November 17, 2024
Hello Sycamore Springs Middle School Families,
Happy Sunday! I hope you and your family are enjoying the weekend.
Our Veteran's Day assembly this past Monday was perfect! It is important to honor and show our gratitude to all our local veterans. We appreciate you and your service to our country. I also want to personally thank all of the groups and individuals who worked tirelessly to make the assembly a huge success. Thank you to PTA, Student Council, Tiger Leaders, Boy Scouts, SSMS Choir, SSMS Band, our wonderful assembly committee for organizing the entire event, and Julie Jameson for being a fabulous MC.
We have one week until our Thanksgiving break and then mid-terms will be right around the corner. Please read through the newsletter for important information and upcoming events.
November 25-29 is a student/staff holiday. We hope you enjoy the week with your friends and families.
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. On Wednesday, November 20 Nurse Smith will be conducting state-mandated health Scoliosis screening for ALL 8th grade boys. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) mandates that all children must be screened or have a professional examination for possible vision, hearing, Acanthosis Nigricans, and spinal curvature problems. Please click on this LINK to read the full letter from Nurse Smith.
2. The 6th and 7th grade Math CBAs testing window is Monday, November 18th - Friday, November 22nd. Email your students math teacher if you have any questions.
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 November 22.
4. 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.
5. Congratulations to the SSMS Band!!! On October 26th, members of the SSMS Band 7-8th grade participated in District Band auditions and 51 students have the honor of receiving the District Band award. There were 39 students advanced to the next level, Region Band Auditions, on November 2nd, and 34 will get to perform in a special concert with the top players from Region 18.
6. Less than 100 copies of the 2024-2025 yearbook remain! Books are only available while supplies last. Order yours today: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/3183693/Sycamore-Springs-Middle-School/
7. Celebrate your student with a Recognition Ad! Ads are on sale until 2/13/2025. Order your Yearbook Ad here: https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/students-and-parents/yearbook-ads
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. SSMS Attendance went down this week. School attendance plays a critical role in students’ academic success. Every day spent in the classroom is an opportunity for growth, learning, and connection. If your student is ill, please keep your student home and notify the school. Parents have 48 hours to report absences. Go Tigers!🐯💛
SSMS student Ben Cantu is in this film!
SSMS student Ben Cantu is in this film! His first feature film. A Christmas in New Hope, released today! November 12th on APPLE TV and most VOD streaming platforms.
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!
If you haven’t joined PTA yet, we welcome you to support SSMS students and staff! Please share ideas, concerns, and experiences to make the school year better for everyone. Go to joinpta.org to join.
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!
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!
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!
