T or C Middle School
November 2025
🏫 Message from the Principal
Dear Parents and Students,
Wow! It’s hard to believe it’s already Fall and already into November! Our first awards assembly was a huge success — 130 students were recognized for making the Honor Roll for the first quarter, and 33 students earned Perfect Attendance. The hard work of our students and staff is truly paying off!
We also hosted our first school dance, and students had an amazing time dancing the night away and hanging out with their friends. A big thank-you to all the staff members who chaperoned and donated their time to make the evening special. Special thanks to Mrs. Thomas and her Leadership class for doing an awesome job decorating the cafeteria and providing great music!
On October 30, the Leadership class also organized a fun Trick-or-Treat Activity, giving all of our students the chance to celebrate in a safe environment — and take home plenty of goodies! Many students joined in the fun by dressing up for the occasion.
Ms. Chavez hosted a wonderful Book Fair, which was well attended by students and families. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to support reading and literacy at our school. We’ll have another Book Fair in the spring, so be on the lookout for more information!
I want to thank all of our students, staff, and families for their hard work, dedication, and support.
Congratulations to everyone on a great first quarter — we’re so proud of you!
Mr. Garcia
Principal, T or C Middle School
It’s Great to be a Tiger Cub! 🐯
Why this matters for our Tiger Cubs
Attendance strongly correlates with achievement: state and national reviews find chronically absent students score substantially lower in reading and math than peers who attend regularly — especially in early grades where absences make it much less likely a child will be reading at grade level by third grade. nmlegis.gov+1
When average absence rises even a few days, proficiency drops a lot: recent broad research shows that small increases in average days missed at the school level are linked to very large declines in the percent of students scoring proficient in ELA and math. (Example: moving from about 5 days missed to 10 days missed at a school is associated with a steep fall in proficiency rates). Attendance Works
Prior-year absences have persistent effects: students with moderate-to-chronic absenteeism show lower achievement at the start of the next year — the learning loss carries over, making recovery harder. NWEA
New Mexico saw large pandemic-era increases: the state experienced one of the largest percentage increases in chronic absenteeism (2019–2023) and the legislature and PED have been studying and acting on attendance because of its link to student performance. Source New Mexico+
Attendance = Achievement!
Let’s Keep Our Tiger Cubs on Track!
- Aim for 95%+ attendance. That’s fewer than about 9 days missed over a 180-day year — every day adds up. (Chronic absence is defined as missing 10% or more.) nmlegis.gov
- Schedule medical/dental appointments outside school hours when possible.
- Call or email when your child will be absent and ask teachers for missed work or a way to catch up.
- If transportation, health, or basic needs are barriers, contact us — the school can often connect families with supports. (Many NM efforts emphasize removing barriers rather than punishing families.)nmlegis.gov
Tiger Cubs, Let's Play some Basketball!
The Tiger Cub Basketball season is right around the corner! If you're interested in playing Tiger Cub basketball, contact the coaches for practice times.
Boys Basketball, Coach Mitchell - mmitchell@torcschools.net
Girls Basketball, Coach Thomas - athomas@torcschools.net
To be eligible to try out for the basketball team, students must have a RankOne account. This requirement comes from the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA), the sanctioning body for interscholastic athletics.
You can create or update your account at: https://rankone.com/
Remember students, you also must hava at least a 2.0 GPA, althought the NMAA allows the schools to increase that up.
This year 6th graders can play basketball at TCMS.
Students are required to keep their cell phones stored in their backpacks or in the office during the school day. Cell phones may not be carried in pockets or on their person and must remain powered off at all times.
If a student needs to use their phone, they may do so in the office with permission and must ensure it is turned off immediately after use.
Thank you for helping us maintain a focused and distraction-free learning environment!
November 27, 2025
Thanksgiving is a special time of year dedicated to reflecting on all we have to be grateful for.
This year, we are particularly thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this vibrant community. It is our absolute pleasure to serve the best students in all of New Mexico right here at Truth or Consequences Middle School.
We wish everyone a safe and wonderful holiday celebrating with friends and family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
