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Superintendent's Corner
Superintendent-Parent/Guardian Roundtable
December 13, 6pm on Zoom
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
― Margaret Mead
This quote is one of my favorites and has served as a guiding light for my work. Crossroads was built on thoughtful, committed educators, parents, and community members coming together to create a place for students to thrive. We come together in a variety of ways to support one another, share ideas, and learn from each other. As superintendent, one way I engage with staff, students, and parents is through roundtables. These roundtable sessions are a chance to come with questions and offer suggestions on how to improve our school community.
I hope you will join me at our upcoming parent/guardian roundtable on Tuesday, December 13 at 6pm on this link.
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Socktober Update + Dress Down Day at CS: We met our Socktober goal this year and collected over 300 pairs of socks for the City Union Mission, 322 pairs to be exact! Since we were unable to celebrate this accomplishment in November, we moved the dress down day to this Thursday, Dec. 8th for all CS students. Congrats on this great accomplishment in support of our community!
CS Winter Concert: Please join us on December 13th at 6:00 for our Winter Show! Central Street first, fourth, and fifth graders will be performing songs and dances. The performance will be held at the Folly Theater. Doors open at 5:30! See flyer for more details.
Central Street Care Closet & Pantry is OPEN: The Care Closet and Pantry is officially open to all Central Street scholars, family and staff! Click here for hours and info. Also, holiday food boxes are available, reservations are required. Click here for more info.
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Women's History & STEM Night: We look forward to having families join us as we celebrate Women's History & STEM Night on Dec. 8th from 5:00-6:30pm. Click here for the flyer!
Food Box Giveaway: In tandem with the event on Dec. 8 and in partnership with Harvesters, we'll be giving away food boxes. These are available to any QH family, no questions asked. Click here for more info.
QH PAC Updates: Here's the latest from the QH Parent Action Committee
- December Teacher Appreciation: Our QH Parent Action Committee is thanking our amazing teachers and staff this December by purchasing their favorite beverage! We’re surveying staff now to find out their preferences, and will be preparing gifts in time for the holidays and winter break. To contribute to this gift, feel free to donate to PAC’s PayPal here.
- Volunteer Opportunities on Membership Toolkit
- Art Room Re-Stock: If you're able to make any donations, Ms. Doyle has made this Amazon wish list of much needed supplies for the art room.
- Uniform Swap!! Our Uniform Swap is always available and we are stocking up coats, hats and gloves. All are welcome to give and take - don’t let perfectly good uniforms go to waste! We would love some extra donations of medium/large uniform shirts, we are well stocked with smalls. Drop off at the front desk. Request uniforms here.
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Women in Public Service & STEM Night: We are excited to invite you to join us for our
CELEBRATING WOMEN event for this Thursday, December 8 from 4:30 to 6:00. We will have food, drink and time to grow!
We have amazing guest speakers from a variety of industries, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), public service as well as entrepreneurship. This will be a highly engaging event with time to learn, ask questions and put your design thinking skills into practice.
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Brenna McLeod - Systems Engineer for NASA
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Ashley Bland-Manlove - Representative for the Missouri House of Representatives
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Taylor Beeman - Field Engineer for JE Dunn
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Maya Smith - Student Entrepreneur for Ask Me (Non-profit organization)
Please see the flyer here. Please complete this registration form to indicate your attendance for that evening.
Real World Learning Updates from Dr. Theis: SO much happening right now with our students for Real World Learning! Thank you to those who helped make each of these events amazing for our students.
- Last week, our students had the opportunity to visit and learn from a variety of business and industry partners.
- Our MINDDRIVE students were able to visit the Kansas State University Aerospace and Technology campus. Other students spent time visiting and learning about Univision at their Kansas City studio.
- Art students had the opportunity to discover post-secondary options from Kansas City Art Institute. While even more students learned about entrepreneurship and social activism while visiting Spotlight | Analyst Relations.
CONNECT KC Nat'l Science Foundation Youth Transportation Research Project: CPA is partnering with The Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City Digital Drive, and the University of Kansas, with funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to see if we can create meaningful change in the students’ awareness of and access to out-of-school activities/opportunities. This is a money making opportunity for students that will also help these organizations understand how, when and if young adults use public transportation. Their goal is to improve access to transportation for all young people in KC and CPA scholars' input will be a big help. Your voices and your experiences will enable them to build solutions that better support young people in KC. Please review this information to learn more about how you and your scholar can participate.
FAFSA Fill Out Events at KCUYA: Calling ALL College and University hopefuls! Have you been looking for scholarship opportunities? Have you filled out your FAFSA form? Do you need some help or would you like more info? Click here to learn more or register for this free event on Dec. 10 at KC Urban Youth Academy!
CPA Basketball & Soccer: Click here for the all game schedules, updated 12/5/22.
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Drills: We want to make sure our families are aware that we regularly schedule the following drills at all buildings in order to practice and be prepared. These drills take place throughout the year. If you have any questions regarding any of the drills, please contact your principal.
- Fire, tornado, intruder, earthquake
Inclement Weather Planning: Please take a look at the Inclement Weather Notice linked here so you can be aware of the steps taken by the district to make decisions and communicate with families and staff.
Winter Break Camp: Check out this great opportunity for winter break camp hosted by KC Parks & Rec.
Summer Camp Opportunity from Camp Encourage: Camp Encourage provides quality social opportunities and overnight camp experiences for youth on the autism spectrum in the greater KC area. With meticulous planning and an accepting atmosphere, the nonprofit focuses on increasing personal self-esteem, personal self-understanding, skills of independence, social connections, and skills of recreation. Additionally, a small number of peer models are needed each session of camp. Any individual ages 8-18, not on the autism spectrum, may apply. Because Camp Encourage targets social and behavioral deficits often paired with autism spectrum disorder, peers selected need to demonstrate developmentally appropriate social and behavioral skills. Here is a video featuring campers last summer with whom CS Counselor, Tiffany Graham, worked closely. Email info@campencourage.org for more info.
Teacher Recruitment: Crossroads is hosting informational and recruitment events for prospective teachers. Please share with your network!
Our Public Libraries Need You: Missouri Secretary of State John R. Ashcroft wants to enact a new policy that libraries believe endangers your freedom to read. A proposed administrative rule threatens to reduce community access to public library books and other resources. This measure would take choices out of the hands of individuals and families, instead giving inappropriate control to the state and activist groups. It would also put restrictions on the open exchange of ideas, stories, and experiences. Between now and Wednesday, December 14, 2022, you can speak up for your right to read. Click here to easily contact the secretary of state’s office during this public comment period and share why you want to continue to make your own reading choices, push back against efforts to remove books from shelves, and reject policies that target libraries and educators for serving all people in our community. Thank you!
Substitutes Needed at Crossroads: Want to know the "recipe" for becoming a certified, substitute teacher at Crossroads? Click here for the simple steps and please share with your network!
Reminder - Spirit Days/Dress Down Days: Questions about spirit days and dress down days? See below for a refresher and note that if any changes are made, you'll hear directly from your school.
- To promote school spirit, we have reserved Fridays as School Spirit Days. Individual schools will be reaching out with fun spirit activities for Fridays.
- For CS and QH, the 1st Friday will be Dress Down Day (school appropriate dress), and 3rd Friday will be Spirit Day for scholars to wear school spirit shirts and uniform bottoms.
- At CPA, every Friday is a dress down day.
Enrollment for the '22-'23 School Year - NOW OPEN: Help us spread the word to potential new families.....Enrollment is open! Here are some important dates and links.
- Applications for NEW STUDENTS open November 12th, 2022 via SchoolAppKC
- Submit new student applications by March 1st, 2023
- Receive an offer on March 6th, 2023
- Deadline to commit is March 13th, 2023
School Tours are Back at CCS: Please tell your friends and family to consider touring Crossroads for their prospective students! Tours are offered every Thursday from October through March at all 3 buildings. Click here for more info or contact Morgan Butler with questions.
Bus Group Chats for CCS Families: If you have any trouble joining a group, please SMS Jacob Schwartz (913.620.0613) with your name, and the name of the group that you are trying to join. Please click here for the Groupme info. Families who use buses can join a group chat to coordinate around their route. This is a parent-run group chat.
Bus Reminders: Please double check your Infinite Campus Parent Portal for your transportation information. All students should be at the bus stop at least 5 minutes prior to the provided bus stop time. If you have any issues please call First Student Dispatch at 816-254-5262. If you do not have any specific information about bussing for your student in your Parent Portal, then your student is NOT on the bus list currently.
Free & Reduced Lunch Application: Just a reminder to complete your lunch application in your Infinite Campus Parent Portal. We began charging $3.60 for lunch on Sept. 7th. Please look for an email sent on Sept. 6th regarding lunch payments via Infinite Campus.
Before and Aftercare Options: Please click here for more info.
Quick How-To Reference Guides & Staff Directories: Please see below for each school.
- Central Street
- Quality Hill
- Crossroads Prep Academy
Crossroads Charter Schools Family Handbook: Please click here for the 2022-23 Family Handbook.
NEW Membership Toolkit - Family Directory & Volunteer Portal: Click here to learn more and to register. Questions? Please contact the Community Engagement Manager, Morgan Butler at mbutler@crossroadsschoolskc.org or call (816) 221-3191 ext. 331.
Federal Programs & Reports: The following can be found on our website as well.
School Hours & Quarters
- CS Hours: 8:30-4:00
- QH Hours: 8:30-4:00
- CPA Hours: 7:30-2:45
- Q1 ends 10/27
- Q2 ends 1/19
- Q3 ends 3/16
- Q4 ends 5/26 (or last day)
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General Illness Guidelines
Parents/guardians should keep students home from school if they have a temperature or other symptoms of illness. An ill student will be sent home, and may not return to school, until the student:
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Has been fever-free for 24 hours without needing to use fever-reducing medications, such as ibuprofen or Tylenol. A fever is defined as an oral temperature above 100.3 degrees.
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Has been free of vomiting and/or diarrhea for a full 24 hours, or has a doctor’s note indicating the student may return to school prior to the 24 hour time period.
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Is free of frequent coughing without requiring the use of cough-suppressing medications, such as cough syrup.
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Is free of lice (live bugs.)
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Is free of other symptoms of illness that require exclusion from school as directed by the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services.
Students who are present at school with one or more of the above symptoms will be required to be picked up from school by a parent or guardian. Students should be picked up as soon as possible, and no more than 90 minutes after the school contacts the parent/guardian/emergency contact. This helps prevent the spread of any infectious diseases to other students and staff. If the school finds that a student is repeatedly not being picked up within 90 minutes, a meeting will be scheduled between the guardians, School Nurse, and administration.
COVID-19 and Other Specific Diseases
Please note that the above requirements are our guidelines for illnesses in general. It may be that if your child receives a specific diagnosis, such as Strep, COVID-19, Flu, etc., they will have to remain out of school for a longer period of time. If your child is diagnosed with a specific contagious illness, please alert your school nurse so they can provide guidance on when your child may be able to return to school.
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COVID-19 Vaccines for Children: Children's Mercy Kansas City recommends every child who is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine, receive their vaccine as soon as possible. The vaccine is available for those 6 months of age and older. Click here for more info or to schedule your child's appointment.
School Immunizations & Sports Physicals: It's time to make sure your student's immunizations are up to date!
- Children's Mercy: Click here for info on how to request medical records, make appointments for sports physicals and more.
- KCMO Health Department: Click here for info from the Health Department where they accept appointments and walk-ins for all your immunization needs including required and recommended vaccines for students, no cost options for families that qualify and more.
- CDC - Well Visits & Vaccinations: Click here for info on getting caught up on well-child visits and recommended vaccinations.
Mental Health Hotline: The national three-digit phone number for all mental health, 988, is opening the door to a robust crisis system that can de-escalate mental health crises and connect individuals to the most appropriate care. Click here to learn more.
University Health Behavioral Health Futures Community Program: This grant-funded program provides outpatient behavioral health services to youth and young adults up to age 25 and their families in a caring and trauma-informed manner. University Health (formerly Truman) will work in tandem with the Crossroads staff to provide additional wrap-around services for families at all Crossroads campuses. Services are offered year 'round. Click here to learn more.
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-What's Happening at CCS-
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CS 4th graders collaborated with physical therapists to investigate angles!
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QH 5th grade went on a field trip last week to kick off their PBL project on human rights!
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CPA students having fun on their Real World Learning experience at Univision!
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Crossroads Charter Schools' Equity Statement
Diversity and access have been integral to the mission and vision of the
Crossroads Charter Schools since opening 10 years ago.
Click here to read our entire statement.
Crossroads Charter Schools' Core Values
Equity; High Expectations; Real World Learning; Creative Culture
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