Roadrunner Review Family Newsletter
June 25, 2024 ~ Edition #17
Crossroads Science and Crossroads Montessori Elementary
Location: 543 Front Ave. St. Paul, MN 55117
Phone: 651-767-8540
Attendance Line: 651-744-4513
School Hours: 7:30am - 2:00pm
Principal: Mrs.Tracy Buhl ~ Assistant Principal: Dr. Heidi Dunlap
Final School Board Vote - Year Round to Traditional School Year
As previously noted, emails, texts, newsletters and surveys, the SPPS Board of Education will be voting whether Crossroads should apply to the state to continue the year round status of the school or to move back to a traditional calendar. This vote is happening on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Thank you.
PUBLIC COMMENT AT SPPS SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Registration for Public Comment via the Online Public Comment Form is accepted until 3:00 p.m. on the day of the Public Comment meeting.
After 3:00 p.m., please sign-up in-person on the sign-in sheet located outside the Board Room to speak at Public Comment.
Sign-up will close at 5:30 p.m. Thank you for your engagement with the Board of Education.
If signed up prior to the meeting, please check in at the table prior to Public Comment.
PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS
Public Comment will be an agenda item within the Regular Meeting, and will follow Recognitions. Regular Meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. The time period for Public Comment will be a maximum of 45 minutes. Other Board business will begin promptly following Public Comment.
Speakers are asked to sign-up and arrive by 5:30 p.m.
Public Comment and Board of Education Meetings are located at 360 Colborne Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102.
Individuals can sign-in in advance by e-mailing or calling the Board Secretary (sarah.dahlke@spps.org / 651-767-8149) or by filling out the Public Comment form on the Board website. If they do not sign-in in advance, they will be allowed to do so at the meeting but sign-in will end at 5:30 p.m. when the Public Comment session begins. Individuals should indicate their name, address, phone number or e-mail and the subject they are addressing noting if it is related to an agenda specific area (items being addressed on that meeting’s formal agenda) or a non-agenda related topic. Individuals are asked complete a "Sign-In Sheet" in order to provide a more complete record of their concern/issue for the benefit of administration or to provide a written copy of their comments which can be provided to Board members and administration.
If an interpreter is needed at any Public Comment and/or Board Meeting (Hmong, Somali, Karen, sign language) please contact Sarah Dahlke, Secretary to the Board of Education, at sarah.dahlke@spps.org or 651-767-8149 at least 2 WEEKS IN ADVANCE.
The order of in which speakers will be called is as follows: students, speakers speaking to an agenda related item, then others in the order of names received, with preference given to those who have not spoken in the past three months. The time allotment may be reduced from three minutes in order to allow as many speakers as possible to offer their comments within the 30 minutes allocated.
Individuals are asked to speak for the maximum of three (3) minutes only (or the reduced time per above). A timekeeping device is utilized and will sound a buzzer when time is up.
Please DO NOT include names of Saint Paul Public School employees, titles or location names in your remarks for your own legal protection and the legal rights of staff. This includes identifiers such as school name, grade or job title that would identify the individual publicly. Issues related to school district employees should be made in writing and may identify employees by name, title, location, etc. and should be addressed to the Human Resources Department.
In the spirit of fairness to all participants, the SPPS Board requests that individuals respect the above process. Thank you for sharing your concerns.
The Time Has Come to Say, "See You Later"...😢🥺😭
Our AMAZING Assistant Principal, Dr. Heidi Dunlap is leaving Crossroads and heading over to Wellstone Elementary, beginning Monday, July 1st. Although, this is NOT our wish, we do not have a choice in this matter. Ms. Heidi will be sorely missed. If you would like to send her a note of thanks, appreciation or encouragement, please do so by Friday, June 28th. Thank you!
Mrs. Buhl is also taking up a collection for a gift for Ms. Heidi. If you would like to donate towards a gift for Ms. Heidi, please contact Principal, Tracy Buhl at tracy.buhl@spps.org or via cell phone: 612-946-085. Thank you.
PARENT ACADEMY
Check out this opportunity for families!
CROSSROADS DRESS CODE
With the change in weather and hotter temperatures, we thought it would be a good idea to remind families of our school district dress code policy.
501.03 Student Dress Code
1. The principal or the principal’s designee shall mandate minimum standards of cleanliness and neatness.
2. Shoes are required: No open-toed or open heeled shoes, heelys, stack-heeled shoes, crocs or sandals (including slides). These types of shoes are unsafe at school. We recommend tennis shoes and keens as best for indoor and outdoor wear for shoes at school.
3. There shall be no other restrictions, except as previously stated, on any student’s hair style or manner of dress unless the hair style or manner of dress presents a clear and present danger to the student’s health and safety, causes interference with work, or creates classroom or school disorder.
To clarify the dress code for Crossroads Elementary students, the following visuals and descriptions are being provided. Our goal is to maintain a learning environment free of disruptions or detrimental to the purpose or conduct of the school. Clothing advertising alcoholic beverages, or smoking, weapons, or those with obscene, gang related or questionable printing on them will not be permitted. Sagging pants, pajamas, exposed underclothing, slippers and clothes that expose too much skin are not allowed. We request that parents’ partner with Crossroads staff by reviewing and reinforcing the communication in this document.
Additionally, in an effort to create an environment to engage all learners, Crossroads Elementary School is expecting students to leave hats, jackets and backpacks in lockers, and to not wear hoods while in the school building.
Fire Dill Practice
Each year, schools are required by law to have 5 practice fire drills, 5 "lockdown" type drills and 1 severe weather drill. On Thursday, June 27th, we will have a practice Fire Drill. This fire drill will have an "obstructed" exit and students with staff may have to find another route to exit the building. Be sure to talk to your child about this event. A conversation with your child may help reduce anxiety and/or fear. Also, know that the alarm can be extra loud and may cause students to feel scared or worried. Just knowing what's coming helps some of our students take these events in stride. Thank you!
Join us for Garden Work Days @ Crossroads
All are welcome! Come anytime! We need YOUR support to make the courtyard gardens beautiful again.
Upcoming Garden Days from 12 - 2pm
● Tues, June 25
● Tues, July 9
● Thurs, July 18
● Tues, July 30
Join us in:
● Planting an herb bed
● Prepping and planting native shrubs
● Weeding to keep the garden healthy
Your participation will make a huge difference. Green thumb not required!
Tools, gloves and snacks will be provided. For your safety, please wear closed-toe shoes.
Follow our work in the garden on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/bdtsmb45
Questions?
Call or text Eva Goetzman at 612-458-5123
START READING NOW
Earlier in June, all Crossroads 1st-3rd graders were able to choose 10 free books for summer reading!
The non-profit organization, Start Reading Now partnered with Literati to provide this amazing opportunity at Crossroads, as well as many other SPPS elementary schools. A huge thank you to this wonderful program!
Read more about Start Reading Now's free book fair season this spring and early summer:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ynqmDUrdesS6zP1T/?mibextid=qi2Omg
FAMILY/STAFF COMMUNITY MEETING - IN PERSON AND LIVE STREAMED 7/10/2024 @6:30pm
Hybrid Family/Staff Community Meeting 6:30pm
Our next meeting of the year is: Wednesday, July 10, 2024. We would love to have you join us in person.
Childcare will be available for school aged children (4-11).
Family/School Community Meeting IN PERSON and ONLINE
This meeting will be a hybrid meeting. We will be meeting in person an doing a livestream for families who cannot attend in person.
Childcare will be available for school aged children
(ages 4-11). Thank you.
Online Information:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 904-580-8687
PIN: 345 267 713#
Wednesday, Jul 10, 2024, 06:30 PM
543 Front Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, USA
REPEAT ~ THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK - THANK YOU
THIS IS WORTH REPEATING!
Special thanks to SARAH WREN for organizing the collection of gift and all the families that donated girft cards for our staff appreciation week. Although there were not enough cards for every staff member, we had 40+ gift cards and it was so fun to do random drawings for staff. We appreciate all the love, care and support our Crossroads families have shown over Staff Appreciation week. We are so grateful to each one of you. THANK YOU!
Crossroads Arrival/Dismissal & Attendance Reminders
Doors open for students at 7:15am and the school day begins at 7:30am. The school day ends at 2:00pm. There is no supervision for students after 2:15pm. Thank you for your help and support!
Main Office Line
651-767-8540
Attendance Line
651-744-4513
Our Office Staff Include:
Paula McGaughey - Lead Clerk
Kiyauna Farris - Clerk
Angie Stoddard - Clerk
Morning Drop Off ~ Building Independent Learners
At this time of the school year, we request families to say "goodbye" to their children at the front doors. Teachers and staff have a lot on their plate at the beginning of the day, since students eat in the classrooms. Saying "goodbye" to your child at the front door will help build independent learners. Most students now know their way around the school and we have plenty of grownups in the building to help those that might be sad or need extra support. We promise, your child will get to class and not get lost. Thank you for your help and understanding.
Important Dates
- No School July 1-5
- Family Community Meeting - Online 7/10/22 @ 6:30pm
- SPPS School Board Meeting at 360 Colborne St. at 5:30pm
- All School Family Picnic 7/19/24 - Don't forget to RSVP
- Last Day of School July 31
English
All school documents can be can be translated or interpreters made available upon request. Please contact the school office for support at 651-767-8540.
Spanish
Todos los documentos pueden ser traducidos o interpretados oralmente si usted lo solicita 651-767-8540.
Hmong
Tej ntaub ntawv tom tsev kawm ntawv uas xa los rau nej, peb yuav pab txhais thiab nrhiav neeg txhais lus rau nej yog nej hais qhia peb 651-767-8540.
Somali
Dhammaan dukumiintiyada iskuulka waa la turjumi karaa ama waxaa la heli karaa turjumaan haddii la codsado 651-767-8540.
Karen
Contact Mookapaw Bei at 651-767-8540.
Principal Contact Information - Please Reach out with Questions or Concerns
Email: tracy.buhl@spps.org
Website: spps.org/crossroads
Location: 543 Front Ave, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-744-6933