THE SCHOOL SCOOP

The School Scoop is our monthly digital newsletter that keeps parents and students up to date on everything happening here at Taylor. You will find information on upcoming dates of events/activities, clubs/organizations, athletics and important announcements. You will also get a glimpse inside the classrooms in our building with tons of pictures and videos. Happy reading!

Taylor has now completed the State Tests for this school year! We had a 100% testing rate. Thank you to all of the TMS teachers that administered the science, ELA, and Math tests. Great job doing your very best, Wildcats!

The annual TMS talent show WAS held on April 17, 2024. Students and staff piled into the gym to enjoy the entertainment of the 6 performances. The brave contestants stood in front of the full gym of their peers and teachers to sing, play or speak.

Thank you to Mrs. Pillado for organizing such an awesome event for TMS staff and students! Great fun was had by all!

Congratulations to the 2023-2024 TMS Talent Show winners:

1st Place - Abiguel Silva and Giovanni Garcia

2nd Place - Emmie Goodell

3rd Place - Paelyn Green

The Yatzil Folklorico students had an opportunity to go to UTEP in Midland to attend workshops held by the UTEP Folklorico group and tour the college campus. Students got to practice new techniques and learn new dances with the dancers' help.

The TMS dancers then performed on stage Monday April 29,2024 at the Noel Wagner Theater at 6:00 pm to open for the UTEP folklorico performance.

Dancers from Taylor Middle School are:

Maria Tavarez - 7th

Christopher Ortega - 7th

Emmanuel Cruz-7th

Juan Pablo Bugarini -7th

Arely Alvarez - 7th

Kaylee Salcido - 8th

Koral Porras - 8th

In general, rules are created to maintain order and ensure the safety and well-being of individual students and our school as a whole. Following rules can help prevent chaos and promote a positive learning environment. Some of the most important rules and procedures that we ask Taylor students to follow concern cell phones. Students can be distracted easily and lose focus from the curricular content presented by teachers. Cell phones can be a true disruption of the educational environment and can often lead to other distractions and negative behaviors.

Violence such as bullying or fights can stem from things students say to each other via text messages or social media. The no-phone policy discourages those behaviors. Since implementing the "no-cell phone in the classroom" policy, we have noticed that students are interacting more with one another and are more engaged in classroom activities. We will begin state testing very soon and cell phones can invalidate a test or cause other test irregularities that must be reported to the New Mexico Public Education Department.

As we enter the springtime we typically see an increase in students' discipline. Please help us help your student finish the semester successfully by reminding them to:

- Remain active and engaged in their classes

- Be respectful to teacher, peers and substitute teachers

- Complete assignments on time

- Safeguard the educational environment by having their cell phones and non-educational devices put away

- Make attendance a priority

We appreciate your support in this regard!

As we move into May, we will be focusing on Integrity. This important Capturing Kids' Hearts character trait encourages us all to live our lives with honesty and excellence. Let's all strive to be leadworthy!

It sounds like we are talking about the hospital, doesn't it!? ICU does stand for Intensive Care Unit, but at Taylor Middle School it's our schoolwide "list" that tracks missing student assignments. The "list" helps teachers and administrators communicate with each other as well as with students and parents. Students are learning quickly that if they have one missing assignment, their grade is "sick" and needs attention.

We believe that when we give students a zero or accept low-quality work, we are letting them "off the hook!" Thus the foundation piece of our ICU Approach is: Every Student Must Complete Every Assignment. TMS staff and administrators are using the ICU List as the catalyst to identify issues, build layers of support, and watch students' success grow. It's time to flip our school culture with a unified mindset totally committed to student learning!

Our goal is to have every TMS student completing every assignment with quality effort. We know it is possible and we appreciate the encouragement and involvement from parents and guardians! To date, our students have completed nearly 8,000 assignments!

As a reward for students that had no missing assignments, we planned an ICU Blitz Day! We invited The Sweet Cloud and Briana's Ice Creations to our campus as a SWEET surprise. Students were able to hang out with their friends and enjoy an afternoon on the football field. Mr. Castellanos was in charge of handing out the free snacks and waters. Students' payment was to share a "Good Thing" with him! Great fun was had by all!

Students that were still on the ICU list had an opportunity to stay inside and use this extra time to complete missing assignments. Once they were complete they were able to join the rest of the students outside.

ParentSquare is Lovington Municipal Schools' communication tool used to share information from school to home. Parents/Guardians, please download the app today to stay up to date on all notifications.

The top 15 LiveSchool point earners from each class are awarded Platinum Club status! Students are able to earn LiveSchool points through our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system every day by wearing their ID's, being prepared for class, staying on task, and exhibiting many other positive behaviors. The points can be saved to spend at our store at the end of each 9-weeks grading period.

TMS is inviting incoming 7th graders and their parents to our campus on Tuesday, May 14th! We began this awesome tradition to ensure that our newest members of Team Taylor feel more confident about coming to school here and get a sneak peek inside the doors of TMS. We will be asking current 7th and 8th grade members of our clubs, sports and other organizations to help us give tours, assist in locker combinations, and answering questions. They are the best advocates for telling underclassmen ways to get involved and find their own niche!

Seventh grade students in Mrs. Starkey's and Ms. Castellanos' ELA classes performed a play of "Twelve Angry Pigs." In this comical yet surprisingly educational parody of "Twelve Angry Men," a certain wolf is on trial for blowing down a pair of houses owned by the Three Little Pigs. A jury of pigs must now decide if they will be in favor of conviction, or declare the wolf not guilty.

Students in Mrs. Espinoza's and Mr. Cosentino's social studies classes completed a week-long project to research candidates and the political party they are associated with. They were asked to write a paper answering questions about the candidate's background, education, state of residence and political experience. Using a rubric to guide them, the final piece of the project was to create a political advertisement.

A New Mexico Junior College recruiter was on campus last week to provide valuable information about the college, Early College, and career pathways offered through a variety of degrees. Students enjoyed a PowerPoint presentation from the guest speaker as well as a question and answer session.

Students had fun playing with balloons during an Advisory team building exercise.

The Taylor Middle School Choir competitors scored either Excellent (2) or Superior (1) at the District Solo and Ensemble Event in Artesia. Ms. Tiner reports that Shyanne Dean scored a 1 for her solo and Rylynn White and Anyamali Casarez scored 1 for their duet. Zayne Resendiz and Madison Jackson scored 2s in their individual solos, and Janet Hernandez, Grecia Herrera, Iris Banuelos, Jordan Vasquez, and Shyanne Dean scored 2s for their ensemble. Congratulations, TMS Wildcats!

UPDATE: We just received word that Rylynn White and Anyamali Casarez received the honor of "Outstanding Ensemble" for their duet! We are so very proud of their hard work and dedication to their craft. Congratulations, ladies!

Band students have one more chance to shine as they prepare for their final concert of this school year coming up on Monday, May 6th.

We have something for everyone! TMS has many opportunities for students to get involved. It is so important for students to find their place on campus and find friendships with their peers who are interested in similar things. Information on signups and meetings are announced each day on the morning and afternoon announcements. Here are the clubs and organizations students can join:

The Taylor Middle School Track & Field boys and girls teams had a fantastic season. Team Taylor hosted the annual Border Conference Track Meet at LHS Wildcat Stadium on Monday, May 15th. This is what Coach De La Cruz had to say, "Taylor Middle School wrapped up our track and field season on April 15 with our Border Conference Meet. Not even our infamous New Mexico winds and ever-changing weather could stop our amazing athletes from excelling and improving in each of our four meets. Overall, these TMS students had a great season with 38 spectacular athletes on our team and we made long-lasting memories!

• May 15, 2024 - Early Release 11:45 AM
• May 22, 2024 - Full Instructional Day Dismissal at 3:10 PM
• May 24, 2024 - Last Day of School Early Release 1:45 PM

Taylor Middle School is currently following a 6-period day for the 2023 - 2024 school year. Here are the bell schedules:

Reminder for parents that may need to pick up their student(s) early: In order to ensure that we are able to get your student from class, to their locker, and to the office before the bell rings, the cutoff deadline for early student pick-up will be 2:55 pm on regular school days and 1:30 pm on Wednesdays.

The Lovington Municipal Schools instructional calendar shows school holidays, parent/teacher conferences and early release days throughout the school year. It can be found on the home webpage or by selecting the image to the right.

• May 22, 2024 - Full Day