May 11, 2025
Hello Sycamore Springs Middle School Families,
Happy Mother's Day! I hope you and your family are having a wonderful weekend. Thank you for all of the donations and volunteers who helped to make our Staff Appreciation Week so amazing. Our staff was overwhelmed by the amount of support and kindness that you showed them.
As we enter the last few weeks of school, please make sure pay attention to all the upcoming events as there is always an increase in activity this time of the year. 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
SSMS NJHS Applications due Wed., May 14th at 4:15 PM
On Thursday, May 8th, all 6th and 7th grade students whose grades meet the academic grade requirement for selection to National Junior Honor Society received an invitation via email to apply for membership into the SSMS chapter of National Junior Honor Society. Emails were sent to the student's DSISD email address. Please ensure your student checks their email to determine if this is an opportunity available to them. Completed applications are due no later than Wednesday, May 14th at 4:15 PM. Please note that late applications will not be accepted. Please understand that completion of the application requirements does not guarantee membership. National Junior Honor Society is a national organization that serves to honor students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. Candidates eligible for selection to the SSMS National Junior Honor Society chapter must be current 6th and 7th graders who meet the following requirements for membership: Candidates must have been in attendance for at least one semester at Sycamore Springs Middle School. Candidates shall have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 92 in each of their four core courses (ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies) for T1-T3 when their nine weeks grades for each course are averaged. (Please note: Candidates may add 5 points to their cumulative average for a course if they are taking a Honors or above grade level course.) Candidates must receive recommendations from two (2) current-year teachers.
Please note that invitations were only sent to NEW applicants and returning members will be contacted separately regarding their membership for next year. If you have any questions regarding SSMS NJHS or if your child did not receive an invitation to apply and you believe that they have met the academic requirements for membership, please contact Mrs. Nicole McGilvray, SSMS NJHS Adviser, at nicole.mcgilvray@dsisdtx.us.
📢 SSMS Lost & Found Update
Our Lost & Found is overflowing! To help students and parents easily check for missing items, we will be relocating all Lost & Found items to the front of the school and/or the Rotunda area starting Monday, May 12. Items will remain on display through Friday, May 23 at 12:00 PM.
After that time, any unclaimed belongings will be bagged up and donated to a local organization.
We encourage you and your student to stop by and check for jackets, water bottles, lunch boxes, and more before it's too late!
SSMS XC Needs You!
Calling all SSMS runners! SSMS cross country is ready to run and needs you! All runners are welcome and try-outs are not required to practice with us! We practice before school (times TBD) four days a week and our team is open to any 7th or 8th grader. You do not need to enroll in Athletics to participate with SSMS Cross Country and I am willing to work with you if you are balancing other activities or sports.
Our first practice will be on Thursday, August 14th. You must have a completed physical submitted in order to participate. In addition, please complete the cross country interest form below as soon as possible from your DSISD Google account.
https://forms.gle/41NHp2ZowdavPArW6
In addition, please download the SportsYou app and join our page to stay up-to-date on SSMS XC. The access code is 84JBNG7Q
Our season is quick (District Meet is tentatively scheduled for October 1st) but will include great trails, amazing sunrises, endless memories, personal bests, incredible friendships, and hopefully, YOU! Please email me if you have any questions at nicole.mcgilvray@dsisdtx.us
Happy Trails!
Coach McGilvray
2025-26 INCOMING 7TH GRADE TEXAS IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS
Texas school immunization requirements are determined by the state legislature and set by the Texas Department of State Health Services, in conjunction with the Texas Education Agency.
All incoming 7th graders are required to have two immunizations:
1. Tetanus, Diphtheria and Acellular Pertussis-containing vaccine (Tdap): 1 dose within the
last 5 years to be valid.
2. Meningococcal Vaccine (MCV4): 1 dose of the quadrivalent vaccine on or after a student's
11th birthday to be valid.
or
Reasons of Conscience Exemption
If your child has already received these immunizations, you may drop off, fax (512-858-3699), or email (blair.smith@dsisdtx.us) the updated record at any time.
Please note: We can only accept a record from an electronic health record system if it includes the clinic's contact information and the provider's signature/stamp. A screenshot or print-out from your child's patient portal does not satisfy this requirement.
Your child’s immunization status is available for you to view in Skyward. Go to Family Access and click on the ‘Health Info’ tab located on the left side of the page.
Class schedules will not be released and students will not be allowed to start on the first day of school, August 13th, 2025, until an updated immunization record has been provided. Thank you for your understanding.
Please contact me with questions.
--
Blair Smith, RN, BSN
Nurse|Sycamore Springs Middle School
512-858-3604
Fax 512-858-3699
SSMS PTA Updates:
Sycamore Springs Middle School PTA has applied for the designation of National PTA School of Excellence. PTA collected feedback in the beginning of the school year and now we are looking for final feedback to see how we did! Please respond by May 16: http://bit.ly/44iSPea This program opens the lines of communication and critical thinking within school communities to make data-driven decisions that yield positive, long-term results. At a National PTA School of Excellence, families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success!
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 SSMS PTA and the SSMS Staff have been so grateful for the help we've received this year! The teachers get so much time back to spend in their classrooms with all of our children and will be able to end the year with a little more ease. Sign up here!
We appreciate everyone that has joined SSMS PTA this year! 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.
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