Hello Eagles!
Please do not forget that TOMORROW, Friday, December 16th is a half-day so we will release MS students at 1:05pm:
- We will not serve lunches that day but if a student needs to grab a lunch, we will have sack lunches available for students in the cafeteria before they leave.
- Due to the early release at 1:05, we will not be able to do any early student pick-ups after 12:00, so please plan accordingly.
- If you plan to pick-up your student early for the Viper football send-off or any reason on Friday, please call ahead to 512-570-3500 so we can have a pass ready for your student.
- Reminder: For safety reasons, we can NOT release students for early pick-up to anyone who is not listed as a parent or emergency contact in HAC.
- December 16, 2022: CRMS Half-Day Early Release Bell Schedule
Please note below that we are offering a follow-up Bullying Awareness Lesson in January. It will only be showed to students whose parents chose to OPT-IN using the form below. Please opt-in by January 2nd.
And don't forget yearbook prices go up January 1st! See info below.
On behalf of all of the teachers and staff, we want to give a shout-out of appreciation to our generous parents and PTA for providing a faculty favorite Instill Coffee truck this week to all of our teachers. You could feel the joy from the teachers as they got to pick a coffee of their choice. Thank you so much!
We wish you all a Happy Holidays and wonderful break. We look forward to seeing students back at school on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
Go Eagles! And Viper Strike at their State Championship game on Saturday - Go Vipers! Please see below for STATE shirts and tickets.
2022/2023 Spring Semester Schedules in HAC
Families, some students may have a different schedule for the spring semester. There are various reasons for changes in schedules, so we encourage all students and parents to check the HAC to view their child’s schedule. Classes designated with C1-C6 are full year classes. Classes that show as C4, C5, C6 are spring semester classes. If you have questions, please reach out to the grade level counselor. Have a wonderful break! We look forward to seeing students back on campus January 3, 2023.
CRMS One Act Play success!
CRMS Yearbooks are on sale now!
Note: We apologize for the typo in the Nov. 11 Ridge Relay of saying it was $35. That was our understanding, but Balfour determined it would start at $40 and go up to $45 after 1/1/23.
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 10/14
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 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
Bullying Awareness Lesson Follow-up
Thank you to those of you who were able to join us for our first PTA coffee talk in October to preview and follow-up in December. There were thoughtful conversations about the challenging but important topic of Bullying Awareness. Mrs. Cote and I took your questions and feedback and debriefed with our admin and counseling team. We worked to make some adjustments to the video and our lessons.
At the two coffee talks sponsored by our CRMS PTA, we had a CRMS administrator and counselor in attendance to answer questions you may have at that time.
In January, CRMS students will be shown video clips only as part of a bullying awareness lesson only if a parent chooses to opt IN their child. To opt IN your child, please complete the Opt IN Form by Monday, January 2, 2023.
Tickets to see the Vipers at the STATE Championship
2022 State Football Championship Information
After a historic win against Katy HS on Saturday, the Vipers move on to the State Championship. We are playing DeSoto at 3pm on Saturday December 17th at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Tickets for our 2022 State Football Championship are now on sale. Tickets will only be available online and are all general admission. So, we suggest you buy them ASAP. It is also important that you use our unique Vandegrift-specific Access Code. This not only gives you a 25% off discount, but it allows a rebate to be paid back to our school, and you need it to "unlock" access to the tickets this early regardless. Tickets are required for anyone over age 1.
Ticket link: https://www.uiltexas.org/football/state
Access code: 6ADIIN
Ticket price: $15
Before the game, make sure to download the SeatGeek app to your mobile phone. The tickets cannot be printed out.
Please also note two details:
- The link is for all 3 of the UIL playoff games that day. So, it lists the start time at 11am - the first of the 3 games. You're essentially buying the option to go to all 3 games if you want to. Gates open 1 hour before the 1st game of the day - or 10am.
- More importantly, the link to purchase tickets is a little confusing. The Vandegrift access code listed above must be entered by clicking the "access code" button in the upper right of the screen before you select a quantity and click "proceed to checkout." If you don't, you may see a message saying "Oh no! Something went wrong - these tickets are no longer available." As long as you put the code in first you're allowed to proceed.
VHS State White-out shirts
UIL 6A Div. II State Championship Game Day T-Shirt
Let's WHITE OUT DeSoto!
Online ordering will be open until Thursday at 5pm Dec 15th while supplies last.
Items will be available for pick up at VHS on Friday Dec 16th from 11am to 1pm outside of Building 2
Any remaining shirts not sold online will be sold at the "Football Send Off"
There will be multiple tables set up to distribute T Shirts.
They will be Comfort Colors Brand T-Shirts.
PICK UP ONLY, NO DELIVERIES, NO REFUNDS
2023–24 Academic Calendar Feedback
As we head into the holiday season, it’s also the time when we plan and develop next year’s 2023 – 24 academic calendar. Your insights are essential to ensure that we develop an academic calendar that best meets the needs of everyone in our community. There are two different formats for you to provide feedback. Choose the one that works best for you, or do both. Our goal is to collect as much feedback as possible.
Complete our Community Survey:
*Survey will close on January 2, 2023 at 8am
Counselor Corner
Parents, the third 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, middle school tips, and upcoming dates. Enjoy!
Counseling Newsletter – The Echo
Reflecting Positivity through CRMS Counseling Services
December 14, 2022
Eagles contributing to the community
Hazardous Routes Review & Feedback
The form will close Jan. 16, 2023, to allow our Transportation department time to complete route evaluations.
Unity Through Diversity: Share Your Voice Through Leander’s MLK Essay Contest
The City of Leander and Leander ISD are partnering to host an essay contest in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 16 at the second annual MLK Day March and celebration. Students in any LISD school can submit an entry by Jan. 7, demonstrating their research on Dr. King and responding to essay prompts.
Essay Contest Details
Any Leander ISD student can participate in the Leander essay content for Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. Submissions can be sent electronically to leandermlkday@gmail.com. A committee for the city’s 2nd annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade and Street Festival will review and award prizes for the top submissions.
- Middle School Students
- One essay per student. Essays must be original, typed, double-spaced, and should not exceed 500 words. The cover sheet must contain the student’s name, school, home/cellular phone number, address, and email address (do not include this information in the body of the essay).
- Essays will be judged based on organization, content, voice, creativity, and grammatical structure.
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.
LEEF Holiday Family Fun
Do you prefer a musical journey that blends the greatest circus performers with a musical mix of timeless ❄️ seasonal favorites, or an exciting game watching your favorite local professional 🏀 basketball team? Either way, a portion of ticket proceeds go back to LEEF to help fund programs empowering students and teachers in Leander ISD!
- Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland: Use the unlock code “LEEF”
- Austin Spurs Teacher Appreciation Night
*All #1LISD teachers and staff get in for Austin Spurs Teacher Appreciation Night FREE with this link.
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!
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)
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!
Thank you for joining PTA!
Homework Hotspots available for families
Here's the link to a form the students/families need to fill out to request a hotspot.
Foreign Language Testing - Deadline to Request January 20, 2023
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