THE SCHOOL SCOOP

Lovington Schools is proud to partner with the Lovington Food Coalition to help supply food items for Thanksgiving Baskets. Food will be collected from each school on November 19, 2026 and be distributed to families on November 23, 2026. The Lovington Food Coalition is so grateful for the outpouring of generosity the schools have shown as we start our 12th season of giving. This year TMS will be collecting peanut butter.

TMS students and staff enjoyed showing their school spirit throughout Red Ribbon Week, but the highlight was definitely the final day! Students had a blast showing off their creative and festive Halloween costumes, bringing plenty of Halloween fun and excitement to the halls of Taylor Middle School. It was a spooktacular way to wrap up Red Ribbon Week! 🎃👻

At Lovington Municipal Schools, our Portrait of a Wildcat reflects who we are and what we strive to develop in every student. Our mission is to provide meaningful opportunities for every Wildcat to create, achieve, transform, and succeed in a safe and supportive environment where they can reach their highest potential.

We are committed to nurturing students who act with integrity, communicate effectively, adapt to change, think critically, and demonstrate confidence in their pursuit of excellence. These qualities prepare our Wildcats not only for success in school, but for success in life.

In November, our Portrait of a Wildcat Word of the Month is Critical Thinking. Wildcats reflect on their thinking to improve its quality and make thoughtful decisions. They practice disciplined thinking by staying open-minded, seeking accurate information, and considering how their choices and ideas impact others. Through these skills, our students continue to grow as thoughtful learners and responsible members of our school community.

Our vision is simple yet powerful: to inspire every student to think, learn, achieve, and serve. Together, as a school community, we are proud to empower Wildcats to grow into capable, compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

Campos Portraits will be at Taylor Middle School on Tuesday, November 10, at 8:00 a.m. Any student who was absent on school picture day will be called to report to The Commons to have their picture taken. Students who are not satisfied with their original picture may also have their picture retaken at this time.

Each school in Lovington held its own Science Fair. Students brought their projects to their schools, where they were judged. The top several projects qualified for student interviews at the district science fair. Each student has been questioned about their project by several judges throughout the morning. They were excited to tell about their projects and what they have learned.

Many people have been involved in making this event possible. Without the volunteers, we would not be able to have a Science Fair. Teachers, principals, and community members have given generously of their time.

Our students are very fortunate to have such a caring and giving community. Sponsors have donated funds as prizes and awards for our students. We are thankful for their generosity and support in our team effort to make this school district the best possible.

See below for the complete results from the Lovington District Science Fair:
K-3:
🥇"This Ball is going far" by Jude Bruelhart
🥇"What germs are around us" by CJ
🥈"3 paper Airplanes" by Caitilina Gomez
🥉"Which Candy will blow up the most" by Clara Torres
🥉"Regular vs Sour" by Nate Bowling
🏆Division Champion: "The write clue" by Andrew Wilhoilt

4-5:
🥇"Power Showdown" by Thomas Clayton
🥈"Which berry will rot first?" by Scarlett De Haro Diaz
🥉"H2oh!" by Arvana Wilhoilt
🏆Division Champion: "Can different filter materials clean dirty water?" by Natalia De La Cruz

6-12:
🥇"The decoy effect" by Eveleen Pratt
🥇"Can you spot the bot" by Bruce Clayton
🥇"Rotten meat" by Jayden Nunez
🥈"Descending by diameter" by Pablogael Quintana
🥈"Out of the mud" by TMS ACES
🥉"Turning Wind into Power" by Aylin Calzadillas
🥉"Temperature vs Bounce" by Adann Parra
🏆Division Champ: "How ramp angles affects toy car" by Alan Perez

🏆Jerry Hanners Memorial Grand Champion: "Is FR for real" by Calvin Bruelhart

Taylor Middle School is celebrating positive momentum in our 2025–26 NM Vistas results! Our overall school score increased 3.5 points, with a 6-point gain in Math Proficiency and a 5.5-point gain in Reading Growth, which reached the 50th percentile. These results reflect the hard work of our students and teachers as we continue moving forward.

Take a look at the graphs below to see where we are headed next and the goals we have set for continued growth!

New Mexico Public Education Department is emphasizing the importance of school attendance — because every day counts. Attend today, succeed tomorrow. Be Here NM!

Did you know that missing just two days of school each month can cause a student to fall off track academically? It’s becoming increasingly evident that students are missing more school than ever before. We all play an important role in supporting regular school attendance. When parents and guardians show interest in their child’s classwork, it encourages consistent attendance and engagement. Together, we can create student-focused outcomes that lead to lasting success.

As we enter the time of year when colds, viruses, and other illnesses become more common, we want to remind families of the proper procedure to follow when a student becomes ill while at school. Our goal is to care for students appropriately, limit the spread of illness, and maintain a healthy school environment for everyone.

If your student becomes ill at school:

1. The student should notify their teacher that they are not feeling well and ask permission to leave the classroom.
2. The student should report directly to the nurse’s office. Students should not contact a parent or guardian from their personal cell phone to arrange to go home.
3. The school nurse will assess the student and contact the parent or guardian when necessary.
4. If a parent or guardian receives a call from their student’s cell phone and comes to TMS to pick up the student, the student will still need to report to the nurse’s office before being signed out. This allows the nurse to document the illness and follow the appropriate school procedures.

We understand that when a student is not feeling well, they may want to immediately contact a parent or guardian. However, having students report to the nurse first is important. It ensures that we know which students are experiencing symptoms, allows us to properly document illnesses within our school community, and helps us monitor patterns of illness as we work to prevent the spread of germs.

We appreciate your partnership in helping us keep our Wildcats healthy and in school whenever they are well enough to learn. Thank you for reminding your student to see the nurse first when they become ill at school.

Thank you for helping us keep TMS healthy!

Sincerely,
Tasha Knapp RN
Taylor Middle School Nurse
Lovington Municipal Schools

At Taylor Middle School, we believe punctuality is more than arriving on time—it is a character trait that demonstrates responsibility, respect, and self-discipline. As part of our PBIS framework and Capturing Kids Hearts culture, we strive to cultivate positive habits that help students become successful learners and responsible citizens. Being on time shows respect for classmates, teachers, and the learning environment while ensuring students are present for every minute of instruction.

To reinforce this expectation, students who are marked tardy to class will be assigned lunch detention. By working together with families to encourage punctuality, we can help students develop lifelong habits that contribute to their academic success and strengthen our Portrait of a Wildcat values.

Our principals conduct walkthrough observations to celebrate the great things happening in classrooms every day. We look for positive lessons, meaningful student learning, and evidence of a nurturing environment where students feel supported, engaged, and challenged. These walkthroughs provide an opportunity to recognize the intentional work of our teachers and highlight the many ways our Wildcats are learning, growing, and thriving.

Ms. Saenz and Mr. Martinez’s students explored the water cycle through hands-on learning stations, engaging in interactive activities to deepen their understanding of how water moves through the environment.

Students in the ACES Functional Classroom explored the scientific question, “Do we need soil for our seeds to grow?” Through this hands-on science fair project, students learned about photosynthesis and the essential ingredients plants need to grow: sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. They investigated how seeds begin to grow and explored whether soil is necessary for germination and healthy plant development. This engaging experiment encouraged students to make predictions, observe changes, and discover how plants grow, all while building curiosity and developing their scientific thinking skills!

In Mrs. Jameson’s 7th-grade science class, students are graphing their pre-test and post-test scores to visualize their growth in learning throughout the unit, Structure, Function, and Information Processing. By comparing their results, students can see how their knowledge and understanding have improved. Their graphs showcase incredible growth and progress, highlighting the hard work, dedication, and learning taking place in the classroom.

Ms. Lopez’s Health classes recognized October as Anti-Bullying Month by creating posters to raise awareness about the importance of kindness, respect, and standing up against bullying. Through their creativity, students shared positive messages that encourage a safe, supportive, and inclusive school environment where every Wildcat feels valued and respected.

October 14–16, our FFA members volunteered at Farm Safety Day, hosted by the Lea County Cooperative Extension Service. Members served as group leaders and Ag in the Classroom workshop presenters, helping educate elementary students about agriculture and farm safety.

We are proud of our members for demonstrating leadership, teamwork, and a commitment to serving their community!

TMS choir students joined forces with Lovington High School, Sixth Grade Academy, and Yarbro Elementary for a special choir concert at Pannell Auditorium this past week. The performance showcased the students’ musical talents, dedication, and hard work while providing a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with other student musicians across the district. We are proud of our Wildcats for sharing their voices and celebrating the power of music through this memorable performance!

In Mr. Dunlap’s social studies class, students explored Spanish Exploration in the New World through a creative lesson titled “If I Were to Rule.” Students designed and presented posters outlining their vision for a community, including laws to keep people safe, ensure fairness, address community needs, and explain how their laws would be enforced. This engaging activity encouraged students to think critically about leadership, laws, and the responsibilities of governing a community.

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) effectively rewards students for making positive choices within the school day. PBIS is at the core of developing a strong culture that meets the social and emotional learning (SEL) needs of our students. When done with consistency, PBIS encourages children to meet behavioral expectations, while simultaneously creating a warm learning environment and building strong teacher-student relationships.

Rewards are an integral component of establishing the PBIS system in our school and we use LiveSchool to award and track points for attendance and positive behavior. These rewards keep students motivated by reinforcing good behavior, and ultimately incentivizing them to keep making good choices everywhere in the school building!

The LiveSchool points will be used to purchase rewards on the virtual TMS PBIS Store. The store openings will be at the end of each 9-weeks grading period. Some items students are able to purchase include: Fun Activity (such as a pickle-ball/volleyball tournament), Adopting ananimal, Lanyard Flair, Free TMS game pass, Free ID pass and much more!

Platinum Club recognizes our top 15 LiveSchool point earners from both 7th and 8th grade. LiveSchool serves as the foundation of Taylor Middle School's PBIS program, allowing teachers and staff to recognize students every day for demonstrating positive behaviors, making responsible choices, and exemplifying our Wildcat expectations. Earning a spot in the Platinum Club reflects a student's consistent commitment to leadership, respect, responsibility, and excellence both in and out of the classroom. Congratulations to these outstanding Wildcats for setting the standard and leading by example!

By this time, some of you may have received emails or text from our SOAR platform. Student Online AI Resource (SOAR) is an extra layer of support designed to improve the experience of teachers, parents, and students while helping drive student achievement. At Taylor Middle School, SOAR serves as our schoolwide tool for tracking missing assignments. This “list” keeps communication clear between teachers, administrators, students, and families. Students are quickly learning that even one missing assignment can have a big impact on their grades.

At Taylor, we believe that giving zeros or accepting low-quality work lets students “off the hook.” Instead, our guiding principle is simple: Every Student Must Complete Every Assignment. The SOAR List allows our staff and administrators to identify challenges, provide layers of support, and celebrate student growth. With a unified commitment to learning, we are shifting our school culture in a positive way!

How SOAR Works:

• Teachers enter missing assignments, along with instructions and digital links.

• Parents and guardians receive email/text alerts when their student has a missing assignment.

• Students are notified directly through their school email, including a digital link to the assignment in SOAR.

• Students on the SOAR List are given extra time during lunch/recess to complete work.

• Support is provided by a certified teacher, with additional access to multilingual AI tutoring built into the SOAR platform.

• Parents receive instant updates when missing assignments are completed.

Our goal is for every TMS student to complete every assignment with quality effort. By reinforcing responsibility and accountability, we know success is within reach for all of our students. Thank you, parents and guardians, for your encouragement and involvement as we partner together in this important work!

Please be mindful of lunch times when checking students out during the day.

To help us locate your child quickly—whether they are in the cafeteria, outside, or need to return to the classroom to gather their belongings—we kindly ask that you arrive a few minutes early. This will help minimize delays and ensure a smoother check-out process.

Deadline for pickup is 3:15 daily!

Thank you for your cooperation!

TMS has so much to offer in the way of sports, clubs, and activities. There truly is something for everyone! We encourage our students to find a way to get involved in something bigger than themselves.

Fall Sports

7th & 8th graders have the opportunity to participate in Football and Volleyball.

8th graders are eligible to participate in Cross County and Soccer.

Winter Sports

7th & 8th graders have the opportunity to participate in Basketball.

8th graders are able to compete in Swim, Powerlifting and Basketball.

Spring Sports

7th & 8th graders have the opportunity to participate in Track & Field.

8th graders are eligible to compete in Softball, Baseball, Tennis, and Golf.

Reminder: Students may not practice until their physical is on file at TMS.

TMS Volleyball Team had an incredible season, finishing with an impressive 11-2 record and earned the title as Border Conference Champions! Throughout the season, the girls showed tremendous growth, determination, teamwork, and resilience. They continued to push themselves, support one another, and compete with heart every time they stepped on the court. Coach Hein states, "I am so proud of everything they accomplished this season and the way they represented TMS and Wildcat Nation!"

What a great season for TMS Wildcat Football! Our 7th and 8th grade teams represented Taylor Middle School with pride, toughness, and determination throughout the season. We are incredibly proud of the hard work, commitment, and growth our athletes displayed both on and off the field.

Our 7th grade Wildcats finished the season undefeated with a perfect 4-0 record! These young men competed with great energy, continued to improve each week, and set the standard for what it means to be a Wildcat. Our 8th grade Wildcats finished with an outstanding 6-1 record and earned 2nd place overall in the Border Conference! Their dedication, resilience, and commitment to one another made this a season to be proud of.

Beyond the wins and losses, we are most proud of the character, brotherhood, and work ethic these young men demonstrated throughout the season. Football is about more than what happens on Friday afternoons. It is about learning discipline, overcoming adversity, holding one another accountable, and understanding the importance of being part of something bigger than yourself.

We want to thank our parents, families, teachers, administration, and Wildcat community for your continued support throughout the season. Your encouragement and commitment to our players and program never go unnoticed. Most importantly, thank you to our athletes for trusting the process, embracing the challenges, and representing TMS with pride. The season may be over, but the work continues. We look forward to building on this success and continuing to develop young men who represent our school, families, and community the right way.

Basketball signups are underway. Students can sign up in the TMS Office. 8th grade girls and boys trying out for the traveling competitive team must have Rank One and physicals complete before they can practice or try out.

• 8th Grade Boys will have tryouts on Monday, November 2 at 4:30 pm at Sixth Grade Academy.
• 8th Grade Girls will have tryouts on Tuesday, November 3 at 4:30 pm at Sixth Grade Academy.
• 7th Grade Girls Intramural practices will begin November right after school at Taylor Middle School.
• 7th Grade Boys will begin after Christmas Break.

Please see the schedules below for the 8th grade competitive boys and girls' basketball teams, as well as the intramural schedules:

If sports aren't for you, no worries!

We have tons of other ways students can get involved on campus and we encourage you to participate in one of our organizations. Here are some of the clubs and organizations offered here at Taylor:

• Media Club
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Student Council
• Garden Club
• Art Club
• Kind Cats
• Spanish Club
• Book Club
• National Junior Honor Society

During the month of October, under the direction of Mrs. Salcido, TMS Art Club students explored the unique and imaginative artwork of filmmaker and artist Tim Burton. Known for his distinctive style in movies such as Beetlejuice, Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Edward Scissorhands, Burton’s art provided inspiration for students to develop their own creative skills. Throughout the project, students learned about the element of value and practiced shading techniques, including hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling, to create depth, contrast, and texture in their artwork. This project encouraged students to experiment with different artistic techniques while discovering the creativity behind Burton’s one-of-a-kind style!

The TMS Garden Club has been busy bringing a touch of fall to Taylor Middle School! Students worked together to spruce up the atrium and add festive autumn decorations, creating a warm and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy. Their hard work and creativity are helping our school celebrate the season while taking pride in keeping our campus beautiful. Way to go, Wildcats!

The TMS Kind Cats put their creativity to work by designing and creating festive pumpkin people for the Lovington Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Lil Pumpkins Contest!” This community tradition invites Lovington youth to participate in the fun of Pumpkin People season. The students’ unique creations will be on display in the TMS Commons before heading to the Chamber of Commerce for the competition. We’re excited to see their artistic efforts shine!

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meets on Tuesday mornings at 7:30 am and Wednesdays after school. Anyone is welcome to join this group! The students' new bulletin board includes pictures of students, staff and parents who attended the "See You at the Pole" event they hosted.

November 3 - Election Day - No School

November 6 - Instructional Friday

November 10 - Picture Retakes at 8:00 am

November 25 - 26 - Thanksgiving Holiday

Activity Tickets for Wildcat Activities are on Sale!

Adults/Staff – $40

Students – $20

****Cash only, please bring correct change*****

18 W. Washington

Monday – Thursday (7:30 – 3:00)

Digital Activity Tickets also on Sale

Download the Go Fan App

Create an Account

Select School

- make sure your children and other adults in the family have the app as well and that they use an email address they can access.

Click on Lovington Annual Activity Pass

– Adult Pass ($44) includes digital Go Fan Fee

– Student Pass ($23) includes digital Go Fan Fee

Enter Additional Information for each pass selected.

**For Student Passes, you must enter your school-aged child’s ID number (Can be found in the Parent Vue App under Student Info – Perm ID)

Once complete, you can transfer purchased passes to another adult or child using their email address. They must then log in to their email and accept the pass. Once accepted, the pass will appear in their Go Fan app.

Wildcat families can find the pdf version on the home webpage or by selecting the image to the left.