TCES/SEC Newsletter

Dear Tiger Families,

As we enter the month of November, we want to take a moment to recognize the hard work and dedication our students continue to show each day. We are proud of the effort they put into their learning, the progress they are making, and the ways they continue to grow both academically and personally. Thank you for partnering with us to help our students succeed!

Every Day Counts!

As we move through the school year, we want to continue encouraging all students to be at school every day, on time, and ready to learn. Every instructional minute matters, and arriving late or leaving early can mean missing important lessons, classroom discussions, directions, and opportunities to practice new skills.

Did you know? If a student arrives just 10 minutes late four days a week, that adds up to approximately 40 minutes of missed instruction each week—nearly 24 hours over a 36-week school year! Leaving school early can add even more missed learning time. Those minutes may seem small at first, but they add up over time.

We understand that illnesses, appointments, and unexpected situations happen. When your child will be absent, please communicate with the school and your child's teacher as soon as possible. Keeping us informed helps us support your child and plan for missed assignments and instruction.

Thank you for making regular attendance and arriving on time a priority. Your partnership makes a difference!

A Resource for Every Family: Parent Guidance

Did you know our district provides families with access to Parent Guidance, a valuable resource designed to help parents and caregivers navigate the challenges of raising children?

Through our Parent Guidance website, families can explore resources and support related to children's behavior, emotions, mental wellness, family relationships, and everyday parenting challenges. The site offers practical information and guidance to help parents better understand their children and build stronger family connections.

Parenting can bring many questions, and you do not have to navigate every challenge alone. Whether you are looking for strategies to manage difficult behaviors, support your child's emotional well-being, or strengthen communication at home, Parent Guidance is a resource worth exploring.

We encourage all families to visit the website and take advantage of this support available to you!

Thanksgiving Lunch

We look forward to welcoming our families to school for our annual Thanksgiving lunch! This is a wonderful opportunity to share a meal, connect with our school community, and celebrate the season together.

Thanksgiving Lunch Date: November 18

Tickets will be available soon for purchase in the front office. Please watch for additional information regarding the date, meal times, and ticket details.

Thanksgiving Break Reminder

Please mark your calendars! Thanksgiving Break will be November 25–27. We hope your family enjoys this time together and has a safe, restful, and happy holiday.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our students, teachers, and schools. We are grateful to be part of such a wonderful school community, and we look forward to seeing our Tigers continue to learn, grow, and show their stripes!

With Tiger Pride,

Your Elementary Principals

Katrina Selberg

Principal

Tricia Jump

Assistant Principal

Richard Marquez

Assistant Principal

🍂 Fall Health Reminders

As the weather changes, colds and other illnesses may become more common. Help your child stay healthy by:

• 💧 Drinking plenty of water

• 🍎 Eating healthy meals and snacks

• 😴 Getting enough sleep

• 🧼 Washing hands often

• 🤧 Covering coughs and sneezes

• 🏠 Staying home when sick

🤒 When Should Your Child Stay Home?

Please keep your child home when they are too sick to participate comfortably in school or may be contagious. Follow school illness guidelines for fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and other significant symptoms, such as:

• Fever, especially 100°F or higher

• Persistent or severe cough

• Extreme fatigue, unusual sleepiness, or weakness

• Runny or stuffy nose with other symptoms

• Body aches or muscle aches

• Stomach upset, including nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

💊 Medication Reminder

If your child needs medication during the school day, please contact the Nurse’s Office regarding required forms and school procedures. Please make sure emergency medications are at school should your child need them.

🎃 October Safety

Please dress your kiddos according to the weather outside when sending them to school.

Enjoy the fall season and Halloween safely! Remind children to wear reflective clothing after dark, use sidewalks, watch for traffic, stay with trusted adults, and check treats before eating them.

❤️ A Note from the Health Office

Healthy students are ready to learn! Thank you for helping with the Health Office to support your child's health and well-being.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, and successful school year!

— Your Health Office 🩺

Hello all! We had many students’ level up in AMIRA 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. They will help with each area in AMIRA 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:

· Snacks

Reminders:

· Spelling Words – These are sent home weekly. Be sure to study them!

· Book Fair – November 5th – 12th

· School Behavior – Please remind your child about appropriate school behavior. We have had many incidents this past month of inappropriate behavior.

· NO toys at school! Please do not let your child bring toys to school (other than balls for recess).

Math: This month, we will continue strengthening our addition and subtraction skills as we work with two-digit numbers. Students will practice breaking apart numbers into tens and ones, regrouping, and decomposing a ten to help solve subtraction problems. We will also explore estimating sums using friendly numbers, using addition to help solve subtraction problems, and applying mental math strategies. Students will learn how to check their work and explain their solutions. Our math vocabulary includes sum, estimate, regroup, check, solution, and difference.

Reading: We are beginning Module 4, Once Upon a Time! Our essential question is: What lessons can we learn from characters in stories? This week, we will enjoy reading Recipe for a Fairy Tale, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, and How to Read a Story. Throughout the module, students will explore text organization, story structure, making inferences, cause and effect, figurative language, multiple-meaning words, verb tenses, subjects and predicates, suffixes, silent letters, and high-frequency words. We look forward to discovering the lessons and adventures that stories have to offer!

A FEW FRIENDLY REMINDERS

Snack Time: Please send your child with a snack every day.

PE Days: Please make sure students wear tennis/athletic shoes on PE days so they can participate safely.

Stay Healthy: Remind children to wash their hands frequently and practice healthy habits.

Not Feeling Well? If your child is sick, please keep them home to rest and recover. This helps us keep our classroom healthy!

THANK YOU, FAMILIES!

Thank you for supporting your child and our classroom. We appreciate everything you do to help our second graders learn, grow, and succeed!

November Learning Highlights

Reading – HMH Module 3: Let Freedom Ring!

Throughout November, students will explore important American symbols, historical landmarks, and documents that represent our nation’s history and freedom. We will focus on identifying central ideas, understanding nonfiction texts, and expanding our vocabulary.

Math – Multiplication & Division

This month, students will continue strengthening their multiplication and division skills. We will practice using place value to multiply by multiples of 10 and explore how multiplication and division are connected through fact families, arrays, and equal groups. Please encourage your child to practice multiplication facts at home!

Science – Environments & Survival

In November, students will investigate how different traits help organisms survive in their environments. We will explore why certain snails are better suited to their habitats and how changes in the environment can affect an organism’s chances of survival.

A Special Thank You to Our Families!

As we enter this season of gratitude, we want to take a moment to thank each of you for your continued support, encouragement, and involvement in your child’s education. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to teach your children and watch them learn, grow, and succeed each day. Your partnership makes such a difference in our classrooms!

MATH

In math, we are continuing to develop and sharpen our math skills as we push through multiplication and division of multiple digit numbers. Students are working hard to learn and understand number bonds and fact families as we find different ways to find solutions.

WRITING

In written language, we are developing ways to share information through the use of technology as well as old school pencil and paper. Students are learning how to organize their ideas for the writing process with the use of tools like word webs, graphic organizers and speech to text features on our laptops. We have a classroom full of amazing thoughts and ideas and are determined to share them with our peers as we learn more about the writing process.

READING

Students continue to improve their reading fluency through a variety of practice opportunities in class. Our students are committed to improve in both areas of fluency and comprehension as we progress through the year. We will start our third novel of the year as we begin a new literary journey and dive into The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. This book will tie into LOTS of the social emotional components that we talk about daily in class.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL & TASK COMPLETION

Our motto in class has become: "Respect and Dignity. Everywhere we go, with everyone we meet." We are placing high priority on the way we carry ourselves and how we treat others.

Students continue to work toward daily and weekly short term work production and behavior goals. We are vigilantly working to build respect with teachers and peers while trying to create positive work habits and stacking 4 consecutive days a week of great attitudes and work production.

As I always say, it's a blessing to be here with this wonderful staff and these amazing students. Weather is cooling off, football is in full swing, basketball is around the corner, and turkeys will be stuffed and served in a matter of weeks..... Stay locked in and let's finish the next few weeks strong! We got this! GO TIGERS!!!!

From Your 5th Grade Team

Dear 5th Grade Families,

November is here, and we are excited to continue building our skills as learners! This month, students will strengthen their mathematical reasoning, grow as readers and writers, and explore how matter interacts within ecosystems.

Here is a look at what we will be learning this month!

Math: Adding & Subtracting Fractions

In math, we will be finishing up our learning with adding and subtracting decimals. We will focus on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Students will practice finding common denominators, creating equivalent fractions, and solving problems involving fractions. We will also work on explaining our strategies and checking that our answers make sense.

Academic Vocabulary to Practice:

• Numerator – the top number in a fraction that tells how many parts are being considered.

• Denominator – the bottom number in a fraction that tells how many equal parts make up a whole.

• Equivalent fractions – fractions that represent the same value.

• Unlike denominators – fractions with different denominators.

• Common denominator – a denominator shared by two or more fractions.

• Least common denominator (LCD) – the least common multiple of the denominators.

• Simplify – to write a fraction in its simplest form.

• Mixed number – a number containing a whole number and a fraction.

How families can help: Ask your child to explain how to find a common denominator or solve a fraction problem. Cooking, measuring ingredients, and sharing food are great ways to practice fractions at home!

Reading & Language Arts: HMH Into Reading — Module 6

During November, we will continue our learning with HMH Into Reading Module 6. Students will strengthen their comprehension skills by closely reading texts, supporting answers with text evidence, analyzing ideas and details, and explaining their thinking. We will continue practicing how to use evidence from a text to support responses and communicate ideas clearly in writing.

Academic Vocabulary to Practice:

• Analyze – to examine information carefully to understand it.

• Evidence – details or information from a text that support an answer or idea.

• Inference – a conclusion based on text clues and what you already know.

• Theme – the message or lesson a reader can learn from a story.

• Main idea – the most important point an informational text communicates.

• Supporting details – facts, examples, or explanations that develop the main idea.

• Context clues – words or sentences that help readers determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

• Summarize – to explain the most important ideas or events in your own words.

• Compare and contrast – to identify similarities and differences.

• Author’s purpose – the reason an author writes a text.

How families can help: Read together for 15–20 minutes each day. Ask your child to summarize what they read, explain the main idea or theme, and use details from the text to support their answers.

Science: Matter in Ecosystems

In science, students will explore matter and how it moves through ecosystems. We will investigate how living things depend on their environments and how matter moves among organisms and the nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Students will make connections between plants, animals, decomposers, and the resources they need to survive.

Academic Vocabulary to Practice:

• Matter – anything that has mass and takes up space.

• Ecosystem – a community of living things and the nonliving parts of their environment.

• Organism – an individual living thing.

• Producer – an organism, such as a plant, that makes its own food.

• Consumer – an organism that gets energy by eating other organisms.

• Decomposer – an organism that breaks down dead organisms and waste.

• Nutrients – substances organisms need to grow and survive.

• Food chain – a sequence showing how energy moves from one organism to another.

• Food web – a network of connected food chains in an ecosystem.

• Cycle of matter – the movement and reuse of matter within an ecosystem.

How families can help: Take a nature walk and look for examples of living and nonliving things. Discuss how plants, animals, soil, water, and decomposers are connected and why each plays an important role in an ecosystem.

This month, encourage your child to:

• Think critically: Ask questions and look for evidence.

• Persevere: Keep trying when learning feels challenging.

• Explain their thinking: Share not only an answer but also how they reached it.

• Use academic vocabulary: Practice using new words in complete sentences.

• Make connections: Look for examples of math, reading, and science in everyday life.

Rally Reader: Let's Grow Our Readers!

We are excited to share a wonderful reading opportunity for our students and families! Through a statewide initiative with the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED), students enrolled in New Mexico public schools can receive FREE access to Rally Reader!

Rally Reader gives students access to a digital library of more than 50,000 books, including engaging stories and chapter books. The app also offers reading support as students read aloud, helping them build confidence, fluency, and strong reading habits.

**Why should your child use Rally Reader?**
- Explore thousands of books and discover new favorites.
- Practice reading aloud with supportive, real-time feedback.
- Build reading confidence and fluency.
- Read at home, while traveling, or wherever your family goes.
- Celebrate reading progress and develop a love of reading!

How to Get Started

Families can register their students online in just a few minutes. You will need a parent email address or phone number and your child's name, date of birth, and school information. Once eligibility is verified, students can access Rally Reader through a compatible mobile device.

Sign up here: https://www.rallyreadernewmexico.com/

We encourage all families to take advantage of this fantastic, state-funded opportunity! Reading regularly helps students strengthen their vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and overall academic success. Let's keep our 5th-grade scholars reading and growing!

Our November Reading Challenge: Encourage your child to spend time reading each day, whether through Rally Reader, a library book, or another favorite book. Ask your child to share something interesting they learned, describe a favorite character, or explain the main idea of what they read.

Happy reading, scholars!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership! We appreciate the opportunity to work with your children and look forward to another wonderful month of learning and growth.

Wishing all of our families a happy and healthy November!

With appreciation,

The 5th Grade Team

Happy Fall, Tiger Families!

Your Zia PTO has an exciting season ahead! Show your school spirit by stopping by the front office to grab your Tiger socks and blankets (official school t-shirts are coming soon!). Mark your calendars for our upcoming Pie the Teacher event in November and a family Fall Movie Night—more information will be coming home soon.

Where do your fundraising dollars go? We are currently working to secure much-needed classroom supplies and bring a fun, inspiring anti-bullying show to our school!

Want to share your ideas and vote on future school events? Join us for our next PTO meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 5:30 PM at TCES or via Google Meet. (We regularly meet on the third Tuesday of each month.)

Stay connected with us anytime on our Zia PTO Website and check out our Facebook page to stay in the loop!

Hi Families,

It’s BEE SEASON again! Our sixth annual school spelling bee will be held on Thursday January 14th, 2027. The study list is included in this newsletter. Each classroom, grades 1-5, will hold a classroom bee in December. The top two spellers from each class will participate in the school bee.

TCES/ SEC is enrolled in the Scripps Spelling Bee, which means that our school champion has the opportunity to qualify for the El Paso Regional Spelling Bee which is the qualifier for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. If you would like to access resources for spelling study, please visit www.spellingbee.com

This year parents can create an account on the website where they will be able to find study lists, study tips, word games, and more. Another great (and free) resource is the word club app. This has spelling and vocabulary quizzes that your child can use independently.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thea Storz

tstorz@torcschools.net

Bookshelf Bulletin with Mrs. Q

It's Book Fair time!!!! Our fall book fair is scheduled for November 5 - 12 and is going to be a good one. We are totally in need of volunteers for the fair and would appreciate any and all help if you are willing. A sign up letter will be going home that you can fill out and return to the school. If I get your letter, I will reach out to verify. You can also just email, call or come to the school to sign up as well. My email address is rquiles@torcschools.net, feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you and can't wait to see you at the book fair!

Please consider reading to/with your students to nurture their love of reading.

Mrs. Q

This month in Music, we are finalizing our preparations for Veterans Day, which we are excited to be celebrating on the 11th at 9 am. Below is a poster for our Veterans Day program.

Any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Isabella Hernando