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Our School

🐻 Welcome to our Bear Cub Family, Ms. Tellas! 🐻

We are thrilled to officially welcome our new principal, Melanie Tellas, to Lew Wallace Elementary! She has already been with us for a few weeks, bringing her passion and dedication to our students and staff. We’re excited to grow and learn together under her leadership.

Check out the letter from the Associate Superintendent, which was sent to families, for more on Ms. Tellas' journey to Lew Wallace!

October 16, 2024

Dear Lew Wallace Elementary School Community,

I’m proud to announce that Melanie Misquez-Telles, the current Assistant Principal at Alamosa Elementary, will serve as Lew Wallace Elementary’s principal beginning Monday, October 21, 2024. A huge thank you to Mr. Eder Ortiz, Principal at East San Jose, for his administrative support during our hiring process, the front office staff for their additional responsibilities, your Instructional Council Chair for supporting the teachers and staff, your Counselor for supporting students, and to you, the Lew Wallace Community, for your support of your school.

Principal Telles shares: "I am excited to step into the role of principal at Lew Wallace Elementary and look forward to the journey ahead. Thank you to the district staff and our wonderful community for believing in me and supporting the creation of a shared vision for our school. Together, I am confident we will create an environment where every student can thrive. I have 18 years of seasoned experience in APS; I am from Albuquerque, NM, the Land of Enhancement, and attended Griegos Elementary, San Felipe de Neri, St. Pius X High School, and ten years as a Lobo. I have dedicated my life to inspiring students and the school community to thrive through academic excellence; I can’t wait to get started and work alongside all of you to make this school year exceptional!"

Please join me in welcoming Principal Telles.

Sincerely,

Anna P. Chavez, Assistant Superintendent, Elementary 
Dr. Antonio Gonzales, Deputy Superintendent

Map to Lew Wallace Elementary

Mission

Lew Wallace staff, students, and families work together to create a positive environment of caring and appreciation that is responsive to individuals’ needs. In this nurturing school community, students are supported to become independent life-long learners and challenged with high expectations. Teachers and staff differentiate instruction to meet students’ needs and help them achieve grade-level standards in all areas.

Vision

The children of Lew Wallace Elementary School will meet their world with vision, clarity and purpose.

Lew Wallace Elementary

513 6th Street NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102

  • Phone: (505) 848-9409
  • Fax: (505) 848-9411

Title I Information

Parent/Guardian Notification of Safety Protocols

Dear Albuquerque Public Schools Community, 

We live in a world where we are bombarded with news about bad things happening in places near and far. Schools are statistically among the safest places to be on a day-to-day basis, but, as we have seen, they’re not immune from calamity.

Given that reality, we recognize that we, as a district, must be vigilant and do everything in our power to prepare our staff and students for critical incidents. We know we also have a responsibility to provide you with timely, accurate, and clear information as school emergencies unfold.

Communication will likely be handled through official channels such as aps.edu, social media sites, phone, and email messages.

If you are a parent, guardian, student, or APS employee, here’s what you can expect to be communicated to you during a critical incident that occurs while school is in session: 

  • Information that a shelter in place has been initiated will be posted on the homepage of aps.edu, individual school websites affected, and on Twitter.
  • If you have opted into our mass communication system, you will be notified via School Messenger by phone and/or email once law enforcement has activated a shelter in place or lockdown. Please ensure your personal contact information is updated at your school site.
  • APS will communicate with law enforcement and update you via aps.edu, individual school websites, School Messenger, and social media platforms as the new details are confirmed.
  • Should an early dismissal of school and/or regular transportation be canceled, your child will be kept on campus with adult supervision until you can arrange to pick them up. 
  • You will also be notified if transportation is still available, schedules are disrupted, students can walk home, high school students can drive themselves and others home, or if after-school activities are canceled. 
  • Every APS school and work site has a detailed school safety plan. You will be notified via the platforms mentioned above in the event of an evacuation. 
  • The school’s relocation and family reunification plan will be activated in an off-campus evacuation. Students will only be released from the relocation site to custodial parents/guardians or persons identified on the school emergency card.
  • All messaging platforms will notify you once the situation has been contained and law enforcement determines the next steps.
  • A letter explaining what happened and any other essential information will be sent to the families impacted by the day’s events.

Please note that every situation is different, and decisions are made based on the best information available at that moment. Due to the unpredictable nature of emergencies, it is not possible to guarantee that a robocall or post will follow every development in a crisis. We ask for your patience if communication is not as fast as you would like. The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority.

We know these situations create fear and uncertainty, and we commit to providing you with information as soon as it is available. 

APS Communications

Parent/Guardian Notification of Safety Protocols (PDF)