Ridge Relay

We have had a wonderful first three days back with students! We appreciate your patience as we work together to get back-to-school systems rolling smoothly. At Canyon Ridge Middle School, we believe in continuous improvement. We would love to have your feedback! Please provide your feedback (good or improvements) here for the first week of school, Open House, Eagle Camp and our Back-to-School Webinar.

For afternoon pick-up, if you choose to pick up on the street or at Towne Square, please do NOT block lanes on Country Trails and remind your child to use the crosswalks. We are trying to get over 1000 students home safely, so when you are pulling out make sure that you are not preventing buses and other cars from being able to get down Country Trails.

For morning drop-off, we made some good progress this week with the line moving more efficiently. So please remember to NOT stop in the middle of the crosswalk or near a particular door. Please pull all the way up towards the gate before allowing your child out of the car and allow for as many cars as possible to unload. Also, remember on rainy days, we have less walkers/bikers and many more cars, so please allow for extra time and patience.

We had a great turn out for our back-to-school webinar and Open House, but if you missed it or have questions, here is the recording for your reference: 2023 CRMS Back-to-School August Webinar and all of the teacher information for Open House 2023.

Go Eagles!

Mrs. Wendy Sturdevant

CRMS School Picture Date: August 25th (Friday)

Pictures will be taken during the school day by class period. We will send home paper order forms the week of picture day. Here is the online order link.

(If your student is absent or misses picture day for any reason, there will be a make-up picture day on Friday, 10/20/23.)

In April and May 2023, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests were administered to students. The state released final performance level results to parents this week on Wednesday, August 16th. Please see below for information on how to access your child’s scores using the STAAR Parent Portal.

Here are Steps to Access Your Child's STAAR Scores

On the STAAR Parent Portal, a screen will prompt you for a portal access code. Enter your student’s unique access code (not their school lunch/ID number. Portal access codes can be found on previous STAAR communications or in HAC following the linked steps).

If you need assistance, please contact Larissa Baggett, CRMS Testing Coordinator.

7th and 8th Graders interested in running Cross Country this year need to attend a mandatory meeting on Tuesday, August 22nd at 8:00 AM in the small gym. The meeting is for student-athletes only. Parents do not need to attend. A coach will let you into the building at the front entrance of the school. Please also sign up online using the QR code posted on the wall outside of the Girls Coaching Office. See Coach Edwards or Coach Lichtenberger with any questions.

If you are interested in joining our District Championship Cross Country team, please check the Cross Country website for information on signing up. Cross Country is for anyone interested in developing as an athlete - whether you consider yourself a fast runner or not! If you have any questions please reach out to Coach Lichtenberger at Jared.Lichtenberger@leanderisd.org .

Have you joined the CRMS PTA yet? Only $10. Enter your child’s ELA teacher name on form as part of contest to see if ELA class can get 100% participation. When you join, you support teachers and students!

Joining the CRMS PTA does not require you to volunteer; we would love to have you volunteer, but it is not required.

*Open House for 6th-8th grades was Thursday, August 10th. Here is the Virtual Open House with live links for you to get to know each of your student's teachers/classes. And the Back-to-School Webinar recording for your reference.

*Virtual Open House for 7th-8th graders, Tuesday, August 22nd: The school district has released a second possible Open House date for middle schools; however, since CRMS will be opening the building for all families prior to school starting on August 10th, we will only have the virtual Open House available on August 22nd and will not be opening the building to families.

The district will host an online information session to review GT services, screening, and identification processes. At this meeting, we will also explain the purpose of the 23-24 District Gifted and Talented Advisory committee.

Monday, September 11 · 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ejh-cdrj-uga

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 419-540-8536‬ PIN: ‪124 777 977‬#

Contact Shirley Bachus with questions.

The application for the 2023-24 GT District Advisory is now open. All GT parents, GT teachers, GT students, GT Counselors, and GT administrators interested in serving this important role should complete the LISD GT Advisory Interest Form 23-24 by Friday, September 29, 2023. Those selected for service on the committee will be notified by October 6, 2023.

Registration forms for DI are located on the LISD Destination Imagination Site.

Forms due to Mrs. Seema George by October 2nd

Join us on our CRMS Campus-based Site Committee

Sign-up Here for more information.

The input of our parents, staff and community is so critical as we work together to support all of our stakeholders. We will meet quarterly on Thursday at 4:30pm. Meetings are held on Zoom so you can join from anywhere. Please note: as part of the committee, there is no prep or time commitment for you outside of our meeting times. The committee shall meet at least 4 times throughout the school year to serve exclusively in an advisory role such as approve staff development, review campus needs and improvement plan, activities, etc.

Please join me in welcoming our two new Assistant Principals, who have joined Mrs. Cox to complete our AP team. Both of these leaders bring extensive experience in student-centered instructional leadership, are strong in school culture and relationships, and are strong additions to our CRMS family.

• Dr. Ashley Thompson joins us from California where shewas an Assistant Principal. Prior to CA, Dr. Thompson was an Assistant Principal in Fort Bend ISD in Houston, TX. We are excited that she has moved back to Texas with her family this summer. In addition to her administrative experience, she has also served as an Instructional Coach and she brings 13 years of Middle School teaching and leadership experience in various levels of Math. "I am excited to join the CRMS team as the 6th grade Assistant Principal! I’m looking forward to serving our students, collaborating with staff, and making connections with the CRMS community!" - Dr. Ashley Thompson
• Mr. Brian Bass came to CRMS from LTMS in Lake Travis ISD. Mr. Bass has 24 years of experience in the classroom mostly in middle school ELA, but also including Athletics, Spanish, Professional Communications, Yearbook, Theater and a year as a ELA Content Specialist. In the last few years, Brian has served as both an Instructional Coach and Administrative Intern at the middle school level. “I am incredibly honored to join this outstanding campus. I look forward to supporting you in every way possible to meet the needs of our students.” - Brian Bass

*Schedules are live now (started Thursday, August 10th) online in the Home Access Center (HAC). If you are having difficulties accessing the HAC, here is a tip-sheet to reset your password. If you still cannot get in, we will also give your student a paper copy when they arrive on the first day of school.

*The last day for schedule change requests was May 26th, 2023. We cannot accommodate schedule changes due to teacher or period preference. However, if there is an error in your student's schedule please let their grade level counselor know.

At CRMS, we are a 1-to-1 device campus. All students are required to have a device with a keyboard each day at school. Students may bring their own device or get a device from mLISD.

This coming school year, all 6th graders will begin receiving new devices as part of the technology rollout from the last bond election.

The payment window is now open for families to secure their students’ district-provided laptops for the 2023-2024 school year. Plans to distribute laptops will be communicated at a later date. This program is optional. A non-refundable security deposit will be required for participation. The security deposit will be waived for students who qualify for Free and Reduced meals.

Price:

Middle School Students: $40 per school year

High School Students: $60 per school year

Students who qualify for Free and Reduced meals: $0.00

(Registration through our online store, currently EdPay, or submission of a signed acceptance form is required.)

Payment methods:

A) Debit/credit cards through the mLISD website

B) Scholarship opportunities are available. Please contact mlisd@leanderisd.org or your counselor for more information. Please include the following information in your email:

• The student’s name

• Campus

• Student ID number

• Parent phone number

Click here for more information about mLISD, scholarships and access to sign-up and pay

It’s that time of year when families need to complete enrollment verification for returning students – specifically, students who attended a Leander ISD campus in the 2022–23 school year and plan to return for the 2023–24 school year. By verifying your student’s enrollment for the upcoming year, this helps our team hire enough high-quality staff.

Here’s how!

• Log onto Home Access Center (HAC).
• Click on the Registration Icon
• Click on the Update Enrollment Tab
• Click on Start

Parents or guardians will need to complete the registration for each student on your HAC account.

For additional information check out our registration access guide. Using the Chrome browser will provide the HAC user the best experience.

Enrollment Verification FAQ

As the start of the new school year is fast approaching, I wanted to remind you that the State of Texas requires all students to receive a Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis booster (Tdap) and a Meningococcal Vaccine (MCV4) prior to the start of 7th grade. Many times, these immunizations are given at your student's well-visit with their doctor. Please review your student's immunization record and submit an updated copy to the school nurse (Rachael Kristoff). You may contact her by email or by phone for any questions. Please reference the Texas Department of State Health Services for Students for additional information.

Thank you,

Rachael Kristoff RN, BSN

Canyon Ridge Middle School Nurse

512-570-3507

512-570-9258 confidential eFax

CRMS Athletic Booster Club has launched a new website! Please bookmark this site and register on the home page to receive all booster communications this year!

https://crmsboosterclub.memberhub.com

ALL BOOSTER SPIRIT WEAR IS PRE-ORDER! Form will be open August 12-25. If you are a fan or your child plays a winter or spring sport only, please order now. We will order very minimal inventory only to accommodate future family sponsorships, but THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! Represent the Eagles in style this school year.

Football, volleyball, and cross country booster registration forms will open August 12. Here is the link that will become active on 8/12. More information to come home from football equipment day and during all parent meetings that will be held after the start of school. Sign up for our newsletter on our website to stay in the loop!

The Leander ISD Transportation Department uses SMART Tag – a system that provides accurate, near real-time monitoring of where and when students load onto and unload off of their school bus – to help promote student safety and security, keeping parents, school administrators and the district’s transportation department more informed.

Returning bus riders are asked to continue to use the SMART Tag card they were issued last year. If they do not have a card, the student will punch in using their lunch number (student ID) when getting on and off the bus. Bus drivers will begin to issue cards in September for new bus riders.

The online parent portal allows parents and guardians to register to receive alerts for when the bus will arrive at their child’s stop; see a live map of their child’s bus; and view a riding history for their child. Be sure to register if you have never done so.

By Wednesday, Aug. 9, Leander ISD parents can enter their home address into Infofinder to look up their child’s bus route number, pick-up/drop-off times, and bus stop locations for the 2023–24 school year. Bus routes are subject to change, so LISD parents are strongly encouraged to confirm their child’s bus information again the week prior to the start of school.

During the 2023–24 school year, Leander ISD will welcome back Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) as its food-services provider. That’s right – that means Crispitos are coming back!

All students who qualify for free meals during the 2023–24 school year will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost. In 2023–24, students who qualify for reduced-price meals will receive free breakfast meals and lunch for $0.40.

For elementary students who do not qualify for F&R meals, prices will remain the same from last year. At elementary school, the cost of breakfast is $1.50 and lunch is $2.90. For secondary students, the cost of breakfast is $1.75 and lunch is $3.15.

Parents who would like to apply to find out if they are eligible for F&R meals for their children can visit our Child Nutrition Services website for more information.

Beginning last school year, all tickets for all high school and middle school athletic events hosted at LISD facilities will be sold online only. There will be NO cash sales at the gate.

Tickets can be purchased through link on the athletics webpage:

https://www.leanderisd.org/athletics_ticketspasses/

Randall's has agreed to add CRMS to the Good Neighbor Support program and it is SO easy! Email below, then do your regular shopping and Randall's will donate back to the CRMS PTA.

Simply copy/paste the below message to send an email to good.neighbor@randalls.com with the following:

Hello,

Please link my customer account connected to phone number [type your Randall's phone number] with Good Neighbor Charity #14216 for Canyon Ridge Middle School PTA.

Thank you,

[type your name]

AP/Counselor by grade-level for 2023-2024:

• 6th: Dr. Ashley Thompson1 / Kimberly Mills
• 7th: Leah Cox / Jillian Baaklini
• 8th: Brian Bass / Staci Cote

Email: Wendy.Sturdevant@leanderisd.orgg
Website: crms.leanderisd.org
Location: Canyon Ridge Middle School, Country Trails Lane, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-570-3500
Twitter: @Sturdevant_CRMS