November 24, 2024
Hello Sycamore Springs Middle School Families,
I hope you are able to find some time to relax and celebrate with friends and family over the Thanksgiving break. During the Thanksgiving season when we traditionally take time to give thanks, I want to express my personal gratitude.
Thank you to our parents and guardians for your continued support and partnership with Sycamore Springs Middle School. We are grateful for your commitment in the success of all students.
Thank you to those who engage through strong community service and partnerships. Your support for our school brings opportunities that take us beyond our means. Groups such our PTA, our Booster Clubs, Dripping Springs Education Foundation, DSYSA, Hays County Sheriff's Office, Hays County Constables, and numerous local businesses provide so much of their time, energy, and generosity to our campus.
Thank you to our faculty and staff for the commitment that you make every day to the students of SSMS. I thank you for your dedication and passion for excellence and your drive to make sure all students are welcomed, supported, and are heard. I am so thankful for being a part of the Sycamore Community!
As always, if you need anything or have any questions, please contact your student's teacher, counselor, or administrator.
Go Tigers!
Sincerely,
Kelly Miller
Principal
1. All schools and district office will be closed for the Thanksgiving break (November 25-29). 🦃🍁
2. Friday, December 6, is our Winter Pep Rally! Dress in your funniest winter-themed attire!!! 🎅🎄⛄
3. The SSMS PTA is offering a new way to see our school in action! In an effort to increase family engagement, we will be doing parent-to-parent campus tours to give you a firsthand view of what our students and teachers do each and every day - sign up here! The next tour date is December 6.
4. Coffee & Chat w/ Principal Miller is this Friday (12/6) from 8-9am in the Pecan Room. This is a great time to ask questions, hear about all the upcoming events, and get an update on the construction. We hope you can join us!
5. The SSMS PALs class has set up a Spirit Wear Shop! Sales are open until December 15! Click HERE to access the online shop.
6. Get into the holiday spirit with our festive Holiday Dress-Up Week for the second week of December (Dec. 9-13)! Join the fun each day with cozy, cheerful outfits! See flyer below.
7. DSEF Week is December 2 - December 6. This special week highlights how DSEF supports Dripping Springs ISD schools through innovative teaching grants, mental health initiatives, and much more. During DSEF Week, a number of Dripping Springs area restaurants (see image) will donate a portion of their proceeds to DSEF. You can also donate at dseducationfoundation.org.
8. Fall Semester Exams will begin on Dec. 17 and run through Dec. 20. Friday, Dec. 20 is an early release day. Students will be dismissed at 1:10. Click HERE to see the schedule.
9. It's Spelling Bee registration time! The Spelling Bee will be held on Tuesday, January 21 at 6:30pm in the SSMS Cafeteria. Register now! You will receive the study list after you register!
10. Toys for Tots - DSHS JROTC Students have partnered with the Marine Corps to raise money and toys for children in the Austin area. All DSISD campuses plus many local businesses are official toy donation sites. Please consider donating a toy. The last day to drop off donations is December 1.
12. DSHS Hi-Steppers are partnering with Hays County Brown Santa. They are collecting new, unwrapped toys and non-perishable food items for Brown Santa drive. Please donated before December 9.
13. We had a significant drop in attendance this week. This was our first week to drop below our attendance goal of 96.6%. Please help us make attendance a priority. Go Tigers!🐯💛
November SSMS PTA Updates:
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our One and Done Fundraiser! We had 218 people give, which means on average we had a 21% give rate to raise $17,650.00! We appreciate your support and look forward to serving our amazing SSMS staff and students!
As we cozy up to the Thanksgiving holiday, no time would be better to announce our upcoming Annual SSMS Sugar Shack of 2024 where we give thanks (and sweets!) to our amazing and jolly SSMS team! Help us fill their hearts and cookie boxes with cookies, brownies, cupcakes, bars, candies, and any other sweet treat you would like to donate! Please sign up here!
A huge thank you to everyone that has joined SSMS PTA this year! We have hit every monthly goal so far: Head Start (75% of last year's number by end of August), Early Bird (100% of last year by September's end), Snappy Increase (more than 100% of last year's total). Our next goal is to get the teachers and administrators on board 100% (Deadline December 19)! If you haven't joined yet, please consider! It is open all year to new memberships, we appreciate each and every one of you. Go to joinpta.org to join.
We are planning two additional informational meetings this year for our community to learn more about what we're doing this year, ask questions, and listen to a presenter. We want to hear from YOU to determine when these meetings should take place and what topics you want to hear about! Please fill out this Google Form to let us know your thoughts!
The SSMS PTA is offering a new way to see our school in action! In an effort to increase family engagement, we will be doing parent-to-parent campus tours to give you a firsthand view of what our students and teachers do each and every day - sign up here!
SSMS still needs our wonderful workroom volunteers - take this opportunity to see a little behind the scenes action and present our teachers with the gift of time with their students (our children!) and their families by signing up on the date(s) of your choice on our LinkTree. Thank you and please don't hesitate to contact us at volunteers@ssmspta.org if you have any questions, comments, or ideas!
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!
