Jaguar Tales
March 10, 2024
Hello, Jaguar Family!
Happy Spring Break! We hope everyone is able to use this time to rest, relax, and spend time with loved ones. Again, there is no school March 11-15. The school and the district will be closed for Spring Break. All classes will resume on Monday, March 18, 2024.
Have a great week! Go Jags!
Larissa Ortiz
Cedar Valley Middle School Principal
Larissa_ortiz@roundrockisd.org
512-428-2307
Jaguar Track Results
Thursday night's track meet vs Canyon Vista, Hernandez, and Pearson Ranch was a success!
Boy's Track Update:
8th grade boys finished 2nd place and 7th grade boys finished in 1st place.
8th grader Leo B. broke his own district record in the 1600m run last night setting a new district record time of 4:39.84. Leo also broke our school record in the 800m run with a new record time of 2:07.06.
7th grader Isiah O. competed in the maximum 5 events and won first place in all 5 events, scoring a total of 50 individual points which is very rare and an outstanding accomplishment!
Congrats to our top 10 point scorers: Isaiah O., AJ F., Tanner O., Asher R., Jayden K., Leo B., Isaiah C., Owen G., and Jake P.!
Girls Track Update:
At Thursday night's track meet both girls divisions came in 2nd place after Canyon Vista girls! As a school (all divisions combined with boys), we also came in 2nd place behind Canyon.
We had several girls make the list of top 10 athletes in their respective divisions:
7th Girls Top Athletes:
3rd - Jaishree L. 30 points
5th - Ada Y. 22 points
7th - Savannah J. 19 points
8th - Emery H. 18 points
8th Girls Top Athletes:
2nd: Talia J. 23 points
2nd: Ava S. 23 points
7th: Valentina L.G. 21 points
10th: Shyla M. 18 points
Extra shout out to Jaishree L. who also placed in the Meet's Top 10 Overall Athletes (all divisions combined)! Jaishree placed 7th with 30 points and was one of the only 4 girls who made the list!!!
Cedar Valley Chess Finishes 1st in the State!
The weekend of March 1-3 a team of 6 chess players from Cedar Valley Middle School competed in the North/Central State Chess Championship in Houston which hosted players from all across the state. After many hard fought games with higher rated players, our team finished first in state! Our team consisted of Ishaan C., Rahul M., Arjun P., Esha P., Srikar P. and Yangyang S.
The team finished 2 1⁄2 points ahead of favored second place team, Pearland Jr. High, West.
In the individual results Yangyang S. and Rahul M. finished tied for third in the state with 5 ½ each.
To round out the scoring, Esha P. finished with 3 ½ points, while Arjun P., Srikar P. and Ishaan C. earned 2 ½ points each.
This was a total team effort! Congratulations to all the players, their parents, and to CeVMS chess sponsor and coach, Layne Hendrick who organized the team entry to the tourney. A big thanks also goes out to Coach Marcos Davila for coaching the players in UIL Chess.
Go, Jags!
Austin Regional Spelling Bee
Austin Regional Spelling Bee Update:
Akshera placed 4th in the regional Bee (10 county area!).
Anvi placed 20th after correctly spelling for 3 rounds and was out in the 4th round.
Way to represent Cedar Valley! Go Jags!
Orchestra Results
Please congratulate our Non-Varsity (Intermediate Orchestra) and Varsity Orchestra (Honor Orchestra) students. They both received trait I as superior on stage and our Honor Orchestra brought a big trophy back to campus!
Leap Dance Company Field Trip
Cedar Valley's Leap Dance Company visited Bass Concert Hall to watch a lecture and demonstration by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Classroom Collaboration Spotlight
Ms. Popov's 2nd Period Level 2 Dance class paired up with Coach Zamora's APE class for some team building to prepare for their Dance Project.
NJHS Makes a Wish Come True
Shout-out to our National Junior Honor Society making a wish come true. All year long our NJHS students have been working hard to raise money to make this happen. They partnered with the Make a Wish foundation to make a wish come true for a critically ill child. At Friday's pep rally, they shared the good news with the recipient. This is what being a Jag is all about - service to the community!
NJHS is sponsored by Mirelle Marquez.
Cedar Valley Spring Pep Rally
Cedar Valley students and staff celebrated and highlighted many groups at Friday's pep rally. A good time was had by all!
Cedar Valley Eclipse-Watching Plans
On April 8, 2024 our school will be participating in the viewing of the solar eclipse that will take place at about 1:32 - 1:41 pm. We plan to be outside by 1:15 with the students who have permission to participate. We understand that not everybody wishes to participate in the viewing of the solar eclipse. Please fill out the permission slip so we can get a head count for each group. We will use this information to determine an alternate activity for students who opt out. Permission slips are required for all students and are due on Monday, April 1.
In order to view the eclipse and ensure that all students receive lunch, there will be a shortened bell schedule on April 8. We plan to have teachers take their 7th period outside to enjoy the eclipse. Once 7th period teachers and students re-enter the building, they will have 46 minutes of instruction time before heading to 8th period.
To prepare for this event, on April 5th, during class time, all science teachers will be showing a presentation that will include how an eclipse happens, what to expect the day of the eclipse and safety precautions. We suggest that parents look through this presentation to understand what we expect from our students. The Houston Museum of Natural Science and Round Rock Learning Community will be providing solar viewers for the students. They will be distributed to the students before they go outside to watch the eclipse. Students are encouraged to bring their own things to sit on, like blankets or towels. No collapsible chairs, please.
Spring Break - March 11-15 (No school)
Chloe's Pet Corral Donation Drive - Mar. 18-28
CeVMS YEARBOOK 2023 - 2024
All the things you need to know about ordering the Cedar Valley yearbook and portraits this year are noted below. You can always find the most up to date information here.
⬅️We will begin dropping little hints at the theme and look of this year’s book between now and the distribution day in May. The first hint is…it will be a SENSational book, and here is a little sliver of the cover.
Ordering a Yearbook
Yearbooks are almost sold out. Click here to order your Jaguar Yearbook. We will not order extra books to sell in person on campus this year; the only way to guarantee a copy is to pre-order online! Seriously, don’t wait until it is too late!
Last Photo Requests of the Year
A huge thank you to all the parents who have shared amazing photos of various special moments over this year. We have one final photo request for a special spread in the yearbook featuring kids doing unique sports or activities outside of school. We would love to have photos of students playing any of the following sports:
cricket
tennis
lacrosse
rugby
any of the martial arts
mountain biking
Please email your photos to Kathleen_Johnston@roundrockisd.org in JPEG format and include your child’s name and grade level. We need all photos no later than 4:00 PM Wednesday, March 6th. Thanks!
Blasts from the Past
If you missed your chance to purchase a 2022 or 2023 yearbook, you are in luck. The yearbook staff is selling some extra books ordered over the summer that were never claimed. The 2022 book is $10 and the 2023 book is $25 (half off)! Supplies are limited, so click HERE if you would like to reserve one of these amazing books.
If you have any questions, please contact Cedar Valley’s Yearbook advisor, Kathleen Johnston at Kathleen_Johnston@roundrockisd.org.
PTA Nominations
PTA is looking for new people to get involved next year! We are a volunteer run organization focused on improving the school experience for CeVMS staff, students and families. Please nominate yourself or others who could enhance our community using this form. The nomination deadline is March 11th. Submitting information does not require your participation. The nominating committee will contact each nominee with more information.
RRHS Football Parent Meeting - Apr. 1, 6pm
Dragon Fan Appreciation Night - May 15
Little Dragon Football Camp - May 13-15
(For grades K-5)
RRHS Cross Country Kick Off - May 15
MHS Summer Camps
McNeil summer camp registrations are coming soon and many are already open for sign-ups. There are camps for elementary ages through middle/high school, and all are led by McNeil coaches. Go to: https://roundrockisd.store.rankone.com/Camp/List to view camp information and updates as new camps are posted.
Majestics in the Spotlight - Apr. 6
March is Women's History Month
(Click on the image for more info)
Upcoming Ambassador Chats
*UPDATED STAAR Testing Dates - Spring 2024*
**Please notes have been updated since they were last shared on Jan. 1. Please update your calendars accordingly.**
Our students will be taking the state-mandated STAAR tests this Spring. We kindly ask that our families avoid scheduling appointments on the days when their students are testing. Also please note, campus visitors will be limited on these days.
April 16 - ELA STAAR - Grades 6, 7, and 8
April 22 - Social Studies STAAR -Grade 8 only
April 23 - Science STAAR - Grade 8 only
April 26 - Math STAAR - Grades 6, 7, and 8 (includes Algebra 1 EOC)
More information about the STAAR tests can be found here.
If you have campus-specific questions about the STAAR test, please contact the campus testing coordinator, Jennifer_Bingham@roundrockisd.org.
AVANT Test for Placement and Credit (Language Testing)
Language testing is available for students to earn credits toward their graduation requirements in Languages Other Than English (LOTE).
Students at CeVMS should contact Ms. Liz Guidry (7th grade counselor) for a permission form to register for the Spring testing date of March 22, 2024. The completed permission form is due by March 8, 2024.
Volunteers Needed!
One of the best ways to show your student that education is important to you is by volunteering at their school. There are lots of different ways to contribute your time, support and resources.
Please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form below to help us match your interests with the school's needs (such as Staff Appreciation, Dances, Pet Clinic, etc).
This does NOT commit you to anything other than possibly receiving emails when we need help in your areas of interest.
Upcoming Events
All events at Cedar Valley can be found on the Cedar Valley Master Calendar.
Did you know that you can add the Cedar Valley Master Calendar to your calendar? Simply click on this link to access it and add it to your calendar!
Join PTA Today!
Visit our Cedar Valley PTA Online Store to purchase your annual PTA membership, make donations, and purchase your Cedar Valley merchandise at our one stop shop!
Cedar Valley Middle School
Vision: Fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners
Website: https://cedarvalley.roundrockisd.org/
Location: 8139 Racine Trail, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-428-2300
Facebook: facebook.com/rrisd.cedarvalley
Twitter: @cevmsjags
We are here to help:
Front Office Staff
Administrative Associate - Principal's Office: VACANT, 512-428-2316
Administrative Assistant - Assistant Principals' Office: Ms. Allison Chappelle, 512-428-2303
Administrative Assistant - Counseling Office: Ms. Marilyn Beal, 512-428-2348
Attendance: Ms. Dana Harrison, 512-428-2305
Receptionist: Ms. Allison Samuelson, 512-428-2301
Registrar: Ms. Vicky Escruceria, 512-428-2315
Counselors
8th Grade Counselor: Ms. Gabrielle Kerr
7th Grade Counselor:Ms. Elizabeth Guidry
6th Grade Counselor: Ms. Heather Mills
Administration
Principal: Ms. Larissa Ortiz8th Grade Assistant Principal: Ms. Jennifer Bingham
7th Grade Assistant Principal: Mr. Andrew Carroll
6th Grade Assistant Principal: Ms. Sherrin Gorman