CMS Cougar Communication

Hello CMS Students and Families,

Though it’s still cold outside, it feels like spring has sprung here at school! We’re already hard at work planning the transition for our incoming 6th graders and helping our 8th graders get ready for high school. It’s a busy and exciting time with so much happening to support all our students. Thank you for staying engaged and connected as we navigate this bustling season together!

The next Cougar Communication will be sent on Sunday, 2/2. I hope you find the following information to be helpful.

Here's to a great week,

Brian Scharmann (he/him)

Principal
Christensen Middle School

Hi Parents,

In her article Screen Time Reality Check, Jennifer A. Kingson highlights the struggle parents face in managing their children's screen time, while balancing their own usage. With screens becoming more central in daily life, children and parents alike often spend long hours on devices, whether for entertainment, learning, or work. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that for older children, screen time limits can vary but are best managed with parental involvement, which can help in making screen time educational and interactive rather than passive. The real challenge, Kingson suggests, is for parents to model healthy habits, as research shows adults spend extensive time on screens as well. This balance of screen use across generations is a growing topic, with many families needing clear boundaries and healthy screen routines to navigate the pervasive digital landscape, especially as, according to a new study published that the average American spends over five hours a day on their phones which add up to 2.5 MONTHS PER YEAR (Reviews.org)! Food for thought!

Dawn Allen, Counselor

If your student wants to participate in girls volleyball (February), wrestling (March), golf (April), or track and field (April), please make sure they have done the following:

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. Physical forms will only be accepted through athleticclearance.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.

There is no school on January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Tue 1/21 - House Colors Day

Wed 1/22 - Pirate Black Day - Dress in Black

Thur 1/23 - Pirates in Pajamas Day

Fri 1/24 - CMS Spirit wear or Blue AND Yellow/Gold

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.

The annual CMS Spelling Bee will be held in the Library on Wednesday 1/22 at 1:45PM.

Our next General Meeting of the CMS PTA will be on Wednesday 1/22 at 6:00PM. More information and agenda to follow.

🎒

The CMS ASB-sponsored pirate-themed dance for CMS students will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the MPR.

The dance event participation will be added electronically to the student’s ID account number prior to the dance for those students who purchase the item online at our RevTrak web store from January 17-23, 2025, for $7 or pay $10 cash or check in person during lunchtime from January 21-23 only. The opportunity to purchase online will expire on January 23 at 11:55 p.m. The shopping cart icon located on the CMS website is your link to RevTrak. Dance event participation will not be sold on Friday or the day of the dance.

Students who earned a 4.0 GPA on their CMS November 2024 Trimester 1 report card or who earned a PTA funD run dance pass will have the dance admission added to their ID card account automatically. RevTrak cannot honor free dance admission for 4.0 GPA or funD run dance pass students.

Students must present their current photo ID card at the door to enter the dance. Dance eligibility guidelines will be enforced. Students can request a replacement ID card in the school office Mondays through Thursdays.

Please note that backpacks and outside food or drinks are not permitted at school dances. For everyone's safety and enjoyment, all personal belongings should be left at home (including prop weapons and masks) and refreshments will be available for purchase at the event. Please send small bills (paper currency) with your student if they plan to purchase food.

Parents should plan to pick up their child no later than 8:45 p.m.

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

Tuesday, January 28 from 7-8pm: This presentation is designed to help parents of 8th graders better understand the transition from middle to high school. LVJUSD administrators and counselors will discuss the: bell schedules, course selection process, graduation requirements, educational programs and pathways, extracurricular activities, and mental health and wellness resources at the high schools.

Livermore High School will visit our 8th graders in their Core classes on Thursday 2/6 to discuss enrollment and course selection for the 2025-2026 school year.

There is no school on February 17, in observance of Presidents' Day.

🏁

Mark your calendars for the CMS AVID Dine-Out Night at Pizza Guys (1545 N. Vasco Road) on March 19th, from 11 AM to 8 PM. Enjoy delicious pizza while supporting a great cause—20% of sales will be donated back to our school! Thank you for your support, and we’ll see you there!

Save the Date for LVJUSD’s 2025 Science Odyssey. Student presentations and judging will take place on April 9, 2025, with the exhibits open to the public on April 10, 2025.

We are excited to celebrate Anand Sagar, the recipient of the City of Livermore's Middle School Teen Poet of the semester Award! His remarkable poem is currently on display in the teen section of the Civic Center Library. Congratulations to Anand for this outstanding achievement!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year’s PTA sponsored Gingerbread House Contest—your creativity was truly inspiring!

• 🥉 3rd Place: Kevin Newton
• 🥈 2nd Place: Kylie Romero
• 🥇 1st Place: Rose Moniz

CONGRATULATIONS to our winners and to all who made this event a sweet success! We look forward to seeing even more amazing creations next year!

On January 12, Peralta PTA held an awards ceremony celebrating the students who participated in the PTA Reflections program. This year there were 1,564 students from 46 schools in Alameda County who participated. Peralta received 73 entries from these schools and will be sending 27 pieces to California State PTA. Christensen Middle School had 2 student entries that received awards and even one entry that will be moving onto CA State Judging: Award of Merit in Literature: Vanya C and Award of Excellence in Photography: Spencer Z.

This year Peralta gave out 2 types of awards, The Award of Merit and Award of Excellence. Award of Merit, is for artwork that was in contention to move forward. The Award of Excellence is for pieces that are moving forward to the State Reflections program.

Pieces moving to State will go through the judging process again but this time with all the artwork from schools in California. Pieces are then selected to move forward to National.

Every piece this year was truly spectacular and the judges had a difficult time making the decision of what to move forward.

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

Congratulations to:

• 6th grader - Imogene Lockhart
• 7th grader - Ashlyn Azevedo
• 8th grader - Anthony Romare

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

Congratulations to:

• 6th grader - Vincent Erickson

• 7th grader - Jamie Murtha

• 8th grader - Nairika Bolandi

Local real estate agent (and former LVJUSD teacher) Deborah Byrnes has partnered with us to recognize a CMS staff member each month for their contributions and service to our school community.

This month's recipient is Ms. Victoria Hutson. Ms. Hutson is our Science and STEM teacher and the staff facilitator of the Girls Who Code Club. She inspires students daily with her passion for science and technology, fostering creativity and innovation in the classroom. Through her leadership with the Girls Who Code Club, she empowers young women to explore coding and develop confidence in their technical skills, paving the way for future success in STEM fields.

Ms. Hutson’s dedication, expertise, and commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment have an incredible impact on our school community.

We are truly fortunate to have Ms. Hutson as part of the CMS family!

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.

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.

Support the CMS AVID program by attending a Giants game!

Here is some information about the fundraiser:

• Monday - Thursday games in April and May (some exclusions apply)
• Seating Areas: View Reserve and Bleachers
• $15 tickets

• Link: https://fevo-enterprise.com/group/GiantsschoolfundraisingNG
• Promo Code: christensenms

As of January 1st, drivers can be cited for stopping, idling, or parking a vehicle within 20 feet of the vehicle approach side of any marked or unmarked crosswalk or within 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present. As we have many marked and unmarked crosswalks near our school sites. City staff will be painting curbs throughout Livermore this month to more prominently identify these areas.

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.

The CMS PTA is hosting a Student Membership Drive from January 17 - January 31, and we’d love for you to participate! By joining the PTA, you’ll support our staff and help make CMS an even better place. Membership is easy and comes with no obligations.

As a bonus, all students who join by January 31 will be entered into a drawing to win one of these amazing prizes:

• A Limitless Escape Room Livermore Gift Voucher
• An Art Glass Studio Class to create a glass mosaic masterpiece
• A Starbucks Gift Card

Don’t miss out—join today and make a difference!
Click here to join the PTA now.

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

😎

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