Dear Cedar Valley Families,
As we reach the end of the first semester, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we have shared since August. Walking through our hallways this week, the energy from our Winter Dress Up Days and the excitement of the concluding semester have been a wonderful reminder of the vibrant community we’ve built together.
To our students: I am immensely proud of your hard work. This semester, you have shown true "Jaguar Spirit" in every arena—from the classroom, to the field, to the stage, to the court. You have met challenges with resilience and curiosity, and you deserve this upcoming break to rest and recharge.
To our parents and guardians: Thank you for your unwavering partnership. Whether signing up to volunteer, attending our events, or helping students at home, your support is the foundation of our success. We are grateful for the trust you place in us every day and for the collaboration that ensures our students have the tools they need to thrive.
To our teachers and staff: You are the heart of Cedar Valley. This semester has highlighted your commitment to excellence. Your passion for teaching and your care for each student’s well-being make all the difference.
As we head into the Winter Break (December 19th - January 5th), I wish you all a safe, restful, and joyful holiday season. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on January 6, 2026 to begin a successful second semester.
See you in the new year! Go Jags!
Larissa Ortiz
Principal, Cedar Valley Middle School
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No School Dec. 19 - Jan. 5 |
Cedar Valley Student Art is Selected for RRISD Holiday Card |
Students throughout the middle school visual arts program were invited to create a non-denominational holiday theme design for submission to be featured on the 2025 RRISD District Holiday card. We are proud to share that Cedar Valley's own, Sloane C.'s design was selected as this year's winner. Her design is featured below, along with photos of her recognitions, in class and at the RRISD school board meeting.
Cedar Valley MS, her Art teacher Ms. Payne, and the RRISD visual arts faculty are proud of Sloane’s efforts, talent, and work within visual art and having her image featured to represent the District. Way to go, Sloane!
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CeVMS “Wishes” Benefit Talent Show – A Wonderful Success! |
NJHS is proud to share that our third annual “Wishes” Benefit Talent Show was a tremendous success! Thanks to the incredible generosity and support of our sponsors, students, parents, staff, and community members, we reached our goal and raised enough funds to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Our efforts helped brighten the life of a child facing a life-threatening medical condition by making a wish come true.
The evening was filled with joy, inspiration, and amazing performances from our talented CeVMS students. Congratulations to our top performers:
1st Place: Woohyung Lim
2nd Place: Leo Yuan
3rd Place: Sahana Karthikeyan
Viewer's Choice Award: Ayaan Someyanda
Thank you to everyone who attended, donated, volunteered, or performed. Your support truly makes a difference, and together we brought hope, strength, and joy to a child in need.
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Lady Jags Basketball Update |
The Lady Jags took on the Deerpark Rangers on Monday night in their sixth basketball game of the season. The final scores are below:
7A: 34-19; Top scorer was Alex C. with 10 pts.
7B: 21-6; Top scorer was Prisha D. with 6 pts.
8A: 48-17; Top scorer was Riley R. with 8 pts.
8B: 47-13; Top scorer was Hadley H. with 10 pts.
We are very proud of each team's hard work. Great job, Jags!
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This week the Cedar Valley Boys Jaguar Basketball Team faced the Canyon Vista Mustangs.
7th A Team won their game with a score of 71 to 28
7th B Team won their game with a score of 41 to 28
8th A Team won their game with a score of 46 to 44
8th B Team lost their game with a score of 39 to 34.
The Boys Jaguar Basketball Teams will play the Deer Park Rangers on Wednesday Jan. 7th
You can click the link below to see the individual box scores from this week's game: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rn7G1Mbb-MegLLdHlcxi8hVSzzkW1YAr/view?usp=sharing
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The winter dance was a success thanks to everyone who contributed time, funds, donations, etc. A good time was had by all. |
GoGuardian / Beacon After Hours and Non-Instructional Day Notifications |
To support student safety, digital citizenship, and social-emotional well-being, Round Rock ISD partnered with GoGuardian this fall to implement the Beacon digital monitoring system. Beacon helps district and campus staff monitor student online activity during the school day to identify potential safety concerns and provide timely support when needed.
School-day monitoring hours in Beacon are 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on instructional days. On those non-instructional days, district staff will not actively monitor Beacon notifications.
Outside of school hours, and during weekends, holidays, and school breaks, parents and guardians may continue monitoring their student’s online activity by using the GoGuardian Parent Mobile App.
The Beacon system allows district staff and parents to view:
- Student online browsing activity, and
- Activity within the student’s district Google account.
When enabled, Beacon generates notifications for online activity that may indicate that a student could benefit from additional support.
Parent Monitoring Encouraged
Parents and guardians are encouraged to download the GoGuardian Parent App to continue monitoring their students’ online activity during Winter Break and throughout the year outside of school hours or on non-instructional days.
Thank you for partnering with us to support student safety and well-being, both online and offline.
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Updated Schedule for the 2026-2027 School Year |
As we return in January, we will begin the exciting process of selecting courses for the 2026-2027 school year. A change that we would like to highlight as we all begin planning for the upcoming school year is that we will be transitioning to a 9-period day that will unlock even more potential for our students (8 instructional periods, plus lunch/advisory).
This new schedule will provide:
More Choice: With 8 instructional periods and a dedicated lunch, students will have more room in their schedules to explore elective interests, from fine arts to technology and beyond. The class period addition will help foster a well-rounded experience where students can pursue their passions and discover new talents, including more Career Technology Education opportunities.
Personalized Growth: This extra space allows for specialized intervention courses, ensuring every student gets the exact support they need to thrive academically without having to sacrifice the fun exploratory classes they love.
High School Support: This extra space will allow students to earn high school credits early, giving them a head start on their academic goals and exploring more elective opportunities, helping them make more informed decisions when planning for high school.
As we progress through the planning process to support the 8 instructional period day, we will share the details as they become available.
*Please note, the instructional day will not be extended. The bell schedule will be adjusted to accommodate this update within our current hours (8:15am - 3:35pm.).
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You may have seen some extra dumpsters, trucks, and materials in and around campus recently. We are excited to share that our track is being resurfaced and in a few weeks should be complete - just in time for a new track season in February.
Also, all of our indoor classroom and hallway lights are being replaced with LED lights. This project should also wrap up a few weeks.
We appreciate everyone's patience as the crews work to make improvements to our campus.
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Cedar Valley students in grades six, seven, and eight may register to compete in the school spelling bee. Students should register using their school email account. Registration for this year's bee closes on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
https://forms.gle/yxbuzPz131KMQja97
The 2026 Cedar Valley Middle School Spelling Bee will be held in person beginning promptly at 3:45 pm on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 in the lecture hall. Students must check in by 3:45 pm in order to compete and must remain at the bee until they are eliminated or the bee concludes. The 2026 Cedar Valley Middle School Spelling Bee Champion will advance to the regional qualifier.
After registration, students will receive a copy of the 2026 School Spelling Bee Study List to their school email account. Parents/guardians may also download the Bee's Word Club app via the Google Play Store or Apple Store. Parents/guardians may also purchase an eBook version of the Words of the Champions booklet at Amazon.com (if desired).
Questions? Please email Robin_Brown@roundrockisd.org.
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No School - Jan. 19, 2026 |
Purchase a Cedar Valley Yearbook! |
Our Year. Our Yearbook. The yearbook is the one place where everyone’s stories are celebrated. And that makes it a book you don’t want to miss! Order today to guarantee a copy!
ORDER YEARBOOK
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8th Grade Recognition Ads |
Community Communication Sign Up |
Currently, our campus communications are limited to students, parents, and staff.
We recognize that many other important family members and community members wish to stay informed (e.g., grandparents, stepparents, local supporters).
We are pleased to announce that in the near future, we will be launching a dedicated "Community" communication list.
If you know of someone who is not currently receiving our updates, please ask them to sign up to join this new list. Once our new system is fully operational, it will take approximately one week after completing the sign-up form for recipients to begin receiving campus communications.
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Our district is providing families access to GoGuardian Parent, a mobile app designed to provide parents/guardians insight and control over their student's online activity when on school-managed devices and accounts. GoGuardian Parent was created to help provide students additional educational support and is a companion to the classroom engagement and internet filtering tools that our school uses. The GoGuardian Parent app provides an overview of the apps, extensions, documents, and websites your student visited, as well as internet controls that you can set for out-of-school hours.
Learn more about GoGuardian Parent here.
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Round Rock ISD Clothes Closet Donations |
The Clothes Closet is a project run by the local PTA's of Round Rock ISD. It offers good, gently used clothes to all students in the district who have need. Once per semester, each student can use this service. No referral necessary, just turn up to one of the two locations during opening hours.
In our ongoing support for RRISD's Clothes Closet we are always keen to take your donations of tops, bottoms, jackets/hoodies. Clothes must be in great, clean condition with no tears, stains, bobbling etc.
We also need, NEW ONLY boxer briefs style underwear for girls and boys, plus teen appropriate sports bras. Please deliver to the Jag lobby.
Alternatively, you may wish to support by donating directly using the Amazon wishlist.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2G8VOE7SO1TII?ref_=wl_dp_view_your_list
There is always a need for happy helpers with a "can do" attitude at the Clothes Closet. For more information about what this would entail contact clothescloset@cevmspta.org or sign up directly. Volunteering with the Clothes Closet is a great way to support families in our wider community. No experience necessary. Spanish speaking volunteers are particularly helpful.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45AEAF2CA0F8C52-58114760-20252026#/
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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).
Cedar Valley Volunteer Interest Form
This does NOT obligate you to anything, other than possibly receiving emails when we need help in your areas of interest. Please contact Livy Knox, the PTA Volunteer Coordinator with any questions at volunteer@cevmspta.org.
If you plan to volunteer at CeVMS in any capacity, you must complete the RRISD online application. Click here to access the Online Volunteer Application.
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Career & College Fair "Presenters" Needed
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Cedar Valley Middle School will be hosting our Career & College Fair on April 29, 2026 and would like to invite parents or family members to consider sharing your career details with our eighth grade students. All you would need to do is set up a display at a table and answer questions as our students visit your table.
The Career Fair will be held from 12:00 -1:00 pm on the 29th of April. You will be able to set up your display from 11:00-11:30 am.
This is an exciting way for our students to begin thinking about what they need to do in high school to prepare for their future. We would love to have you participate to showcase your field of expertise to our eighth grade students. Please click on the link below and fill out the information requested if you would like to participate:
CeVMS Career Participation Form 2026
Please feel free to contact Liz Guidry at elizabeth_guidry@roundrockisd.org with any questions!
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Visit our Cedar Valley PTA Online Store to purchase your annual PTA membership and Cedar Valley merchandise! |
Helpful Staff Contact Information
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