The Sandy Run Spotlight

Dear Sandy Run Families,

We hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed time together. As we reflect on the month of November, we are incredibly proud of how our students and families showed up for one another and for our wider community. From raising funds for The Breathing Room during our annual Turkey Trot, to contributing to our food drive, creating friendship bracelets, participating in parent/teacher conferences, and offering time and resources through our PTO—your support truly embodies the spirit of Sandy Run. We are grateful for all that you and your children do to make our school such a strong, caring community.

As we return from the holiday break, we encourage all of our students to maintain the strong habits they have developed so far this year. With the second marking period underway, we are excited to lift up our PBIS value for December: Growth. This month, we look forward to celebrating students who demonstrate hard work, perseverance, and the meaningful growth that comes from their efforts.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.

Warmly,
Jennifer Nuskey
Principal, Sandy Run Middle School

Tuesday, December 2: SRMS Band Concert @ 7PM

Thursday, December 4: Magazine Fundraiser Lunch and Pizza Party Incentive

Friday, December 5: 6th Grade Gray Team Bowling Trip

Thank you to all of our families for your incredible support of this year’s Turkey Trot! Our students ran their hearts out last Tuesday in support of The Breathing Room, a local organization that provides care and assistance to families of cancer patients. We are proud to share that our students raised over $1,400, which staff from The Breathing Room gratefully accepted during their visit on Tuesday.

A heartfelt thank-you to our amazing PE department, our dedicated PTO, and all the families who donated their time, energy, and resources to keep this beloved tradition strong. We are grateful for your partnership and for the generosity that continues to define our Sandy Run community.

Congratulations to our 8th grade ELA Flash Fiction presenters! Our students put their writing talents on full display last Wednesday, presenting their original pieces in front of the entire 8th grade—a brave and impressive accomplishment. Flash fiction is a unique style of storytelling that challenges writers to create a complete, compelling narrative in an extremely limited number of words—often under 1,000. In flash fiction, every sentence matters. Writers focus on strong imagery, precise language, and capturing a moment, emotion, or twist that leaves a lasting impact on the reader. This form encourages creativity, discipline, and thoughtful word choice, making it a powerful way for students to grow as writers.

As we move into December, our PBIS focus shifts to the value of Growth—a key part of the middle school journey. Growth isn’t just about academics; it’s about developing resilience, self-awareness, and the confidence to try again when things feel challenging.

Middle school students can demonstrate growth in many ways: by embracing mistakes as learning opportunities, setting small, achievable goals, seeking feedback from teachers, and reflecting on how their actions impact themselves and others. Growth also shows up in their willingness to step outside their comfort zones—whether that’s participating more in class, trying a new activity, or approaching a difficult situation with patience and persistence.

We encourage families to talk with their children about what growth looks like at home and in school. Together, we can help students recognize how far they’ve come and support them as they continue to build the skills that will carry them confidently into the new year.

On Thursday, December 11th, there will be an informational session for all 7th graders interested in learning about the National Junior Honor Society(NJHS) application process. The session will take place from 2:20–3:00 p.m. in Room 114. To be considered for NJHS, students must have a cumulative average of 90% or higher across all subject areas. Students with questions are encouraged to reach out to Mrs. Henegan - dhenegan@udsd.org or Ms. Tofel- ttofel@udsd.org.

Please review the important dates below and reach out to our musical director, Ms. Logan Pring (lpring@udsd.org) if you have any questions.

• Auditions: December 1–4, 2025

• First All Cast & Crew Rehearsal: Monday, December 8, 2025

• Performances: March 13–16, 2026

• SRMS Athletics Website - Please visit this website for information about our athletic program including the daily update, game and practice schedules, coaches contact information, and our athletics handbook.
• PIAA Forms - All PIAA forms must be completed online through Family ID. Please visit the SRMS Athletics website for additional information and a link to the website. Students are not able to try out or practice until they have completed this requirement.
• Boys Basketball - Tryouts will be held the week of December 15 (7th grade: 12/15, 12/17 and 12/19; 8th grade: 12/16 and 12/18). Please make sure that all PIAA forms have been submitted online by Wednesday, 12/10 to ensure that you will be eligible for tryouts.
• Winter Cheer - Tryouts will be held the week of 12/15. PIAA forms are not required for cheerleading.

Sports Daily Update

Clubs Daily Update

Athletic Director: Luther Green (lugreen@udsd.org)

SRMS Athletics Liaison: Kelly Peterson (kepeters@udsd.org)

SRMS Athletics Secretary: Megan Stanton (mstanton@udsd.org)

Safe2Say enables anyone to quickly and anonymously share concerns regarding a student who may pose a threat to themselves or others.

Ways to submit a tip:

• Web: www.safe2saypa.org
• Phone: 1- 844-SAF2SAY
• Safe2Say Mobile App

Dear SRMS PTO Families-

As we celebrate this season of gratitude, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each of you for your incredible support so far this year. Your generous donations and many hours of volunteering have made a tremendous difference in our school community. Because of your commitment, we’ve been able to create meaningful experiences for our students and strengthen the programs that make our school special. We truly couldn’t do it without you!

From all of us at the PTO, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful, safe, and Happy Thanksgiving.

With gratitude,

SRMS PTO OFFICERS

Plan to go shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Add a board game to your cart!

The SRMS administration would love to offer indoor activities during lunch - either for those rainy days or for the students that don't want to go outside that day. To help with this initiative, the PTO is looking for new or like-new (must have all pieces) games. Please see our signup genius link below and consider donating.

UD Lacrosse Club FiddleStix Program

Registration Opens December 1

UDJAA Softball

Registration Opens December 1

2SLGBTQQIA+ Coffee & Conversation

Wednesday, December 3

Girls Lacrosse Jingle Bell Jog 5K

Saturday, December 6

**Disclaimer Statement: The information provided in the segment above is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation of any specific individual or organization. We offer this platform as a resource for community organizations but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the details provided.

Administrators:

Mrs. Jennifer Nuskey: jnuskey@udsd.org

Principal

6th Grade & 8th Grade Red Team House Principal

7th Grade & 8th Grade Gold & Gray Team House Principal

Supervisor of Special Education (6-8)

Counselors:

6th Grade Counselor

Kathi Babin: kbabin@udsd.org

7th Grade Counselor

Josh Meyer: jmeyer@udsd.org

8th Grade Counselor
Tona Morrow: tmorrow@udsd.org

Guidance Secretary

Attendance

SRMS Attendance: srmsattendance@udsd.org

Athletics

Dr. Luther Green: lugreen@udsd.org