Hello Eagles!
This Friday (12/1) is our annual Volleybrawl event at 5pm in the main gym. Tickets are now for sale online to come see the volleyball team players take on the football players in a fundraiser volleyball match. And remember it is cash only for concessions.
Please note: The district landscape team has put down winter rye seed on the CRMS Fields this morning. Therefore all fields at CRMS (stadium and back practice fields) are CLOSED until December 11th. The track will still be open in the evenings and weekends. And students will still be given outdoor recess time at school, but we must stay on the track, basketball courts, courtyard, etc. and all stay off the fields so that they can hopefully grow healthy grass for the Spring.
Go Eagles!
Mrs. Wendy Sturdevant
Share your Culture - Holiday Tree
At Canyon Ridge Middle School, we want to highlight diversity and inclusion through the various cultures that are represented on our campus. We'd like to share information with our campus through two opportunities:
1. PTA will be decorating a holiday tree at CRMS and wants to include Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and any other holidays that our CRMS families celebrate.
2. Various "Culture Blasts" spread throughout the year. "Culture Blasts" are short videos that highlight information about our diversity, inclusivity, and learning opportunities for the CRMS community.
We would appreciate your input on this short form to increase awareness and understanding of all aspects of your culture. Culture is much more than celebrations, languages, customs, food, dance, folklore, values, heritage, etc. It is everything! We invite you to share your culture. Thank you!
2024-25 Academic Calendar Feedback Requested
It’s the time of year when the district reviews the current academic calendar and finalizes the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.
Our community’s insights are essential to ensuring we develop an academic calendar that best meets the needs of everyone in the district. There are two different formats for community members to provide feedback. Choose the one that works best for you, or participate in both. Our goal is to collect as much feedback as possible.
Option 1: Complete our Community Survey
The survey will open Monday, Nov. 27, and close at 8 a.m. Jan. 8, 2024
Option 2: Virtual Community Listening Sessions
*Please register here in advance of our 45-minute listening sessions. Zoom links will be sent out to the email submitted on the registration form on Monday, Nov. 27, for the registered session.
- 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27
- 12:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1
2023-2024 Yearbooks for sale!
Yearbook Recognition Ads are also available to purchase for 8th Graders ONLY; they cost $25.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Jared.Lichtenberger@leanderisd.org
Please note that we have a new yearbook vendor for this year, so please make sure you are purchasing with our link for Jostens Canyon Ridge Middle School Yearbook.
Mrs. Lindsey, 6th ELA Teacher
Mrs. Vickers, 7th gr Math Teacher
Mr. West, 8th gr Math/Algebra Teacher
Mr. West is an amazing 8th grade Math and Algebra teacher at Canyon Ridge. He has 7 years of middle school math and Cross-Country/Track coaching in Oregon. He says the thing he loves the most about CRMS is how hard-working our students are here. He’s so grateful for the support and appreciation. He says “Having students say a genuine "thank you" after each class makes my day!” A bit of advice he would give his students; You do you. Do what you need to find success in whatever you're doing. Put in the work you need to put in. Others will need to put in a different amount of work than you. Everyone finishes assignments at different rates, learns at different rates, and develops skills at different rates. If you understand a new concept within minutes of being presented with it, awesome. If you understand a new concept after days of putting in hard work and practicing it, just as awesome. In his classes, he says that he does not expect perfection, but he does expect effort and perseverance through adversity. Some of the best learning experiences he says he’s had were through mistakes he made, and he feels that he is better now for making them AND learned from them. Mr. West was born and raised in Alaska, we hope he is adjusting well to this Texas heat because we are happy to have him here!
Off-Campus Physical Education (OCPE) Guidelines Update
It is important that any student interested in applying for OCPE for the 24-25 school year look over these guidelines and become familiar with the changes.
AMC 8 math exam at CRMS
CRMS is planning to offer the AMC 8 for ten students in 2024. First come first serve for registration. The first ten students who sign up will be registered for the exam. Read about the exam here. Fill out this form if you are interested in your grade 6-8 student taking the AMC 8. Families will be responsible to pay for their individual student's exam as well as a portion of the school registration fee.
- Deadline to register - December 8, 2023 or until the first ten spots are filled
- Competition date - January 19, 2024
Counselors' Corner
Parents, the second 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
November 2023
Special Programs Updates
Special Programs Parent & Family November Events
Hello families, the latest Special Programs newsletter is here.
Golden Eagle Weekly Recognition
LEEF Gala - January 27, 2024
The Leander Educational Excellence Foundation (LEEF) is hosting its annual Gala and Auction on January 27, 2024 at The Crossover in Leander, Texas. We welcome you to come walk the yellow brick road with us into An Evening in the Emerald City where we will honor and celebrate our Leander ISD students and staff. You will enjoy cocktails, dinner, dancing and the opportunity to help raise funds for LEEF to continue investing in Leander ISD and your future leaders!
Come join us and we'll show you why #There'sNoPlaceLikeLISD
Attn: 8th graders mark your calendar!
8th Grade Parents--save the dates! Information will 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 10/5/23.
February 22 // 8th Grade Parent/Guardian Info Webinar // Link will be posted here
counselors will provide a high school academic planning overview to 8th grade families
parents/guardians will learn about the course selection process and ask related questions
February 26 - 27 // Four-Year Planning & Course Selection Overview with VHS Counselors (2 days at each school)
VHS counselors will visit Four Points and 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
VHS counselors will meet individually with 8th grade students to review four-year plans and course selections
students and families will have the opportunity to further explore course options
Viper Night will include an elective fair, club & org fair, breakout sessions, and student panels
March 4 @ 4pm
deadline to lock in initial course selections for the 2024-25 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
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]
Sports Equipment Donations needed!
Attendance
Important Attendance Reminders:
- Absence notes should be emailed to crmsattendance@leanderisd.org within 48 hours of the absence.
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 almost 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!
mLISD devices for the 2023-2024 year are still available!
At CRMS, we are a 1-to-1 device campus. All students are required to have a device with a keyboard each day at school. Students may bring their own device or get a device from mLISD.
This coming school year, all 6th graders will begin receiving new devices as part of the technology rollout from the last bond election.
The payment window is now open for families to secure their students’ district-provided laptops for the 2023-2024 school year. Plans to distribute laptops will be communicated at a later date. This program is optional. A non-refundable security deposit will be required for participation. The security deposit will be waived for students who qualify for Free and Reduced meals.
Price:
Middle School Students: $40 per school year
High School Students: $60 per school year
Students who qualify for Free and Reduced meals: $0.00
(Registration through our online store, currently EdPay, or submission of a signed acceptance form is required.)
Payment methods:
A) Debit/credit cards through the mLISD website
B) Scholarship opportunities are available. Please contact mlisd@leanderisd.org or your counselor for more information. Please include the following information in your email:
The student’s name
Campus
Student ID number
Parent phone number
Click here for more information about mLISD, scholarships and access to sign-up and pay
Bus updates from Transportation
The Leander ISD Transportation Department uses SMART Tag – a system that provides accurate, near real-time monitoring of where and when students load onto and unload off of their school bus – to help promote student safety and security, keeping parents, school administrators and the district’s transportation department more informed.
Returning bus riders are asked to continue to use the SMART Tag card they were issued last year. If they do not have a card, the student will punch in using their lunch number (student ID) when getting on and off the bus. Bus drivers will begin to issue cards in September for new bus riders.
The online parent portal allows parents and guardians to register to receive alerts for when the bus will arrive at their child’s stop; see a live map of their child’s bus; and view a riding history for their child. Be sure to register if you have never done so.
By Wednesday, Aug. 9, 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 2023–24 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.
School Breakfast & Lunches
During the 2023–24 school year, Leander ISD will welcome back Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) as its food-services provider. That’s right – that means Crispitos are coming back!
All students who qualify for free meals during the 2023–24 school year will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost. In 2023–24, students who qualify for reduced-price meals will receive free breakfast meals and lunch for $0.40.
For elementary students who do not qualify for F&R meals, prices will remain the same from last year. At elementary school, 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.
Athletic events tickets for Middle School online!
Tickets can be purchased through link on the athletics webpage:
Canyon Ridge Middle School
AP/Counselor by grade-level for 2023-2024:
- 6th: Dr. Ashley Thompson1 / Kimberly Mills
- 7th: Leah Cox / Jillian Baaklini
- 8th: Brian Bass / Staci Cote
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