Welcome to Doña Ana Elementary

Home of the Wildcats!
 Casa de los Gatos Monteses!

Doña Ana Elementary School is dedicated to delivering a rigorous, balanced, innovative, differentiated and research-based curriculum where all students are empowered to discover their strengths, learn, and achieve their maximum potential. We prepare our students to become competitive leaders and responsible citizens in a global society by providing the stepping-stones for a lifetime of learning.

Tenacity & Teamwork. We are resourceful, work hard, and always strive to do our best. We show persistence and “grit” in overcoming obstacles and in working towards achieving our mission of preparing our students for college, work, and life.

High Expectations. We are mission-driven, highly motivated, and maintain the highest expectations for our students, our colleagues, and ourselves. We believe all children can and will learn and succeed, that all of our students deserve to go to college, and that closing the achievement gap is an issue of social justice.

Integrity. We are honest and ethical in our words and our actions. We do the right thing, even when no one is watching, because we know it is the right thing to do.

No Excuses. We accept no excuses from our students, their families, or ourselves. We will each do what it takes to achieve our shared goals. As part of this attitude, we each take initiative when we see opportunities to help others or help our school improve. We step up in large and small ways on a daily basis and get the job done.

Kindness. We genuinely care about and respect all people. We treat others, as we would want to be treated. We care about our students deeply, and though we may be strict and “sweat the small stuff,” we also try to bring a sense of joy and humanism to the classroom.

At Doña Ana Elementary School we possess an unwavering belief that all students can and will learn to a high standard. We believe that a child’s socio-emotional development is equal to his/her academic development. We believe our school leaders must be strong educators and communicators with a powerful, clear focus on achieving academic success for all students. We believe our students must be at school, on time, ready to engage in lessons and actively learn. We believe our educators must pay special attention to the quality, depth, and effectiveness of the instruction they provide and must regularly monitor student progress and use the data to modify strategies to best meet the needs of our students. Our educators and staff must never stop learning. Professional growth must be a priority where we work together in teams to implement our programs, share information and monitor student achievement. Our parents and community members must be active, engaged partners. We must pledge to provide an excellent equitable education to all of our students, regardless of the color of their skin, how much their parents earn, or what language they speak at home.

High Expectations: Doña Ana Elementary educators must possess an unwavering belief that all students can and will learn to a high standard. This standard must be consistent and communicated to all – teachers, staff, students, parents, LCPS, and community members. This is not just feel-good educational rhetoric. Rather, it is a deeply held belief system that forms the basis for action.

Leadership and Focus: Doña Ana Elementary school leaders must be strong educators and communicators with a powerful, clear focus on achieving academic success for all students. Leadership begins with a principal, but it is not limited to the person at the top. At Doña Ana, we believe that leadership is systemically shared by all educators and stakeholders. This leadership reflects and reinforces a school environment that is safe, nurturing, and respectful – creating a place where student learning is able to happen and where students develop pride in their own culture while developing an understanding of others. We cannot close the achievement gap without focusing on increasing all students’ achievement, safety and cultural awareness and respect. To have a successful Bilingual/Dual Language Program at our school, we must begin by focusing on improving literacy by providing educational opportunities in each student’s native language while adding another language. Students receiving special education services need an individualized education plan that meets their specific needs through high quality instruction. We must pour our time, energy, and resources into quality research-based reading programs (English and Spanish) with proven results. We believe that a strong commitment to literacy typically lifts achievement in all other academic areas too.

High Quality Teaching: Doña Ana educators must pay special attention to the quality, depth, and effectiveness of the instruction they provide. They must relentlessly pursue excellence in teaching to enhance student learning. Our educators must select research-based academic approaches that work for their students, altering and adapting to changing needs and circumstances. Doña Ana educators must align their curriculum to standards and regularly monitor student progress. Programs like Rosetta Stone, integrated SIOP strategies, implementation of Common Core State Standards and EL standards (WIDA) enhance student learning. The best teachers do not shut their doors to colleagues. They communicate and collaborate. This does not mean that teachers conform to a uniform style; it does mean that they exchange ideas on pedagogy and create professional learning communities.

Accountability: We must regularly monitor student progress and use the data that we glean to modify strategies to best meet the needs of our students. Doña Ana Elementary educators must use multiple and regular – even daily –measures of performance in addition to state assessments to sum up student progress near year’s end. We can now analyze data by any subgroup on any subject in any school or district in the state. We must utilize this data to drive our instruction. Our use of the ISTATION online student assessment in Spanish and English has also helped us to improve accountability as this system ensures that students are challenged and that results are instant.

Professional Development: The strongest teachers and staff know that they never stop learning and professional growth is a priority at the best schools. Doña Ana Elementary teachers and staff must frequently work together in teams to implement our programs, share information and monitor student achievement. Teachers and staff must feel a sense of empowerment and ownership of their educational program. LCPS focuses on preparing teachers and administrators for success in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Our partnership with the NMSU community has led to agreements among institutions to address these issues in teacher preparation programs, to share best practices across schools of education, and to incorporate them into ongoing professional development programs.

Parent and Community Engagement: We believe that all of our parents and community members must be active, engaged partners. This is not easy in a school with high poverty levels. However, we must make it a priority to reach out to the diverse cultures and families in our community and to develop fresh, innovative strategies to bring all parents as partners into our school. Community engagement is particularly vital in our school where we often provide medical, dental, housing, and financial referrals for families in need. We are proud of the strong community partners we have that have provided additional funding, volunteer hours, and support to Doña Ana Elementary serving some of our most at risk students.

Commitment to Action: We know what works and what we need to do. Now we must apply what we have learned to help all Doña Ana Elementary School’s students succeed at the highest levels. We must pledge to provide an excellent education to all of our students, regardless of the color of their skin, how much their parents earn, or what language they speak at home. The work begins today, right now! We don’t have time to waste when it comes to our students! Doña PROUD! Wildcat STRONG! It Takes A Village!

Our Theme this school year is “It Takes A Village of Unique Individuals Coming Together for a Common Purpose-Student Success! TEAM Doña Ana!” 

Our Belief is: Doña Ana Elementary School-Where the BEST keeps getting better! 

Our Cheer is: Doña Ana PROUD! Wildcat STRONG! 

Our school Motto is: TEAMWORK Will Make the DREAM Work! 

Our Goal is: Helping Today’s Learners Become Tomorrow’s Leaders!

Our Word of the year is: ENGAGEMENT!

Doña Ana Elementary School
5551 Camino de Flores • Las Cruces, NM 88007
(575) 527-9506
(575) 527-9716 Fax

School Stats
School Opened: 1976
Grade Levels: Preschool-5th
School Hours: 7:55 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.