Online Registration Opens on May 1st!

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 Opens May 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 opens May 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 Opens May 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.

If your student is graduating this year, the deadline to turn in the Quarter 4 and EOY report is Friday,  May 10^th  so that we will have time to review this information for all graduates.

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

Dual Enrollment

HOMESCHOOLING 101

Thursday, May 9, 10 a.m. 
Tuesday, June 4, 1 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!

HOW TO HOMESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL

Thursday, May 9, 1 p.m. 
Community Presbyterian Church – Gym side

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

YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT!

Kiwanis Pancake Cook-Off
Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Moody Park
$7 entry fee at the park or scan the code on the graphic.

Join us for our first ever Pancake Cook-Off.  Teams will be griddling up and cooking loads of pancakes.  Come and taste and be a part of something to benefit children in our communities.  Kiwanis is an international organization working to improve the lives of children, one community at a time.  Our Key Club and Builders Club are sponsored by this wonderful organization.

Please come out and support local Kiwanis and thereby helping children in our community.

YEARBOOK ORDERS NEEDED TO MAKE OUR MINIMUM ORDER

Now is the time to order. We need 101 orders to keep the price we have. We only have 69 orders at this time. Don’t put it off anymore. Order today. Cost $40 at Cheddar Up.

The CRCS yearbook is a great way to look back and relive memories from your year. It is a work of art created by students for students. A lot of hard work goes into making it each year.

Especially SENIORS, the yearbook has a huge section in your honor. Don’t miss it. Please order your yearbook today so we can know if we will be able to make our 101.

HELP US SELL YEARBOOK ADS

Every year, the yearbooks students sell ads. We would love your help. Please consider asking a business to place an ad in the yearbook..You can offer the business a variety of options and price points. The biggest issue is they need to provide us with a business card or logo that they want to use in the ad. We need the exact information they want in the ad. We are not building them from scratch. Families can also get an ad to put an honor to their student. Payment can be made to Crossroads Christian School. Contact the office for a form.

Options:

FULL PAGE: 7 3/4” x 10 1/4” – $250

HALF PAGE: 7 3/4” x 5” – $150

QUARTER PAGE: 3 3/4” x 5” – $85

1/8 PAGE: 3 3/4” x 2 3/8” – $45

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Two lines of type on the Acknowledgement Page – $15

Ads and the payment need to be received by May 11.

Contact Jenny Bartz with any questions.

PICTURES PLEASE – LAST CALL…ALMOST…

We are now only accepting photos for events in May.  Upload them right after the event.

You can ALWAYS find this link on our website.  Please use the code: CROSSROADS2015

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!

Alas, a dreamy era came to a close at the Spring Formal last month. For four years, Virginia Tillery has faithfully, enthusiastically, and creatively served our teens as their event coordinator. She has masterminded throwback eras, medieval banquets, castle shenanigans, live Clue and Among Us games, tropical paradises, starry skies, the Austrian Alps, and so much more. Virginia has unintentionally made our dances and parties the awe of guests and others who never could imagine just exactly what homeschoolers do at our social events. (LOL) The Crossroads teenagers have adored her and have found a haven in her in their times of need, reassurance, and understanding. Virginia has also pointed our young women and men toward Jesus as she has exemplified his compassion and unconditional love. She was who we needed and wanted through the challenges of a worldwide pandemic and the downright struggles of daily life.

Thank you, Virginia, for your dedication and sacrifice. We will miss you, but we celebrate with you as you embrace the next phase of your journey. Godspeed!

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

SPRING SEMESTER @ a Glance!

May

10 – May Day (schoolwide) (Registration closed.)

May Day

            @ Moody Park Pavilion

Well, hello and howdy there! May Day is coming fast with a tribute to the Wild West. Think cowboys and cowgirls, duels, tumbleweeds, and, of course, the sheriff and his jail. Yep, you are readin’ it just right! The Key Clubbers and Mrs. Courtney Wrenn have teamed up and themed up a western notion on the horizon for our annual field day. So, dudes and dudettes, giddy up in boots and hats, if you like, from the youngest to the oldest. Let’s head ‘em up and move ‘em out! We will rendezvous at the large pavilion and lawn near the playground and tennis courts. Bring your quarters and join the fun!

Who: Crossroads Families

When: Friday, May 10, 2024

                        10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Cost: $1 per family + 25 cents per game

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

Please note the general schedule:

• 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.—Key Club will have all sorts of carnival type booths with games, the “jail,” and more.  
• 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.—Field Day games, such as relays, sack races, etc. 
• 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.—Backyard games, Key Club booths, and lunch at your family’s leisure. There will be activities for all ages, such as bubbles, corn hole, life-size Jenga, etc.  

Please be prepared to pay a nominal fee at the Key Club booths as a fundraiser for the yearly projects [The Red Barn, Children’s Hospital, Erika’s Lighthouse]. We will also have Red Diamond available with free drinks and a vendor with snow cones for a few bucks.

Remember to bring easy-up tents, chairs, picnic lunches, water, sunscreen, dads, granny, gramps, and pocket change!

Ballroom Dance Class

@ CPC Gym

Weekly ballroom dance classes will resume in the fall with another rousing semester of being challenged with new moves, refining the fundamentals, and working on social graces!

Ballroom Dance CAMP

@ CPC GYM

(tentatively) Summer 2024!

Details to come.

Spring in Alabama is one of the things I miss most when living overseas. The gradual warming of days. Sleepy new buds on long-dormant limbs. The chirping of chicks from a nest by the window. Spring feels like a symphony that gradually begins with light staccato notes and builds to a forte crescendo when the cherry trees burst forth. The white blossoms, perfuming the sidewalks with their aroma and beauty, announce that though the night is long, a new day is at hand.

The odd thing about my appreciation of Spring is how I used to take its gift for granted. When I was living in America, Spring meant freezing temperatures whiplashed by 80-degree days, and finally a thick coat of pollen that would announce it was time a splurge on allergy meds. We are all this way, right? Our senses become accustomed to the normative changes of season around us and become dull to the unfolding miracles around us. We are drawn to distraction and mediocrity, and we easily miss the manifestation of God’s character through the rhythm of His natural world.

In a culture built around productivity and efficiency, how do we re-define purpose and make space to witness holy regeneration?  How do we train our eyes and our children’s eyes to see glimpses of the Gospel message through the changing of the seasons?

For starters, we slow down. Living in rural Kenya has drastically helped our family in this area. No one is in a rush, ever. We take time each day to sit in stillness before God, even for just 2-3 minutes, honing all our senses into experiencing Him around us. Maybe it is in the song of the hornbills calling back and forth. Maybe it is the aroma of the frangipani tree that is newly in bloom. Maybe it is the sound of my neighbor singing hymns in Swahili as she gets her day started. Whatever it is, those few minutes are for releasing distractions and stress and training our senses to detect the beauty that reflects the heart of God.

The other way we train our eyes to see Christ in our midst is through developing the skill of keen observation. Something that has helped our family in this area is adding a 5-yr nature journal into our curriculum. The one we use is called The Naturalist’s Notebook, where we keep track of all the seasonal changes, as well as daily discoveries we make in nature around us. In our second year now, it is cathartic for me to note that my loquat tree set forth blooms the same exact week this year as last, and that sadly the butterfly migration is soon to be over, soon to be replaced by flying termites. Simultaneously, we try to study Scripture and hymns while in nature, often re-visiting the same passages and songs each year. We note new things that we had not picked up on before and new evidences of beauty that bridge God’s Word with His creation.

As you enjoy another Alabama Spring this year, will you take notes for me? It has been 9 years since I’ve observed this season, and my heart hungers for it all the more. The evidences of life bursting forth from the cold, dark season of winter is one of the greatest Gospel pictures that God gives us. Don’t allow the awe and wonder to get lost in the shuffle. Christ’s glorious symphony is being played right outside your door, heralding the coming of our Eternal Spring with Him. What fruit is He bearing in your heart as you slow down and come to Him?

Lauren Webber is one of our CRCS Moms serving as a missionary in Chogoria, Kenya with her husband Derek and their kids, Olive, Lucy, Jack and Ivy.

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!

Elementary Choir   

What a wonderful concert! It was a night of celebration as the students sang songs glorifying the Lord. Thank you, Jessica Gilbert, for leading our young students in music. Thank you, students, for your hard work learning music each week and performing before a large audience. Great job. And Jessica could not have done it without the faithful help of several wonderful volunteer moms and students. Thank you to all who helped make this such a great experience for all the students who participated since January. I know they learned a lot of music and had a great time.

It’s a Madhouse

Congratulations on a successful run of the first ever split cast at Crossroads.  The 10^th/11^th grade cast and the Senior cast nailed it in each performance.  They wowed the audience and gave us all an entertaining time at the theater!  Thanks to all the cast members and a special thanks to Karen Cunningham for directing.  Thanks, Kristy Rosenow, for assisting! 

Cast:  Check emails for updates! 

Contact:  Karen Cunningham (205) 753-6953

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!

The CRCS Key Club has kept a high momentum all year. At the end of March, Grade Rep Lydia Burnett organized the annual movie matinee fundraiser. Thank you to all who helped with this event and to those who attended. We earned over $300! Several members also served at The Red Barn in mid-April.

As the school year nears an end, please remember that May Day will be May 10^th.  The theme is “Western.” Just imagine what fun that will be!

Anyway, all Key Club members are needed to help with the booths and the field day activities. Our active members know that we spent quite a bit of time at both April meetings for May Day planning. If your student does NOT have an assignment/booth, please encourage your student to contact Lane Albus NOW to find out where they are needed. Thank you to all those who have already done so much to prepare for this schoolwide event.

In addition to serving at May Day, please bring individually wrapped bags of candy (no chocolate, please) to the event so that we will have plenty of goodies to give out. Thank you.

Following the May Day festivities and clean-up, we will have a late lunch of pizza and water for our members. Then, around 2:00 p.m., the annual Key Club Awards Ceremony will commence. Family members are encouraged to attend as we recap the year, recognize distinguished members, announce medallion recipients, hear our president’s farewell speech, retire old officers, install new ones, and name our scholarship winner(s).

PLEASE WEAR YOUR KEY CLUB SHIRT TO THE AWARDS CEREMONY AND BE IN DRESS CODE! [Specifically, no short shorts…thank you!]

And, finally, as we always say, the best way to know what is happening with YOUR student-led Key Club is to attend the meetings, ask questions, and participate. Please don’t hesitate to contact your student president-Lane Albus, your grade rep, or the faculty advisor with your questions, ideas, thoughts, and concerns.

Also, find us on Facebook at CRCS Key Club. [Our Instagram account is currently “under construction.”]

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Lane Albus, Student President
205-600-5724
lanealbus55@gmail.com

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

Key Club is an international service organization that is led by high school students, which encourages leadership through serving others. Crossroads has over one hundred Key Clubbers who serve their homes, school, communities, and God through both organized and informal service opportunities.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

May

10 – May Day (service) and Key Club Awards Ceremony

11 – Kiwanis Pancake Cook-off (service)

Builders Club

The next meeting of the Builders Club will be on Friday, May 10th after May Day at the park at 1 p.m! We will be holding officer elections for next school year for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. You must be a rising 7th or 8th grader to run for office. This will be the last meeting of this school year. 

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.

Please contact faculty advisor Wendy Cornett to request an application (or with any additional questions) at 205-352-8196 or by email.

CC FLYERS

The CC Flyers Running Club will end their spring season with Awards Night on May 21 at the school gym. Over ninety runners will be recognized for improvements in lower body strength, core strength development, leg balance and cardio. Their fall season will start in August. For club information, contact Coach Barry Trippe ccflyers4u@gmail.com

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 2023-24 began on June 1, 2023 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.