FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATOR

Congratulations Everyone!  Crossroads has had a great year. As I reflect over the past 10 months and the many opportunities that our families have been able to enjoy, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone in leadership who has made it possible. Also, thank you parents for volunteering your time and effort to make participation for the students such a rich experience. We could not do it without you.  I am already looking forward to 2024-2025!

THIS WEEK’S NEWS: Normally, I send out one email a week with what is important for that week.  Obviously, the summer is different.  I will send out emails when I have information that I feel you need to know!  It will NOT be every week.   But do open anything you get from us.

The next newsletter will be July/August combined and will be FILLED with information and opportunities for the 2024-2025 school year! We will aim to have it out the last week of July. Stay Tuned!

Online Registration – Open Until August 1, 2024

CRCS Church Requirement Reminder:

Remember that one of the requirements for being a member of Crossroads is that the parent be an active member in an evangelical/gospel-believing church. As part of the registration process, your pastor must fill out a questionnaire EVERY year.  This is not a token requirement.  Please follow through by having your pastor’s email ready when you register. We will follow up with these and contact you if we have not received the questionnaire.

Returning Family Registration Open Until August 1, 2024

If you plan to return to Crossroads next year, please complete the Returning Family registration as soon as possible. Remember that the two requirements to register are to have your tuition account paid through May and plan to have Quarter 4 AND End of Year forms submitted by June 15, 2024. If there is a valid reason you plan to turn your grades in later, please contact the office. 

If you do NOT plan to return, please let us know so we can begin preparing your student’s transcript.

ALL RETURNING FAMILIES SHOULD BE REGISTERED BY JUNE 15, 2024, TO SECURE YOUR SPOT. We need to know how many spaces are available for new families.

New Family Registration Open Until August 1, 2024

Considering joining Crossroad for the 2024-2025 school year?  Look at our website http://wbj.gro.mybluehost.me/ and read our Parental Requirements and Doctrinal Beliefs. If CRCS seems like a good fit for your family, complete a New Family Registration which can be found on the website. Even if you have been enrolled elsewhere, and are returning to Crossroads, use the New Family registration. We still need to interview you and complete paperwork. We will begin New Family interviews sometime in June and will contact everyone by phone to schedule this. There is a $35 registration fee due at interview time, and then your New Family tuition of $40 per month per family begins in August. 

Preschool Registration Open Until August 1, 2024

If your oldest child turns 6 years old any time before December 31, 2024, you do not have to enroll in a church school unless the student has previously been enrolled in an on-campus public, private or church school. We do provide the Preschool Family option for those of you who want to affiliate with Crossroads before it’s time to enroll officially. You can participate in field trips for a one-time fee of $40 per year. If your student is in K5 or 1st grade and you wish to participate in Co-op, you must join as a new family and pay full tuition. 

As a preschool family, you do NOT turn in grades to Crossroads. If your child is 6 years old, you do have to notify your school district that you are “opting out” of enrolling in a school until your child turns 7 years old.

A REMINDER ABOUT RECORDKEEPING

By this time, you should have filed your students’ grades for quarters 1, 2, and 3 for this school year. By June 15 you should complete a Quarter 4 report as well as an End-of-Year summary report. We often have families who forget either the 4th quarter or the End-of -Year report. Both are required.

If you have missed an earlier quarter, submit it today.

170 DAYS ATTENDANCE REQUIRED

The one legal requirement at the state level for the Church school is to turn in attendance.  Crossroads requires 170 days. THAT MEANS that your total attendance count, including absences, must total  at least 170 days for it to be a legal year.  You do not count everyday including weekends. 

Pay close attention to what you are recording and make sure it is an accurate record of your year.

If you have any questions, contact the school office office@crossroadschristian.us

Dual Enrollment

Congratulations to the Crossroads Christian School Kindergarten Class of 2024

Class of 2024

We want to take this opportunity to Congratulate the Crossroads Christian School Class of 2024!

NEED A TRANSCRIPT?

Transcript requests are to be made on our website under the records tab. 

When requesting a transcript to be sent via email please make sure the college or employer will accept an official transcript in that manner. Please don’t select both options to mail and email just because they are available on the Transcript Request Form. Know which one you need for your situation.

An official transcript means the transcript is a copy of your child’s transcript signed by the registrar or administrator, dated, imprinted with the school seal and mailed in a sealed envelope.

An official transcript can be hand delivered by the parent if you request to pick it up at the office. The transcript will be in a sealed envelope with the registrar’s or administrator’s name signed over the seal of the envelope flap. It must remain sealed upon delivery by the parent to the school or employer.

HOMESCHOOLING 101

Tuesday, June 4, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, July 16, 1 p.m.
Thursday, August 1, 10 a.m.
Community Presbyterian Church – Back Building

Do you have friends or family who are thinking about homeschooling next year? 

Crossroads offers a FREE seminar to share information with those who are investigating this educational option. This seminar lasts about 1-1/2 hours and covers Alabama state law, how church schools fit in, some of the specifics about Crossroads Christian School, curricula choices, and a little bit on recordkeeping. 

Attending does not obligate anyone to homeschool, or to join Crossroads. We want to get out the word about homeschooling, but since we do not have a lot of 1-hour blocks of time to talk individually with families, we have scheduled three for the summer.

HOW TO HOMESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL

Thursday, August 1, 1 p.m. 
Community Presbyterian Church – Back Building

Questions about whether or not you are prepared to teach your children all the way through high school? 

A lot of families do, so we’ll try to answer those questions at this seminar in May, and then again in August (date TBA). As homeschoolers, you actually have a great deal of latitude in how you educate, but it does help to plan ahead of time. 

This seminar is to introduce you to new ideas, ways of doing things, options for navigating high school to individualize instruction for your students. We also cover some of the nuts and bolts about high school: how to determine credits if you’re designing your own courses, Alabama state diploma requirements, dual enrollment courses at local community colleges, vocational education. If you have students going into 8th grade and above, please join us for this free seminar.

Contact the school office to let us know you plan to attend. office@crossroadschristian.us

LAST DATE TO ORDER A 2023-2024 YEARBOOK IS JUNE 7, 2024

USED BOOK SALE

Saturday July 13, 9 am to 1 pm
Set up on Friday July 12, 2-4 pm AND Saturday July 13, 8-9 am
CPC-Back Building

Do you have books, curricula, or other homeschooling resources to sell? Make preparations for our  used book and curriculum sale of the summer!

Bring cash and coin with you when you come to buy. You may be able to write checks for bigger items, but it is much easier to have cash for the smaller items. 

How the Sale Works

The rooms in the back building will be dedicated to different categories. Elementary materials (preschool through grade 6) are grouped by grade. Secondary materials (grades 7- 12) are grouped by subject. Areas are set aside for reading books, teacher resource materials, multilevel, games, and miscellaneous. Depending on space, there may be a section devoted to free materials (anything you’re willing to give away but be prepared to pick up items that were not taken).

If you are selling items, please mark all your materials carefully. If something is free, write “free” on it, or on a label stuck to it. Otherwise, attach an envelope to each item, with your name, the item’s name, recommended grade level (if known), and the price. If you have more than one item in a set, band the materials together, and write how many pieces are in the set on your envelope. The seller will place the purchase amount in these envelopes.

When sellers bring the books to set up, register with the cashier who will label a large manila envelope with your name and phone number. This envelope will be used to collect individual envelopes which contain payment for the materials being sold. If you have time, you might consider making a master list of your books and curricula, for your use when you pick up your money and unsold materials on Saturday.

Schedule for Set Up

Set up will be on Friday afternoon July 12 from 2-4 p.m., and Saturday July 13 from 8- 9 a.m. The sale will begin at 9 am Saturday morning and close promptly at 1 pm. Plan to return at 1 p.m. on Saturday to pick up your money and any unsold materials or have a friend do it for you. It is very important that you comply with this requirement! Crossroads is not responsible for any materials left in the building.

Volunteers Needed 

This sale is run by volunteers. Everyone who plans to sell materials must volunteer to help in some way. We will need help setting up the rooms on Friday. We need help with take down on Saturday afternoon, room monitors or cashiering during the sale. On Saturday we must give sellers time to collect all their materials. So, take down generally begins at 1:15 or 1:30. We use 3-4 cashiers during two 2-hour shifts: 9 to 11 am, and 11 am to 1 pm. Tables have to be rearranged on Saturday afternoon. Signs have to be taken down on Saturday. You’re welcome to bring your children to help with these tasks.

Contact the office, if you plan to sell books, and let us know how you plan to help.

ACTIVITIES @ CRCS!

Drum roll, please, as we welcome our new Teen Events Coordinator, Mary Beth Brown! She and her family are beginning their fifth year of homeschooling with Crossroads. Mary Beth and her husband, Landon, have three children—Tucker (16), Sullivan (13), and Sutton (8). She is on staff at Bethel Baptist Church as the Children’s Director. Mary Beth is extremely creative and very excited to serve the Crossroads teenagers and families. We are thankful for her eagerness to join the Activities Team. Welcome aboard!

Reflecting on the closing academic year and activities, it has been a fun and educational time as we have gotten to know many of you and your students. We thank you for your participation, your patience, your encouragement, and your enthusiasm. We consider it a privilege to serve you and will be working hard this summer to get next year’s events underway.

As always, if you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us via email, text, or phone.

We are here for you!

Sallie Albus, Activities Director
smalbus7@gmail.com
(205) 863-9585

Courtney Wrenn, Schoolwide Events Coordinator
carbmom2@gmail.com
(205) 863-9931

Kristy Rosenow, Field Trip Coordinator
rosenowpk@yahoo.com
(205) 413-7336

Mary Beth Brown, Teen Events Coordinator
hoganma23@gmail.com
(205) 527-8394

Kaitlin Rich, Preschool Events Coordinator
krich542013@gmail.com
(205) 405-0243

Ballroom Dance CAMP

@ CPC GYM

Tuesday, July 23, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 24, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 25, from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

The Activities Team and dance instructor Chris Bailey will host ballroom dance camp again this summer. YES!!

This camp will be for rising 9th – 12th grade Crossroads high school students who are at least 14 years old by November 1, 2024. Our most recent graduates are also welcome to attend.

Cost and more details to come.

Be sure to read the summer emails from Jenny!

Summer is Here!

It is time to breathe, slow down and enjoy a bit of a break. The 2023-2024 school year has been put to rest. Yes, you will be planning for next year, but hopefully you will build in plenty of margins for fun, play and rest. It is a great time for all those field trips you just never got around to. It is time to pull out the water slide/sprinkler and let the kids make a muddy mess? Maybe it is time for walks in nature taking in the wonder of Gods amazing creation. Maybe a cup of hot or cold tea sitting on the porch just thinking. Point being, slow down and enjoy!

I hope you are able to enjoy your summer. Enjoy your loved ones. Enjoy life as the incredible gift that it is, even with all its issues. I pray you are able to rest and rejuvenate so by God’s grace you will be ready when it is time to go again.

Blessings,
Jenny Bartz

THANK YOU, WENDY CORNETT, FOR YOUR SERVICE AS FINE ARTS DIRECTOR!

We want to take a moment to say Thank You to Wendy Cornett for leading the Fine Arts team for the past three years.  Her leadership and organizational skills have kept us on track and able to offer excellent opportunities to our students at Crossroads.  Her work is silent and, in the background, but she has worked tirelessly. Just to give an idea…she has covered all choirs and plays for 1^st – 12^th grade, scouted venues, organized meetings, scheduled volunteers, created seating charts and developed post show surveys to help us meet the needs of our people. And that does not cover it all!  So, join me and the rest of the Fine Arts Team as we say Thank You!

Co-op Registration Information

Save the date for the fall semester!

Follow the Facebook group for more information as it gets closer. 

If you are teaching a class in the fall, here is the link. 

https://forms.gle/FQAK2Xg9mwPx3VCq8

Email us to be added to the email list at cccmasterminds@gmail.com

Key Club News!

Key Club is an international service organization for high school students that encourages leadership through serving others. The Crossroads Key Club members had a terrific year doing just that! We are proud of you!

We ended the school year with an amazing May Day that brought in $400 for our selected charities. We also held our annual Awards Ceremony where Dakota Bosworth and Lydia Burnett received scholarships and our new officers were installed. Numerous other members were recognized for Distinguished Service and for the Key Club medallion to be worn at graduation. Finally, nineteen members helped with the inaugural Moody Kiwanis Pancake Cook-off.

Over the summer, we want to encourage you to continue to serve your homes, school, communities, nation, and our God. As you do so, log your service hours. Any rising ninth graders who were in Builders Club this past school year may also count summer hours for Key Club. We look forward to having you as members in the fall!

Our new officers will meet over the summer to plan upcoming events. Check our Facebook account at “CRCS Key Club” for additional posts. If you have any questions, please contact us.

We hope you have a wonderful summer!

Roark McKibben, Student President
205-405-5706
roarkmckibben@gmail.com

Sallie Albus, Faculty Advisor
205-863-9585
smalbus7@gmail.com

Builders Club

We had a wonderful year in Builders Club! Looking forward to what the next school year brings. Keep up with your service hours over the summer! Any rising 6th graders can keep a log of their summer service hours as well!

New Officers for the 2024/2025 school year are:

Evelyn Rea – President
Ethan Lane – Vice President
Izzy Conaway – Treasurer
Zayn Hill – Secretary

Congratulations to Jonathan (JT) Turner, Elijah Davis and Amelia Clyde who earned the most service hours this year!

Look for BIG updates in the August Newsletter!

Jennifer Day, Advisor
jday2911@gmail.com
205-999-8558

Eta Sigma Alpha Honor Society

Eta Sigma Alpha is the first honor society established exclusively for homeschooled students in Grades 9-12.  The purpose of Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society is to recognize and encourage scholarship among homeschool students.  A candidate for membership must meet all of the requirements set forth at etasigmaalpha.com/membership as well as requirements described on the local chapter application.  Eta Sigma Alpha offers a variety of social and service opportunities throughout the year.

East Central Patriots

East Central Homeschool Organized Sports provides opportunities for homeschooled kids to participate in a variety of sports in a Christian atmosphere! Some of our sports have a firm foundation with longstanding success, while startup programs are constantly changing the climate here at East Central. Excitement is at an all-time high! East Central provides excellent instruction and competition to over 200 junior and senior high school athletes.

East Central is affiliated with the ACSC – Alabama Christian Sports Conference. For more information about the Conference, required forms, and a calendar of important events, visit their website.

East Central is a non-profit corporation exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Join us today! Need more information? Be sure to contact us. We are here to serve the Crossroads Community! For more information contact Daniel Smith – Athletic Director – 205-585-0955.

Contact Information:

Feel free to contact us at the email addresses below, depending on the concern.

Office: office@crossroadschristian.us (General Communications)

Records: records@crossroadschristian.us (Records, Grades, Transcripts, etc.)

Accounting: accounting@crossroadschristian.us (Financial)

OFFICE HOURS: Crossroads office has regular office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 am to 3 pm. Call and leave a message, and we’ll return your phone call. E-mail is always a good way to get in touch with us, almost any time!

TUITION: All Crossroads families will receive a monthly email reminder (through QuickBooks Online) on the last day of each month about next month’s tuition. It is due by the 15th of each month. There is a link through the QuickBooks e-mail to pay tuition from your bank to the Crossroads bank and you can pay for more than one month at a time. School year 2024-25 began on June 1, 2024 for Returning Families. Tuition for New Families who joined over the summer begins in August. You always have the option of paying by cash or check at faculty meetings or in the office. And you can mail checks also. We do not accept credit cards. If you believe there is a discrepancy, please contact the office so we can verify. If you are not receiving the QuickBooks e-mail, please let us know that also.

TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS: If you need a transcript for any reason, the first step is to go to our website, and under records, fill out the transcript request form. Lori Booth, our registrar, will send your transcript where you have requested. She will also contact you if she has any questions. Feel free to contact her with any questions you may have as well. If we have to prepare a transcript from scratch, it may take up to two weeks to produce it, depending on work volume. So don’t wait until the last minute to make that transcript request, and remember we need your up-to-date records before we can do it!

WORK PERMITS: Under the current state law, work permits are no longer required for your teenager. If a 14YO or 15YO is working, he or she must provide an Eligibility to Work form to employers, which can be obtained from the Crossroads office. Students 16 years or older do not need anything from the school. For more information, check the Child Labor Law .

DRIVERS PERMIT and DRIVERS LICENSE: If your student plans to take the driver’s permit or driver’s license test, the student must provide proof of school enrollment. Contact the school office for a ALEA form 1-93 enrollment/exclusion form. Or, call and request that we mail it to you. These forms will also be available at faculty meetings.