Jaguar Tales

Hello, Jaguar Family!

This week's edition of Jaguar Tales has quite bit of new information, which may take some time to review. I recommend clicking on the title "Jaguar Tales" a the top to see the entire newsletter this week, as it may get cut off if you're reading it from your email account.

Important: This edition contains information about upcoming meetings regarding rising 6th graders, as well as meetings for rising 7th and 8th graders. We hope you will be able to join us. Please feel free to share it with any future Jags!

🌟Keep scrolling... there's some exciting news for current 8th graders closer to the end of the newsletter!

Have a great weekend. Go Jags!

Larissa Ortiz

Cedar Valley Middle School Principal

Larissa_ortiz@roundrockisd.org

512-428-2307

Helpful Tip: Some editions of Jaguar Tales are longer than others. If you are viewing the newsletter in your email and it seems to randomly cut off, please click on the title of the newsletter (Jaguar Tales) in your email. Doing this will link you to the full newsletter on the Smore site. You can also click on "View entire message" at the bottom of the email. 🙂

Cedar Valley is seeing higher than normal cases of respiratory illnesses this week. This is a reminder to keep your child home if he or she has a fever higher than 100.0 F, vomiting and/or diarrhea. A fever, vomiting and diarrhea are signs of communicable diseases. Fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen only mask a fever and do not treat the underlying causes. Cough syrups either suppress coughs or make it easier to bring up mucus and do not treat the illnesses.

Your child may return to school once a fever is down for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications. Do not forget to send a parent or doctor's note with reasons and dates of your child's absences. Let's keep Cedar Valley Jaguars and staff healthy this winter.

Friday morning, our campus pinned the 2025-2026 Jaguar Cheer Squad. Please help us in congratulating and welcoming our newest cheerleaders!

7th grade:

Mila A.

Lyana D.

Rose S.

Sophia F

Claire H

Eden H

Soren J

Evelyn M

Elin M

Meredith P

Mackenzie P

Maria N

Arina S

Lydia S

Abby S

Mia Y

8th Grade:

Sophia B

Lucy C

Aubree D

Thu D

Anna Beth G

Gabi K

Geneva K

Ana P

Emma S

Lauren V

The Lady Jags finished out the 2024-25 basketball season with 3 out of 4 teams winning the title of District Champions!

7th Grade B Team finished out their season with a 6–1 record, winning District.

7th Grade A Team finished out their season with a hard-earned 5-2 record.

8th Grade B Team finished out their season with a 7-0 record, going undefeated the entire season and winning District!

And, 8th Grade A Team finished out their season with a 6-1 record, winning District as well.

The Lady Jags also competed in the end of season District Tournament where 7B, 8A, and 8B teams won 1st Place!

We are very proud of all four teams and their hard work this season. Great job, Jags!

Over 600 middles schoolers from Round Rock ISD participated in the Middle School UIL A+ Academic Meet. A huge CONGRATULATIONS to the team for bringing home a third place finish! Nice work!

Oral Reading 6th grade -
2nd place: Narula G.
4th place: Medha R.

Oral Reading 7th grade
6th place: Sara-Aditi N.

Oral Reading 8th grade
6th place: Arjun G.

Calculator Applications 8th grade
2nd place: Arushman K.

Impromptu Speaking 7th grade
2nd place: Avantika N.
3rd place: Vihaan C.

Impromptu Speaking 8th grade
1st place: Anisha H.

Ready Writing 6th grade-
2nd place: Myir O.

Ready Writing 7th grade
2nd place: Ayushi S.
6th place: Noah S.

Ready Writing 8th grade
1st place: Aashi G.

2nd place: Trisha M.

Mathematics 6th grade
1st place: Priscilla C.

Mathematics 8th grade
1st place: Jennifer Z.

6th place: Sankalp L.

Listening Skills 6th grade
6th place: David C.

Listening Skills 7th grade
1st place: Jonathan L.
3rd place: Janvi G.

Listening Skills 8th grade
1st place: Ishani V.
4th place: Maybelle Y.

Chess 6th grade
4th place: Risham P.

Chess 7th grade
6th place: YangYang S.
6th place: Srikhar P.

Number Sense 6th grade
1st place: Priscilla C.
6th place: Nathan W.
6th place: Sahil B.

Number Sense 7th grade
3rd place: Atri J.

Number Sense 8th grade
3rd place: Sankalp L.
5th place: Jennifer Z.

Spelling 7th grade
1st place: Emily W.
6th place: Alina C.

Spelling 8th grade
2nd place: Vishwak A.
4th place: Maybelle Y.

Social Studies 8th grade
2nd place: Ansh T.

Science 7th grade

2nd place: Ashrita K.
6th place: Navin A.

Science 8th grade

6th Place: Ananya M.

CeVMS had 8 entries that advanced to the Reflections council level judging!

Congratulations to Sahana K. for her Music Composition entry, BEAUTY WITH FLAWS, advancing to state-level judging! This is a wonderful achievement as nearly 60,000 students participate in the program annually and less than 3% of those advance to Texas PTA for judging at state.

Please congratulate the following students for their Reflections Council Level Awards in the following categories!

Literature:

• Rebecca D. - Award of Merit
• Udvita D. - Award of Excellence

Music Composition:

• Sahana K. - Overall Award of Excellence

Photography:

• Varenyaa S. - Award of Merit
• Angelina K. - Honorable Mention
• Visual Arts: Soan M. - Award of Merit
• Prakruti R. - Award of Excellence
• Varenyaa S. - Award of Merit

Join us at Kerbey Lane Cafe on Thursday, February 6th from 4pm to 9pm. Part of the evening's proceeds go to support CeVMS. Take the whole family and enjoy a delicious meal! Don’t forget to mention CeVMS! Go Jags!

Do you know a rising 6th grader who will coming to Cedar Valley next year? Please feel free to share this information with them!

We are looking forward to welcoming our rising 6th graders to the Cedar Valley Middle School community next year! As we prepare for the 2025-2026 school year, we have several important events to share with you.

Please mark these dates on your calendar:

Monday, February 10th - Fifth Grade Parent Night and Elective showcase will be held at Cedar Valley from 4:00-6:00 p.m. This night is designed specifically for us to answer any questions you may have about course offerings as your child transitions to middle school as well as explore elective options offered in sixth grade. The fair will begin in the CeVMS commons followed by a Q&A style meeting in the cafeteria from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 13th - Cedar Valley 6th grade counselor and administrator will go present to students at our feeder elementary schools.

Friday, February 14th - the choice sheet link will be emailed to all incoming CeVMS sixth grade students via their RRISD student email account. Parents and students can log in to their student’s email account to complete the choice sheet electronically. View the RRISD middle school course catalog here.

Friday, February 21st - course selections are due and the choice sheet link will be closed.

Jag Camp and parent meeting will be held before the first day of school, on August 7th (9:00am- 10:30am Last name A-L, 11:00am-12:30pm Last name M-Z) to provide all students an opportunity to become familiar with Cedar Valley before school starts.

We look forward to you joining the Jaguar Family!

This information is for our rising 7th and 8th graders (current 6th and 7th graders). Below are important dates for students and parents.

Feb. 11 - Incoming 7th Grade Parent Mtg 5:30pm - 6:15pm, Cedar Valley Cafeteria

Feb. 11 - Incoming 8th Grade Parent Mtg 6:30pm - 7:15pm, Cedar Valley Cafeteria

Feb. 14 - Choice Sheets incoming 7th/8th sent out through advisory

Feb. 21 - Choice Sheets due to school counselors - Online Only

We are going to show the CeVMS Staff our love language is PASTA! Please sign up to bring items or donate for the CeVMS PTA's Staff Appreciation Pasta & Salad lunch happening on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Click here to donate items, or click here to make a monetary donation and we'll do the shopping for you.

Cedar Valley All-School

Valentine's Day Party

Friday, February 14th, 4-6pm

Wristbands go on sale Fri. 2/14/2025 during Lunch.

Please Volunteer and Donate to make this all-school dance fun and successful.

🚩 Signup to Volunteer or Donate Here 🚩

ALL ARE INVITED! Mrs. Fooshee is hosting an Education First trip for students and parents to Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Budapest, and Austria! Our Spring meeting will be at 6pm on Tuesday, Feb. 25! Please plan to attend to get more information! Click the link below to register for the meeting!

https://bit.ly/4jDJRx5

This trip is going to be an incredible opportunity for students AND parents to explore new cities, cultures, and languages TOGETHER and we can’t wait for everyone, especially our students, to discover more about themselves, gain leadership skills, and grow more confident in the process.

By attending the meeting there will be discounts and a raffle for more discounts on the trip! STUDENTS AND PARENTS are welcome to travel!!

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me @ travelefwithjami@gmail.com

***THIS IS A Non-RRISD AND Non-Cedar Valley sponsored trip***

Coming in February Home Access Center will send grade notification alerts if your student’s average class grade falls below 75. A drop in grades can signal difficulties such as learning gaps, time management struggles, or personal challenges.

Learn more about HAC grade alerts: https://roundrockisd.org/hac/home-access-center-grade-notifications/

Register for a HAC parent/guardian account https://accesscenter.roundrockisd.org/HomeAccess/Content/Register/Default2.aspx

-----------------------------------------

A partir de febrero, Home Access Center enviará alertas de notificación de calificaciones si la calificación promedio de su estudiante en clase cae por debajo de 75. Una caída en las calificaciones puede indicar dificultades como brechas de aprendizaje, dificultades para administrar el tiempo o desafíos personales.

Obtenga más información sobre las alertas de calificaciones de HAC:

https://roundrockisd.org/hac/home-access-center-grade-notifications/

Regístrese para obtener una cuenta de padre/tutor de HAC https://accesscenter.roundrockisd.org/HomeAccess/Content/Register/Default2.aspx

February 6 & 7 - High School Registration during electives at CeVMS

March (TBD) - Course Verification (HAC)

March (TBD) - Course Change Deadline

Mandatory Cheer and Mascot Tryout Information Meetings to be held on February 5th (strongly recommended to attend this one) and February 13th (make-up meeting) from 6-8 pm. You only need to attend ONE of the meetings.

Meetings are held in the cafeteria of your feeder High School Campus. Please attend the location you will be trying out for.

***Candidate AND Parent/Guardian must attend together

***NO ACCESS AFTER 6:30 PM!

As high school information is shared from the high schools it will be included here (ex: presentations). If you have specific questions about any of the programs or information shared, please reach out to the high school directly.

MHS IB Information

MHS Advanced Academics Parent Night

Save the Date for the 8th Grade End-of-Year Celebration!!

This year's formal dance will take place on Saturday, May 3rd, from 7-10 PM at Cedar Valley MS!

Admission is FREE, along with snacks, great music, and much more!

This is a PTA and 8th grade parent sponsored event, exclusive for 8th grade Cedar Valley MS students only. No outside guests or students from other grades will be allowed to attend. Parents can attend as volunteers only. Look for additional information on volunteering, donating, and reserving {free} tickets coming out soon.

CeVMS Parents! We need help to fill our volunteer shifts at the RRISD Clothes Closets for the rest of the school year. If you are able to assist please sign up. The work is not hard, but it is very valuable.

The Clothes Closets are in need of pants and coats in all sizes. If you have discovered during our recent cold snap that your kids have outgrown their coats, please consider donating. They can be dropped at the Jag Lobby.

Other Clothes Closet needs:

• Unisex Sweatpants sizes 4t to 3XL NEW
• Boys Small and Medium Boxer Briefs
• NEW Men's Medium (32-34) Boxer Briefs
• NEW Girls/ Women's Medium and Large Socks

Click to view RRISD's Clothes Closet's Amazon Wish List to order and have items delivered directly to the Clothes Closet. Please remember, anyone with a student in RRISD can visit a Clothes Closet. No voucher or pre approval needed.

Spiritwear is now available to purchase through our online store! You can place an order anytime and it will be delivered to your child's advisory class within a few days!

Check out our new shirt design for the 2023/2024 school year! The shirt was designed by an eighth grade art student at Cedar Valley! Help support our school and teachers by purchasing a shirt today!!!

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, Concessions, Fundraising or School Dances).

CeVMS Volunteer Interest Form

This does NOT commit you to anything other than possibly receiving emails when we need help in your areas of interest.

Beginning the 2024-25 school year, PTA Memberships will be completed and paid directly from the Texas PTA site.

For further Information, please visit Memberships.

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!

Visit our Cedar Valley PTA Online Store to make donations and purchase your Cedar Valley merchandise at our one stop shop! Merchandise will be back online shortly.

To join PTA, click here. We're happy to have you on board!

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

Front Office Staff

Administrative Associate - Principal's Office: Ms. Cristol Alvarez, 512-428-2316

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

6th Grade Counselor: Ms. Gabrielle Kerr

7th Grade Counselor: Ms. Heather Mills

8th Grade Counselor: Ms. Elizabeth Guidry

Administration

Principal: Ms. Larissa Ortiz

6th Grade Assistant Principal: Ms. Jennifer Bingham

7th Grade Assistant Principal: Mr. Marc Scott

8th Grade Assistant Principal: Mr. Andrew Carroll

Nurse Clinic

Campus Nurse: Nurse Mina Shimomura

Records Specialist: Ms. Kristie_Rocheleau