TCES/SEC Newsletter
December 2024
Parents and Families of TCES
Thank you all for a very wonderful first semester. We have a couple of pieces of information that we would like to share with everyone today.
Our first piece of information is to inform everyone that TCES has received a Traditional Rating from PED. While this rating for a school is an acceptable rating, we have work to do and are continuing to focus on improving everything we do to ensure that TCES students receive the best educational experience that they can.
Secondly, we would ask parents to have a conversation with your children about school attendance. Try to speak to your children and help them to understand why going to school everyday matters. Discuss what they’re missing out on and how showing up to school every day is an important skill that will help them become successful in life. It will help them keep a job and learn what they need to know and be able to do to realize their hopes and dreams.
Finally, we would like to wish all our families a safe and secure winter break. We hope that you take this time to be with family and friends. Thank you all for working with us and being our partners.
Rey Gonzalez
Principal TCES/District Hearing Officer
1-575-740-4604
Attendance Matters: December Assessments and Student Success
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We hope this message finds you well! As we approach the month of December, we want to emphasize the importance of regular school attendance. This month is critical for our students as we will be conducting key assessments that will guide our instruction and planning for the new year.
These assessments help us understand your child’s progress, identify areas of strength, and determine where additional support may be needed. Having your child present ensures we have the most accurate information to tailor our teaching to best meet their needs when we return in January 2025.
We understand the holiday season can be a busy time, but consistent attendance is vital for your child's academic growth. Thank you for partnering with us to prioritize their success!
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Richard Marquez, SEC Principal
Welcome back, we hope your Thanksgiving break has been full of family, love, and appreciation. As we continue through one of the busiest times of the year, we want to thank you for staying involved and taking part in your child’s education. For math, we will be strengthening the students understanding of both addition and subtraction within 5 as well as comparing numbers 0-10. We will also be strengthening the student’s understanding in reading by practicing CVC words, reviewing all Red Words to this point, and beginning, middle, and ending sounds of words. It is imperative that students learn not only in school but continue that education at home. As always, iStation testing happens at the beginning of each month and we ask that you help support them in achieving success!
Again, we’d like to appreciate all you do and all your support in helping your child flourish. Happy holidays to you all!
Mrs. Reyes
Mrs. Silva
Ms. Gustin
& Mrs.Perez
Hello all! We had many students’ level up in Istations this month! Thank you for helping your child progress! Please encourage your child to work on their decodables that are sent home throughout the week; these will count toward the Book It program. They will also help with each area in Istation such as Reading Comprehension, Phonemic Awareness, Vocabulary and Letter Recognition. Our focus for math in the month of November is fluently adding within 10. 😊
We need:
Clorox Wipes donations!
Reminders:
Spelling Words – These are sent home weekly. Be sure to study them!
Animal Habitat Projects – This information was sent home. Students will be presenting the week of December 16th.
School Behavior – Please remind your child about appropriate school behavior. We have had many incidents this past month of inappropriate behavior.
Happy December! Please remind students to dress appropriately and bring jackets. It is also helpful if student names are somewhere on their jackets so they do not get lost. Our lost and found is getting quite large, so if you are missing a jacket, feel free to come look! This month students will be taking their Istation MOY Assessment, please ensure that students attend school regularly.
In math we are continuing to work on addition and subtraction fluency, subtraction within 100 using various strategies, subtraction with regrouping, and solving addition and subtraction word problems. We also frequently review skills such as place value, telling time, and counting money. Please continue to help your kiddos practice their addition and subtraction facts at home for at least 5-10 minutes a night.
We are continuing to work on reading every day. Some things that we are practicing this month are: diphthongs, two syllable words, grammar elements (adjectives, adverbs), cursive writing, writing complete sentences, and comprehension skills after reading or hearing a read aloud. It is so important to read to and with your students, even a few minutes each night can make a difference and help give students a love for reading!
Other important info:
- Things we need donated to classrooms: Clorox/Lysol wipes, Kleenex, and classroom snacks.
- Please remind students to wear tennis shoes and appropriate clothes on PE days: Jankowski-Monday, J. Tolley- Thursday, M. Tolley- Friday
- 2nd Grade students are going to be Christmas Caroling at the Veteran's Center on December 17! We will be practicing songs daily in order to get ready. More info will be sent home from classroom teachers. We are looking forward to this fun event!
4th Grade Buzz: Learning, Creating, and Exploring!
Greetings, families and friends of 4th grade! We’ve had an exciting month filled with learning, creativity, and anticipation for upcoming adventures. Here’s what we’ve been up to and what’s on the horizon:
Math Mastery: Cracking the Code of Division
Division will take center stage in our math lessons this month, while still reviewing multi-digit multiplication! Students will work hard to understand the concepts of sharing and grouping. From long division to solving word problems, we’ll build skills that will serve us well in real-world scenarios. Be sure to ask your child about their “division strategies” as the month progresses! Keep practicing those basic multiplication facts! Our goal is for every 4th grader to develop automaticity with those facts!
Reading Spotlight: Informational Text Features
In reading, we’ve been diving into informational texts, learning how to navigate and utilize text features such as headings, subheadings, captions, graphs, and glossaries. These tools help us better understand and analyze non-fiction materials. Ask your student about what they have learned about nutrition.
Field Trip Fun: The Rio Grande Shootout
Get ready for a slam dunk! On Thursday, December 5th, our 4th graders will take a field trip to The Rio Grande Shootout boys’ basketball game. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to enjoy a local sporting event, cheer for their favorite team, and experience the excitement of a live game. Permission slips will be sent home soon, so keep an eye out. Go, Tigers!
Our classrooms are always in need of Clorox/Lysol wipes, Kleenex, and classroom snacks.
A Season of Gratitude
As we approach the holiday season, we want to take a moment to thank you, our amazing parents and guardians, for your continued support, encouragement, and partnership. Your involvement plays a vital role in your child’s success, and we are truly grateful for all you do.
From our classroom to your home, we wish you a joyful and blessed holiday season filled with love, laughter, and cherished moments with family and friends.
Dear 5th Grade Families,
December is upon us! We are excited to share what we are learning about in the classrooms.
Upcoming Events:
Istation Testing for December
iMSSA Middle of the Year State Testing
December 5th we will be cheering on our very own HSHS Tiger Basketball Team as they play in the 6th Annual Rio Grande Shootout.
Learning Highlights
Math: We are dividing decimals.
Reading: We will be reading various informational texts regarding the preservation of Earth's Resources. We will focus on multi-meaning words, text structure, and main idea.
Science: We are learning about Earth's four spheres and how they interact. Ask your students about what is happening with Pumpkin Jack! Students observe and record what happens through the decomposition process.
Reminders
- Dress for the Weather: As the temperatures drop, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for outdoor recess.
Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to an exciting month ahead and wish everyone a joyful holiday season!
5th Grade Teachers
In December, we will begin the sport of basketball. The primary focus will be on skill acquisition. Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately on their PE day of the week. Also, if your child has any sort of injury or sickness that may prevent them from participating, please send a note and I will excuse them from PE. Without a note, their grade will be significantly reduced for lack of participation. Thanks for all your help!
Chase Brownfield
Hello from music!!
In exciting news, we will be putting together a 1st grade winter program! Each class will have their own song they will be practicing and performing on Wednesday, December 18th. We have been working on Dynamics with grades k-2 and will continue expanding our knowledge of musical elements with fun games and activities through the month of December. 3rd-5th will be working on note recognition and learning to play the electronic keyboards!
Thank you!
-Mrs. Abby Harrison
Bookshelf Bulletin with Mrs. Q
Hello TCES families! The holiday season is almost here, it seems the year is going by so fast.
The students have been loving checking out and reading the new books we have in the library. I will be sending home letters if your student has any overdue books before the break. Please take the time while your student is at home to locate them so they can be returned to the library when school resumes after the New Year.
Don't forget to read to/with your students at home to help nurture their love of reading.
Happy December students and families,
I hope we had an awesome restful Thanksgiving break, starting back up our kinder will be doing an activity to help identify the cursor symbols as well as, first and second grade.
Third grade will be building their own computers to solidify their learning about parts of a computer. Fourth and fifth grade will do warmups regarding parts of a computer as a refresher. The majority have concluded their weather research papers and will be moving on to a project using PowerPoint.
Ms. Lacey
Yay, December! I cannot believe how fast this year has gone.
Throughout December we will continue with skill building and text fluency for Emergent Readers and independent reading and reading comprehension for Developing Readers. The last week before break we will do a Christmas group read-aloud for all age groups.
I sent home flyers for our Save the Children/Raising a Reader event for all the Save the Children students. This event is happening on December 17 in the TCES library. I have lots of goodies to give away. I hope to see you all there.
If you haven’t already, feel free to utilize our suggestion box at the front TCES office.
Remember to read, read, read!!!
Mary Reuland