The Sandy Run Spotlight

Hello Sandy Run Families,

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, I want to extend my sincere appreciation for your continued support. We are incredibly grateful for our PTO and the many family volunteers who helped make American Education Week so special. From gift card donations, to a delicious breakfast, to the heartfelt messages of gratitude shared with our staff—your partnership is truly critical, and our team appreciates it more than you know. Thank you as well to everyone who joined us for Trivia Night with the one and only Mike Nelms and Rob Miller. We hope you enjoyed the evening as much as they did!

I would also like to take a moment to celebrate the students who make great choices each and every day. We are grateful for the joy, energy, and academic integrity they bring to our school community. Our PBIS student and staff committees, our values-focused approach, our dedicated teachers and administrators, our school safety officers, and our strong commitment to restorative practices all work together to support a balanced approach to middle school safety and student well-being. Your reinforcement at home plays an essential role in helping our students make positive choices, and for that we are continually grateful.

Wishing all of our families a peaceful Thanksgiving holiday.

Important Announcements for the Week:

• Mandatory Lockdown Drill: We will hold our annual mandatory Lockdown Drill on Monday, November 24th. The purpose of this drill is to ensure that students and staff are familiar with our safety procedures and know how to respond calmly and effectively in the unlikely event of an emergency. Students will be notified through an announcement that clearly states it is only a drill, along with instructions on what to do. During the drill, students should follow all teacher directions, remain silent in the designated area of the classroom, and wait for additional information. Thank you for your partnership in helping us maintain a safe learning environment for all.
• SRMS Turkey Trot: We are excited to host our annual SRMS Turkey Trot on Tuesday, November 25th from 9:00-11:00. Each student who is participating signed up with their PE teacher last week and we are excited to give a substantial donation to The Breathing Room, a local organization that supports families of cancer patients. We are still looking for parent volunteers. If you have your clearances and a bit of time to give on Tuesday, we would love to have you support this amazing event.
• Early Dismissals: Monday-Wednesday are early dismissal days for students. All students will dismiss at 11:45. There will be no after-school activities or sports this week.
• Conferences: Please see the information below if you are attending a conference this week. We look forward to seeing you!
• SRMS Staff Gratitude Form: If you're interested in sharing any glimmers of gratitude with our staff, feel free to fill out this form and we will pass it along to our members of our staff.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead. Go Birds! 🦅

Warmly,
Jennifer Nuskey
Principal, Sandy Run Middle School

Monday, November 24:

• Scheduled Lockdown Drill
• Early Dismissal @ 11:45
• Conferences: 12:30-3:00

Tuesday, November 25:

• Turkey Trot (9:00-11:00)
• Early Dismissal @ 11:45
• Conferences: 12:30-3:00 & 5:30-7:30

Wednesday, November 26: Early Dismissal @ 11:45 for staff and students

This week demonstrated just how generous our Cardinals are. Our PBIS Student Committee raised over $400.00 to fund our PBIS student-led incentives and initiatives. Students enjoyed purchasing a bracelet with a note of kindness for a friend and completing activities to demonstrate the things that fill their gratitude mugs. We have a tremendous amount of students that demonstrate positive behavior and gratitude each and every day. Keep it up, Cardinals!

Our Sandy Run Cardinals enjoyed their monthly Clyde's Cash trade-in during grade-level lunches on Friday. This month our students earned Clyde's Cash by showing gratitude to classmates, staff, and their school community. We are so proud of our Cardinals!

Monday-Wednesday are early dismissal days for students. Sandy Run students operate on a modified schedule and dismiss at 11:45. There will be no after-school activities due to conferences.

Conference times are as follows:

• Monday, November 24th: 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM

• Tuesday, November 25th: 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM and 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

A friendly reminder that conferences are 15 minutes long and we must adhere to our schedule in order to ensure equitable time for each family. We kindly ask that you arrive on time for your in-person or virtual conference. We appreciate your partnership.

Sandy Run Middle School students will take part in this long-standing tradition—a one-mile charity race supporting The Breathing Room Foundation, which helps families affected by cancer. The event is open to all SRMS students ($5 cash donation), with races from 9:00–11:00 AM. Tickets will be sold November 17–21 in PE/Health classes. Let’s trot for a great cause!

We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with directing students along the raceway as well as to hand out pretzels and waters post-race. We are also looking for food/drink donations. Please consider signing up below.

On Thursday, December 11th, there will be an informational session for all 7th graders interested in learning about the National Junior Honor Society(NJHS) application process. The session will take place from 2:20–3:00 p.m. in Room 114. To be considered for NJHS, students must have a cumulative average of 90% or higher across all subject areas. Students with questions are encouraged to reach out to Mrs. Henegan - dhenegan@udsd.org or Ms. Tofel- ttofel@udsd.org.

This past week, we officially kicked off our annual Student Council fundraiser. We can reach our $50,000 goal if each student participates, opens their online store and sells a minimum of only $100 worth of products and/or donations. Remember, you ONLY need to register and launch your campaign with 12+ email addresses! Simply go to www.funderworks.com/SANDYRUN to get started tonight!

Sincerely,

SRMS Student Council

Please review the important dates below and reach out to our musical director, Ms. Logan Pring (lpring@udsd.org) if you have any questions.

• Auditions: December 1–4, 2025

• First All Cast & Crew Rehearsal: Monday, December 8, 2025

• Performances: March 13–16, 2026

Our winter sports season is underway with our 7th and 8th grade Girls Basketball teams starting the season strong with convincing wins over Lower Moreland. We will also be starting wrestling, boys basketball and winter cheer in the weeks ahead. Here are some reminders:

• SRMS Athletics Website - Please visit this website for information about our athletic program including the daily update, game and practice schedules, coaches contact information, and our athletics handbook.
• PIAA Forms - All PIAA forms must be completed online through Family ID. Please visit the SRMS Athletics website for additional information and a link to the website. Students are not able to try out or practice until they have completed this requirement.
• Boys Basketball - Tryouts will be held the week of December 15 (7th grade: 12/15, 12/17 and 12/19; 8th grade: 12/16 and 12/18). Please make sure that all PIAA forms have been submitted online by Wednesday, 12/10 to ensure that you will be eligible for tryouts.
• Winter Cheer - Tryouts will be held the week of 12/15. PIAA forms are not required for cheerleading.

Sports Daily Update

Clubs Daily Update

Athletic Director: Luther Green (lugreen@udsd.org)

SRMS Athletics Liaison: Kelly Peterson (kepeters@udsd.org)

SRMS Athletics Secretary: Megan Stanton (mstanton@udsd.org)

Safe2Say enables anyone to quickly and anonymously share concerns regarding a student who may pose a threat to themselves or others.

Ways to submit a tip:

• Web: www.safe2saypa.org
• Phone: 1- 844-SAF2SAY
• Safe2Say Mobile App

Please be sure to view our SRMS Weekly Newsletter this week to find important event information including the 2025 SRMS Turkey Trot (11/25), Board Game Donations and important Nov/Dec Dates!

Also, a HUGE shout-out to everyone who has donated or volunteered for our PTO events so far this year! Your support is making a BIG impact!! Our MaGerk’s Dine & Donate raised almost $300 and our Adult Trivia Night was an absolute blast, bringing in over $1,200! Every dollar goes right back into creating amazing activities and events for our Sandy Run students - and that’s something to celebrate! In this season of gratitude – we are so thankful for our supportive Sandy Run families!

Fall Fest Fill the Truck

Saturday, November 22

UD Lacrosse Club FiddleStix Program

Registration Opens December 1

UDJAA Softball

Registration Opens December 1

2SLGBTQQIA+ Coffee & Conversation

Wednesday, December 3

Girls Lacrosse Jingle Bell Jog 5K

Saturday, December 6

**Disclaimer Statement: The information provided in the segment above is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation of any specific individual or organization. We offer this platform as a resource for community organizations but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the details provided.

Administrators:

Mrs. Jennifer Nuskey: jnuskey@udsd.org

Principal

6th Grade & 8th Grade Red Team House Principal

7th Grade & 8th Grade Gold & Gray Team House Principal

Supervisor of Special Education (6-8)

Counselors:

6th Grade Counselor

Kathi Babin: kbabin@udsd.org

7th Grade Counselor

Josh Meyer: jmeyer@udsd.org

8th Grade Counselor
Tona Morrow: tmorrow@udsd.org

Guidance Secretary

Attendance

SRMS Attendance: srmsattendance@udsd.org

Athletics

Dr. Luther Green: lugreen@udsd.org