FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATOR
Congratulations Everyone! It has been a great year! 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. 2025-2026 is upon us. Can’t wait to see what the year holds.
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 2025-2026 school year! We will aim to have it out the last week of July. Stay Tuned!
Online Registration is Open!
CRCS Church Requirement Reminder – Returning Families Pastor’s Questionnaire:
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.
Your registration for the 2025-2026 school year with Crossroads will not be complete until we have received your Pastor’s Questionnaire. When you complete the registration, you will be directed to fill out your pastor’s information. The questionnaire will be sent to your pastor. Please contact your pastor to let them know they need to fill this out and to be looking for it.
You can also find the Pastor’s Questionnaire Request on our website under Registration. You can fill it out there as well. You can also direct your pastor to go directly to our website and under the registration, he can fill out the Pastor’s Questionnaire there.
Remember that this is a yearly requirement for membership.
Faculty Meeting Attendance Requirements
Also remember that one parent is required to attend four faculty meetings. One in August, October, January and March. Please put these meetings on your calendar. The meeting locations, dates and time are listed on the calendar on the website.
Returning Family Registration Open Until August 1, 2025
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, 2025. If there is a valid reason you plan to turn your grades in later, please contact the office.
If you are NOT returning to Crossroads for the 2025-2026 school year, we need to know so we can prepare the required paperwork. Contact the office.
Your tuition commitment continues until you tell us you are leaving. For example, if you let us know July 18th that you are going to transfer, you will owe for June and July.
New Family Registration Open Until August 1, 2025
Considering joining Crossroads for the 2025-2026 school year? Look at our website https://crossroadschristian.us/ 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 late May or June and will contact everyone by phone to schedule this. IMPORTANT NOTE: In the New Family Registration Instructions, it explains the Pastors Questionnaire Process. Once we receive the Questionnaire from your pastor, we will then call and set up the interview. There is a $35 registration fee due at interview time, and then your New Family tuition begins in August.
Preschool Registration Open Until August 1, 2025
If your oldest child is not older than 6 years old before December 31, 2025, you do not have to enroll in a church school… yet, unless they have been enrolled elsewhere. So, 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.
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 Information:
If you have a student who took Dual Enrollment classes this year, do not forget to list them as such in the comments section of your grades and End of Year Forms. Remember to assign credit as well.
If you are considering Dual Enrollment for your student next fall, now is the time to be planning that. We have agreements with several colleges, Jefferson State Community College is just one. If your student hopes to attend in-person classes in the fall, you need to go ahead and do that soon. In-person classes will be limited and will fill up fast. If you want online classes, you have a bit more time, but you still need to get the ball rolling. Contact the Dual Enrollment representative of the college you are interested in attending and they will have specific information. Contact the CRCS office for any information as well.
Congratulations to the Crossroads Christian School Kindergarten Class of 2025
We want to take this opportunity to Congratulate the Crossroads Christian School Class of 2025
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 17, 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. – During CRCS Used Book Sale
Tuesday, August 5, 1:30 p.m.
Community Presbyterian Church – Gym Side
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 the first two of several Homeschooling 101 seminars. We will schedule more before the summer ends! Spread the word!
A Milestone Worth Celebrating — and Preparing For! 🎓
We recently had the joy of celebrating graduation, a significant milestone with the Crossroads Seniors of 2025 — a beautiful and memorable event that marks years of hard work, growth, and dedication. These moments are truly monumental, and for many, the journey to this point can feel overwhelming at times.
That’s why we want to strongly encourage every family with students in 8th grade and above to attend our “How to Homeschool Through High School” seminar at least once. This seminar is packed with essential information to help you confidently navigate the high school years and support your student in reaching their own graduation milestone.
Planning ahead makes all the difference. Let us walk alongside you with tools, tips, and guidance so that your family can experience the joy and celebration that comes from finishing well.
Your future graduate will thank you!
HOW TO HOMESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
Tuesday, August 12, 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. 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, and 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
USED BOOK SALE
Saturday July 12, 9 am to 1 pm
Set up on Friday July 11, 2-4 pm AND Saturday July 12, 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 11 from 2-4 p.m., and Saturday July 12 from 8- 9 a.m. The sale will begin at 9 a.m. 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.
Please share this information with your friends far and wide!
Contact the office, if you plan to sell books, and let us know how you plan to help.
ACTIVITIES @ CRCS!!!
As sweet summertime is now here, the Activities Team would like to thank our wonderful Crossroads family (and families) for the terrific school year we just finished. We enjoyed getting to know many of you and your students. We thank you for your involvement, your encouragement, your enthusiasm, and your help. We consider it a privilege and an honor to serve you, and we will be working hard this summer to plan next year’s field trips, dances, and more.
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
Take a Glance
July 29-August 1 – Ballroom Dance Camp (high school)
August 29 – Back 2 School Bash (schoolwide; details to come)
Ballroom Dance CAMP
@ CPC GYM
July 29-30, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
July 31-August 1, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
The Activities Team and dance instructor Chris Bailey will offer ballroom dance camp again this summer.
This camp is for rising 9th – 12th grade Crossroads high school students who are at least 14 years old by November 1, 2025. Our most recent graduates are also welcome to attend.
This is a great way to learn, review, or polish your dance moves before our weekly classes resume in September.
Cost: $15 per student per day*
*Pay IN CASH. You may pay for one day at a time or more, but please pay IN CASH.
Contact: Mary Beth Brown
Cheddar Up Fee Change
FYI…Cheddar Up has had a small fee change. When you make an order and pay with an e-check there is a $.95 flat fee added to your order. All the other fees have remained the same. NO fee for check or cash. Credit Cards are a 3.59% + $.59.
Wishing You a Wonderful Summer!
As we close out another school year, I want to take a moment to wish each of your families a joyful and restful summer. I hope you’re able to slow down, step away from the daily school routines, and enjoy the simple moments that often get lost in the busyness of the year.
Take time to do the things you’ve been putting off. Go for a walk and soak in the beauty of God’s creation, sip some iced tea with your kids (or enjoy a quiet moment alone with that book you never quite finished).
May your summer be filled with peace, laughter, and renewal. I pray it’s a season of true rest and rejuvenation. I look forward to welcoming you back refreshed and ready for a new school year!
Blessings,
Jenny Bartz
The CRCS Fine Arts program has had a great year. 5 Plays, 3 Choirs and Trumbauer Theater competition at both regional and state level! Thank you to all the directors and leaders who gave of their time and talents to lead our students in such enriching experiences. Thank you also to all the volunteers who were there. We cannot do what we do without your help. Thanks for a great year!
CO-OP
We are planning for fall semester. The schedule will be released in June. Check our Co-op website and facebook page for updates!
—
CRCS Co-op Team
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 great year doing just that!
Last month, we ended the school year strong! May Day brought in several hundred dollars for our selected charities. At our annual Awards Ceremony, Emily Rea received scholarships, and our officer-elects were installed. Those members who served 100 hours or more this academic year were recognized for Distinguished Service, and seniors who had a total of 200 hours or more during the last two years received the Key Club medallion to wear at graduation. Finally, twenty-six members helped with the second annual Kiwanis Pancake Cook-off. Well done, Key Club!
We do need to take a moment here to name the following members who were inadvertently missed during the Distinguished Service recognition:
- Zeb Dungan
- Daniel Gilbert
- Rebekah Platt
- Hendley Reid
- Emily Rea
- Evan Smith
Congratulations to you all!
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 officers will meet over the summer to plan upcoming events. Check out Facebook at CRCS Key Club and Instagram at crossroads_key_club for additional information.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact us.
We hope you have a wonderful summer!
Juniper Self, Student President
205-200-3258
juniperclaireself@gmail.com
Sallie Albus, Faculty Advisor
205-863-9585
smalbus7@gmail.com
Crossroads Key Club Board (2025/2026)
President – Juniper Self
Vice President – Cody Albus
Secretary – William Rea
Treasurer – Bear Bosworth
Editor/Webmaster – Catherine Clyde
Chaplain – Layla Jolley
Congratulations to the winners with the most service hours.
1st place- Amelia Clyde
2nd Place- Elijah Davis
3rd place-JT Turner
Together, the Builder’s Club had approximately 916 service hours as a whole.
Congratulations to our officers for the 2025-2026 school year.
President- Harper Guyton
Vice President- Norah Lane
We will vote on Treasurer, Secretary, Chaplin and Class Representatives in October.
If you have any rising 6-8th graders that want to be a part of Builder’s Club, please message Jessica Guyton or sign up at the August faculty meeting.
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, while creating an energetic environment in which to forge relationships. The Sigma Zeta Chapter at Crossroads incorporates social, scholastic, and service aspects into our organization, staying active with fun game night hangouts and service projects planned for each semester. 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. The most typical test used for admission is the ACT; the required score is a 26 or greater. More pathways are outlined on the website.
Our new officers are Tucker Brown (president) and William Rea (VP)
Please contact Mary Beth Brown (hoganma23@gmail.com) with any questions or for more information.
SHELBY COUNTY COMMUNITY EDUCATION—SUMMER DRIVER EDUCATION
For Public–Private—Home School Students
The Community Education Department of Shelby County Schools will offer Driver Education in the summer of 2025. This class is open to high-school students living in Alabama with valid driving permits. All classes are taught by certified teachers.
Click here to see details.
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 2025-26 began on June 1, 2025 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.