Sycamore Springs Middle School

Hello Sycamore Springs Middle School Families,

Last week was full of Tiger pride! We cheered at our first pep rally, celebrated strong performances in volleyball, football, and cross country, and filled every brag board at lunch—earning special celebrations like “Fun on the Field” and music in the cafeteria. A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our first Principal’s Coffee & Chat—we had our largest turnout yet, and I loved connecting with so many of you. We also extend a big thank you to our PTA for hosting their first membership meeting, which had a fantastic turnout and for approving the grant to purchase new microwaves for students to use at lunch. In addition, both the Principal’s Student Advisory Committee and NJHS kicked off their first meetings of the year with great energy and ideas.

This week, we’re excited to join in the district’s Homecoming celebrations with dress-up days, the parade, carnival, and Friday’s big game against Akins. You’ll also find details below about Advanced Academics & GT testing, YA library permissions, and our Mario Kart eSports Tournament.

Go Tigers!

Sincerely,

Kelly Miller

Principal

1. Welcome to Homecoming Week in DSISD. Please see the flyer below for the HOCO dress-up themes. On Wednesday, DSHS is inviting the community to come out for the annual HOCO parade, pep-rally, and carnival. See flyer below for more information. The parade starts at 6pm at DSHS with the pep-rally and carnival right after. And, finally, Friday night is the big Homecoming game against Akins at Tiger Stadium. Kick-off is at 7:30pm.

2. Homecoming mums and garters are not allowed at school. Please remind your student to save their mum/garter for the homecoming game, Friday night!

3. For Parents of 6th and 7th Grade Students - We have a permission form for parents regarding their child’s access to the Young Adult (YA) section of the library. Access to this section is opt-in only and requires parent/guardian approval. If your child is currently in 7th grade and you completed this form last year, there is no need to fill it out again. Please click the link below to review the form and additional details. Parent Permission to Read Form

4. Mario Kart eSports Tournament - You are invited to attend our 2nd eSports Tournament at SSMS, featuring: Mario Kart 8 on Nintendo Switch! The tournament will be held after school in the SSMS cafeteria on Friday, October 3rd from 4:15 to 6 PM. See below for more information or click HERE to access the flyer.

5. All students arriving after 8:50 am MUST enter in through the main office and check in. Please do NOT drop your student off in the back by the cafeteria or at the new student drop-off after 8:50 am. They will not be able to get into the building.

6. Lost & Found Clean-Out Dates - Our Lost & Found fills up quickly! To help keep things organized, unclaimed items will be cleaned out and donated on the following dates this school year: October 30, 2025; November 21, 2025; December 19, 2025; March 13, 2026; and May 22, 2026. Please encourage your student to check the Lost & Found regularly so their belongings don’t get donated.

7. Want to volunteer at SSMS...join our Roots Team. This team helps strengthen classroom management, support teachers with positive behavior systems, and celebrate our students’ growth. If you’re interested in volunteering, please email mariella.yarritusisk@dsisdtx.us. We’d be excited to have your voice at the table. Meetings are once a month at 8:00am.

8. Advanced Academics Information Night & GT Testing - An Advanced Academics and Gifted and Talented Parent Information Night will be held on Tuesday, September 30th, from 5:30-6:30pm at the CL&L to guide families in knowing how to request testing for gifted and talented services in DSISD. The window for parents to request GT testing is open from October 1, 2025, through November 14, 2025. For additional information, and to access the referral link on October 1st or after, please visit the DSISD Gifted and Talented website.

9.Secondary Grading Information: Have you noticed we have three different categories of grades in our Skyward gradebooks? You will see a Formative category, which accounts for 30% of a student’s final grade, a Summative category, which accounts for 70% of a student’s final grade, and a Practice or PRAC, which does not have a numerical impact on a student’s grade. Formative assessments and assignments are given when a topic or TEK is first introduced, and mastery or proficiency is not expected of students during formative assessments and assignments. Students are given multiple opportunities to make errors and mistakes that are intrinsic to the learning process during their formative assessments. Formative assessment and assignments occur ongoing and/or daily in the classroom. Formative assessments and assignments are designed to provide direction for both students and teachers while a student is still learning the curriculum. For students, this direction may mean reviewing the materials again in tutorials, additional practice, or confirmation that they are ready to move forward in their learning. For the teachers, formative assessments and assignments provide information such as needing to change instructional strategies, providing additional practice opportunities for students, and/or data that shows our Tigers are ready to move forward in their learning. Examples of formative assessments and assignments may include teacher observation, quizzes, homework, rough drafts, peer editing, and/or notebook checks. Remember, not all assignments are necessarily graded, it is the feedback to the student about their learning that is meaningful and necessary.

10. 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. Click HERE to leave a Tiger Strip!

11. SMS Attendance Matters - Weekly Update: This week, we are celebrating a significant milestone! 🎉 The overall average daily attendance for Week 6 reached 97.6%, which surpasses our annual goal of 96.6%! This is a tremendous achievement for our school community.

We want to give a special shout-out to the 7th graders, who showed the largest week-over-week increase in attendance, raising their average to 97.7%. Way to go, 7th grade!

Our success is a direct result of our collective effort to make attendance a priority. Every day your student is in class, they are contributing to this positive trend and making the most of their learning opportunities. Let's keep up the great work as we continue to focus on attendance and close out the first six weeks strong!

We wish you a great week ahead!

On September 25 & 26, our sixth graders will receive instruction, as required by Senate Bill 9 and the state guidelines for public schools. The lesson will be taught by the counselors in Science classes. The lesson is called It's Harassment and the focal point is Respect for others. The lesson is approximately 45 minutes in length and includes a video and a script to guide discussions both before and after the video. You may preview scripts and watch trailers at Play it Safe. Counselors hosted a parent preview/information session for this lesson on September 12, 2025. If you were unable to attend and still have questions, please contact your students counselor.

For this lesson, 6th grade parents received an email from Actionaly. This email has the electronic opt in form for the lesson. You must opt in your student on this form if you want them to receive the lesson. The deadline to submit your opt in form is September 22, 2025. If your student is not participating in this lesson, they will be directed to the Library where Ms. McCoy will monitor students.

On October 7 & 8, our seventh graders will receive a presentation on Vaping Prevention. This will be presented by Emily Heinatz with Safe Schools. The presentation covers the chemicals used in vapes, myths, the stress of peer pressure, and laws. Students will learn how vaping can impact their health and learn refusal skills. If you do not want your student to receive this lesson, please email their counselor and we will arrange for students to be in the Library where Ms. McCoy will monitor students.

September is Suicide Awareness Month. For more information, check out this flyer that has information on warning signs and steps you can take.

“The Anxious Generation” parent book study began last Friday. If you are still wanting to join, check out this flyer with the information and join in! This District-Wide book study is being facilitated by two of our Licensed Mental Health Professionals (LMHPs).

Have a great week and Go Tigers!

Ms. Dykhoff, Grades 6-8 last names A-K

Mrs. Zimmerman, Grades 6-8 last names L-Z

Celebrate homecoming week by dressing up!

Monday: Sunrise & Slippers - Wear PJs

Tuesday: Golden Icons - Wear your favorite band/artist/celebrity t-shirt

Wednesday: Sunrise vs Sunset - 6th & 7th grade wear bright/pastels, 8th grade wear darker nighttime colors

Thursday: The Golden Days - Wear 70s Disco or 80s Glam

Friday: Gold-Level Spirit - Maroon & Gold Out

We’d love for parents to join our SSMS Roots Committee! This team helps strengthen classroom management, support teachers with positive behavior systems, and celebrate our students’ growth. If you’re interested in volunteering, please email mariella.yarritusisk@dsisdtx.us. We’d be excited to have your voice at the table.

You are invited to attend our 2nd eSports Tournament at SSMS, featuring: Mario Kart 8 on Nintendo Switch! The tournament will be held after school in the SSMS cafeteria on Friday, October 3rd from 4:15 to 6 PM.

The races will be held in 4-player groups, raced across 4 tracks on 150cc, and with All Items. The Top 2 races in each group will advance to the next round in the "Gold Cup" bracket. But don't worry, the bottom 2 racers in each group are NOT eliminated, but they will continue on to the "Silver Cup" bracket and continue racing!

Everyone is guaranteed to have a great time competing and racing, and at the end of the evening we will crown our first ever Mario Kart Champion of SSMS! Join us for a fun-filled evening of racing and competition.

Encourage and challenge your friends AND teachers to join us on Friday, October 3rd in the cafe after-school!

Registration: SSMS PTA Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Tournament FOR STUDENTS & STAFF

Please join me in celebrating our amazing Tigers with September birthdays! Wishing each of you a day filled with joy, laughter, and lots of cake. We ❤️ You! Go Tigers! 🐯

Big cheers to our amazing SSMS teachers who earned a shout-out from their peers this week! Your hard work and positivity keep our campus shining bright. We’re so lucky to have the BEST staff around. Thank you for making SSMS the place to be!

Congratulations to the Tiger of the Week!

Please help me in congratulating Ainsley Robinson 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 from this week's game against HCMS!

Congratulations to our Runners of the Week! For the week of September 8th-12th, we recognized runners who continued to push their pace as they seek their race pace in their endless quest for a new PR (personal record) and who showed the most significant time drop at St. Andrew's for their division. The improvement that these runners achieved (dropping 12 minutes, 59 seconds cumulatively) is a testament to their determination, motivation and "can do" spirit. Congratulations to Sara C. (7G), Kemett D (7B), Heidi A (8G) and Adam A (8B). Keep pushing to find your next PR while inspiring your teammates!

Happy Trails!

Coach McGilvray

On Friday, Sept. 12th, St. Andrew's put our runners on a beautiful, wooded course along with FOUR HUNDRED other runners! It was a massive event filled with amazing competition and in true SSMS XC fashion, we left it all on the trail posting 44 PRs! Congratulations to Adam (1st), Caleb (6th), Reagan and Brooke (7th place, tying for the second week in a row) on their individual achievements finishing in the top 20 for their division. While we were running lean with over 20 of our runners participating with the SSMS Band performing at halftime under the Friday Night Lights, we still had a strong finish in both divisions. Congratulations to the 7th/8th Girls for a 5th place team finish and to the 7th/8th Grade Boys for a 4th place team finish. Your work together as a team is evident in your accomplishments. Congratulations to our SSMS Band runners! We missed sharing the trail with you on Friday, but heard that you shone brightly on the field as you shared your musical talents and gifts with Tiger Nation.

On Tuesday, Sept. 16th, SSMS XC hit the trails of West Ridge competing against our district teammates. The finishes by our runners were commented on by others who noticed that when "the Tigers hit the track for the finish, they hit the gas!" Our great finishes brought home 2nd place team finishes for the 7th grade Girls and the 8th Grade Boys. Congratulations to our top 10 finishers in each division: Reagan (1st), Finley (2nd), and Alex (9th) for the 7th grade girls; Theo (6th) for the 7th grade boys; Brooke (1st), and Adam (2nd), Caleb (3rd) and Henry (10th) for the 8th grade boys. Way to finish, SSMS XC!

Our Cheerleader of the Week is Harper! As a flyer, she works tirelessly to perfect her stunts, never giving up until she gets it right. Even more impressive,—she goes out of her way to encourage her teammates and help them succeed too. Her dedication, support, and positive attitude lift everyone around her, making her an incredible part of our cheer family!

Please help me in congratulating our Tiger Belles of the Week!!!

•We have officially passed our membership total from last year! We’re currently at 348 with a goal of 350+ SSMS PTA Members! We’re holding onto #2 in DSISD behind RSES, with SSES closely behind! Let’s keep our lead by, Joining the PTA TODAY: JoinPTA – JoinPTA

You’ll be entered in BOTH upcoming raffles-our next drawing is next month, Oct 30th for a YETI Hopper Flip 12!

•THANK YOU to all our volunteers who consistently freed up teaching time to educate & mentor by simply volunteering to make copies in our workroom WEEKLY. Please, consider signing up for one or MORE slots that is convenient for you.

Sign up here: SignUpGenius - Mobile

Note: You must have a current background check completed with DSISD Inspiring Volunteers, Volunteering at DSISD | Dripping Springs

Questions? Contact volunteers@ssmspta.org

•As mentioned in Principal’s Coffee this week: The SSMS PTA will be hosting informative Parent to Parent Campus Tours - Last one of this month Sept 26th 11:30AM-12:15PM

Sign up here: SignUpGenius - Mobile

•Be sure to Like & Follow ourFacebookandInstagram - we post information and updates daily throughout the school year, and we’ll show up more often the more you react to the posts!

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. Click HERE to leave a Tiger Strip!

Please see below for all the HOCO events.

Monday, 9/22 - A Day

HOCO Dress Up Theme: Sunrise & Slippers - Wear PJs

8th Football vs HCMS @ Westlake HS; 5:00/6:30pm

School Board Meeting Featuring SSMS; CLL @ 6pm in Board Room

Tuesday, 9/23 - B Day

HOCO Dress Up Theme: Golden Icons - Wear your favorite band/artist/celebrity t-shirt

7th Football vs. HCMS @ SSMS; 5:00/6:30pm

MS Volleyball Night @ DSHS Volleyball Varsity Game; @ DSHS

Wednesday, 9/24 - A Day

HOCO Dress Up Theme: Sunrise vs Sunset - 6th & 7th grade wear bright/pastels, 8th grade wear darker nighttime colors

New Student Breakfast; Sycamore Room during Tiger Win

Thursday, 9/25 - B Day

HOCO Dress Up Theme: The Golden Days - Wear 70s Disco or 80s Glam

FCA Meeting; Small Gym @ 8am (must turn in permission slip to attend)

6th Grade - SB 9; "It's Harassment" Lesson in science class

Volleyball vs HBMS @ SSMS; 8B/7A 5:00pm & 8A/7B 6:15am

Friday, 9/26 - A Day

HOCO Dress Up Theme: Gold-Level Spirit - Maroon & Gold Out

6th Grade - SB 9; "It's Harassment" Lesson in science class

PTA Parent to Parent Campus Tours;11:30-12:15 (click HERE to sign up)

Varsity Football vs. Akins - 🏈Homecoming and MS Choir Night; Tiger Stadium @ 7:30pm

9/29 - 7th Football @ HBMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00pm

9/30 - 8th Football vs HBMS @ SSMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00pm

10/1 - CPR Training for all Health Class

10/2 - CAC Meeting #1; Sycamore Room @ 7:45am

10/2 - FCA; Small Gym @ 8am (permission slip required)

10/2 - CPR Training for all Health Class

10/2 - Volleyball @ WRMS; 8B/7A 5:00pm & 8A/7B 6:15am;

10/3 - PTA Board Meeting; Sycamore Room @ 8:15am

10/3 - PTSA/SSMS Mario Kart eSports Tournament; Cafeteria @ 4:15pm

10/6 - 7th Football vs. WRMS @ SSMS; 5:00/6:30pm

10/7 - 7th Graders - Vaping Prevention Presentation from Safe Schools

10/7 - 8th Football vs WRMS @ Westlake HS; 5:00/6:30pm

10/8 - 7th Graders - Vaping Prevention Presentation from Safe Schools

10/9 - FCA; Small Gym @ 8am (permission slip required)

10/9 - Parent Meeting for Terrace Metrics (7th Grade Families); Pecan Room @ 9am

10/9 - Volleyball @ BCMS; 8B/7A 5:00pm & 8A/7B 6:15am

10/9 - Fall Choir Concert; Cafeteria @ 7pm

10/10 - Student Holiday/Teacher PD Day

10/10 - Varsity Football vs. Bowie; Tiger Stadium @ 7:30 pm (Gold Out 👑)

10/11 - Volleyball - District B Team Tournament @ SSMS

10/13 - Student & Staff Holiday/No School

10/14 - 7th Football @ BCMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00pm

10/15 - 8th Football vs BCMS @ SSMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00pm

10/15 - Coffee & Chat w/ Principal Miller; Sycamore Room @ 8:15 am

10/16 - FCA; Small Gym @ 8am (permission slip required)

10/16 - Volleyball @ DSMS; 8B/7A 5:00pm & 8A/7B 6:15am

10/16 - Band Booster Meeting; Sycamore Room @ 5pm

10/17 - PTA Parent to Parent Campus Tours;11:30-12:15 (click HERE to sign up)

10/17 - Varsity Football vs. LTHS; Tiger Stadium @ 7:30pm (Black Out)

10/18 - Volleyball - District A Team Tournament @ DSMS

10/20 - 7th Football vs DSMS @ SSMS; 4:15/5:30/7:00pm

10/21 - Fall Picture Retakes; Sycamore Room

10/21 - 8th Football vs DSMS @ DSHS; 4:15/5:30/7:00pm

10/23 - FCA; Small Gym @ 8am (permission slip required)

10/25 - District Band Auditions

10/29 - PTA Chili Cook-off

10/30 - FCA; Small Gym @ 8am (permission slip required)

10/31 - Student Holiday/Teacher PD Day