Ridge Relay

So many fun events coming up. Join us TODAY for our PTA meeting to hear more about our Spring events. We will be holding this month's PTA meeting on Zoom:

Topic: CRMS PTA April Meeting
Time: Tuesday, Apr 2, 2024, 1:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 819 4682 5469
Passcode: crmsPTA

This week is our annual Rumble at the Ridge game on Friday! Rumble at the Ridge Tickets are on sale now online.

Next week is our Total Eclipse Viewing Day on Monday (4/8). Please see below for the full details.

Then STAAR testing is just around the corner, so please mark your calendars with the full list of dates below and plan accordingly. Students cannot be picked up early during STAAR testing so please try to not schedule appointments on the testing dates that your child's grade-level is testing.

Wendy Sturdevant

On Monday, April 8th, CRMS is prepared to provide an experience for all students and staff to safely watch the total solar eclipse at school. We have received a gracious donation of safety glasses from PTA Sponsor Steiner Eye Care for each person to have glasses. We will be adjusting our bell schedule so that all students will have classes, finish lunch, be escorted outside with grade level classes to experience this once-in-a-lifetime full solar eclipse and then return to regularly scheduled classes.

A few important logistics for campus preparations during the event as we coordinate for a great learning opportunity for all of our students:

• Campus is closed to all visitors during the watch event so that we actively attend to the safety of our students.
  
• If you are going to pick your student up early on that April 8th, we will not be able to get students out for early pick-up after 12:00pm due to an adjusted bell schedule for lunches and the eclipse viewing, so please plan accordingly to pick up prior to 12:00pm or after 2:00pm.
• The campus office will be temporarily closed from approximately 1:15-1:45pm so there may be a slight delay in answering phone calls.
• If your student is absent on 4/8/24, please don't forget to send in a note just as you would for any other absence and our attendance office will code accordingly.
• Our CRMS PTA has graciously provided waters/snacks for all students and staff, and will also have some shade awnings set up for those in need so that all will have a comfortable watch experience.
  

As well, in preparation of the event, our Science teachers will be having discussions with students on Friday, April 5th regarding eclipses and how to safely observe it. Then, all CRMS students will receive a follow-up solar eclipse lesson in Science classes on Tuesday, April 9th to expand on what every student witnessed on Monday.

We are excited for this learning opportunity for all of our Eagle students and staff!

Here is the Leander ISD district Eclipse website for more information on how we are preparing for the upcoming eclipse. On April 8, 2024, from 12:15 pm until 3:00 pm, Leander ISD will be in the path of a total solar eclipse. The event will allow the population of our geographic area to view this truly spectacular event, stand in the moon’s shadow, and observe the sun’s corona. Totality, when it will be darkest as the sun is fully blocked by the moon, will occur from around 1:35 to 1:39 in the Leander/Cedar Park area.

Because of safety concerns, parents may elect not to have their students participate in eclipse viewing outside. We respect the fact that it is your decision as a parent or guardian to choose for your child to not view the eclipse while at school. To opt-out of having your students participate, please complete this LISD opt-out form for CRMS families by Friday 4/5/24 at 10am to notify Leander ISD that you do not grant permission for your child to participate in the outdoor activities. Students whose parents complete this Google form will not be permitted outdoors during the eclipse except in case of an emergency. Your student’s school will make alternative arrangements for them which may include viewing the eclipse online. This opt-out form does not excuse the student's attendance from attending school as the campus will be providing alternative arrangements for the student to have a viewing activity indoors. The form must be completed once per student. To grant permission for your child to participate, no further action is required.

Safety is a high priority for Leander ISD. We will take precautions to make this experience safe and educational. With the support of campus funds, PTAs, and our greater community, Leander ISD has secured safe-viewing glasses for students and staff. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun during the eclipse. Students will not be permitted to look at the sun without solar viewing glasses or through unfiltered cameras, telescopes, binoculars, or other optical devices. For more information on viewing the eclipse safely to prevent eye damage, please visit the NASA website.

April 16th - 6th ELA

April 17th - 7/8 ELA

April 23rd - 8th Science

April 24th - 8th Social Studies

April 30th - 6th Math

May 1st - 7/8 Math/Algebra

*Some of the STAAR testing dates overlap with the religious days of Passover and Vesak. We can offer an alternative testing date if your student is not able to attend during one of those days. Please complete this form by Friday, March 22, 2023 so that we can connect with you to reschedule.

Vandegrift Viper Baseball would like to invite Future Vipers out to the ball field on Friday, April 5th. The gate opens at 6:30 p.m. and the game begins at 7:00 p.m. The first 25 students will get a field pass for the National Anthem and all students will get the opportunity to run the bases after the game.

Click here to sign up and for more information.

CALLING ALL 2024 CANYON RIDGE 8TH GRADE STUDENTS - ALL ARE WELCOME!! We will have a delicious food buffet, DJ - Dance Party, a photo booth, candy station, games and much more. This is the perfect event for them to hang out with their classmates before soaring to be a Vandegrift Viper, or wherever their future may take them!!

WHEN: Friday May 17, 2024, 7 - 10 PM

WHERE: UT Golf Club Pavilion, 2200 University Club Drive

WHAT: EAGLES BLACK OUT GRAD PARTY!!!!!

ATTIRE: Dressy BLACK attire (think Sunday best, dance party, wedding, holidays!)

COST: Cost is $45/student. $50.00 at the door but would prefer to get everyone registered prior!

NOTE: This event is for CRMS 8th graders only. No students from other grades or other schools will be allowed in.

*This is not a CRMS school event. It is hosted off campus by community families but all students are welcome.

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 next and final testing window of 23/24 and the deadline to register is listed below. This is the final testing window available if you are interested in acceleration for the 24/25 school year.

Testing Window Four (final window of the year):

• Time: June 4-June 6, 2024

• Registration Deadline: April 26, 2024 by noon

• Location: Henry Middle School

• Logistics: Arranged with LISD staff, CRMS counselor, & UTHS

• Exam will be electronic and students will use their own device. If students do not have a device, one will be provided for testing.

If you wish to make a change to your child's requested courses for the 24/25 school year, parents should submit a course change request form. This form is located on the CRMS Counseling website. Parents will need to submit this form for each course you would like to change from the original submitted choice sheet. The last day for course change requests is May 24, 2024 at 12pm. Late requests will not be accepted due to staffing and master schedule constraints.

During our course registration parent meetings and student information sessions, we shared with you that the Leander ISD Off Campus PE (OCPE) guidelines for 2024-25 were revised. At this time, those updates will be postponed and the OCPE program will continue without the removal of recommended activities. To access OCPE guidelines and application, please visit the Leander ISD OCPE website. All off-campus PE student applications for the 2024–25 school year must be submitted via OCPE Form no later than 4 p.m., Friday, May 31, 2024.

If OCPE impacts your CRMS Course requests for the upcoming school year, please apply according to the Leander ISD OCPE guidelines page linked above AND utilize the course change form located on the CRMS Counseling website. The last day for CRMS course change requests is May 24, 2024 at 12pm. Please contact your grade-level counselor if you have any questions about this process.

8th Grade Parents--save the dates! Information will be updated on the VHS Counseling Website as the dates get closer. Be sure to check there for all VHS related information!

February 22 // 8th Grade Parent/Guardian Info Webinar // Link will be posted here

• counselors will provide a high school academic planning overview to 8th grade families

• parents/guardians will learn about the course selection process and ask related questions

• 
  

February 26 - 27 // Four-Year Planning & Course Selection Overview with VHS Counselors (2 days at each school)

• VHS counselors will visit Four Points and Canyon Ridge Middle Schools to provide a high school academic planning overview to 8th grade students

• students will submit tentative course requests

• students and their parent/guardian will be emailed a PDF copy of these tentative requests

• choices are editable - a new PDF copy of updated courses will be emailed after each edit

February 29 - March 4 // 8th Grade Individual Student/Counselor Conferences (February 29 & March 1 - CRMS // March 4 - FPMS)

• VHS counselors will meet individually with 8th grade students to review four-year plans and course selections

March 4 @ 4pm

• deadline to lock in initial course selections for the 2024-25 school year

• while there will be additional change opportunities, finalizing your requests as early as possible provides the highest likelihood of being placed in the classes you want

April 10 // Viper Night (more details to come!) (Note: VHS moved from 4/3 to 4/10)

• students and families will have the opportunity to further explore course options

• Viper Night will include an elective fair, club & org fair, breakout sessions, and student panels

“QUEST” is an acronym for Quality Utilization and Enrichment of Student Talents. Leander ISD’s QUEST and Gifted & Talented (GT) Services are designed to meet the needs of identified gifted students who have demonstrated above-average ability in the following area of giftedness as defined by the Texas State Plan for the Gifted: high general-intellectual ability at the top 8-10% of the campus population. If you wish for your child to request QUEST testing, please email your grade level counselor by April 2, 2024 at noon.

The Canyon Ridge Yearbook is available for sale HERE! Yearbooks are currently $45 until May 10th. Pre-order yours today! (After May 10th, we will sell any remaining yearbooks for cash only until they are gone. We sell out almost every year, so it is best to preorder so you don't miss out.)

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jared.Lichtenberger@leanderisd.org

Please note that we have a new yearbook vendor for this year, so please make sure you are purchasing with our link for Jostens Canyon Ridge Middle School Yearbook.

The Special Programs Parent Advisory Executive Council has openings for the 2024-2025 school year. Click here to learn more about the positions and apply by April 12th.

The March Special Programs & Services Newsletter contains information about upcoming events, self- determination, preparing for post-secondary education, disability awareness, and academic avenue.

We're excited to announce the spring dates for our Family Workshops! March Parent Events

Special Programs Spring Family Workshops Save-the-Dates

Learn about upcoming family events, 2024 Summer Camp Guide for students and adults with special needs, social studies at home activities, and community resources.

During its consent agenda, Trustees approved the 2024–25 academic calendar, closing out a months long process of community feedback.

Key features of the calendar include:

• First day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, the same week as in 2023–24
• Last day of school is Friday, May 23, 2025, maintaining an end date before Memorial Day
• Preserves two dedicated teacher workdays incorporated into the schedule before school starts
• Student early release days for teacher work time: Dec. 20 and May 23
• Continuous Improvement Conference: Nov. 4–5, aligning with Tuesday’s student holiday for Election Day.
• Spring Break: March 17–21, aligning with Austin Community College
• Staff development days during the school year will balance new learning with teacher planning and collaboration time: Sept. 23, Oct. 7, Jan. 6, Feb. 17, March 24 and April 21

Check out the Summer Camp dates at both CRMS and VHS now!

Registration starts May 1st - May 30th:

• 2024 Canyon Ridge Middle School Co-Ed Track and Field Camp, 4th-8th Grades
• 2024 CRMS Sports and Games Camp Co-Ed, 3rd-5th Graders
• 2024 CRMS Sports and Games Camp Co-Ed, 6th - 8th Graders
• 2024 Canyon Ridge Middle School Get Ready for Volleyball Tryouts 7th and 8th Girls

Parents: Here is an opportunity to recognize a Canyon Ridge Middle School teacher or staff member who has made a difference! Every week, a faculty member will be chosen as the Golden Eagle recipient. If the teacher or staff member you nominated is recognized for this award, you will be invited to come to campus and join us to present the award with the admin team. Please complete this brief form to honor a CRMS teacher or staff member.

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]

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.

• 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 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 cannot allow 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 almost 1100 students so it will take 1-2 business days to show the update. We appreciate your patience and understanding that our team is working tirelessly to support all of our Eagles!

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, starting December 1: $20 for remainder of school year

High School Students: $60 per school year, starting December 1: $30 for remainder of 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

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/

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