Hello Sycamore Families,

Happy Mother's Day!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Please take a minute to read over this week's newsletter to see all the amazing events happening at SSMS!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please reach out to your student's administrator or counselor.

Please follow us on social media at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ssmstigers/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssmstigers/

Go Tigers!

SSMS Administration

It's time for us to administer our annual climate survey so that we can be intentional about planning for next year. Please complete this survey ON OR BEFORE SUNDAY, MAY 14.

Thank you in advance!

SSMS Lighthouse Team

Hello SSMS Students and Parents!!

Wow! It has been another fast week! It is hard to believe we have 3 weeks of school remaining before summer break is here!

Just a friendly reminder that every Wednesday is College shirt day! Let’s keep wearing our College gear!

This week will be packed full with guidance lessons in classrooms:

• We will present the Play it safe “It’s Harassment” lesson in 6th grade huddle classes from May 8-May 10.

• We will present a mental health lesson to 8th grade students on May 8-9 through History classes. We will also present a mental health lesson to 7th grade students

May 10-11 through History classes.

• Tiger leaders will be presenting self-awareness and belonging lessons in 6th grade tiger win classes on Monday, May 8th and in 7th grade tiger win classes on Tuesday, May 9th.

We hope you all had a great weekend!

Sandy Zimmerman 6th grade and 7th L-Z Counselor

La’Donna Caroselli 8th grade and 7th A-K Counselor

The annual Student vs Staff Volleyball and Basketball games are this Thursday at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $2 and go on sale starting this Monday.

Some teachers/courses elect to give a final or semester exam as a culminating assessment at the end of the year or semester. Final exams count for 10% of a student's semester grade. In 6th-8th grade ELA and Math classes, students take the NWEA MAP assessment in place of their final exam in that class. This NWEA MAP assessment is not counted as a grade; a student's semester grade in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade ELA and Math is calculated entirely on their semester coursework and assessments without a final, culminating assessment. Teachers that choose not to administer a final exam in their class will enter an EE in the gradebook.

If a student misses or will be absent during a scheduled final exam, it is up to the student to let their teacher know so that an alternative plan can be determined.

The CL&I is no longer checking out books for the year. We are collecting all books starting Monday and will print daily updates to help gather them and avoid lost books. Thank you for your help with this.

Gifted & Talented Secondary Summer Testing: Are you interested in your Tiger being served in the DSISD Gifted & Talented program?

DSISD Secondary GT FAQ

How do I know if my Tiger student is gifted?

When: July 27th at DSHS 12:00-4:30pm

Where: DSHS CL&I

Students may be assessed for the GT program one time per year per DSISD board policy

Students must be signed up prior to the 7/27 assessment date

Who: To refer/give parent permission to assess for DSISD's GIfted and Talented program, parents are asked to complete this link referral

For questions about GT programming and/or assessment, please reach out to Alicia Maphies, Director of Secondary Education, Alicia.Maphies@dsisdtx.us

Rising & Incoming 7TH GRADE 2023-24 TEXAS IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

In preparation for the 2023-2024 school year, we wanted to let you know that 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.

1. Meningococcal Vaccine (MCV4, MCV4P): 1 dose of the quadrivalent vaccine on or after a student's 11th birthday to be valid.

or

• Reasons of Conscience Exemption https://corequest.dshs.texas.gov/

Documentation must have a physician’s signature or clinic stamp along with the complete date of each immunization.

If your 6th grade student has received these two required immunizations you may fax or email your student’s immunization record now. 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 15th, 2023, until an updated immunization record has been provided. Thank you for your understanding.

Thank you,

Blair Smith, RN

Nurse|Sycamore Springs Middle School

512-858-3604

Fax 512-858-3699

- 8TH GRADE PASSION PROJECT SHOWCASE - The 8th grade Passion Project Showcase is this Monday and Tuesday, May 15th and 16th during 1st-3rd periods and 5th-8th periods in the small gym. Parents are invited to attend. Make sure you give yourself enough time to check in to the front office prior to your child's ELA class start time. There will be questions posted throughout the showcase that you can ask the students as well as QR codes so that you can give specific feedback. We thank you for your support throughout this process.

Monday

1st period: 9:00-10:25

2nd period: 11:22-12:47

3rd period: 1:21-2:46

Tuesday

6th period: 11:22-12:47

7th period: 1:21-2:46

8th period: 2:50-4:15

- 8TH GRADE CELEBRATION – mark your calendar for 5/19 from 1:30-2:30! All parents are invited, and more details will be sent after our planning meeting. Speaking of … We will have a planning meeting at 3 PM on MONDAY, MAY 2 via GoogleMeet. If you would like to help plan and implement this event, please join us on the GoogleMeet to help! This event is mostly parent-run, so your participation is key. On the meeting we will discuss the parameters with which we will need to remain as well as form committees to help carry out this event.

To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/kmk-tjnv-gpg
Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 401-684-2860 and enter this PIN: 840 096 747#
To view more phone numbers, click this link: https://tel.meet/kmk-tjnv-gpg?hs=5

- 8TH GRADE AWARDS CEREMONY – There will be an invitation sent to students and their families who will be receiving awards. The ceremony will be in the afternoon on Wednesday, 5/24, in case you want to set aside the time.

Last Chance to View Next Year's Course Requests

We invite all 8th graders and their parents to look at SchooLinks to be sure that the classes entered are still what you want to take. We will be making changes through June 7th. If you do not want to make any changes, no action is needed. If you do want to make any changes, please email your student's counselor at the addresses below.

Last Names A-Cap: Retta Ary at retta.ary@dsisdtx.us

Last Names Car-Ga: Brianna Jones at brianna.jones@dsisdtx.us

Last Names Ge-K: Denise Trial at denise.trial@dsisdtx.us

Last Names L-M and all EB students: Darlene "Tina" Hughes at darlene.hughes@dsisdtx.us

Last Names N-Se: Karen Jones at karen.jones@dsisdtx.us

Last Names Sh-Z: Corky Roseberry at corky.roseberry@dsisdtx.us

ROAR - DSHS Freshman Orientation August 9

ROAR is our freshman orientation program. It will be held on Wednesday, August 9th. We will have two identical sessions. One will be from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm and the other will run from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. During the program, students and parents will have separate sessions with administrators, counselors and student leaders.

Hello 5th Grade Families! We are so excited to have you join our SSMS family. Below are two events that you may be interested in.

1. Tigers Rise is a transition event that brings together the rising 6th grade students and their teachers from SSMS feeder campuses (CSES, RSES and SSES) for a day filled with “all things middle school.” During Tigers Rise, students will participate in sessions led by current middle school students to become better acquainted with SSMS and their peers. Students will participate in a pep rally and enjoy a lunch provided by SSMS PTA. Each participant is provided a commemorative t-shirt courtesy of their campus PTA. Tigers Rise is a student-only event. *Click here to access flyer.

2. Rising 6th Grade Special Programs Parent Night - On May 24 from 6-7:30 we are hosting a rising 6th grade parent night for all families that are interested in learning more about the various special programs at SSMS. Below is a list of the special programs/sessions that will be present.

• Special Education
• 504
• Emergent Bilingual
• Gifted and Talented
• Dyslexia
• Nurse/Individualized Health Plans
• Counselor/Admin Support

For more information, please click here.

Please click on this link to complete a short form if your student (including rising 9th graders) will NOT be returning to SSMS or DSHS for the 2023 - 2024 school year. Email our SSMS Registrar Jen Havlin with any questions. jen.havlin@dsisdtx.us

6th/7th Grade Parents: Greetings from the SSMS Athletic Booster Club!

Students who are taking PE, Lifetime Fitness, Strength/Conditioning or UIL Athletics next year are required to wear a uniform. Please carefully review the attached flyer for details and directions to place an order. The deadline to order is June 20th. Note that orders will be shipped directly to your home 4-6 weeks after the store closes. Late orders will not be accepted.

Questions? Email president@ssmsathletics.com.

Our end of year Cheer Showcase is on May 17 at the SSMS Stadium from 5-6 PM.

PTA will be collecting donations for our combined cafeteria staff on May 23 and May 24 during all lunches.

Dinner at Torcy's.... 15% of your purchase will be donated to the SSMS PTA when you eat at Torcy's Tacos on Wednesday, May 24.

Save Over 40% on Supplies Compared to Other Online Retailers

Online Ordering Only

Starting Now through Tuesday, May 23rd

1. Go to https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/

2. Enter the school ID, SYC029 (3 letters/3 numbers)

For questions, please contact

Jennifer Krajecki at schoolsupplies@ssmspta.org

Click below for information about this TEA presentation happening on May 19.

English

Spanish

Monday - 5/15 (A Day)

8th grade Passion Project Showcase

6th grade Senate Bill 9 presentation in Huddle

Golf @ HLMS District Tournament, Lake Cliff CG in Spicewood

Tuesday - 5/16 (B Day)

8th grade Passion Project Showcase

6th grade Senate Bill 9 presentation in Huddle

Tennis @ DSHS, 4:15 pm

Band Extrava-Band-Za 6:30- 7:30

Wednesday - 5/17 (A Day)

Tigers Rise Day

NJHS Induction Ceremony (new date) 4:30- 7:30, Cafeteria

End of Year Cheer Showcase - 5:00-6:00, stadium

Soccer vs DSMS @ DSHS Stadium (new date), Girls @ 5pm, Boys @ 6:15pm

Thursday - 5/18 (B Day)

FCA Meeting- 8:20, small gym

Student vs. Staff Game - Special Education Fundraiser, 3:00 gym

Spring Choir Concert- 6:30, cafeteria

Friday - 5/19 (A Day)

GSA Meeting- 8:00, H105

PTA New Board Meeting- 8:00- 9:30, Sycamore Room

Fostering Statewide Community Connections, DSISD Central Office @ 9:00 am

8th grade Celebration - 1:30-2:30 (updated time)

Upcoming Events:

5/22 - DSISD School Board Meeting, 6pm @ Central Office Board Room

5/23 - 5th and 7th period Final Exams

5/23 - 6th Grade Award Ceremony, 3:15 - 4:15

5/24 - CAC Meeting, 7:45am in Pecan Room

5/24 - 1st and 3rd period Final Exams

5/24 - 8th Grade Award Ceremony, 3:15 - 4:15

5/24 - Rising 6th Grade Special Programs Parent Night, 6-7:30pm

5/25 - 8th and 6th period Final Exams

5/25 - 7th Grade Award Ceremony, 3:15 - 4:15

5/26 - Musical Theatre Showcase

5/26 - 2nd and 4th period Final Exams

5/26 - Last Day of School, Early Release