January 19, 2025
Hello Sycamore Springs Middle School Families,
Happy Sunday! I hope you are enjoying your weekend. We are excited about this upcoming week with our basketball teams playing DSMS in their last game of the season and our Elective Showcase this Thursday! Make sure to check out our newsletter for more details on all upcoming events at SSMS!
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. Student/Staff Holiday this Monday, Jan. 20. All campuses and district offices will be closed.
2. Parent Pick-up/Drop-Off Reminders - please remember that we have two dedicated pick-up and drop-off zones. One in the Blue Lot (back of the school by the cafeteria and gyms) and the Yellow Lot (on the southside of campus near the elementary side). The Maroon Lot (main lot) is NOT a pick-up/drop-off zone. The Maroon Lot (main lot) is for BUSES ONLY and parents that need to come into the building. If you must use that lot, parent need to park and wait for their student under the awning. Parents must walk their student to their car. NO CARS should pass loading/unloading buses at any time!
Parking and Traffic Pattern Map - click here.
Video of Route Coming from the North
Video of Route Coming from the South
For more detailed information regarding our traffic pattern, parking lots, and bike-rider routes, click HERE.
3. Middle School Elective Showcase - We would like to invite everyone to our annual MS Elective Showcase night on January 23 at 5:30 pm. All incoming 5th - 7th graders are invited to attend. We will have all our elective teachers available for questions. Our 6th grade core teachers will also be available to help parents decide between honors or on-level classes. We hope you can make it.
4. For 8th Grade Families - DSHS will be hosting several events catering to rising freshmen and their families.
- January 28: CTE programs of study exhibits at lunch, led by DSHS students
- January 29 - 5:30 pm -7:30pm: Career Technology Education (CTE) Showcase at DSHS - this event allows students to see their CTE options and meet the teachers and students in the program
5. Yearbooks are almost sold out! Less than 50 copies remain. Books are available only while supplies last. Order your yearbook here. Yearbook recognition ad deadline is February 13, 2025. Order your Yearbook ad here.
6. The Spring Whole Grade and Single-Subject Acceleration program referrals will be available on the district website between Monday, January 6th, and Friday, January 31st. The DSISD 2024-2025 Credit-by-Exam Testing Calendar, Acceleration Guide, and Parent Night Presentation slides are on the same web page. If you have questions about the acceleration process, please contact Dr. Rhonda Whitman, Director of Federal Programs, Assessment, & Instructional Materials.
7. Cheer Parent Information Meeting (2/7 & 2/28) - Are you interested in learning more about cheer tryouts and how to be a part of our spirited school community? Come to our upcoming parent meetings on February 7th and February 28th at 5 PM in the Sycamore Room. Get all the details about tryouts, scoresheet, cheer booster club, and more. We can’t wait to see you there!
*It is mandatory to attend at least one parent information session if you daughter is going to tryout for SSMS Cheer.
8. On February 14th, the SSMS Tiger Belles will be hosting a tryout clinic open to all incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who are interested in auditioning for Tiger Belles. Students are encouraged to wear appropriate dance attire and shoes, and to bring a water bottle to the clinic. During the clinic, all participants will receive a tryout packet with application, a QR code to an online parent meeting regarding the organization, and essential information about the official tryout scheduled for February 27th. If for some reason you cannot make the tryout clinic on 2/14/25 please contact Mrs. Robbins at senanu.robbins@dsisdtx.us to get all of the necessary materials for tryouts on 2/27/25.
9. SSMS Attendance - over the past three weeks our weekly attendance average has continued to decline and trending below our goal of 96.6%. Please help us make attendance a priority. Go Tigers!🐯💛
SSMS PTA Updates:
Calling all cooks, calling all cooks! Save the date for our SSMS Souper Bowl MMXXV! Coming soon, February 7, 2025! Stay tuned for information on how to bring in your best soup, stew, casserole, etc.!
Join us for Texas PTA's Rally Day on Monday, February 24, 2025, at the Capitol in Austin! Your voice and perspective at Rally Day will contribute to meaningful conversations about policies that directly affect our classrooms and campuses. The day will include:
- Opportunities to meet with legislators to discuss key issues impacting education
- A rally on the Capitol steps to unite and amplify our collective voice
- Informative sessions to equip attendees with tools for effective advocacy and understanding Texas PTA's priorities for the 89th Legislative Session are available here!
The SSMS PTA and the SSMS Staff have been so grateful for the help we've received this year! With the new year rapidly approaching, we'd like to extend an invitation to sign up for the 2025 slots for our Workroom Volunteer team. Want to try it out and sign up for one day? We'd love to have you! Pick any day that works for you! Want to sign up for multiple? You can do that, too! The teachers will get so much time back to spend in their classrooms with all of our children and will be able to start the New Year off with a little more ease. Sign up here!
Thank you SO much to 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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