FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATOR
Wow! This year is flying by. I can’t believe it is already April and Graduation is right around the corner! I am so excited for the 2026 CRCS Graduates and their families. This marks a milestone in their lives that will be remembered and talked about for years to come.
Consider joining us for the High School Graduation on May 14 at 7 p.m. at Trussville First Baptist or our Kindergarten Graduation May 19 at 6:30 at the CPC Sanctuary.
There are several things coming up so read the Newsletter carefully. You do not want to miss anything.
Jenny
Before You Register for the 2026-2027 School Year – READ THIS
Please take a moment to consider before you re-register for the 2026-2027 school year. We have specific requirements to be a member at Crossroads. We have doctrinal statements you must agree and sign off on. We have a church membership policy. We have REQUIRED meetings during the year. Tuition MUST be kept up to date. Quarterly Grades must be turned in on time. We have added a couple of new policies this year. We added the No Cell Phone Policy during activities and the no PDA Policy while at school events. We have a dress code and behavioral policies that we expect both the students and parents to follow.
If you find yourself bristling or speaking against any of these, please reconsider if Crossroads is the right school for you and your family. If you find yourself speaking ill of leadership or you do not want to follow our guidelines for activities, then again, reconsider.
We treasure each family at Crossroads and want your involvement but during the year, I have heard murmurings of complaint. If you have an issue, please bring it to leadership so we can address it.
If you decide that Crossroads is for your family, Re-register by June 15. We are looking forward to a great 2026-2027 school year. If you do not plan to continue, please let us know so we can start the needed paperwork.
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 opening the email you receive once you have registered. It will direct you to fill out the Pastor’s Questionnaire Request. That will go to your pastor. Contact your pastor to let them know to expect it. We will follow up with these and contact you if we have not received the questionnaire.
Mark Your Calendar
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 will be listed on the calendar on the website.
Returning Family Registration Opens May 1, 2026.
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, 2026. If there is a valid reason you plan to turn your grades in later, please contact the office.
ALL RETURNING FAMILIES SHOULD BE REGISTERED BY JUNE 15, 2026.
If you are NOT returning to Crossroads for the 2026-2027 school year, we need to know so we can prepare the required paperwork. Contact the office. Please do not assume that if you just do not register, we know you are leaving.
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 opens May 1, 2026.
Considering joining Crossroads for the 2026-2027 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 Family Registration
If your oldest child is not older than 6 years old before December 31, 2026, 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 The End of Year Form is where you assign credits in 9th – 12th grade.
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 Thursday, April 30, 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.
Important Dual Enrollment Information
If you have a student taking Dual Enrollment, you will need to report those grades on your quarterly submission. We understand you will not have a grade when you turn in the first quarter, but you still need to report what course your student is taking. In the comment section on the grade submission report, put the course along with the number. i.e. English 101; Math 112. Also note that it is a Dual Enrollment course, and that you will give the grade at the end of the semester…either quarter 2 or quarter 4. Then in May/June, when you turn in your End of the Year form, make sure you have the Dual Enrollment course/s listed with the credit earned.
ACT TESTING
If your student takes the ACT test WITH WRITING, please let us know in the office. When the writing portion is taken, the test scores come back MUCH LATER than the normal scoring. We do not know to be looking for it and it is easily missed. If you let us know when they are taking it, then we will be able to keep looking until it comes in.
HOMESCHOOLING 101
Tuesday, May 5, Thursday, June 18, Saturday, July 11
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.
HOW TO HOMESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
Tuesday, May 5, 1 p.m.
Community Presbyterian Church – Back Building
Questions about whether 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, 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
The Crossroads Yearbook is the perfect way to remember all the special moments of the 2025-2026 school year! Our dedicated yearbook team works hard to capture memories that you will treasure for years to come. Don’t miss out on this keepsake – order your yearbook today for just $45. Go to Cheddar Up and look for the Yearbook collection. Don’t wait!
PHOTOS PLEASE
AT this time, you may upload activities that happen in May. May Day, Graduations and such.
Thank You,
The Yearbook Staff
USED BOOK SALE
Saturday July 11, 9 am to 1 pm
Set up on Friday July 10, 2-4 pm AND Saturday July 11, 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 are willing to accept VENMO, then print a QR code for us to attach to your manilla payment envelope. Write that you will accept VENMO on your envelope attached to your books. 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 10 from 2-4 p.m., and Saturday July 11 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. Please stay until all books have been collected. Usually those who leave have left books behind.
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 older children to help with these tasks.
Please share this information with your friends far and wide! Outside people can sell.
Contact the office, if you plan to sell books, and let us know how you plan to help.
ACTIVITIES @ CRCS!
Well, here we are again. It has been a phenomenal year of activities at Crossroads. I want to especially thank Courtney Wrenn, Kristy Rosenow, Mary Beth Brown, and Kaitlin Rich for their exceptional work on the Activities Team. We are blessed, folks, that this crew is in charge of bringing us the best field trips, dances, events, and more. Bravo!
Sallie Albus
Activities Director
smalbus7@gmail.com
Ballroom Dance Class
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
This summer!
LOOK FOR MORE DETAILS IN THE JUNE NEWSLETTER!
MOM’S NIGHT OUT
Hey homeschool moms! Thanks for joining us for five evenings of merriment! We enjoyed a Mystery Dinner, a Pottery Class, a Christmas Ornament Exchange, a Dinner Around the World, a Cookie Decorating and a fun Game Night. It was the perfect chance to step away from the our daily routines, enjoy some sweet fellowship, meet other moms on the same journey, and be encouraged. Catch us next year for some fun events designed to encourage you on your homeschool journey.
What a great year for the CRCS Fine Arts. We have enjoyed watching our students grow in their love of the arts as they practiced and performed and even led us in worship! Great job to all the students and parent leaders! We could not do it without you!
CO-OP
Upper Room
Due to scheduling issues, our next Upper Room will be next Fall. We have had great meetings and look forward to getting together in the new school year.
KEY CLUB NEWS!
As we head into May, Key Club is excited to be a part of one of our favorite traditions…May Day! Our members have been putting in a lot of time and effort behind the scenes to help make this event special, and we’re so excited to see everything come together.
April was a busy and successful month for our club. A big thank you to our 12th grade representative, Ella Smith, for hosting such a fun and successful movie night fundraiser. We appreciate everyone who came out to support! We also held our Pickleball Tournament fundraiser, which turned out to be another great success. Thank you to everyone who participated, donated, and helped make these events possible.
What an incredible year it has been for Key Club! From service projects to fundraisers to all the little moments in between, it’s been so special to see our club come together to serve others. While it’s bittersweet to see the year come to an end, we’re so grateful for all that we’ve accomplished and the memories we’ve made.
Thank you for being part of such an amazing year!
Stay connected! Follow us on Facebook at CRCS Key Club and Instagram at crossroads_key_club
If you have any questions or need more info, please contact us!
Catherine Clyde, Student Editor
(205) 493-0160
catclyde36@gmail.com
Juniper Self, Key Club President
(205) 200-3258
juniperclaireself@gmail.com
Sallie Albus, Faculty Advisor
(205) 863-9585
smalbus7@gmail.com
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
May
1 – May Day & Key Club Award Ceremony
2 – Kiwanis Pancake Cook-Off
There will be no meeting for May for Builders Club. Please continue to turn in hours for the last-minute May events (recitals, plays, events etc.)
Congratulations to our 2026-2027 officers!!
President: Aria Hill
Vice President: Jace Turner
Secretary- Jasper Conaway
Treasurer- Harper Elders
Chaplain- Clara Grisetti
We will elect Grade Reps in the Fall.
Parents and students thank you for all you have done this 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, 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.
Mary Beth Brown – 205-527-8394
We offer tutoring! If you are interested in learning more about our tutoring services, reach out to Mary Beth to get in contact with a student tutor.
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. https://www.eastcentralpatriots.com/
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 Dan Jett – Athletic Director 205-746-5917
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.