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!

Homecoming Parade will be on Thursday October 3rd at 6:00 PM. It will start at Wildcat Stadium, travel down Avenue D towards the Lea County Fairgrounds.

Dress-up Days

Monday, September 30, 2024 - Jammin' in our Jammies - Pajama Day

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 - Duet Day (Dress in Rhyme)

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - Favorite Musical Artist or Group

Thursday, October 3, 2024 - Eras Day -

• PK - 8 (Choose from Babies, Toddlers, Teens, Adults, Senior Citizens)
• LHS & NHHS 9th Grade - Babies, 10th Grade - Toddlers, 11th Grade - Adults, & 12th Grade - Senior Citizens

Friday, October 4, 2024 ROCK THE BLUE - Wear your Wildcat Blue!

The Homecoming Football Game will be held on October 4, 2024 at 6:00 PM

Mesilla Valley Hospital will be on our campus Monday, September 30 at 1:15 pm for a mental health presentation. They will speak about some of their programs which are designed to serve children and adolescents ages 7-17 who face mental health issues.

Our clubs and organizations will have the opportunity to help with the 8th Annual Trunk or Treat event at Lovington High School! We hope everyone will participate and help to make it a community-wide celbration on October 31st from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

On Tuesday, September 10th, TMS students attended a safety assembly. A local New Mexico State Police Officer gave a presentation on school safety, drugs, cyber security and bullying. We believe this is valuable information that all students should hear and encourage parents to open the lines of communication to discuss these topics with their student.

Students enjoyed serving beverages and snacks to TMS teachers! They are responsible for filling each order and then delivering it to the appropriate person.

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.

Dodgeball is a fan-favoirte, for sure! Students in Coach De La Cruz and Coach Cruz's classes enjoyed a super competitive game of dodgeball this past Friday.

Students enjoyed a day in the lab for Ms. Williams' Science class. The students were divided into small groups to check out the characteristics of bacteria under the microscope.

Seventh grade students in Ms. Norris's class are working with plants as part of the Project Based Learning curriculum. Students measure and monitor growth of their plants in their journals.

Students designed and produced roller coasters in Ms. Stock's class.

Students had a hands-on activity in Ms. Garcia's Life Skills this past week. The students made Horchata and enjoyed the step-by-step process of measuring, mixing and pouring ingredients to make the drinks.

Many parents ask, “When is my child sick enough to stay home from school?”

This is not always an easy question to answer! We hope that these tips can help!

A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. We suggest making a plan for childcare ahead of time so you will not be caught without a comforting place for your child to stay if he/she is ill.

Our school guidance states that you should not send your child to school if he/she has:

• Fever in the past 24 hours ***If your child has a fever, please DO NOT medicate your child and send them to school***
• Active vomiting (more than twice in a day) in the past 24 hours
• Diarrhea in the past 24 hours
• Chills
• Cough-A child with deep or uncontrollable coughing belongs at home even without a fever.
• Strep Throat (must have been taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school)
• Bad cold, with a very runny nose or bad cough, especially if it has kept the child awake at night
• Head lice – until your child has been treated according to the nurse or doctor’s instructions

If your child becomes ill at school and the teacher or school nurse feel the child is too sick to benefit from school or is contagious to other children, you will be called to come and take him/her home from school. It is essential that your child’s school has a phone number where you can be contacted during the day and an emergency number in the event you cannot be reached. Please be sure that arrangements can be made to transport your child home from school and that childcare is available in case of illness. If your daytime or emergency phone number changes during the year, please notify your child’s school immediately.

If you have any questions, please contact your school nurse.

Thank you!

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:

Our TMS Media Club is back in action this school year. Students, under the supervision of their sponosor Mr. Gomez, are learning new techniques and equipment used in order to stream Taylor Middle School activities. So far, they have done a fantastic job streaming home volleyball and football games.

The TMS Caring Cats were able to jumpstart the Start With Hello movement in our school community.

Start With Hello Week was the week of September 16 – 20, 2024. Each year, thousands of schools and youth organizations nationwide participate in Start With Hello Week, a national call-to-action week dedicated to making new social connections and creating a sense of belonging among youth. Here at Taylor Middle School, we want to create a culture of kindness and belonging through the Start with Hello program.

"See You at the Pole" is a student-led single day event held around the world. Since 1991, "See You at the Pole" has grown exponentially. Within the first few years, the movement began to spread to other nations through missionaries from the U.S. Now each year, an estimated 1 million students from all the world participate in "See You at the Pole." Students in more than 64 countries now participate. Taylor's FCA students planned and hosted "See You at the Pole" on September 25th along with students across the nation and world. There was a great turnout as many students, parents and staff joined to pray and sing around the flagpole before school.

We are so excited to have our Art Club back up and running! The students' awesome artwork is now displayed in the Taylor Middle School hallways. Participation has been great and our numbers have been growing. The next meeting will be October 7th from 3:10 pm - 4:00 pm in Mrs. Salcido's Room 306.

The TMS Competitive Volleyball team is 6-4 for the 2024 regular season and 3-3 in Border Conference to date. The girls have trained hard this season and improvement in skills and teamwork is very clear when watching this team play together. The team will take on Artesia on Monday, September 30, at Sixth Grade Academy. Border Conference Bracket play will begin Saturday, October 5.

It has been a successful season for the four Intramural Volleyball teams. These girls have worked hard and their effort and improvent is evident. October 2nd will be their last intramural volleyball game.

The TMS football team is 4-0, securing the number 1 seed for the Border Conference tournament. Their next game will be against Hobbs Highland at Wildcat Stadium.

8th Graders, Caylee Garcia and Alexus Aranda, came up with the idea of the TMS Student Section at games. They developed themes for each game, as well as planned out signs and chants to follow along with the cheerleaders. The students then broached each of the Taylor organizations, such as the sports teams and other clubs, to fill the student section. This past week the theme was "Hawaiian" theme and our TMS Wildcats came out in full force, sporting leis and creative signs fitting the theme! The students had a blast and created tons of school spirit! Stay tuned for the next few games, featuring a neon, camo, pink-out or western theme.

October 16 - Parent / Teacher Conferences (11:00 am - 6:00 pm)

There will be NO SCHOOL for students on this day.

Be on the lookout for emails from teachers about instructions for setting up an appointment. All scheduling will be made through the main office. Call today to reserve your time!

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 2:45 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.

• December 20, 2023 - Full Day
• May 22, 2023 - Full Day

• November 1, 2023 - Lea County In-service