Ridge Relay

We had a phenomenal first three days of school - Classes are going great and so is morning drop-off too! Thank you all for doing such a wonderful job coming early for drop-off, pulling all the way up and getting to school on time - we had a new record of 0 tardies on both the 2nd and 3rd days of school - it was amazing! Families, please keep up the great work of not waiting until the last minute to come to campus - coming earlier around 8:35am helps us to not have a traffic back-up and it all runs so much smoother :)

In the mornings, if your student does not have his or her items ready to get out of the car or needs assistance unloading something like a large instrument, please feel free to pull into our front row of parking to help them so that you do not back-up the drop-off line.

Please continue to remind your students to always use the crosswalks in both the morning and afternoon - safety is our #1 priority! We have had some close calls in the afternoons of students running out into the street to cross - please tell your child to go to the crosswalk.

Go Eagles!

Mrs. Wendy Sturdevant

The popular Secret Pal program is back! Sign up to be paired with a staff member who you will anonymously treat 4 times throughout the year. We need lots of volunteers!!! Please sign up by Friday, August 30.

Sign-up here

On Friday, August 23rd, all CRMS students will take their school picture for the yearbook. Students will bring home a paper order form for you to purchase the pictures if you choose or pictures can be purchased online here. (Order forms will be distributed to all students through Social Studies classes.)

(If a student is absent on August 23rd, make-up picture day will take place on October 18, 2024 at CRMS.)

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.

Important Attendance Reminders:

• Absence notes should be emailed to crmsattendance@leanderisd.org within 48 hours of the absence.
  

• When you email the school, please include the student's first and last name and ID #. Student nicknames can cause confusion with attendance coding. Please note why the student was absent or what kind of appointment they had (medical/dental) otherwise it will be unexcused due to lack of info.

• If you will be picking up your child from school early, please call the school (512-570-3500) ahead of time to let the Receptionist know. This allows our Receptionist time to get a pass written ahead of time and helps to move the process along more quickly. The latest a student may be picked up early is 4pm due to our end-of-day dismissal.

• The only people who will be permitted to pick up a child will be parents/guardians and those individuals listed as an emergency contact in your Home Access Center (HAC). Due to safety reasons, we are no longer allowing a parent to call in and give permission for someone to pick up your child during the school day other than those listed in HAC.
  

• We do not allow early pick up after 4:00pm.

• If you feel like there is an error for a particular class period, please email the teacher directly first. For example, if your student was tardy and the teacher accidentally already marked the student absence, email the teacher because the attendance office has to have it in writing from the teacher before attendance can update anything

• There is a turn around time in updates if a student was with the nurse, AP, counselor, etc. It is not necessary to email the attendance office. Please remember that we have 1000 students so it will take 2-4 business days to show the update. We appreciate your patience and understanding that our team is working tirelessly to support all of our Eagles!

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 4:40pm. 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.

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

*Here is the Back-to-School Webinar Recording recording for your reference and our virtual Open House information that was released on August 8th.

*Virtual Open House for 7th-8th graders, Tuesday, August 20th: 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 8th, we will only have the virtual Open House available on August 20th and will not be opening the building to families.

Save the date and join us Wednesday, September 4th at 11:30 for our 1st CRMS PTA meeting of the year. We will have a lot to discuss with the upcoming 20th celebration on September 13th and planning for events for the school year. Join us to meet the PTA board and hear from Principal Sturdevant on how to get involved at CRMS.

Leander ISD has partnered with MySchoolBucks as our new online store. You can easily pay online for school items and add money to your student's lunch account. We are adding new items to the store everyday.

Create your free MySchoolBucks account to conveniently and securely pay for your student’s school fees online or with the mobile app.

With MySchoolBucks you’ll be able to quickly browse school items in our School Store, be notified when fees are due, and make payments from anywhere!

Get Started Today:

1. Go to myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app
2. Create your free account and add your students using their school name / student ID or birthdate
3. Add school items or invoices to your cart
4. Check out using your credit / debit card or electronic check.

We appreciate you using this online option as a way to help reduce the amount of physical cash and checks that our staff would need to handle for these school fees.

If you need assistance with your account, you can find helpful how-to videos and answers to commonly asked questions by visiting myschoolbucks.com. Or, you can contact MySchoolBucks directly by logging into your account to start a chat conversation or give them a call at (855) 832-5226.

Thank you,

Leander ISD

Please Note:

• $$$ account for snacks, additional food
• Snacks may not always be available all year long due to staffing shortages
• For the 24/25 school year, students who qualify for reduced price, breakfast will be free and lunch will be reduced.
• You must apply each year for free/reduced lunch.

The school times this year will remain the same as last year:

• Elementary – 7:30 am to 2:45 pm
• High School – 8:15 am to 3:35 pm
• CRMS - Middle School – 9:05 am to 4:20 pm

2024-2025 CRMS Bell Schedule

• For this school year, we will have an Advisory period on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

• Please note: This schedule will stay consistent even when there are holidays or teacher professional development days that affect the number of school days in a week. It is not an A/B schedule that changes by week. It will stay consistent every week by the day of the week!

• To start the school year, students will stay in 1st period for Advisory time activities like beginning-of-the-year assemblies, and then they will have assigned Advisory classes starting after Labor Day.

2024-25 Leander ISD Important Bus Information: Register to Ride

All eligible students will be required to REGISTER to RIDE the bus for the 2024-2025 school year. Please use the link provided to be sure that your student is registered to ride the bus if you are planning to utilize LISD transportation services.

Reminder: All Middle School students need a laptop/device for school. If you do not own your one, you can get one from the district:

Middle School Students: $40.00 per year

A non-refundable security deposit is required to participate in this program. Sign up and pay for your student's 2024-2025 non-refundable security deposit now. All students who pay, will be issued their device the first few days of the 2024-2025 school year. Students who qualify for Free and Reduced meals will not need to pay the annual deposit but will need to turn in a signed acceptance form or register through EdPay. Click on this website: mLISD Information and Payment Website for more information and to pay the security deposit.

Hardship Scholarship opportunities are available. Please contact your child’s counselor or send an email to mlisd@leanderisd.org 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 regarding scholarships.

mLISD Quick View Information Brochure -English

mLISD Quick View Information Brochure -Spanish

2024 Volleyball Tryouts dates:

Thursday, August 15

Friday, August 16

Monday, August 19

7th grade: 7:00am - 8:45am

8th grade: 4:30pm - 5:30pm

All 7th and 8th grade girls must have the following completed before tryouts begin on August 17:

1. Completed physical turned in to the coaches

2. All Rank One papers filled out online

3. Signup for tryouts

4. Complete and turn in Commitment letter

A parent meeting will be held for all parents of the student athletes that make the 2024 Volleyball teams on Thursday, August 22 @ 6pm. This is an extremely important meeting for parents, as they will have the opportunity to purchase game day meals, game day shirts and additional athletic clothes. As well as hear from the coaches as they discuss the ins and outs of the season. This meeting will be a webinar and the link to join will be emailed to parents of those athletes making the teams.

Attention incoming 7th and 8th grade students! If you are interested in joining our District Championship Cross Country team, please check the Cross Country website for information on signing up. We will be hosting an informational meeting for student-athletes only on Tuesday, August 20th at 8:15AM in the small gym to share more information about participating in this sport at CRMS. 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 .

Information was already sent directly to all students enrolled in 7th and 8th grade Athletics for Football. Please email Coach Simmons with any questions.

A parent meeting will be held for all parents of the student athletes on the football teams on Monday, August 19 @ 7pm. This meeting will be a webinar and the link to join will be emailed to parents of those athletes in football.

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/

We are reaching out to let you know of some updates we have made to cell phone practices currently in use on our campus for 2024-25. Cell phones are everywhere. They can be handy tools, but also insidious distractions. We have seen a rise in student violations with regards to the use of cell phones, AirPods, and social media on campus, which directly impacts our student learning, student relationships, bullying, campus culture and safety.

CRMS Campus Cell Phone Expectations

Maintaining the integrity of the learning environment is a top priority, which is why these changes will be implemented. We will begin using new practices, detailed below, so that students know what to expect and teachers have a consistent system to help students manage expectations.

At CRMS, students will be permitted to bring cell phones or other items used for communication. However, cell phones and all functions within the cell phone (i.e. cameras, AirPods/headphones, and all other applications) are expected to stay in their backpacks at all times, on do not disturb or powered off, and are prohibited during class unless permitted under Section 504 or within a student’s IEP. Phones and AirPods/headphones may only be used on school grounds before school, during “recess” time at lunch, and after school as long as students are not violating the District’s acceptable use guidelines.

We are aware that special circumstances arise and sometimes an important call must be made or received. Students are advised to communicate with their teachers if there are extenuating circumstances on a particular day. In the event of a true emergency, parents who need to get a message to their student during the school day can call the CRMS Receptionist at (512)570-3500, and a message will be delivered to their child. Should a student need to contact their parent(s) during the school day, they may use the phone available in the front office area.

Student Expectation: Cell phones and earbuds/headphones are to be stored in students’ backpacks for the entire school day (including in class, hallways, passing periods, bathrooms, while eating, in athletics areas, etc). If a student violates the cell phone procedure during class, in the halls, restroom, etc., consequences will apply consistent with the gravity of the infraction and the CRMS cell phone use guidelines.

Why the change?

Here is a recent video clip for reference and more information on why we are making a change to our campus requirements this year. Here is more information on why the change at CRMS.

We are excited to begin a new school year and are looking forward to a school experience where students are “untethered” from their personal devices and social media during the school day as we foster a culture of interactions and build a stronger, more connected, and positive school community.

New this year at CRMS - Science Fair will be open to all 7th AND 8th graders at CRMS!

Take your spirit of science and exploration to a different level. As a junior scientist, you will develop various skills that engineers and scientists utilize everyday in their research and application of different phenomena. We hold a school wide Science fair, qualifiers go to the regional science fair, and then, if they qualify, they move on the the state Science fair. Our junior scientists have gone all the way on to the state level every year!

Sign up by August 22nd to be in the Science Fair Advisory. Find out more on the CRMS Science Fair website here.

Contact Ms. Bantolo for more information.

Each year, LISD offers students an opportunity to take an Exam for Acceleration (EA) at no cost to the family. LISD offers four EA testing windows each school year. Click this link for more information and dates. Students and parents can request the exam through their grade level counselor. The first testing window of 24/25 and the deadline to register is listed below.

Testing Window One:

• Time: September 16-27, 2024

• Registration Deadline: August 23, 2024 by noon

• Location: CRMS

• Logistics: Arranged with student's counselor, LISD, & UTHS

• Additional Info: High school credit courses only; CRMS counselors recommend waiting until March or June for testing.

Note: Students who pass an Exam for Acceleration in the September 2024 testing window will complete the 2024-2025 school year in his/her current class. Students will receive their acceleration in the 2025-2026 school year.

District Advisory Committee Application Now Open for 2024–25

Leander ISD invites our community to support our students and teachers by volunteering on a district-wide or campus-based committee.

To apply for one of the district advisory listed below, please complete the application by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23.

Middle School Student’s spring 2024 STAAR score results should be available to parents on the Texas Education Agency Family Portal beginning June 14th.

Directions for Accessing your Child’s STAAR Report Card from TEA:

• Click on the TEA Family Portal Login
• If you know your child’s unique access code, found at the bottom of STAAR reports from previous administrations, enter that code in the Access Code box. Enter the date of birth using the drop-down menus. Click on the blue Go button to access results.

• If you do not know your child’s unique access code, you can still access STAAR results if you know your child’s social security number and date of birth. Click on “How do I look up my access code?” link below the Sign-On Button and enter the following information:
• TSDS ID or PEIMS ID (often same as social security number)
• Child’s date of birth
• Child’s legal first name
• Click “Search”

Additionally, results may be accessed through the Home Access Center (HAC) after June 14th:

• Log into your Home Access Center (HAC) account.
• Select the Grades tab
• Select Texas Test Scores
• Click on the link to STAAR English/Spanish – this will log you into the parent portal and you will see assessment results.

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 2024-2025:

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

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