Welcome to October! We hope you have had a nice first week of Fall. This Tuesday (10/5) is World Teachers’ Day! I would encourage you to please take a moment on Tuesday to send a positive email or note to one or more teachers. World Teachers' day is marked to show honour and gratitude to all educators in respect of their dedication and diligent efforts to support students.

Also, this week is Custodian Appreciation Week (10/4-10/8). We currently only have 3 custodians at CRMS and they work so hard to keep our campus beautiful and clean to welcome our students every day. We will have a box in the front office throughout the week for any students or parents who would like to drop off a note or gift card of appreciation for our custodians.

And don’t forget that this Wednesday (10/6) is an Early Release schedule. To enjoy this Early Release date, please join us at Menchie’s from 2-9pm. See below for more details and tell them you are there for CRMS and they will donate back to our Eagles.

Go Eagles!

Follow us on social media:

Twitter: @Sturdevant_CRMS

Instagram: Canyon_Ridge_MS

In just over a week, Saturday, October 9th, we have the grand opening of our second location for the Leander ISD PTA Clothes Closet at Four Points Middle School. You are invited to attend to celebrate with us. We have activities, performances, snacks and guest appearances planned for your enjoyment. The ribbon cutting will occur at 9:30am, and shopping can begin at 10:00am.

Our PTA Clothes Closet is a resource available to all students in Leander Independent School District for free clothing, shoes, new socks and underwear. No vouchers are needed.

You can support the PTA Clothes Closet and our students by volunteering or donating gently used clothing in the bins at both of our locations. More details about our Clothes Closet can be found at http://www.lisdptacouncil.com/clothes-closet.html#/.

The 2021-22 Destination Imagination teams are now forming. All student registration forms are due by Oct 8th. More information can be found on the CRMS Clubs page or contact Mrs. Seema George.

Is your group interested in having a float in the parade? Please complete this form here in order to be placed on the homecoming parade email list.

FIND all HOCO 2021 info and details here.

VHS October 18th - 22nd themes

Mark your Calendar: October 22nd during all lunches. All students who took school photos earlier this year have received those pictures back. October 22nd is for those who missed the earlier photos or prefer to re-take this year's school photo.

More information will be posted on the website soon.

Yearbooks for the 2021-2022 school year are available online NOW! Don't miss out on the lowest price of the year; Order your yearbook before December 1st for $35. On December 1st, 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@leanderisd.org .

Students begin their high school four year plan during their 8th grade year. Over the course of this year, Mrs. Cote will be delivering student lessons as part of the 8th to 9th grade transition. The first student lesson with Mrs. Cote occurred 9/24/21 and 10/1/21 during advisory class. The lesson resources can be found here. Please ask your child to show you their four year plan with core classes selected. Thanks for partnering with us to support your child in their 8th to 9th grade transition!

Each year, LISD offers students an opportunity to take an Exam for Acceleration (EA) at no cost to the family. LISD offers multiple 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 Two: December 6-8, 2021

Registration deadline: November 1, 2021

Time: Arranged with student's counselor

Location: CRMS

Logistics: Arranged with student's counselor & UTHS

Note: Students who pass an Exam for Acceleration in the December 2021 testing window will complete the 2021-2022 school year in his/her current class. Students will receive their acceleration in the 2022-2023 school year.

Open year round to any 6th - 8th graders

Meets Thursdays once a month before school from 7:40-8:10 in the library

(Must sign up online to get an assigned Thursday spot to attend once a month. Meetings start in October.)

Co-Directed by Student Library Aides Sponsor: Mrs. Illingworth, CRMS Librarian

The CRMS Library is a great place to find a home, make friends and help promote a love for reading on campus. The Library Club once-a-month meetings are held on Thursday before school in the CRMS Library. The monthly meeting usually includes a group game/team building activity, library care, planning upcoming events, and prize drawings at each meeting. Library Club members help run the Read-a-Thon, Adopt-a-Shelf program, chess and game mornings, maker-space crafts, and assist with Book Fair, author visits, book clubs and general library upkeep. This is a vibrant club where students really take ownership in their library and make long-lasting friendships. Students will meet other readers and can even form their own student-run “Lunch Bunch Book Clubs” within Library Club to meet at times that work for the students and library schedule.

• Sign up Sept 24-Oct. 3. Meetings start in October.

• See more details HERE or on the CRMS Library website

Given the disruptions of the 2020-2021 school year, the Texas Legislature has given parents new rights to help support their children with the adoption of House Bill 4545, signed on June 16, 2021. House Bill 4545 provides additional learning opportunities and skills support for students who did not meet standards on the 2021 STAAR exam.

If your child took STAAR and did NOT meet the standards, you should have received this letter.

For students who opted out of the 2021 STAAR exam, skills-based tutorials are available and mandated IF the student does not meet standards on the beginning of course assessments completed in the fall of 2021. Those assessments have been taking place for all students recently in class utilizing ISIP in ELA and MAP in Math (see below for more information on assessments).

Current skills-based development opportunities that are built into the school day include:

• Weekly Academic Skills lessons during Advisory

• Frequent and targeted small group instruction

• School day teacher-led tutorials

• Self-paced online targeted interventions

Canyon Ridge Middle School is proud of our continued commitment to help all students grow as learners and successfully complete all course requirements. As well this year at CRMS, Tuesdays and Thursdays during Advisory, the entire school will be utilizing iStation (Tuesdays) and IXL (Thursday) as a means to support and drive student learning. Both iStation and IXL use a baseline assessment that defines a student's learning path and tailors the instruction to the needs of the student. Through this learning pathway, struggling students receive the foundational support they need while advanced students are challenged with concepts that can range all the way through Senior level English and Math.

Istation Assessment (ISIP)
Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, all 6-8 students are participating in Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP) growth assessment. The purpose of ISIP is to improve and monitor foundational essentials, such as fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension and inference, as well as many other skills. Students were administered the beginning of year assessment that offers teachers valuable data and insight with regards to individual student needs and assists in making classroom instructional decisions. Please contact your child’s teacher with any questions or for additional information.

MAP Growth Assessment

Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, all K-8 students are participating in a MAP Growth assessment. The purpose of MAP Growth is to determine what the student knows and is ready to learn next. Throughout September, K-8 students were administered the first baseline assessment. The assessment information will support teachers in knowing the instructional areas in which students have grown and are ready to learn. This document provides a brief overview of the MAP Growth assessment. Please contact your child’s teacher with any questions or for additional information.

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.

In Leander ISD, students in Grades 7–9 are taught Human Sexuality Curriculum through presentations by LifeGuard, an independent organization. The topics covered in this abstinence-based curriculum the Texas Health TEKS. All content has been reviewed by the Leander ISD School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and is grade-level specific and developmentally appropriate. This material will be taught in 2-3-day windows at every LISD middle and high school campus from Sept 14 – April 21.

CRMS Student Presentation Dates

• 7th Grade: October 18-20th
• 8th Grade: October 21-22nd, 25th

Opt-In Google Form

**For your child to be able to attend the presentations, you must submit this OPT-IN form:

• 7th Grade Opt-in form

• 8th Grade Opt-in form

Curriculum Preview

If you wish to preview the curriculum, you may do so at your home campus library. Parents/Guardians may stop by or contact their school librarian to schedule an appointment for viewing. You may also request an electronic parent preview via the LifeGuard website.

When completing parent preview request:

• 7th grade enter team lead, Cody Redfern, as Instructor for CRMS
• 8th grade enter team lead, Rachel Schnee, as Instructor for CRMS

Parent Workshop Information

We will host virtual parent workshops via Zoom throughout the year; future times are listed below. Parent workshops are designed to give parents helpful tips for communicating with their children (grades 7-9) about human sexuality, allow them to review the district curriculum, explore statistics from health officials, and ask questions of LifeGuard and LISD staff.

To register for a parent workshop and to access additional LifeGuard information, please visit the LISD Human Sexuality Curriculum website.

October 6th is now added and available as a parent workshop date. This is the last one prior to CRMS lessons.

• October 6, 2021
  6 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
  Zoom Meeting Registration Links

Leander ISD updated our Health Response Protocols and on August 17th, elevated to a new Red 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

• Beginning Monday, Aug. 30, indoor extracurricular events in Leander ISD will be limited to 50% capacity. This will remain in effect while LISD is in the “red stage.” Masks are required at indoor LISD events. More info

• Effective Monday, August 30th, STUDENT SPECTATORS must be accompanied and supervised by their parent/guardian to attend indoor events. In order to ensure family members of our student athletes and performers are able to attend and support them, student spectators will be required to be accompanied and supervised by a parent/guardian at indoor events. We recognize that our students are eager and proud to support their peers at games and performances. When LISD returns to the Yellow Stage we will adjust this policy.

Our Board of Trustees called for a Bond election to:

• Keep up with growth.
• Take care of existing schools and impact every student.
• Replace equipment and technology.

Three propositions will be on the ballot for voters to consider. Proposition A includes $727.2 million worth of new construction, renovation, and equipment replacement projects. Proposition B includes $33.3 million to replace existing technology devices, including student and staff laptops, over the next three years. Proposition C includes $11.7 million in renovation and lighting/sound upgrades to our high school and district performing arts centers.

We worked with a community committee of over 150 volunteers to identify and prioritize our district’s needs over the next three years. The proposed projects impact every student and school in our district and can be financed without a tax rate increase and will be paid for by layering in debt payments using tax collections from rising property values.

Election Details

• Last Day for Voter Registration: Monday, Oct. 4, 2021
• Early Voting: Oct. 18–29, 2021
• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021

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.

Just a reminder that CRMS will not be proctoring the PSAT 8/9 for our 8th graders this year. We are partnering with More Than A Teacher to host 2 options for students to take a practice PSAT test either on November 2nd or November 6th. Here is the link to the information (registration link is embedded).

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