CMS Cougar Communication

Hello CMS Students and Families,

We are off to an incredible start! The first two weeks of school have been filled with energy, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of community. Our students have been settling in wonderfully, and it’s been a joy to see their excitement as they dive into learning.

To stay connected with your student’s academic progress, I encourage all families to register for Schoology, our online learning platform. It’s a great way to keep up with assignments, grades, and important announcements. Check your email for a message from Ms. Mains with login information, and if you need assistance please call our front office at 925-606-4702 and we are happy to help!

I also want to personally invite you to our Back to School Night this Thursday evening. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet your child’s teachers, learn more about our curriculum, and get a glimpse of what the year has in store. Times and more information are listed below.

The next Cougar Communication will be delivered to your inbox on Sunday 9/8. I hope you find the following information to be helpful.

Here's to a great week,

Brian Scharmann (he/him)
Principal
Christensen Middle School

Reminder to Christensen Parents: I'm here for your kids if they need support. Don't hesitate to reach out via email at dallen@lvjusd.org or call at (925) 606-4702 ext 6578 if you have any concerns or questions. I'll be introducing myself to students next week and giving them information on how to reach me if they have any questions or concerns, We're all looking forward to a great school year!

Dawn Allen, Counselor

Cougar athletics will hit the ground running with our first sports being Boys Basketball and Cross Country. Please keep an eye in the daily announcements for dates and times of informational meetings and tryouts.

Registration is now open for anyone interested in participating in our athletics programs this year! Here are the requirements for being cleared to participate in Christensen Middle School athletics:

1. Register for all sports that the athlete is planning on playing this year at athleticclearance.com.
2. All athletes planning on participating will need to have an updated physical. We require a signed physical by a doctor within the last 12 months. Here is a link to a physical form that can be used: LVJUSD Physical Form. Phsyical forms will only be accepted throughathleticclearance.com.
3. CMS athletes must have received a 2.0 GPA on the previous trimester's final report card. Incoming 6th graders are not held to this requirement until an official grading period has been completed.

The tentative start dates for the athletic programs we offer are listed below. More specific information for each sport will be communicated through the morning announcements and this newsletter as each season approaches.

• Cross Country (Co-ed) - August
• Boys Basketball - August
• Girls Basketball - October
• Boys Volleyball - January
• Girls Volleyball - February
• Wrestling (Co-ed) - March
• Golf (Co-ed) - April/May
• Track and Field (Co-ed) - April/May

Please reach out to our Athletic Director, David Moore, at dmoore@lvjusd.org if you have any questions.

CMS will host an in-person Back to School Night on Thursday 8/29 from 6:00PM - 8:00PM. Families will follow their student's bell schedule and move from class to class to visit our campus and meet their student's teachers.

Our first ELAC meeting this year will be on August 29 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 601.

ELAC Meeting on August 29_2024 flyer
CMS ELAC Agenda 1 08292024

🍕Give back to CMS and have a tasty meal while you are at it! Help raise dough for the Christensen AVID program when you order pizza from Pizza Guys (1545 North Vasco) on August 29, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. We will receive 20 percent of the proceeds!

No flyer is needed at the time of purchase. Just mention " CMS fundraiser" in person or in the comments of your online order.

No school in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Registration is OPEN to participate in an incredible day of giving back to our schools and the Livermore community. Projects for all ages and abilities will be hosted at the following school sites: Christensen, Granada, Joe Michell, Junction, Livermore, Marylin, and Sunset. If you are interested in volunteering at a school site or at another location in Livermore, visit LivermoreCA.gov/CSD for a list of projects and registration information. After the work is completed, a celebration event will be held at Las Positas College at 11:30 am offering a FREE lunch for volunteers, entertainment by Crawdad Republic, and a volunteer vendor fair for opportunities to serve all throughout the year. The flier is in the attachments folder.

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

• 6th grader - Scarlett Smith
• 7th grader - Jordy Montiel
• 8th grader - Lucas Boosahda

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

• 6th grader - Natasha Hill
  

• 7th grader - Bailey Hill

• 8th grader - Wade Castro

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.

After school Homework Club will begin on Wednesday 8/28. 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 14, 2024.

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.

A P.E. uniform is required. All students are expected to have a gray t-shirt and royal blue shorts or purchase the Christensen P.E. attire at a very reasonable cost. (A gray t-shirt, royal blue shorts, gray sweatshirt, and gray sweatpants without logos are also acceptable.) Athletic shoes with white/light soles are also required.

T-shirts - $10.00 (Youth Large, Adult S-XXL) Shorts - $10.00 (Youth XL, Adult S-XXL)

To purchase any or all of the above items online, please visit the Christensen Middle School Web Store by clicking on the shopping cart icon. To pick up your prepaid merchandise, please bring a copy of your receipt to the CMS office.

Please write your child’s last name across the back of their P.E. shirt and on the nametag on the front of their shorts. No other writing is permitted on the clothes students wear in P.E.

The office phones are answered from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. School hours for students are from 8:25 a.m. to 2:31 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) and 8:25 a.m. to 1:31 p.m. on Wednesday with the exception of students who are enrolled in a 0 Period PE class. Students should leave campus and areas around school within 10 minutes of dismissal unless they are under the supervision of a staff member.

To ensure the safety and security of our campus and students, we do not allow students to have food delivered via food delivery services, including DoorDash and Grubhub, and we will strictly enforce this policy. The office will not accept deliveries by food delivery services. Parents may bring lunches to the school office for their child, as it has always been in the past. We ask that parents come to the front office to drop off any items for their child.

The Board of Education recognizes that student use of cell phones and other personal electronic communication devices on campus may be necessary for health and safety reasons and to ensure a means of communication between the student and the student's parent/guardian. The Board also supports the use of technology as an instructional tool, and recognizes the potential value of personal electronic communication devices to enhance a student’s learning. The use of electronic communication devices on campus is permitted on a restricted basis in the regulation.

If your student carries an electronic communication device to school, it must be turned off and out of sight during school hours unless instructed by a teacher for educational use in the classroom.

Violations will result in progressive consequences and may result in suspension.

The dress code applies to all school activities and is based upon the LVJUSD Dress Code.

This regulation specifies standards that promote a positive and safe learning environment for students. Annual notice of this regulation shall be provided to students, parents, and staff. In addition, each school site council or other school committee shall regularly review these standards. District and school dress codes shall be enforced on the school campus and at any school-sponsored activity. Appropriate dress for school dances, graduation activities, and other special events will be communicated to parents and students by the school.

Standards

Students shall dress appropriately for educational activities in which they will participate so as not to endanger their health, safety, or welfare, or that of others, or cause a disruption to the educational process.

1. Shoes shall be worn at all times unless not required as part of an instructional activity.
2. Clothing, accessories, and jewelry shall be free of writing, pictures, symbols or any other insignia which are crude, vulgar, profane, obscene, libelous, slanderous, or sexually suggestive. Clothing, accessories, or jewelry that degrade any cultural, religious, or ethnic values, that advocate racial, ethnic, or religious prejudice or discrimination, or that promote sex, the use of tobacco, drugs, or alcohol, or any unlawful acts are prohibited.
3. Dark glasses shall not be worn indoors, except for valid medical reasons authorized by the administration and verified in writing by a physician.
4. Clothes shall be sufficient to conceal undergarments. See-through tops and bare abdomens are prohibited.
5. Gang-related clothing or accessories, including but not limited to bandannas, or other symbols, emblems, or insignia are prohibited. School officials shall consider student history and information obtained from community agencies and resources when making these judgements.

The dress code shall be modified as appropriate to accommodate a student's religious or cultural observance, health condition, or other circumstance deemed necessary by the principal or designee. In addition, the principal or designee may impose dress requirements to accommodate the needs of special school activities, physical education classes, athletic activities, and other extracurricular and co-curricular activities.

Final determination of what constitutes appropriate dress shall be made by the school administration.

The Livermore Police department is reminding our community of the need to drive safely around and through school areas. Check out the Back-to-School Traffic Safety Tips 2024 video put together by our friends at LPD.

Please keep these important tips in mind especially during the busy morning and afternoon hours around our neighborhood schools.

• Parents should plan their child’s walking/riding route to school and discuss safety topics with their child surrounding the designated route. Students should never jaywalk. Bicycle riders must ride the same direction as other traffic. Bicyclists must obey the rules of the road.
• Students should not cross against red lights, whether walking or on bikes, scooters or skateboards.
• Motorists approaching school zones should keep an eye out for children at all times.
• Parents who drive their students to school are reminded to use the school’s drop off and pick up zones and become familiar with the established rules of the drop off/pick up zone. Parents should never stop their vehicle in the middle of crosswalks or let students exit their vehicles in the middle of the street.
• Parents should avoid loading or unloading children at locations across the street from the school. This forces students to unnecessarily cross busy streets — often mid-block instead of at a crosswalk.
• Drivers should always prepare to stop for a school bus when overhead yellow lights are flashing. Drive with caution when you see yellow hazard warning lights are flashing on a moving or stopped bus.
• Drivers must stop for a school bus with its red overhead lights flashing, regardless of the direction from which the driver is approaching. Drivers must not proceed until the school bus resumes motion and the red lights stop flashing or until signaled by the school bus driver to proceed.

While we know that mornings and afternoons can be hectic times in getting to or from school, there is no situation that is so important that students and parents can’t take the time to do it safely and legally.

We are excited to announce that our baseball fundraiser is back for the 2024 season!

Here is some information about the fundraiser:

• Seating Areas: View Reserve and Bleachers
• $10 tickets with $5 going back to the school

• Link: https://fevo.me/4bBhgni
  
• Promo Code: ChristensenMS

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 begins this summer. Stay tuned for the volunteer date. 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!

Follow LVJUSD on social media to see all the great things happening on our school campuses with our amazing students, incredible staff, and so much more!

Back to School Tips for Parents are reposted to our district website, be sure to give them a quick read.

All students in grades 1-12 are issued a LVJUSD Chromebook as an essential learning tool. We recognize that accidental damage can occur as devices travel with students between home and school, and remain in their possession during school breaks and over the summer. We are pleased to offer parents the ability to protect your student’s Chromebook with optional insurance coverage from School Device Coverage. Replacement costs without insurance can be as costly as $315 per device. A $22 annual policy provides coverage for your student’s LVJUSD-issued Chromebook and covers the following:

• Accidental damage
• Cracked Screen
• Liquid Submersion
• Fire
• Flood
• Loss and Theft
• Power Adapter Replacement (one-time)

Not covered:

• Standard Wear and Tear

• Cosmetic Damage

• Abuse

Policies can be purchased online at https://schooldevicecoverage.com/signup. Policies purchased for the 2024-25 school year will provide coverage from the date of purchase through August 12, 2025. More information can be found on our district website or on your school’s homepage

The Student Transit Pass Program provides FREE Youth Clipper Cards to eligible middle and high school students. The Youth Clipper card provides unlimited free rides on LAVTA/Wheels. Students can add cash value to the Clipper card for 50% off BART fares and youth discounts on other transit systems that use Clipper. The pass makes it easier for students to travel to and from school.

All students attending middle and high schools in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District are eligible to receive a free Clipper card good for unlimited rides on Wheels and Rapid buses during the 2024/25 school year.

The Student Transit Pass Clipper Card CMS students received this year or in past years is valid through the student’s high school graduation date if the student remains enrolled in a participating Alameda County school and is under the age of 19.

New Christensen students should complete the online application for a Youth Clipper Card at https://stpp.formstack.com/forms/lvjusd_christensen. All fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required including Parent or Guardian Signature. The office will verify the information submitted online and on the printed applications received in the office.

When CMS receives the youth clipper cards, the office will contact the students regarding the distribution of the cards.

Since the onset of COVID-19, our district has always followed the K-12 COVID-19 school protocols guidance put forth by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and as such, we wanted to inform you of this most recent change.

Starting this 2024-25 school year, the CDPH has discontinued its school-specific COVID-19 guidance. COVID-19 is now categorized amongst other respiratory viruses, such as influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), with common illness management and prevention strategies. The CDPH website provides additional information on respiratory viruses and links to resources from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on prevention strategies. Note: Those who have health conditions that put them at higher risk should take extra precautions to stay healthy.

Our district’s Illness Exclusion Protocols are available on our website and outline more severe and contagious symptoms that should keep a student home from school. While we know the importance of school attendance on student learning and achievement, students who are sick should stay home and return when symptoms are improving or have subsided. You know your child best; as an educational partner, we just ask that you inform your school site if and when your child will not be at school.

Our Health Services team is a great resource for questions about illnesses and other health related concerns. Contact your school site to get connected to one of our school nurses or health technicians.

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

😎

Artists, dancers, photographers, musicians, and writers! Next year's PTA Reflections theme is, "Accepting Imperfection." If you will be a student at CMS next year, you can already start creating a piece to submit in November of 2024. You can find more information on the CMS Reflections program here: https://padlet.com/.../cms-pta-reflections-2024-2025... (entry form will not be open until the next school year). Entries that receive an Excellence and move onto Peralta judging will receive a $25 gift certificate from the CMS PTA.

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