Jaguar Tales - August 23, 2025

Cedar Valley Middle School - Round Rock ISD

Hello, Jaguar Family,

We’ve had a fantastic start to the school year, and it’s been wonderful to see our Jaguars settling into routines, building friendships, and embracing new learning opportunities. The energy and enthusiasm in our classrooms and hallways are truly inspiring!

We’re excited to invite you to our Open House this Wednesday evening. It’s a great opportunity to meet teachers, see your child's learning space, and learn more about what your student will be experiencing this year. We look forward to connecting with you and continuing to build a strong school community together.

Thank you for your continued support—we’re off to a great year!

Have a great weekend! Go Jags!

Larissa Ortiz, Cedar Valley Middle School Principal

Meet our New Staff!

Mrs. Cook was born in the Philippines but grew up and graduated in Manor, Texas. She has an amazing husband, 4 children & 3 grandsons. They moved to the Round Rock area because they wanted to send their sons to the best schools possible. The boys started at Great Oaks Elementary and then went to Cedar Valley Middle and now have a senior and a sophomore at Round Rock High School. Mrs. Cook has a diverse background in the medical & healthcare field and a passion for the elderly and helping children with different abilities. She loves the schools and the community and is excited to now be a part of the school district.

Go JAGS!

Ms. Galgale joined RRISD this past February as a crossing guard at the Great Oaks Elementary campus. She loves her job and is excited about serving the students at Cedar Valley, as well this year. The daily interactions with children and parents brings her joy. When asked what she loves most about her job, she says, “I get to see the eagerness first thing in the morning and the accomplished and content looks of the afternoon.” We look forward to Ms. Galgale helping to keep our Jaguars safe this year!

Ms. P has lived in the neighborhood since 1996. She began her RRISD career here at Cedar Valley in 2007. She then helped open Walsh MS, where she taught multiple disciplines, but 6th grade Science was her absolute “jam”!! Last year, she retired from teaching (yes, still at Walsh) and has returned home to Cedar Valley. She’s very excited to be a Jaguar once again, but in a different role as an Educational Assistant. When Ms. P is not at school, she’s probably cooking something really yummy, quilting, walking her 2 beautiful golden retrievers, Gracie & Abby, or spending time at her lakehouse with the pups and her husband of over 30 years, Scott. She absolutely loves working with students and fellow teachers and can’t wait to get the new year started!!

Mrs. Porter grew up in Round Rock and graduated from Round Rock High School. She has worked in the semiconductor industry, and attended culinary school where she received an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts. She also worked for the school district in Hays/San Marcos as an Instructional Associate in ACL Special Education. Mrs. Porter, her husband Jon and 9 year old daughter Maddie have recently moved back to Round Rock from San Marcos Tx. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, baking and gardening. This is Mrs. Porter’s second year with RRISD. She is excited to start the school year at Cedar Valley!

Mrs. Williams was born in Cincinnati Ohio. She graduated from Lyndon Baines Johnson. She worked for Texas DPS for 20 years in Crime Records. She retired from the department. Started her new career in education as a Counselor Secretary for Hutto High School. She is married to her best friend (Husband). They have a blended family and she just became a grandmother of 2. Last year her granddaughter was born on Mother’s Day. Just this past June her grandson was born a week before Father’s Day. In Mrs. Williams’s spare time she loves to work in her garden, watch movies, and go on peaceful walks.

Safety Drill Conducted

The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities, and conducting regular drills is an essential part of our preparedness efforts. During the drills, students and staff practice the procedures that would be followed in the event of a real emergency.

This past week our students and staff practiced an Evacuation Drill.

Evacuation Drill - This drill is used to practice safely evacuating the building in the event of a hazard inside the building (ex: fire).

If you have any further questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Jennifer_Bingham@roundrockisd.org.

Tardies - Starting Monday, Aug. 25

Starting Monday, August 25, teachers will begin marking tardies. Students have done a great job the first two weeks of school to learn their schedules, routines, and routes, and now it’s time to put that knowledge into action. We encourage everyone to make a strong effort to arrive to class on time each day. Being punctual sets the tone for a successful day of learning — let’s start the week strong and make every minute count!

Back to School Night - Aug. 27

Cedar Valley's Open House (AKA Back to School Night) will be on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025 from 5:30-7pm.

Parents, please be sure to look up your child's schedule in HAC, as you will be following your child's schedule that night.

What to expect:

As you follow your child's schedule, you will get to visit each class for a short presentation from each teacher. You will get to see your child's learning space, meet each teacher, and introduce yourself, however there will not be time for parent-teacher conferences. We ask that you email your child's teacher if you need to have a longer conversation with them.

5:20 - 5:30 - Doors open, make your way to 1st period and/or visit the PTA information table in the main foyer.

5:30 - 5:37 - 1st period

5:41 - 5:48 - 2nd period

5:52 - 5:59 - 3rd period

6:03 - 6:10 - 4th period

6:14 - 6:21 - 5th period

6:25 - 6:32 - 6th period

6:36 - 6:43 - 7th period

6:47 - 6:54 - 8th period

Please visit your child’s advisory class during their designated period (not lunch).
Parking is limited. Please consider carpooling, ridesharing, walking, or biking if possible.
To access your child’s schedule, please log in to the Home Access Center (HAC).

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, Aug. 27!

Upcoming Reading & Math i-Ready Diagnostic

RRISD and Cedar Valley continue using the Mathematics and Reading program called i-Ready. This will be our third year using the Reading i-Ready program and our second year to use the Math i-Ready program. Our students have demonstrated significant growth in their math and reading abilities through the use of i-Ready.

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions based on student responses. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.

i-Ready Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic supports to keep your child engaged as they learn.

When is the Diagnostic?

The diagnostic can take a students up to 2-3 days to complete. We have planned for ample time to allow students to take their time and try their best.
Reading will be taken in class on 8/27, 8/28, and 8/29 (if needed)
Math will be taken in class the week of Sept. 2.

What can I do to help?

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:

Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will get only about half of the questions correct.
Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
Remind them to charge their chromebook.
Remind them to bring wired headphones.

To support your child’s learning with online lessons, you can:

Discuss your child’s progress on their i-Ready lessons.
Celebrate your child’s learning and growth.
When your child’s teacher encourages them to use i-Ready lessons at home, reference these Fridge Tips to provide support.

Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! We look forward to sharing i-Ready information with you throughout the year. If you have any questions about i-Ready, please reach out to your child's Math and/or ELA teacher. You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter.

Interested in Joining E-Sports?

E-sports is preparing for a new season and new games! Come join us as we play MarioKart, Super Smash Bros and Rocket League against opponents from across the nation. For more information and to sign up for tryouts, please check out the signup form.

No School - Monday, Sept. 1

(Student and staff holiday)

RRISD Transportation - SMART Tags Required Sept. 2

Starting Tuesday, Sept.2, RRISD transportation department will require all bus riders to scan their SMART Tags every time they ride the bus, both in the mornings and afternoon.

To check student eligibility, please use the "Find your Route" tab on the transportation main page found here. Round Rock ISD provides free bus service for students who live more than two miles from their assigned school and for students who live within two miles but along a route defined as “hazardous” to walkers or bike riders. Student bus assignments can be found through the SMART tag Parent Portal.

Signing up for SMART tag alerts in the parent portal does not determine eligibility and does not order a tag for your student. This service only activates alerts for the parents.

Students requiring a new SMART tag need to stop by the Jag Lobby during their advisory period to order a tag. The first tag is free. Replacements for lost tags cost $5. If your student has a tag from previous years, the tag does carryover and will work for them. They do not need a new tag at the middle school and high school levels.

Bus Behavior Expectations can be found here.

Finance Future Club - First Meeting - Sept. 3

Menstrual Health Workshop - Sept. 17

Join the Cedar Valley Site-Based Committee

We are looking for a few staff members, district staff, parents, and community members to serve on our site-based committee. We meet to discuss and gather input on our Campus Improvement Plan (CIP). We discuss campus progress throughout the year, as well. This committee meets 3 times a year and our meetings will be at 4:05pm. All meetings will be in person.

Proposed meeting dates:

Oct 29, 2025 - This is an updated date to accommodate the RRHS HoCo parade attendees.
January 14, 2026
April 29, 2026

If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please complete this form.

Home Access Center (HAC)

Our parents and students use HAC to:

check grades, attendance, and schedules
set grade notifications
view and print report cards
plus more information related to campus life

Every parent in the district is encouraged to create an account and download the application and create their account. Round Rock ISD allows parents/guardians to register for a username and password online. For more information about creating an account and the app, please visit https://roundrockisd.org/hac/.

Free and Reduced Meal Application

Eligibility for free and reduced meals requires families to apply each year. To ensure your child receives this benefit, please complete the application, which take less than 5 minutes and can be completed online.

For more information aout the free and reduced lunch and breakfast program and to apply, please visit: https://www.roundrockisd.org/o/rrisd/page/lunch-faqs