Hello Eagle Families!

We have a lot of information for you this week including STAAR, traffic update, upcoming 5th grade parent meeting, Viper night for 8th graders, student successes and more.

Reminders:

• Today, Wednesday (2/16) is an Early Release at 1:55.

• Next Monday (2/21) is a Student Holiday.

Tomorrow, Thursday (2/17), we will be giving a STAAR field test to some students. Most students not participating in the field test will be attending their regular classes.

Several requirements of House Bill 3906, 86th Texas Legislature, are influencing a redesign of the STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) that will be implemented in the 2022–2023 school year. This redesign will include several new components. To properly integrate these new components into future state assessments, a field test will be administered to selected campuses across the state to collect data and information. As the purpose is to collect data on question types, districts will not receive any district, campus, or individual student data based on the field test. Our campus has been selected by the Texas Education Agency to administer a field test. We are required by law to proctor this test; however, this is not a high stakes test that will be noted anywhere in your student’s cumulative file since we will not be receiving results, and there is no make-up option currently available.

Please remind your student to get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. We will not take a formal snack break due to the timed test. Your student is encouraged to bring a water bottle and a healthy, nut-free snack to eat during testing. No drinks other than water will be allowed in the classroom. We are anticipating testing will conclude around 12:00 p.m. for most students (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

Students will need to bring two #2 pencils, their fully charged mLISD laptops and chargers (if applicable), and a book to read. Any students who do not have an mLISD device will be provided with a device to utilize for testing. Please remind your student to dress in layers to maintain comfort in the testing room. Additionally, cell phones and smart watches will be collected by test proctors prior to testing and returned to students upon completion of the test.

Testing will begin immediately following the tardy bell and announcements at 8:10 a.m. Please ensure that your student arrives at school between 7:45 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (being mindful of traffic) and reschedule all appointments as necessary. Staff will be stationed downstairs to assist students in finding their testing classrooms, and rosters are also viewable at the bottom of the staircase. The online field test will be administered to the following grade level/subject area:

Date of Field Test: Thursday, February 17, 2022

Grade level: 8th Grade Math (includes 8th grade on-level Math, 7th Grade PACE Math & 6th Grade double-PACE Math students)

If you may have any questions, please contact our Campus Testing Coordinator, Shelly Hopson at 512-570-3524.

Follow us on social media:

Twitter: @Sturdevant_CRMS

Instagram: Canyon_Ridge_MS

Facebook: Canyon Ridge Middle School PTA

On this Valentine’s week, we want to send our love and thanks to the CRMS PTA and ALL of our incredible volunteers! Whether it is resources, time, treats, secret pal surprises or just a smiling presence, YOU make Canyon Ridge #BetterTogether!

Love, CRMS Students and Staff

Last week, I sent a message to notify you of a car wreck on campus. Thankfully, no one was injured! As we have worked with authorities and spoke to students and witnesses, we gathered more information about the incident. Student, staff and community safety is our top priority at Canyon Ridge MS, so I feel it is important to follow up with you about the incident, traffic and driving on and near campus.

A car was driving too fast through campus and came dangerously close to students who were on the crosswalk to walk into school. We know that the traffic recently has gotten worse, and this has delayed students getting to school and parents getting to work or other commitments. However, we must remind you that getting in a rush around the school is not the solution.

*Important Reminders:

• Please watch for students in the crosswalks
• Stay in line & watch to be waved to move up
• Pull all the way up
• Go slow
• Avoid cell phones and distractions
  
• If you are going to pull over on Country Trails, do not block traffic
• And please be patient.

This year, we have been in contact with district, county, and city officials to address the issues with traffic. Through collaboration, we have found that the traffic flow issue is primarily caused by the intersection at Country Trails and Quinlan Park Road. There were some adjustments made with the crosswalks and light timing over the holiday break. Then, there was a sensor that was broken that was affecting the timing of the light. While both of these adjustments may not solve it all, they are also doing studies for improvement to the intersection to hopefully make the flow of traffic more efficient overall. We know that it can be frustrating as you are sitting in traffic, but please know our student safety will always be top priority.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students safe!

It is already time to start thinking about the transition from 5th grade to 6th grade at CRMS. Please mark your calendar and join CRMS for a parent webinar meeting on February 22nd at 5:30pm and more information to help you prepare.

5th to 6th Transition Information Letter

This webinar is for current 5th graders and families to help them with registration and transition to 6th grade in 2022-2023:

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: Feb 22, 2022, 5:30 PM

Topic: 5th to 6th Grade Parent Night Webinar

Please click the link to join the webinar: https://leanderisd.zoom.us/j/87111371748

Passcode: 232161

CRMS Families,

Yearbooks for the 2021-2022 school year are available online NOW! Order your yearbook before April 15th for $40. On April 15th, yearbook prices increase. Additionally, we are offering an opportunity for CRMS families to highlight their 8th grade students with a shout out. Shout outs are very similar to senior ads in a high school yearbook and are only available for 8th grade students. They can be purchased as an add on to the yearbook for $25. Shout outs must be purchased on or before January 31, 2022 and your short message and photos must be submitted by February 15, 2022. Our school orders a limited number of yearbooks each year. By pre ordering your yearbook now, you ensure that you will receive a yearbook. If you have any questions please email Jared Lichtenberger.

Spirit Night at Austin Spurs Basketball game: Saturday, March 5th at 7:00pm

For CRMS only, they have included an exclusive early entry Courtside Experience for our group at 5:30pm as well as the On Court photo after the game! Very cool stuff for our CRMS sports fans :)

Please use this link for CRMS ticket purchases (Sections 117 & 118, $16-$21 each): https://fevo.me/crms2022

Portion of the proceeds to benefit CRMS PTA.

Our FLL Robotics team, Squidward (6722), won the "Innovation Project Award" at the FLL Austin Qualifiers.

And this Saturday our CRMS FTC Team, Cyber Eagles, was the AML League Championship Winning Alliance and also won the THINK award. They will be advancing to the regional competition on March 4 and 5.

Way to go Eagles!

Last week, 55 students celebrated completing the Winter Break 750 Minute Reading Challenge! Huge thanks to our amazing Library volunteers who helped make the popcorn and cocoa and run the crazy games! Congrats to our 55 amazing CRMS readers who read nearly 80,000 minutes total over winter break!

Help us celebrate Black History month with these library book resources for students! Come by the Library to check out our inspiring Black Author display and get some great books including Amanda Gordon's "The Hill We Climb." (Special thanks to LIbrary Aide Juliet Kelley for her research and work on this display.

Parents, the fourth grading cycle newsletter from the CRMS counseling office is available via the link below. The newsletter serves to highlight CRMS students, provide an overview of guidance lessons, insights from the counselor’s book study, and upcoming dates. Enjoy!

Counseling Newsletter – The Echo

Reflecting Positivity through CRMS Counseling Services

Volume 4 Issue 4

February 11, 2022

CPHS Broadcast would love your help in promoting our first ever Middle School Broadcast Camp for all LISD feeder patterns!

Our award-winning broadcast students will lead and help the kids make a newscast by the end of the day.

Details:

• Monday, Feb. 21 (PD Day) 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• 6th-8th graders
• Snacks & Lunch Included
• Cost is $60
• Spots limited so sign up soon!

Parents can click here to register their child and then pay here.

This spring, Leander ISD will consider/adopt new instructional resources for six courses: K-12 Health & PE, 6th Grade Social Studies, AP Environmental Science, Kinesiology, Marketing, and Nutrition & Dietetics. Members of our LISD community have opportunities and are encouraged to provide feedback on these resources from January 18 - February 18 through in-person viewing at Central Office and Cedar Park High School or by viewing the materials virtually on the district website. We will host three Q&A Zoom meetings with district curriculum experts that allow community members to explore the options, ask questions and provide feedback. For questions about the instructional materials selection process, please reach out to Jennifer Collins, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum.

We are in need of 3 Instructional Assistants to support our students. It is a paid position here at the school in the community you live. Benefits are available and you follow the school calendar so you will get holidays and summers off.

Email Megan Prata today for more information or apply here.

Students who will be 7th or 8th graders in the 2022/23 school year are eligible to participate in cheer at CRMS! In class, we work to create an encouraging environment where cheerleaders can learn to stunt, tumble, and dance at their own level. If your student intends to be a part of the team next year, please join Coach McGrath and Coach May at the mandatory webinar on February 28th at 6pm. We will briefly discuss important dates, required forms, and answer any questions you have about the course. This webinar is required for new and current cheerleaders.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar. When: Feb 28, 2022, 6:00 PM

Topic: CRMS Cheer 2022-2023 Required Parent Meeting Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://leanderisd.zoom.us/j/81798607434 Passcode: 665504

2022 - 2023 Dyami Dancers Audition Information:

• Mandatory parent/candidate meeting on March 1, 2022
• Dyami Dancers Audition Clinic - March 7th - March 8th
• Mandatory Team Fitting Date - April 7th
• Mandatory Summer Line Camp - July (usually the 2nd or 3rd week) TBD

What would it be like to go to a school made of candy?

The Kindergarten - 12th grade ESS Art Contest starts today and from Jan. 24 - March 13.

$500 gift card for them and a $500 gift card for their school! Go to http://library.ess.com/artcontest for details.

• All 7th PACE & 8th Math STAAR Field Test: February 17th

For more information on the Field Test on 2/17/22: Field Test at CRMS letter (Spanish letter)

• 8th grade Science STAAR: May 5
• 8th grade Social Studies STAAR: May 6
• 6th grade Math STAAR: May 10
• 7th & 8th grades Math & Algebra 1 STAAR: May 12
• 7th & 8th grades Reading STAAR: May 16
• 6th grade Reading: May 17

Attention current 8th grade students: Do you want to earn an associates degree from ACC while earning your high school diploma - for free? Do you want to earn up to 60 college credit hours towards college during your high school experience? Do you want to be part of the Legacy class of a new LISD campus, located at ACC San Gabriel, where the students will help establish the mascot, clubs and culture of the campus for years to come? Do you want to participate in a small school setting for your High School experience receiving individualized attention and support to ensure your success? If you answered yes to any of these questions, apply today for Leander ISD Early College High School!

Applications are being accepted now through March 6th. Applications in English and Spanish are available at echs.leanderisd.org, and from your 8th grade counselor. Please return paper applications to your middle school counselor so they may be routed to the Early College High School team.

For more information please email echs@leanderisd.org, review our webpage, visit with your counselor or AVID teacher, follow us on Facebook or Twitter at @LISD_ECHS, or attend one of our upcoming webinars. We look forward to receiving your application and answering any questions you may have regarding this amazing opportunity!

In Leander ISD, we use a universal screener, such as MAP Growth and Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP), to determine what the student knows, growth and is ready to learn next. Throughout September 2021, students in kindergarten through 8th grade were administered the first baseline assessment and then all students were recently administered the mid-year assessment. The assessment information will support teachers in knowing the instructional areas in which students have grown and are ready to learn.

Student reports for both ISIP and MAP are going home with all CRMS students to families the week of January 26th. A district Universal Screener website has also been developed to support families as they review their student’s progress on ISIP and MAPGrowth. The website contains FAQs and basic information about the screeners. Below you will find sample reports, and tutorial videos you can view to help you better understand the data found in these reports.

• sample MAP Assessment student detail report

• NWEA MAP ASSESSMENT data review video

• Sample Istation Summary Report

• Parent Portal Walkthrough Video

It is important to note that the assessment data is NOT used as a grade. Instead, it is a single data point that helps their teacher know what they are ready to learn next. It is there to help inform the teacher’s instructional decisions and determine how best to support your student.

Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s academic skills growth and development!

PTA has new Spirit Wear in Stock! Grab a soft, warm hoodie or a baseball tee for the cool days that are surely coming! We also have a new PTA t-shirt and girls youth PE shorts in smaller sizes. Show off your CRMS Pride and Eagles Spirit and visit our website to purchase! Eagles Spirit Wear - Canyon Ridge Middle School PTA

Students from Vandegrift High School began a homework help service in 2012. Today Viper Nation Homework Help continues as a student-led, free tutoring service for elementary, middle and even high school peers in our community. To sign up your student for one of the Tuesday evening sessions, please visit https://signup.com/go/zmqysDO.

Leander ISD updated our Health Response Protocols and on August 17th, elevated to a new Yellow Stage. Please review and partner with us to keep people healthy and schools open:

• COVID-19 Update: New Health Response Protocols
• August 6th Update to COVID Notifications, Contact Tracing and Dashboard data
• August 17th Update: Mask Requirement for All
• Leander ISD COVID dashboard

CRMS Frequently Asked Questions - COVID

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/

Many have generously reached out and asked how you can donate or support the teachers/school during this time. If you are wanting to donate and unsure how, we will gladly accept donations on campus of the following:

• bottled water
• masks
• paper towels
• hand sanitizer
• Clorox wipes

Currently, there is no state funding for PPE this year, so donations will be accepted and very appreciated! You can drop off in the school front office at your convenience during school hours.

Home Access Center (HAC) provides families with an online tool where they can view helpful student information to support and guide their children through the educational process. From home or work, at any time of the day or night, parents can access the web portal to track academic achievement.

Features include:

• Grade notifications,

• Class schedules

• Attendance records.

Visit the Home Access Center page to learn more. Please allow time for our campuses to complete schedule and teacher assignments in the coming days prior to the start of the school year.

Beginning Aug. 5, 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 2021-22 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.

The Transportation Department will continue to use the Remind platform to communicate delay notifications and other important updates. Bus riders and their guardians will be added to a Remind “class” for their assigned bus route.

All students at CRMS must have a working computer/device with a keyboard. If you do not have your own device, that is okay! Click on this link to sign-up/re-enroll and pay the 2021-2022 mLISD non-refundable security deposit so you can get your computer as soon as possible!

Our schools and teachers use Remind to send text messages and emails to our parents. Make sure you log into Remind to set up your notification preferences, see archived messages, and send messages directly to your teachers and school staff. Download the mobile app (Google Play, Apple) for the best user experience.

Click here to learn more about Remind.

As Leander ISD Child Nutrition Services will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch meals to all students for the 2021–22 school year, low-cost meals are not being served at this time. To manage your student’s meal balance for snacks or extras beyond the meal service, please create your Titan Family Connect account (formerly MealTime). Leander ISD school menus, along with complete nutrition information, are available through Nutrislice.

School start and end times for elementary, middle and high school are listed below.

• Elementary School: 7:40 a.m.–2:55 p.m.
• Middle School: 8:10 a.m.–3:25 p.m.
• High School: 8:40 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

90-minute Early Release Schedule for 2021–22 School Year

• Elementary School: 7:40 a.m.–1:25 p.m.
• Middle School: 8:10 a.m.–1:55 p.m.
• High School: 8:40 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

*District Calendar linked below

Turn your sound on and please watch this video from CRMS students!

*Randall's will donate to CRMS PTA if you select us as your Good Neighbor Program just because you shop there! Complete this form and then e-mail to good.neighbor@randalls.com or take to any store customer service location..

*Did you know you can buy all your Amazon purchases through Amazon Smile, and they will donate to our PTA all year long?!?! It doesn’t cost you anything and you order the same way. Just set up your Amazon Smile profile to donate to PTA Texas Congress Canyon Ridge Middle School PTA.

*CRMS PTA: If you have not yet, please consider joining the CRMS PTA. Memberships start as low as $10.

*SPIRIT WEAR: Spirit Wear is restocked. Porch pickup is very close to CRMS.

Be sure to follow Canyon Ridge Middle School PTA on Facebook and join the Facebook group for your child's grade level. Thank you for your time and all of your support for our Eagles!

AP/Counselor by grade-level for 2021-22:

• 6th: Monica Diaz Carle/Sabrina Anderson
• 7th: Cassandra Ricks/Katie Young
• 8th: Leah Cox /Staci Cote

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