Sycamore Springs

Hello Sycamore Springs Middle School Families,

Happy Sunday! I hope you and your family are enjoying the extended weekend. Just a reminder that Monday, Oct. 14 is a district holiday. All schools and district office will be closed.

If you need anything or have any questions, please reach out to your student's teacher, counselor, or administrator.

Go Tigers!

Sincerely,

Kelly Miller

Principal

1. SSMS Book Fair starts on October 21. Click here to access our Book Fair website. You will find access to set up ewallets, shop online, and other important details. Thank you for supporting our Book Fair.

2. Red Ribbon Week starts on October 21. Join us in the week-long fun and dress up each day. On Friday, we will have our annual Student Halloween Costume Contest during each lunch!!! See below for the dress up themes.

3. Did you miss picture day or want to retake your picture? Picture retakes are 10/22. Stop by the front office to pick up an order form. https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001151617

4. Yearbook Announcements: Celebrate your student with a Recognition Ad! Order your Yearbook Ad HERE. Yearbook is also looking for baby photo submissions! Be featured in a special part of the yearbook - submit your baby photo by emailing cassandra.martinez@dsisdtx.us

5. Attendance Zoning Community Meetings are scheduled for Oct. 17 and October 22 at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. All meetings will be held at DSISD central office.

We hope you all enjoyed the long weekend! We look forward to welcoming the students back on Tuesday!

This week is our last meeting for the Smart but Scattered Book Study. Thanks to those parents who have been participating! If you want to join us this week, please do so! For more details and to sign up click here. This week we are looking at chapters 17-24 and picking 1-2 chapters to share out.

Tiger leaders will be in Tiger Win classes for all grade levels on October 15-17 & October 21 & 22. They will present their Better Together lesson on Bullying/Self Advocacy.

Red Ribbon week is October 21-October 25. Our awesome student council is putting together activities for this week.

Dripping Springs ISD has partnered with Terrace Metrics to understand & support the resiliency & well-being of our students. All 7th Grade students will have the opportunity to take this assessment on Oct. 23rd or 24th via Tiger Win classes. Active consent is required from parents/guardians for their student(s) to participate in the evaluation. This means that we will not administer the assessment to any student with a parental/guardian consent status of no and no response consent. Only students with a parental/guardian consent status of yes will be allowed to participate. Thank you to those parents that joined us for the two meetings we hosted for information on Terrace Metrics. All guardians of 7th grade students should have received an email from Actionaly on October 8th, with the consent form. There will be two reminders that follow after the Oct. 8th email. If you are wanting your student to participate in the Terrace Metrics Assessment, the deadline to submit your consent is October 18, 2024. As always, thank you for your partnership.

We hope you all had a great weekend and wish you a great week ahead!

LaDonna Caroselli, 6th Grade A-K & 7th Grade Counselor

Sandy Zimmerman, 6th Grade L-Z & 8th Grade Counselor

SSMS Book Fair starts on October 21. Click here to access our Book Fair website. You will find access to set up ewallets, shop online, and other important details. Thank you for supporting our Book Fair.

Red Ribbon Week starts on October 21. Join us in the week-long fun and dress up each day. On Friday, we will have our annual Student Halloween Costume Contest during each lunch!!!

Hey Tigers!

We are calling all 7th and 8th graders who want to join us this May on the Close up trip to Washington DC! The Close up trip to DC has a long tradition here in Dripping Springs and we want you to participate! We are scheduled to go May 25- 29th, 2025. I have included some links if you are interested and want more information below. Please click on the FAQ or frequently asked questions link for more information about the program and see a sample itinerary linked as well. If you are interested in participating please complete the Close up trip Interest form so we know how to reach out to you.

We are hosting an informational meeting with one of the representatives from Close up on Wednesday, October 23rd at 6pm in the SSMS cafeteria. In the meantime please reach out to Coach Hulett with any questions at megan.hulett@dsisdtx.us

Close Up Trip FAQ

Close Up Trip Interest Form

Students must WEAR their student IDs at all times. If you are not wearing your ID as you enter the building you will be directed to get a temporary badge in the front office. If you lost your ID, you must order a new one from the district. Click HERE to order a new ID badge.

If your student has their ID, but needs a new plastic nametag holder or lanyard you can have them check the front office or you can buy them on Amazon. Click HERE for an example plastic nametag holder and HERE for a two-pack lanyard w/ plastic case.

Congratulations to the following students!

Happy Birthday to all our SSMS Faculty and Staff! We ❤️ You! Go Tigers! 🐯

🏀Basketball Season is Almost Here!🏀

Excited to announce that tryouts for the SSMS BOYS Basketball Team are just around the corner! Mark your calendars for October 24th-25th and 28th-29th. All SSMS students are welcome to try out, as long as they have up-to-date physical and medical history forms on file.

If you're not in the Athletic class, don’t worry—simply email Coach E (roman.echevarria@dsisdtx.us) and Coach Pilcik (neal.pilcik@dsisdtx.us) so arrangements can be made for tryouts.

Look for the QR codes posted in the athletic hallway and cafeteria to sign up. While sign-ups help coaches prepare, you’re still welcome to try out even if you don’t sign up in advance.

Stay tuned for more details—we can’t wait to see you on the court!

🎉 Congratulations to our Tiger of the Week: Raul Ortiz

Please help me in congratulating Gemma Cooney for being our Tiger of the Week! We are so proud of all the hard work and effort you put into athletics!

We are so proud of all our Volleyball players! We especially want to recognize the following players of the game! Thank you for all your hard work!

Cheerleader of the Week is Norah! She brings such positive energy with her bubbly and smiling attitude. Norah's kindness shines through as she helps the other girls with stunts, teaches them cheers, and keeps us all laughing!

• Friday, October 11th is our next PTA General Membership meeting at 8:15AM, and the Executive Director of DSISD Education Foundation will be our guest speaker. Please be sure to RSVP and allow time to have your badge pre-printed, or expect an ID scan if this is your first time on campus. You can also let your voice be heard by suggesting future PTA Meeting Topic Ideas that you'd like to learn more about. RSVP for the meeting and suggest topics through our SSMS PTA Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SSMSPTA

• The SSMS PTA is excited to open the call for volunteers for two departments that greatly help and influence our staff and students - Workroom Helpers and Hospitality! Please go to our LinkTree to sign up for Workroom Help or other volunteer opportunities!
• PTA Scholarships are open for faculty and seniors! Teachers can get up to $500 for continuing education and seniors can get up to $1,000 for higher ed. Go to txpta.org/scholarships for more info!
  
• If you haven’t joined PTA yet, we welcome you to support SSMS students and staff! The Yeti membership drawing will happen at the November meeting! Please share ideas, concerns, and experiences to make the school year better for everyone. Go to joinpta.org to join.
  
• Be sure to Like and Follow our Facebook and Instagram - we post information and updates daily, and we’ll show up more often in your feed the more you react to the posts!
  

• Announcing our SSMS PTA One & Done Fundraiser! Donate now to ensure we only need one fundraiser this year. SSMS PTA supports our staff and student Tigers throughout the year, and your contribution makes a huge difference! Please scan the QR code or Donate Here!

• Our annual Chili & Hot Dog Bar is Oct. 25, so bring your best crockpot of chili and win bragging rights! Want to help? Sign up to bring items or help decorate and serve up spookiness! Email: volunteers@ssmspta.org to get more information!

• Calling all creators of tomorrow! PTA Reflections is open and ready to see your original work that interprets the 2024-25 PTA Reflections theme: Accepting Imperfection. Please check with the front office or our LinkTree to enter!

DSISD Employee Recognition Program

Are you looking for a way to honor a Dripping Springs ISD employee? Whether you are a staff member wanting to recognize a co-worker for a job well done or a parent who is impressed by your child's bus driver for going that extra mile, this is the program for you! Anyone can nominate any DSISD employee through the district's employee recognition program, Tiger Stripes for Staff.

The program invites DSISD staff, students, parents and community members to participate by leaving a positive note about a staff member. Please click HERE to go to the district Tiger Stripe page.

Attendance Zoning Community Meetings are scheduled for Oct. 17 and October 22 at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. All meetings will be held at DSISD central office.

https://www.dsisdtx.us/page/attendance-zoning

The 2024-2025 Credit by Exam for Acceleration, Credit Recovery, & Grade Placement Guide, the September 26, 2024 Advanced Academics & Gifted and Talented Parent Meeting presentation, and the credit by exam testing calendar, referral links, and study guides will be available here on Tuesday, October 1st. The referral deadline is Friday, October 25th, and testing will occur on Saturday, November 11th. Parents of students who register for fall testing will be provided with test day details at a later date. All fall testing results will apply to the 2025-2026 school year. Questions may be directed to Dr. Rhonda Whitman via email or a phone call (512-858-3053)

The DSISD GT Referral window for K-12 opens on Oct. 1 and will remain open until October 31st. Click HERE to access the flyer. Click HERE (on or after Oct.1) to complete the referral form.

Monday, 10/14 - District Holiday/No School

Tuesday, 10/15 - B Day

Tiger Leaders will be presenting a Bullying/Self Advocacy lesson during Tiger Win

7th Football @ HBMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00

Wednesday, 10/16 - A Day

National Boss's Day 🎉

FCA Meeting in Small Gym @ 8:30am

Tiger Leaders will be presenting a Bullying/Self Advocacy lesson during Tiger Win

8th Football vs. HBMS @ SSMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00

Thursday, 10/17 - B Day

Tiger Leaders will be presenting a Bullying/Self Advocacy lesson during Tiger Win

Attendance Zoning Community Meetings; CLL @ 10am and 6pm

Volleyball @ DSMS; 8B/7A 5:15pm & 8A/7B 6:15am

Friday, 10/18 - B Day

Tiger Leaders will be presenting a Bullying/Self Advocacy lesson during Tiger Win

Varsity Football vs Lake Travis; Tiger Stadium@ 7:30pm

Saturday, 10/19

Volleyball District A Team Tournament @ DSMS; Time TBD

10/21-10/25 - Book Fair 📚🔖

10/21 - Red Ribbon Week; Put drugs to rest: PJ day 💤

10/21 - 7th Football @ DSMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00

10/22 - Picture Make-up Day

10/22 - Red Ribbon Week; Red Ribbon Day: Red out! 💓

10/22 - PSAT Testing

10/22 - Attendance Zoning Community Meetings; CLL @ 10am and 6pm

10/22 - 8th Football vs. DSMS @ DSHS; 4:15/5:30/7:00

10/23 - Red Ribbon Week; Our Future is Bright: College Wear and Sun Glasses 😎

10/23 - FCA Meeting

10/23 - 7th grade Terrace Metrics Assessment (during Tiger Win)

10/24 - Red Ribbon Week; Life is a Movie: Dress as your Favorite Movie Character! 🎬🦹‍♀️

10/24 - 7th grade Terrace Metrics Assessment (during Tiger Win)

10/24 - Congressional App Challenge Deadline

10/25 - PTA Chili Cook-off 🌶🍲

10/25 - Red Ribbon Week; Scare away drugs: Halloween Costumes 👻🎃🦇

10/26 - District Band Auditions

10/28 - Girls Basketball Parent Meeting; 5:30pm in Big Gym

10/29 - Battle of the Books

10/29 - Orchestra Concert

10/30 - FCA Meeting

10/31 - No School/Staff PD Day - Happy Halloween! 🎃👻🦇

11/1 - No School/Staff PD Day

11/2 - Region Band Auditions

11/6 - 8th Grade - Social Media & Mental Health Presentation - Tiger Win

11/6 - Student Council Meeting; P10 during Tiger Win

11/7 - Coffee & Chat w/ Principal Miller; 8-9 am in Sycamore Room

11/7 - Principal's Student Advisory Meeting; Sycamore Room during Tiger Win

11/8 - PTA Board Meeting; 8:15am in Pecan Room