reported as unexcused regardless of the reason for the absence.

Check in with the front office to let us know you want to take your child out of school early. Once you arrive in our office, we will notify the classroom teacher to send him/her student to the office. We will not dismiss students to walk alone to go home or to appointments. You must be present to check out your child.

Elementary Pricing Schools: Alice Byrne, Palmcroft, Rolle, Otondo, Desert Mesa, and Sunrise

We know that breakfast is the most important part of the day. That is why at Yuma School District One, we offer breakfast at no cost to students. We serve breakfast from 8:20 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. Please join us. If a parent or child would like to join a student and purchase breakfast, the cost is $2.50. Lunch is available to all students for $1.50 every day. If a parent or guest would like to join their child for lunch, the cost is $4.00.

You may fill out a free and reduced lunch application at any time during the school year if you think your family may qualify. If you would like to manage your meal account online or make an online payment, please go to family.titank12.com. You just need your child’s eight-digit student i.d. number. See the cafeteria manager for more details. We look forward to serving you. Please see the District One Child Nutrition Department website for more information regarding meal accounts.

If students bring a sack lunch from home, they may still purchase a juice or milk for 50 cents. Due to USDA guidelines, milk or juice is 50 cents, regardless if your student qualifies for free and reduced priced meals.

We ask that students come to school dressed ready to learn. Please wear clean and modest clothing. Wear your pants or shorts at the waistline. Shirts should be long enough that they can be tucked in if necessary. We allow caps on campus but not in the classroom, and students may wear knitted caps only when the weather is cold enough.

The uniform dress code is as follows:

• Shirts: Short or long-sleeved polo or crew-necked shirt. Shirts must be solid gray, maroon, or navy. The only design allowed is the bobcat. Other acceptable shirts are Desert Mesa spirit shirts.
• Pants, shorts, jumpers, or skirts must be all denim, navy blue, khaki, or black.

If a student is not meeting the uniform requirements, they should expect the following consequences.

• First time – The student will receive a warning.
• Second time – The student will lose a recess.
• Third time – The student must call home for appropriate clothing.

Please do not bring the following items to school: radios, tape recorders, electronics of any kind, expensive jewelry, large sums of money, or toys.

We try our best to return lost items to students, but we need your help. When possible, please label your children’s coats, sweaters, lunch pails, and anything else you would want returned to you if it is lost.

Yes, we allow students in second through fifth grades to ride bikes to school. City law requires your student to wear a helmet for safety reasons. We also have bike racks available for parking the bikes, and we do require students to lock their bikes. Desert Mesa Elementary is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged bikes.

We only allow students in second grade and up to ride scooters or skateboards to school. All students must wear appropriate helmets when riding.

Yes. Students who live one and one-half miles or more away from the school are eligible to ride the bus each day. Please remind your child that riding the bus is a privilege. Students who behave inappropriately on the bus will lose their bus-riding privileges.

ALL medications will be kept in the school health office for safety of all students. Only the school nurse, health paraprofessional, or other staff member as directed, will deliver medications to a student.

Prescription Medication

• Must be prescribed by a Health care provider who is licensed in the state of Arizona and/or California.
• According to Arizona Law, no medication from Mexico will be permitted to be administered at school.
• All prescribed medication must be in the original container from the pharmacy.

Over the Counter Medication

• Written permission by parent must be provided on the OTC-consent form.
• Any over-the-counter medication sent by parent must be in the original packaging with all directions clearly marked.

Medication that is not properly labeled, expired, and/or without a signed consent by parent/guardian and healthcare provider will not be administered to any student!

We divide the school year into four grading periods and send out grades on the Thursday following the end of each period.

Yes. We equip all classrooms with Internet access, and we take precautions to make sure our students use our computers appropriately. Every parent and student must sign a permission slip, which tells us you are willing to follow the guidelines of good conduct when using the Internet in the classroom.

Absolutely. We encourage kids to read every day. We allow students in second through fifth grades to check out two books at a time. Students in first grade may check out one book. Kindergarten students may check out one book and keep it inside the classroom. We let all other grade levels take the books home. Just remember to bring your books back each week on Tuesdays. Students will have to pay for lost or damaged books.