Save the Dates! - Course Transition and Parent Webinars
I know it seems crazy to already be thinking about next year courses, but we will begin that process soon. Students will be getting course registration and transition information through advisory class and Language Arts class in the coming weeks. In addition, we will be hosting parent webinars to help with all of this information too. Please plan to join us! Some CRMS courses will require an enrollment form/application/meeting/etc., and those will be specified on the choice sheet. For current 8th grade students, your course transition is coordinated by VHS. The dates below are for current 6th and 7th grade students.
January 17, 23, 30:
Students preview course registration information in advisory class. No selections made at this time.
January 26:
- Parent Webinar at 5:30-6:15 for current 6th grade parents - LINK (passcode: 401954)
- Parent Webinar at 6:30-7:15 for current 7th grade parents - LINK (passcode: 502986)
January 30-February 3:
Students complete a choice sheet in Language Arts class with their grade level counselor. Choice sheet will be brought home for a parent signature.
February 6:
Choice sheet with parent signature DUE for current 6th & 7th graders.
February 13, 21:
Students have time in advisory class to complete applications and enrollment forms if necessary.
February 27:
Applications and enrollment forms DUE for current 6th & 7th graders.
CRMS Yearbooks are on sale now!
NEW! CRMS Spirit Wear for sale
Soft & cozy white hoodies and blue shirts available.
Other Sale items available too!
Attn: 8th graders!
"8th Grade Parents--save the dates! Information will begin to be updated on the VHS Counseling Website as the dates get closer. Be sure to check there for all VHS related information!
**These dates are accurate as of 1/3/23:
January 11th - Want to learn more about the IB Programme at VHS? There will be an IB Programme Information Session held during Advisory on January 11th. Students must sign up using the form in Mrs. Young's Google Classroom in order to attend.
January 12 // 8th Grade Family Night (5:30pm) & Viper Night (6pm)
counselors will provide a high school academic planning overview to 8th grade families
students and families will have the opportunity to further explore course options by continuing on to Viper Night
Viper Night will include an elective fair, club & org fair, breakout sessions, and student panels
January 18 - 19 // Four-Year Planning & Course Selection Overview with VHS Counselors (2 days at each school)
VHS counselors will visit 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
January 24 - 25 // 8th Grade Individual Student/Counselor Conferences (Jan 25 - CRMS)
VHS counselors will meet individually with 8th grade students to review four-year plans and course selections
**NEW: January 27, 8:30am, CRMS Small Gym (enter at 8:30am with coach at CRMS Athletics hallway) // VHS Swim Team Information Session
Vandegrift HS Swim Coach (Coach Gonzalez) coming to CRMS Friday Jan 27th to meet with 8th Grade students interested in VHS Swim & Dive
January 27, 4pm
deadline to lock in initial course selections for the 2023-24 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
**NEW: January 31st - Want to learn more about the Early College High School? There will be an ECHS Information Session held during Advisory on January 31st. Students must sign up using the form in Mrs. Young's Google Classroom in order to attend.
8th graders - Info on Early College High School
Are you an eighth-grade student who would benefit from obtaining your high school diploma while also earning an associate degree TUITION FREE? Leander ISD has partnered with Austin Community College to create LISD’s Early College High School (ECHS). LISD ECHS combines high expectations, academic rigor through inquiry-based instruction, and individualized student supports to prepare our scholars for academic success.
LISD ECHS will soon be selecting the second cohort through a blind lottery process for incoming 2023-24 ninth graders. All interested students must complete and submit an application for admission prior to the deadline. The application submission window is January 3 – March 3, 2023. Applications are available on our ECHS website and through middle school counselors.
Want more information?
· Watch: ECHS informational and promotional video
· Review: ECHS 2023-24 Recruitment FAQ
· Attend: Informational Sessions
· Submit: Send Questions
· Schedule: Reserve your space on a Wednesday afternoon group tour
· Access: ECHS Website
Dyami Dancers Free Dance Class
CRMS
DYAMI DANCERS FREE DANCE CLASS
Grades 5th - 8th
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2023
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
CANYON RIDGE COMPETITION GYM
**USE THE LINK BELOW TO REGISTER:
A message from Mrs.Roberts, Principal at River Ridge:
Please spread the message below to the community.
Presenters do not have to be River Ridge parents.
Please fill out this form if you are interested in presenting on Career Day to our amazing Rattlers (20 min talk, 5 min Q&A). Visual aids, technology, or anything that can make your presentation more interactive are encouraged. We will have a doc cam/projector available for presentations as needed. If you know someone who might like to participate, please share this message.
Questions? Email Jill Jensen @ jillalbers@gmail.com
5th to CRMS 6th grade planning
- Monday, February 13th, 5:30-6:15pm: Parent Webinar
If you are unable to join the webinar, it will be recorded and shared later that week.
- Thursday, February 16th: 5th Grade student visits to CRMS, students will ride the bus from the elementary (SRE, LWBE & RRE) campuses to CRMS
Instructional Materials Selection
This spring, Leander ISD will consider/adopt new instructional resources for six courses: American Sign Language I-IV, Chinese I-IV, AP US History, AP Calculus AB and BC, African-American Studies, & Mexican-American Studies. Members of our LISD community have opportunities and are encouraged to provide feedback on these resources from January 17 - February 17 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 Matt Bentz, Chief Academic Officer.
WANT TO BE A DYAMI DANCER?
Mandatory Parent/Candidate Meeting
Date - February 28, 2023
Time - 6:00 pm
Place - Zoom Webinar
Dyami Dancers Audition Clinic
Date - March 8th - March 9th
Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location - CRMS main gym
What to wear- Black leggings, black t-shirt or tank, jazz shoes or tennis shoes.
Mandatory Team Fitting Date
Date - April 12th
Time: 4:45 pm - 6:15 pm
Location- CRMS dance room
**Payment due at fitting
**The time will be divided by alpha last name to prevent overcrowding in the dance room.
A - M - 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm
N - Z - 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm
Mandatory Summer Line Camp
Date- TBD (usually the 2nd or 3rd week of July)
Time - 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location - TBD
Foreign Language Testing - Deadline to Request January 20, 2023
LEEF Family Fun
Why did Anakin Skywalker cross the road? To get to the Dark Side! Join us for a Star Wars-themed night with the Texas Stars Friday, Jan. 27!
Purchase your tickets and a portion of the proceeds come back to LEEF! Be sure to also check out the jersey auction that night to benefit LEEF.
Join the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation as we travel back in time to the 1920s for a Gatsby-era evening FUNdraising for Leander ISD. There will be dinner, music, auctions, and fun! http://leeftx.org/gala
At LEEF, we believe in the power of education to provide opportunities, cultivate success, and build community. Your attendance and participation at our gala help us enrich the educational experience through student innovation, teacher empowerment, mental health, and college/career readiness for all of LISD. We’ll have interactive games, a silent and live auction, and a campus competition for cash prizes!
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023
- Time: 6 p.m.
- Location: The Crossover (1717 Scottsdale Dr, Leander, TX 78641)
- Dress code: 1920s – Gatsby-era or Cocktail (black tie optional)
Exam for Acceleration
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 testing window and deadline to register is listed below.
Testing Window Three: March 6-8, 2023
Registration deadline: February 3, 2023
Location: CRMS
Logistics: Arranged with student's counselor & UTHS
Note: Students who pass an Exam for Acceleration in the March 2023 testing window will complete the 2022-2023 school year in his/her current class. Students will receive their acceleration in the 2023-2024 school year.
Secondary Attendance Zoning
First Step in Long-Range Plan, Zoning for Secondary School Relief
At the Nov. 15 Board meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the Attendance Zoning Charter for the rezoning of the middle schools and high schools.
Unlike previous attendance zonings that often centered on the opening of a new school at the respective level, this upcoming rezoning is meant to accomplish the following two main objectives:
- To provide relief to current enrollment numbers
- To defer the timing of future school construction
This process has begun and the first set of scenarios will be published and released on Jan. 23. The district will be providing opportunities for our community to discuss, ask questions and provide input on scenarios presented. Four in-person and one virtual community forum have been scheduled with an electronic survey to also be sent via Remind on Jan. 23. Both middle and high school scenarios will be discussed at each forum.
In-Person Community Forums
- Feb. 7, Cedar Park HS | 6:30 – 8 p.m.
- Feb. 8, Leander HS | 6:30 – 8 p.m.
- Feb. 13, Henry MS | 6:30 – 8 p.m.
- Feb. 27, Wiley MS | 6:30 – 8 p.m.
- Feb. 28, Virtual/Zoom | 6:30 – 8 p.m.
QUEST Testing 22/23
Thank you for joining PTA!
All of these teachers and staff received a PTA gift right the day before the holiday break :)
Make a Difference, Become a Mentor
Are you looking for a way to volunteer and make a real difference in a child’s life? We have students at our campuses that need you! You can choose to volunteer at the campus(es) that works best for you.
If you are interested in becoming a HEROES Mentor, please complete a volunteer application and then submit your mentorship interest form.
Visit the Mentoring page for more information on how to get involved.
You can specifically request to mentor at CRMS or any campus.
Shop & support CRMS
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]
*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.
Important Attendance Reminders for Parents
- Absence notes should be emailed to crmsattendance@leanderisd.org within 48 hours.
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 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 over 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!
Homework Hotspots available for families
Here's the link to a form the students/families need to fill out to request a hotspot.
Clubs!
https://sites.google.com/leanderisd.org/crmsclubs/clubs-home
Sports Equipment Donations needed!
Our students love our outdoor “recess” time after lunch each day but our basket of sports equipment is almost empty. If you have any sports equipment in your garage that you would like to clean out and donate, we will gladly accept footballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, kick balls and basketballs. It does not need to be new--we welcome used equipment that we can put to good use for all of our students. Please drop off your donations anytime during school hours in the front office. Thank you for helping to provide for this valuable outdoor time for our Eagles!
Clothes Closet needs your help!
The South Location of the Leander ISD PTA Clothes Closet is up and running! This resource provides free clothing to families with students who reside within the LISD boundaries in grades PRE-K through the SELF (18+) program. The South Location can be found at River Place Elementary School in Portable #3 & #4. See flyer for address, shopping dates, and shopping hours.
If you would like to contribute to the clothes closet, you may donate gently used shoes and clothing at the green bin outside of Four Points Middle School located near the football field. Additionally, you can help out by purchasing off of their Amazon Wish List.
Volunteer Registration
To complete or renew your volunteer registration, click the appropriate link:
CRMS Cell Phone Procedures
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 2022-23.
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 campus culture, student learning, and safety.
Campus Cell Phone Expectations
Maintaining the integrity of the learning environment is our 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, smart watches, and all other applications) are prohibited during class unless permitted under Section 504 or within a student’s IEP. When students walk into each classroom, they will have a secure location to safely store their silenced cell phone for the class period. Phones and AirPods/headphones may be used on school grounds before school, during 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, family members should call the main office at 512-570-3500 if they need to get in touch with a student.
Why the change?
We looked at data and at policies from a half dozen other school districts. We learned some important things. 95% of all middle and high school students have phones they bring to school. Some teachers allow students to use phones as part of their instruction, and others do not. However, nearly all teachers agree phones distract students in class. Most students want to be able to carry their phones, but they agree their phones can be distracting in classes. Parents want to be able to contact their kids during the school day, but they also recognize students remain focused on classwork at school.
Keeping these things in mind, the campus came to consensus on the changes above for the 2022-2023 school year. As these new rules are implemented, the CRMS team will meet periodically to gauge the impact of the changes, and suggest adjustments that need to be made as needed.
Check out these short videos for more information:
According to the Leander ISD Student Code of Conduct, students are required to follow the expectations around proper usage of technology. This extends to the use of personal devices while on an LISD campus. Below are the expectations copied from the handbook for your reference.
1. Violating any of the prohibited behaviors/conduct listed in the LISD Technology Resource Acceptable Use Guidelines.
2. Recording the voice or image of another without the prior consent of the individuals being recorded, or administrative approval, in any way that disrupts the educational environment or invades the privacy of others.
3. Copying, downloading, reproducing, distributing, retransmitting, redisplaying, or modifying items from the District’s website.
Campus Guidelines
If a student violates the cell phone procedure during class, in the halls, restroom, etc., the following consequences will apply consistent with the gravity of the infraction.
1st Offense: The student may pick up his/her phone from the Counseling Office after the dismissal bell at the end of the school day.
2nd Offense: The student’s parent may pick up the student’s phone from the Receptionist after the dismissal bell at the end of the school day.
3rd Offense: The student will be assigned appropriate consequences, and the student’s parent may pick up the student’s phone from the Receptionist after the dismissal bell at the end of the school day.
4th Offense: The student will be assigned appropriate consequences, and the student’s parent may pick up the student’s phone from the Receptionist after the dismissal bell at the end of the school day.
Changes in Meal Service for 2022-23 School Year
Beginning this 2022-23 school year, meals for Leander ISD students will be provided by Sodexo, a food-services provider committed to improving the quality of life of students within districts they serve through quality food services.
All students who qualify for free and reduced-price (F&R) meals during the 2022-23 school year will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost. Due to a partnership with USDA, reduced-price meals will be free for the 2022-23 school year.
For elementary students who do not qualify for F&R meals, prices are remaining the same as they were in 2019. 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.
Bus updates from Transportation
We recognize that there have been some bus delays, issues with SMART Tag, and weather in the past few days. We know this has been frustrating for our families and apologize for the inconvenience. We appreciate your patience and support as we are working out the kinks with our new system and expect to be on track with expected pick-up and drop-off times soon. Please go here for information and to sign up for the SMART Tag portal.
Bus Routes & Bus Stops
2022-23 Bus Route Information will be available after Friday, August 5, 2022. To maximize efficiencies and ensure students arrive at their respective campuses safely and on time, bus stops will be located on main roads and centralized, near neighborhood parks, pools, mailboxes and campuses, wherever feasible. This will potentially reduce the number of bus-stops in a sub-division from prior years, reduce the number of miles on each route and the time it takes to run the route.
Get Ready for Smart-Tag
After a successful pilot roll-out at several LISD Campuses, Smart-Tag will roll out district-wide for the 2022-23 School Year. This system provides real-time route information to drivers, campuses, and families letting them know where the bus is, approximate arrival time, if a student loaded the bus and also ensures they do not get on the wrong bus or off at the wrong stop. Find out more information here. And you can get a jump start and pre-register with Smart-Tag.
Interested in supporting CRMS and getting paid to be here?!?!
COVID-19 Health Protocols
Athletic events tickets for Middle School online!
Tickets can be purchased through link on the athletics webpage:
Join PTA & Amazon Smile to donate to CRMS PTA
*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.
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!
Canyon Ridge Middle School
AP/Counselor by grade-level for 2022-2023:
- 6th: Leah Cox / Staci Cote
- 7th: A-K Leah Cox & L-Z Cassandra Ricks / Sabrina Anderson
- 8th: Cassandra Ricks / Katie Young
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