CMS Cougar Communication

Hello CMS Students and Families,

We’ve made it to the final week before winter break! This is always an exciting and festive time at Christensen Middle School, and I’m so proud of the hard work and dedication our students and staff have shown leading up to this well-earned holiday rest.

As we wrap up the year, let’s make the most of these last few days. There are plenty of learning opportunities, activities, and celebrations to enjoy, so I encourage everyone to stay focused and fully engaged. Be sure to check for updates and reminders to stay on top of any important events before the break begins.

The next Cougar Communication will be sent on Sunday, 1/5 as we prepare to return in the new year. Until then, I wish you and your families a joyful, safe, and restful holiday season filled with warmth and happiness. Here’s to ending the year on a strong note and looking forward to a bright and exciting new year ahead!

Here's to a great week,

Brian Scharmann (he/him)

Principal
Christensen Middle School

• Time for a backpack sort-through?
• Create an organized work space.
• Is there a "quiet" space to do homework?
• Does your child have a clear understanding of your expectations (chores, etc.)?
• Teach your child to break projects into chunks (smaller more manageable steps).
• Encourage your child to make to-do lists.
• Model and teach time-management skills.
• Model and teach "planning ahead" skill sets.

Happy Holidays!

Dawn Allen, Counselor

Boys volleyball will be starting the week after Winter break. Athletes who want to tryout need to be registered at homecampus.com/login and have an updated physical dated within the last calendar year. Athletes not cleared, will not be able to tryout. Open gym will be held January 6th and 7th from 2:45pm-3:45pm and tryouts will be on January 8th and 9th. Please let Mr. Moore or Mrs. Hilton know if you have any questions.

Monday 12/16: House Color Day
Tuesday 12/17: Ugly Sweater Day
Wednesday 12/18: Grinch Day (green or Grinchwear)
Thursday 12/19: PJ/Comfy Day
Friday 12/20: CMS Colors or Spirit Shirt

🥧 CMS PTA Pie Fundraiser Delivery Day Rescheduled for December 16, 2024Due to unforeseen circumstances, The Pie Company fundraiser pick up date has been changed to Monday, December 16, 2:30-3:30 p.m., in front of the CMS gym.

The PTA does not have space to store any pies not picked up, so if you are not able to make it, make sure someone else is picking up your order on your behalf. Your patience and understanding with this date change is much appreciated.

We thank you for supporting the CMS PTA and wish Happy Holidays to you and your family! Thank you for your support!

The public hearings to evaluate all draft maps (available on our website) will take place during open session of the regular board meeting after 7:00 p.m. The board agenda will be posted tomorrow. The structure of the meeting will be slightly different in order to accommodate the organizational aspects of this meeting:

• 5:30 p.m.- Meeting called to order; new board members take oath of office; board president and board clerk elections; welcome reception
• 6:00 p.m.- Closed session begins
• 7:00 pm.- Open session reconvenes; all additional agenda items take place

Early Release Day, students will be released at 1:31 p.m.

There will be no Neon Clear meeting on Friday 12/20.

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The next School Site Council meeting of the year will be held virtually on Tuesday, January 14th, at 3:00 PM. To join the meeting, please use the following link: https://meet.google.com/rzo-ktsz-kha.

Agenda to follow...

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The CMS English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) will meet virtually on January 21, 2025 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. To join the meeting, please use the following link: https://meet.google.com/gfh-mxvx-tkm.

Registration is open for the Livermore Granada Boosters’ annual “Race to the Flagpole” event. The January 25th event is open to all ages and abilities and offers options to run a mile, 5K, or 10K. Proceeds from the registration fees will benefit the Livermore Granada Boosters. REGISTER HERE

Congratulations to our PBIS students of the week! These students were selected for being KIND!

Congratulations to:

• 6th grader - Lydia Moon

• 7th grader - Grant Perotti

• 8th grader - Spencer Zoerhoff

Congratulations to our PBIS students of the week! These students were selected for being RESPECTFUL!

Congratulations to:

• 6th grader - Emma Patterson

• 7th grader - Christopher Aguilar Perez

• 8th grader - Olivia Cabalbag

Please take a moment to give a Shout Out to a deserving CMS staff member. Please complete this 3 question Google Form to give a Shout Out. Gratitudes will be shared with staff in our weekly internal newsletter.

Homework Club will be offered on Wednesdays from 1:30PM to 2:30PM. Homework club meets in the MPR and is a quiet place to get work done with support offered by CMS staff members.

The only way to guarantee your CMS 2024-2025 yearbook order is to purchase one from the Herff Jones Yearbook Order Center.

The price is $35 until February 1st. The prices include shipping to CMS in June. There will only be a limited number of copies available for purchase after this date.

Books will be sold directly through the publisher. Use a credit card to order your yearbook. Go to www.YearbookOrderCenter.com or call 1-866-287-3096 and use School Code16490. Yearbook sales will end on April 7, 2025.

If you want to verify your yearbook order, please visit the Herff Jones yearbook website at www.yearbookordercenter.com. Click Find Your Order. You will enter the email address used when you placed your order. The school number is 16490.

CMS is excited to offer the AMC 8 Math test after school on Friday 1/24/2025 for students who are interested. A new practice test will be available for pick up each week in the office beginning the week of 10/28 all the way up to the test.

There will be no cost for students to take the AMC 8, but pre-registration is required.

For those who are interested in taking the AMC 8 with us, students must complete this short Google form from their LVJUSD Google account: https://forms.gle/oQFfsihKV3HF5EV39

We’re excited to announce that CMS will continue its partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) to offer the Girls Who Code club this year! Meetings will be held every Thursday after school from 2:45-4:00 PM in Room 204, starting on Thursday, October 10th.

Although it’s called Girls Who Code, students of any gender are welcome to join. If your student is interested, they can sign up using this Google Form.

Do you love spending time outdoors? Would you like to join a team of students, parents, and staff to help create a habitat for local native plants and wildlife? We're forming a team to plan the planting of the first Miyawaki Forest in the Tri-Valley right here at CMS!

To learn more, check out this short video. If you are interested, please fill out this Google Form so we can plan our work for the year.

If you are interested in participating in MATHCOUNTS this year, plese take a moment to complete this short Google form so that we can communicate to all that are interested.

MathCounts is a middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through an in-person "bee" style contest held in January. The CMS Math Team will meet and practice in preparation to compete against other schools in our district.

Practices are held on Mondays after school in room 905. E Mail Ms. Giorgio at mgiorgio@lvjusd.org for more information.

CMS is starting the CMS Miyawaki Forest Team with the help of Ann Brown, from the Tri-Valley Air Quality Climate Alliance and the CMS PTA. With the help of a team of students, parents, and staff, they will plan and provide a habitat for local native plants and wildlife right on CMS campus!

You can help plant a legacy for your student and family by sponsoring a tree or shrub in the new CMS Miyawaki Forest! Your contribution will help students create a thriving mini-forest of California native flora right in the Quad!

Preparation began this summer, tuned for volunteer dates. CMS will be the first site in the Tri-Valley to create this solution to biodiversity loss, poor air quality, water conservation, heat islands, and climate disruption. Every tree or shrub planted by students will give them hope and agency to be a solutionary!

The Team is seeking donations to help fund the planting of the first “Miyawaki Forest” in the Tri-Valley right here at CMS. Donations to help supply the team with the tools and plant life they need to make this amazing educational experience happen at several sponsorship levels can be made at our Cheddar Up CMS Miyawaki Forest Fundraiser site.

• Sponsor an Eco-System for $100
• Sponsor a Mini Forest for $50
• Sponsor a Grove for $25
• Sponsor a Tree for $15
• Sponsor a Shrub for $10

Thank you for your support!

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The Livermore Public Library will run the Winter Reading Program for the third year in a row. This program is intended to encourage all students to continue reading during their winter break holidays. From December 1 to January 15, participants track their time spent reading or listening to books and earn raffle tickets for fun prizes like a candy vending machine, a projector, Kindle, pizza oven, and more. The more they read, the more tickets they get. They can track reading online, via the free Beanstack App, or on paper gameboards available at the library.

This week’s Staff Spotlight is Mary Stolz, Office Specialist at Christensen Middle School! Please visit LVJUSD’s Facebook or Instagram page to learn more about Mary.

The Education Office of the Consulate General of Spain and the California Department of Education would like to invite all California students to participate in the 2024–2025 “Escribo en Español” writing contest. “Escribo en Español” encourages students in grades three through grade twelve to further their Spanish writing skills by providing awards for the best prose and poetry. The theme for this year’s contest is “El planeta en peligro." All the necessary documents to participate can be found here. If you have any additional questions, please direct them to Sonia Cabrerizo Diago e Inés García Sal by email at escriboenespanol@educacion.gob.es.

The California Coastal Commission invites all California students in grades K-12 to submit artwork or poetry with a California coastal or marine theme. Entries can be submitted online by 5pm on January 31, 2025. For rules, prize information, and entry form, please see here.

We encourage parents, guardians, school staff and community members to join the CMS PTA. Please go to the Join Andrew Christensen PTA website (https://jointotem.com/ca/livermore/andrew-christensen-pta/join/register).

Show your support for our students by joining the CMS PTA. Our mission is to provide a positive middle school experience for every student and we are committed to putting students first. Members are not required to attend any meetings, but are encouraged to. Only PTA members can vote at the general meetings.

We appreciate your support.

Show your school spirit with new CMS spirit wear while helping raise money for the CMS PTA. Order at www.1stplacespiritwear.com

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Email: bscharmann@lvjusd.org
Website: https://www.livermoreschools.org/Domain/101
Location: 5757 Haggin Oaks Avenue, Livermore, CA, USA
Phone: 925-606-4702