Corgi Tales | November 2024

Crossroads Parents,

November is here! We look forward to our Annual Thanksgiving Family Luncheon on November 19. This is a wonderful event in which we invite you to come up to school to eat lunch with your child. Please remember, the RSVP is due on November 6. Your child should have brought them home to you a few weeks ago. Please see the image below for the lunch times or if you need to print one out. Below are the adjusted lunch times for our Thanksgiving lunch:

Grade 1 - 10:30 - 11:10

Kindergarten - 11:15 - 11:55

Grade 3 - 12:00 - 12:30

Grade 4 - 12:35 - 1:05

Grade 2 - 1:10 - 1:40

Grade 5 - 1:45 - 2:15

Parent teacher conferences are in the books. Thank you for meeting with your child's teacher and helping us to build the connection of school to home. As always, please keep in touch with your child's teacher if you ever have any questions or concerns.

Thank you so much for all of the Principal and Assistant Principal Appreciation gifts, notes, and treats! Ms. Henson and myself are both very grateful to be a part of the Crossroads community.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please reach out to myself or to Ms. Henson.

Thank you! Have a great October!

Dr. Damian Fay & Ms. Kristen Henson

damianfay@wsdr4.org

Twitter:@Corgi_Tales

We celebrated our September Leaders of the Month on October 4. The students were recognized for a variety of reasons, including exceptional behavior, positive attitude, and reaching a goal. We are so proud of the work our students are doing here at Crossroads each and every day!

November is National Child Safety and Protection Month. This month I encouraged you to look at the world through your kids' eyes to help keep them safe in their different environments. This is an excellent reminder to review different areas of concern.

Home:

• When cooking on the stove keep the handles turned in.

• Keep all medications out of reach and child safety caps on.

• If finished with medication but have some remaining, dispose of them properly.

• Make sure cleaners and chemicals are out of reach of children.

• Have a fire extinguisher accessible in your home.

• Secure large pieces of furniture to prevent tipping over on someone.

• Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

• Have an emergency plan for different situations. Review it frequently.

Car:

• Always wear a seatbelt in the car. The seatbelt should go across the shoulder. If at the neck, have them ride in a booster.

Outdoor:

• Always have adult supervision when around water.

• When riding on anything (bikes, scooters, skateboards, horses, etc) always wear a well fitting helmet.

• Remind/teach kids not to run in the street after a toy.

• Have kids look both ways prior to crossing the street.

Please reach out if you ever have any questions or concerns. Thank you!

Maddie Whiteaker, RN BSN

School Nurse

amandawhiteaker@wsdr4.org

636-625-4537, extension 44233

Fax 636-445-5324

Hi, Corgis!

Happy November! October was sure busy and we thank everyone that participated, donated and volunteered...We could not have made it through without YOU!.

***PTA MEETING***

General Meeting

Tuesday, November 12 7:00 p.m. Crossroads Library

Join the PTA before the meeting so that you are able to vote. Click the link below and fill out the membership form. At the end you will be directed to our PayPal Giving Fund to pay the membership fee ($10) online. PTA Membership Form

***EVENTS***

Veterans Day Assembly

Friday, November 8, 9:30 a.m.

On Friday November 8, Crossroads Elementary will once again be honoring our Veterans who have and continue to serve our great country in person. We are thrilled to be able to continue this annual event. The students and staff will be hosting an assembly to honor our Veterans at 9:30 a.m., followed by lunch. Please invite any Veterans in your students’ lives who might like to participate and ask that they RSVP by November 4 by filling out the form linked below. We also invite you to attend along with them, although we do ask that you try to keep the groups to immediate family only due to space constraints. https://forms.gle/GXWmh3Jusi7FYUKMA

It takes a lot to make the day happen and we would appreciate anyone who wants to help. Please review the volunteer opportunities on our sign up genius linked below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49A8AC29A0FD0-52322542-2024

You can find more information on our website at www.crossroadspta.org/veteransday.

Dining Night Out

Thursday, November 14

Red Robin 7821 State Highway N, Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368

They are giving back 20% of all Crossroads purchases for the entire day! Show the flyer when ordering or tell them you’re there for Crossroads Elementary.

***FALL FUNDRAISER***

Crossroads you did amazing! Our initial goal was $25,000 and we raised $41,496. The students enjoyed an assembly and witnessed Dr. Fay, Ms. Henson, Mrs. Walton, and Mr. Burkemper get slimed! Thank you for your support! Teacher grants have been opened as a result of the fundraiser success!

COMMUNICATION!

Keep an eye out for emails, texts and social media posts for more information!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

The Crossroads PTA

All of our car riders and our daycare van riders will go to the gym at the end of the day. Once in the gym, a staff member will call students’ names over the radio for them to come out to meet their vehicle. A staff member will escort students to each car.

PLEASE READ: We are no longer allowing parents to walk up to get their children. You will need to drive through the pick-up line.

We sent home bright orange car tags with all students on their first day of school. Please check with the office if you need a car tag. ***PLEASE USE A THICK MARKER TO FILL THESE OUT***

When you drive through the car lanes, please have the bright orange car tag on your dashboard where we can see the names of your students. If you do not have the car tag, we will have to check your ID, radio the office, and wait for them to clear you before we can call your child out. As you can imagine, this will slow down the process for everyone.

A few other things to keep in mind with this process: Please remember, we do not accept dismissal changes after 3:00 p.m. Also, our primary focus is student safety and 3:20 p.m. is a critical time when children can potentially get lost in the shuffle; it is imperative that we streamline the secretaries’ time to focus only on emergencies that arise. With that in mind, please understand that we will not permit access to the office after 3:20 p.m. to check out a student. Please plan accordingly so we aren’t caught in the position to have to tell you no.

Also, remember that you are responsible for calling in to change if your walker will become a car rider during the days with inclement weather. We no longer send a text message about rainy day dismissals.

The expectation is all parents will have the bright orange car tags ready to go by August 21.

Please review our arrival and dismissal maps below:

Arrival Map

Dismissal Map

Bus Transportation

• Kindergarten students that ride the bus must have an adult at the stop to get their student off the bus at the end of the day
• You must have a picture ID to show the bus driver before your child will be released

Cafeteria Information

• Link to Child Nutrition page on the WSD website
• All meals will be eaten in the cafeteria
• Breakfast served 8:20 am to 8:35 am

Buying Lunch

• Students will enter a lunch pin number
• Teachers have a card with the pin number on it for the first few weeks of school
• Teachers will send home the pin number and a practice number pad

Bringing Lunch

• Label all lunch bags with student name
• Send items students can open by themselves
• Anything opened will be thrown away

Recess Information

• Supervision is provided by our noon duty staff and classroom teachers
• Dress for the weather
• Label clothing items with student name
• Avoid parking along the playground
• Visitors are not allowed at recess

Tips from the office

• All adults visiting Crossroads must sign in at the office and obtain a visitors sticker
• Please have your driver's license ready to sign in to our Raptor system.

• When you arrive in a WSD building as a visitor, you will be asked to scan your ID, take a photo and complete the management system’s check-in process.

• Raptor will screen the information against sex offender databases and locally customized lists of banned or potentially threatening individuals, instantly alert school officials to a threatening presence, and maintain a searchable log of all visitors.

• Once approved, you will get a customized visitor badge to wear while in the building.

• Call the office by 9:15 a.m. if your child is absent
• If your child arrives after 8:35 a.m., please walk them into the office
• The attendance email is: attendance.crossroads@wsdr4.org
• Let the office know of any dismissal changes before 3:00 p.m.
• Students cannot be checked out from the office after 3:20 p.m.
• Be sure to update any changes to your contact information in the office

Parent Portal - FAQs

Focus School Software Parent Portal

24-25 School Calendar

• WSD 2024-2025 Academic Calendar
  

24-25 School Supply List

• WSD School Supply Lists

One of our Crossroads Building Goals this year is focused upon attendance. Our goal is:

Crossroads will improve the proportional attendance rate from 88.2% to 89.4% by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

The core purpose of having your student at school is so they can benefit from all of the learning opportunities so they can improve and grow!

We want our students to be in attendance this school year as much as possible. While we know perfect attendance is super hard to accomplish, we would like our students to be here between 90-100%. Let’s run the numbers on this. There are 174 school days in the 24-25 school year. So, a student can miss no more than 17.4 days of school in order to make our goal of all students having attendance of 90-100%.

Thank you for taking your child’s attendance seriously. Please check out the image below for a few stats to see what learning a student could miss:

Breakfast K-12 ~ $2.00

Elementary Lunch K-5 ~ $3.10

Reduced Price Meals

Breakfast ~ $0.30

Lunch ~ $0.40

Applications for free & reduced price meals are available here or at any school office. In an effort to assist families as we transition back to paid meals, the USDA has increased the income guidelines used to determine eligibility. Click here to see the income guidelines. If you believe your family would qualify for this program, please fill out an application. Applications can be returned by the following methods:

Returned to your child's school

Scan & email - marysanzottera@wsdr4.org

Fax - 636-327-3961

Mail - Child Nutrition Services, 101 Support Service Dr., Wentzville, MO 63385

If you have questions or need assistance filling out the application, please call our office at 636-327-3858 ext. 21330.

Dear Crossroads Elementary Families,

Throughout the duration of the academic year, the Wentzville School District partners with community agencies that specialize in providing students, families, and educators with preventative education. Agency presenters are credentialed, coordinated through the District, and under the supervision of building administrators. Presentation topics are targeted toward specific grade levels. All students will participate in each program, unless you choose to opt your child out of the lesson(s). If you are interested in opting your student(s) out of presentation(s), please click the appropriate link(s) below.

Kindergarten Opt-Out Form

First Grade Opt-Out Form

Second Grade Opt-Out Form

Third Grade Opt-Out Form

Fourth Grade Opt-Out Form

Fifth Grade Opt-Out Form

If you have additional questions, please reach out directly to your student’s school counselor.

Thank you,

Damian Fay, Principal

Kristen Henson, Assistant Principal

Amy Walton, Counselor K-2

Tim Burkemper, Counselor 3-5

Crossroads MRA Results

Our school's Measurable Results Survey (MRA) data is in! Thank you to our families, staff, and students for participating in this survey. This survey has helped us identify strengths as well as areas where we can improve and track our school's overall progress. Click here to view our school's highlights. View district-wide survey results here.

Wentzville Wow Factor Award

Has your child's teacher made a significant impact on their education and life? Do you want to recognize a staff member who goes above and beyond? The WSD rolled out a new way to honor our staff, and it only takes a few minutes to do. Nominate a teacher or employee for a Wentzville Wow Factor Award anytime throughout the school year to let them know they are making a difference! Nominate a Staff Member.

Inclement Weather & AMI Update

As we approach the colder months, we want to re-share the District communication that has information regarding the WSD's inclement weather procedures for the 2024-25 school year. This year, snow days one and two will be traditional snow days. After our second snow day this year, we will switch to AMI (alternative methods of instruction) for snow days three through seven. Read more on what to expect this winter here. View AMI assignments here.

Peachjar

The Wentzville School District cooperates with community groups and organizations that sponsor activities of an educational/enrichment nature for students by distributing materials electronically via Peachjar. You can find our school link here.

November 1 - 5

• Break

November 8

• Veterans Day Assembly - wear your red, white and blue

November 12

• PTA General Meeting 7 p.m.

November 18

• Late start at 10:35 a.m.

November 19

• Crossroads Thanksgiving Family Lunch

November 21

• Picture Retakes
• Board of Education meeting 6:30 p.m.

November 27 - 29

• No School- Thanksgiving Break

December 2

• Late start at 10:35 a.m.