Aztecs Unidos: Belong • Empower • Achieve

Dear GCMS Families,

As we enter the final month of 2025, I want to take a moment to thank you for your partnership and support. December is always a special time at GCMS. Our students continue to grow academically, socially, and emotionally, and we are proud of the progress they’ve made so far this school year.

We recently wrapped up Trimester 1, and we are excited to see so many students showing growth on their NWEA assessments, building strong learning habits, and mastering grade-level standards. As we move into Trimester 2, our commitment remains the same: ensure every Aztec has access to grade-level learning, high expectations, and the support they need to reach their full potential.

Reading Matters — Help Us Build Daily Habits

Research shows that students who read independently for at least 15 minutes a day grow faster in vocabulary, background knowledge, and comprehension. The habit matters more than the level—reading in English or Spanish is powerful for learning.

To support this, students can log their daily reading minutes in Beanstack, our school’s reading tracker. Beanstack not only helps students build consistent reading habits—it also helps our school celebrate our independent readers through challenges, badges, and recognition throughout the year. It’s a great way for students to feel proud of their effort and for us to highlight their accomplishments.

A quick routine at home—reading with a sibling, reading to a parent, or listening to a family member read—builds stronger readers.

Math Fluency Builds Confidence — Support Through IXL

Students who know their basic math facts automatically are more confident and successful with multi-step problems. When facts are fluent, the brain can focus on thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving—not getting stuck on multiplication or division.

To help at home, students can use IXL Math, which adapts to their level and supports both fluency and grade-level skills. Just 5–10 minutes a day can make a big difference in performance and confidence.

Thank You for Partnering With Us

Your support at home—encouraging reading, practicing math facts, and using Beanstack and IXL—helps accelerate your child’s growth. When school and home work together, our Aztecs achieve more, feel more confident, and build powerful habits that last.

As winter break approaches, we hope your family finds time for rest, joy, and connection. Thank you for entrusting us with your children and for being active partners in their success. GCMS is stronger because of our families.

Mil gracias for everything you do.
Wishing you a warm and joyful December.

With appreciation,

Luis Posada
Proud Principal
Guadalupe Centers Middle School

Actions Taken:

Automated text (in English and Spanish) letting parents know the student is absent and to please call.  Include that students will be withdrawn once students reach 10 total absences. 

Texts will be tracked in the Infinite Campus Contact Log.

Actions Taken:

The Attendance clerk/secretary calls to find out if there are extenuating circumstances to schedule an in-person or over the phone/Zoom meeting with a FACE coordinator or Social Worker to conduct the Listening Interview. 

If needed, the Social Worker will schedule a meeting to create a plan of support to improve attendance. 

A Dated Letter of Concern will be sent via IC, reminding parents of the policy and letting them know that students will be dropped if they reach 10 absences.

Actions Taken:

When a student reaches 8 absences, the FACE coordinator or Social Worker will give the parent a courtesy call to alert them that students will be withdrawn from school if they reach the 10 absences in a semester. Offer additional support.

Students will be withdrawn after 10 cumulative days unless extenuating circumstances have been communicated to the school. After a student is withdrawn, they will have 5 days for records to be requested. If records are not requested, the school may need to make a report.

A withdrawal letter will be sent to parents via certified mail and uploaded in Infinite Campus.

Students who are dismissed/unenrolled during the final semester of the academic school year will lose their enrollment spot for the following school year.

*For High School Students: The student will not receive credit for any courses in which  they have more than 10 absences in a semester or less than 90% total attendance

Parents may appeal the decision if they have new documentation that may be relevant in reversing this decision. (Appeal Form)

👕 Students must be in uniform: navy blue, red, or white shirts with khaki or black pants.

🕗 School starts at 8:30 AM – don’t be late!

📱 Stay connected! Make sure you’re signed up for Talking Points and Infinite Campus.

Early Release Days

 December 10th, January 28th, February 25th, March 12th, April 22nd, and May 13th.

Community Support During the Government Shutdown
With the ongoing government shutdown, we know these times can be difficult for many families. We’d like to share several local opportunities to receive free food and groceries to help during this time. 
Please take a look at the resources listed below and share with anyone who may need them.
Together, we can support one another and make sure no one goes without. 

Padres Comprometidos! 
We invite all parents to join our Padres Comprometidos sessions on November 11th, 18th and December 2nd, 9th! These sessions are a wonderful opportunity to get involved in our community and, most importantly, in your child’s education. Together, we’ll learn, connect, and strengthen the partnership between home and school to help every student succeed. 

Contact Ms. Martinez for more information

(816) 702-2356 ext. 6445

Our PTO brings together parents, teachers, and staff to support our students and school community. We organize events, fundraisers, and volunteer opportunities that enrich student learning and strengthen school spirit. Everyone is welcome to join and make a positive impact at GCMS!

Looking for a fun and safe place for your kids after school? The Guadalupe Centers Rec Center offers tutoring, activities, snacks, recreation, and more! Drop-in hours are Monday–Friday, 3–6 PM.

Have questions? Call 816-876-4992.
A great space for students to learn, grow, and thrive!

We’re excited to share that all students who have been, or will be, selected as Student of the Month this school year will receive a T-shirt to celebrate their achievement!

Students may wear their Student of the Month T-shirt on Fridays to show their school pride. Thank you for your continued support in recognizing our students’ hard work and accomplishments!

What a sweet surprise! Huge thank you to the Latinx Education Collaborative for treating our GCMS staff to cafecito this morning! Your thoughtful gesture truly brightened our day!

Haunting Hook Writing Showcase! 
What a spooktacular morning! We celebrated our talented student writers with a special breakfast honoring the finalists of our Haunting Hook Writing Showcase. Their creativity, imagination, and spooky storytelling skills truly blew us away! A huge congratulations to our 25 finalists and 8 winners from across the school — you made us so proud! And a sweet thank you to @Donutology for donating 3 boxes of their Halloween mini donuts for our young authors to enjoy. Your delicious treats made the morning even more magical! 

Mrs. Duff’s garden just keeps growing!

They now have spinach, lettuce, and broccoli — and just harvested their potatoes!  Look at how hard our students have been working to make this happen. We’re so proud of their dedication and teamwork! 

Busy Day of Learning for Our Teachers! 
Professional development has been packed with energy, collaboration, and new ideas! Our teachers have been diving into innovative strategies, sharing best practices, and discovering new ways to support every student’s growth.

We are always striving to give our students the best opportunities to succeed, and it starts with empowering our amazing teachers. Thank you for all the hard work and dedication — your learning today directly impacts our students’ tomorrow! 

Turner’s Baby Shower! 
We had a wonderful time celebrating the Turners and, of course, enjoying some delicious food! Congratulations to the growing family — we’re so excited for this new chapter! 

Mr. Minnis led a wonderful Poetry Workshop where over 20 students came together to learn about, reflect on, and write their own poems! 
It was inspiring to see so many young voices expressing themselves through poetry.

Our Mariachi students brought joy and energy to our school community with a special performance before classes began this month. Their music brightened our morning and created a positive start to the day for students and staff alike. We are proud of their hard work and talent, and we look forward to more wonderful performances throughout the year.

This month, we’re excited to celebrate our November staff birthdays! Please join us in wishing Ms. Reyes and Dr. Wright a very happy birthday. We are grateful for the dedication, positivity, and hard work they bring to our school every day. We hope their special day is filled with joy, laughter, and of course, some delicious birthday cake!

Celebrating Our Amazing Parent Volunteers!

We are so grateful for our incredible parents who volunteer their Wednesday mornings with Mesa Azteca! Every week, they help us prepare 20 bags, sharing their time, energy, and smiles to support our school community. Their dedication makes a real difference, and we truly appreciate all that they do!

Spirit Week has officially kicked off at our school! For Favorite Color Day, our Aztecs showed their school spirit by wearing their favorite colors with pride. The hallways were filled with bright, cheerful outfits and lots of enthusiasm. 

As part of Spirit Week, our Aztecs celebrated Animated Character Day! Students shared their favorite animated characters, bringing creativity, energy, and lots of school spirit to the day. The halls were buzzing with excitement and imagination as everyone joined in the fun!

At GCMS, we believe that every student’s efforts and positive behavior deserve recognition. That’s why all of our students recently got to participate in a special behavior incentive celebration! From games to treats, it was a fun way to honor their great choices. At GCMS, we celebrate every student and every success!

GCMS students had a blast celebrating Twin Day! Friends teamed up to match outfits, show their twin spirit, and fill the campus with smiles. It was a fun way for our Aztecs to get creative, celebrate friendship, and enjoy some extra school spirit together. Seeing so many students join in made the day truly special!

Our recent PTO event was a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and connect! Guests enjoyed delicious pan dulce and hot chocolate while chatting with Principal Posada and our Green Dot trainer, Ashley Pitchford. Excitement filled the room during our raffle, and families won prizes.

A special thank-you to the Hernandez family for generously donating the pan dulce—your support made the event even sweeter!

STUCO is bringing a little flavor to lunchtime with Antojitos Azteca! Students had the chance to enjoy tasty snacks while supporting their school leaders. Check out the pictures to see all the fun and delicious treats our Aztecs got to enjoy.

A big thank-you to STUCO for organizing this tasty event and making lunch a little extra special!

GCMS Jersey Day was a great success! Students and staff filled the halls with jerseys from a wide variety of teams and sports. The day brought lots of spirit, color, and fun as everyone showed off their favorites.

GCMS pride was on full display throughout the building!

Our GCMS students had a cozy and fun PJ Day! From fluffy slippers to festive pajamas, everyone enjoyed a comfortable day of learning and school spirit. It was the perfect way to bring warmth and joy!

Our GCMS Mariachi Band helped us kick off the day with beautiful music as we head into Thanksgiving break. Their performance brought energy, joy, and school spirit to our halls, creating the perfect start to our last day before the holiday.

We are grateful for their talent and dedication—what a wonderful way to begin the break! 

We are proud to share that we were able to gift grocery store gift cards to three of our GCMS families this Thanksgiving season. 

Our amazing STUCO students worked hard to fundraise through Spirit Week and Antojitos Azteca, making this special support possible.

A huge thank you to STUCO for their generosity and for coming together to uplift our families during the holiday season! 

Our 6th grade student leaders recently participated in Green Dot training, and Ms. Pitchford called them the best group of 6th graders she has ever worked with! They demonstrated focus, respect, and kindness throughout the sessions.

Students learned important skills in:

Leadership

Team-building activities

Understanding different types of bullying

Being a “Green Dot” in our school

The Green Dot strategy teaches students how to take action:

D = Do something directly

O = Others can help you

T = Talk about something else to distract and prevent escalation

We are proud of our students for stepping up to create a safer, more supportive school environment!

We recognize Substitute Educators Day, a moment to celebrate the essential role substitutes play in supporting our schools. We extend our sincerest appreciation to Miss Torres for her commitment, reliability, and the warmth she brings to the classroom.

Thank you, Miss Torres, for all you do for our students and school community. Your dedication truly makes a difference.

12/3: GCMS vs. Tolbert @ 5pm

12/6: GCMS vs. Crossroads @ 9am 

12/11: GCMS vs. Crossroads @ 4:15pm

12/13: GCMS vs. Girls Prep @ 11am

1/7: GCMS vs. Frontier @ 5pm

1/10: GCMS vs. KIPP @ 9am

1/14: GCMS vs. Paseo @ 5pm

1/17: GCMS vs. ACP @ 11am

1/22: GCMS vs. Crossroads @ 4:15pm

1/24: GCMS vs. FLA @ 9am

1/31: GCMS vs. Lafayette @ 11am 

2/2: KC Metro First Round

2/4: Second Round TBD

2/7: Final Four/Championship TBD

12/3: GCMS vs. Tolbert @ 6pm

12/6: GCMS vs. Crossroads @ 10am

12/13: GCMS vs. Daniel Academy @ 12pm

12/15: GCMS vs. St. Vincents @ 6:30pm

1/7: GCMS vs. Frontier @ 6pm

1/10: GCMS vs. KIPP @ 10am

1/14: GCMS vs. Paseo @ 6pm

1/15: GCMS vs. St. Vincents @ 6pm 

1/17: GCMS vs. ACP @ 12pm

1/24: GCMS vs. FLA @ 10am

           GCMS vs. Hogan @ 12pm

1/31: GCMS vs. Lafayette @ 12pm

2/2: KC Metro First Round

2/4: Second Round TBD

2/7: Final Four/Championship TBD

We’re excited for all that’s ahead this school year. Thank you for being a part of our school community. Don’t forget to follow us on our Facebook page and check our website for updates!