Corgi Tales | January 2026 | Smore Newsletters

Dear Crossroads Community,

Hello! Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fantastic break and the students and staff were able to sharpen their saw with relaxation, family, and fun!

Each new year I suggest starting it off with setting goals. I think it would be great for you all to have conversations with your children about some of the goals they are working towards. You can work with your children on what they are going to do with reaching their growth goals in iReady, in both math and ELA. Be sure to ask your students about their growth from the Fall to the Winter iReady Benchmark. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to reach out to your child's teacher.

Let’s all do the best we can to make second semester a great one where we all work towards bettering ourselves in all aspects of our lives.

Have a great New Year!

Dr. Damian Fay, Ms. Kristen Henson, and Mrs. Aleisha Tutterrow

Twitter:@Corgi_Tales

Instagram: crecorgi_tales

One of our Crossroads Building Goals this year is focused on attendance.

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!

Help us recognize our progress toward our building attendance goal. Below are the average daily attendance percentages for our building, each grade level, and the top class in each grade level for the month of December.

Crossroads: 90.8%

Kindergarten: 86.6%

Kindergarten Top Class: Perkins 93.37%

First Grade: 91.92%

First Grade Top Class: Roettger 95.37%

Second Grade: 90.77%

Second Grade Top Class: Roth 94.63%

Third Grade: 91.31%

Third Grade Top Class: Hutfless 94.59%

Fourth Grade: 90.66%

Fourth Grade Top Class: Walker 92.59%

Fifth Grade: 90.59%

Fifth Grade Top Class: Theis 98.63%

We celebrated our November Leaders of the Month on December 5. 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!

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students of the month for November.

1st Grade

First Grade students of the month for November.

2nd Grade

Second Grade students of the month for November.

3rd Grade

Third Grade students of the month for November.

4th Grade

Fourth Grade students of the month for November.

5th Grade

Fifth Grade students of the month for November.

Habit 5-

Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

"Pretend Listening" vs. Full Attention

Have one family member talk about their day while others "pretend listen" (e.g., doing chores, looking away). Discuss how it feels to not be heard.
Switch roles and have everyone give their full, undivided attention to the speaker, making eye contact and using encouraging body language. Discuss the difference in feeling and understanding.

Reflective Listening

Practice "reflective listening" as a family. When someone speaks, the listener must rephrase in their own words what they heard the speaker say and how they might be feeling before responding with their own thoughts. This helps ensure understanding before moving to one's own perspective.

Act Out Feelings (Charades)

Take turns acting out various feelings (happy, sad, bored, angry) without using words.
Have the rest of the family guess the emotion and the possible reason behind it. This helps build empathy and non-verbal communication skills.

Clinic Housekeeping

Hello! ‘Tis the time of year! There has been an uptick of sickness going around school. We are seeing a lot of tummy illness especially, and it's highly contagious, so I wanted to remind you of a couple of important practices to help keep everyone healthy for this long winter season!

PLEASE keep your kids home if they are sick! If your student has vomited or had diarrhea or a fever within the past 24 hours, HE/SHE SHOULD STAY HOME, as he/she is still contagious.
If your child has vomited, he/she should be tolerating food before returning, as well.
If your child requires medicine to treat symptoms of illness (i.e. elevated temperature or stomachache) before school, he/she should stay home for monitoring. If your student feels sick or gets sick before school, please keep him/her home.
If your child is sent home for a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, he/she should stay home until symptom-free for 24 hours, without the use of medication.
Please help remind your kids to practice good hand hygiene and cough etiquette.

Thank you for helping stop the spread of germs by keeping your sick kids home. Please reach out if you have any questions. I hope everyone had a healthy and relaxing holiday! I feel very fortunate to get to work with all of your amazing children! Thank you for your partnership!

Teresa Smith, RN, BSN

Crossroads Elementary Clinic

teresasmith@wsdr4.org

636-625-4537, x44233 (phone)

636-445-5234 (fax)

Welcome Back Corgis!

JOIN!

Our next General PTA Meeting will be January 13, 2026 at 6 p.m. in the CRE library.

The best way to support the PTA is to become a member! Click this link to complete the form and pay the membership fee via the PayPal Giving Fund ($10) online. Joining carries no obligation, but we do hope that you will attend our meetings and share your voice.

UPCOMING EVENTS

PTA Meeting

Jan. 13

6:00 p.m.

CRE Library

Corgi Store

Feb. 10

During Lunches

Feb. Dining Night TBD

Chipotle Dining Night

March 11

4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

8270 Old Hwy N, Lake St. Louis

CORGI STORE!

Our LAST in-school Corgi store is Feb. 10, if you are interested in spirit wear, shop our online Corgi Store

COMMUNICATION!

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

Important links throughout the school year can be found at here.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

~ Crossroads PTA

Online Corgi Store | CRE spirit wear

All children who will turn five before Aug. 1, 2026, are eligible to attend kindergarten for the 2026-27 school year. Our building's registration date is February 12, 2026. Complete the pre-screening and register for our building's kindergarten enrollment event.

Wentzville Wow Factor Award

We are feeling extra thankful for amazing staff this month! Has your child's teacher made a significant impact? Do you want to recognize a staff member who goes above and beyond? Celebrate a teacher or employee with 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 2025-26 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 or view AMI assignments.

Become a School Lunch Hero

Our School Lunch Hero program aims to ensure no child leaves the cafeteria hungry. Donate to our Lunch Hero program to help WSD families struggling to keep up with paying for school breakfast and lunch. Read more about School Lunch Heroes and make a donation.

Morning Drop-Off Procedures

Drop-off is from 8:20 a.m. to 8:35 a.m. Doors close promptly at 8:35 a.m. If you arrive after this time, please bring your student to the front office to sign them in.
To keep the line moving efficiently, we ask that drivers remain in their vehicles while staff assist students.
Walkers may enter through the front or primary hallway entrances. All parents and visitors must enter through the front doors and sign in at the office.
If you need to bring your child into the building, please use the main parking lot. Parking in the diagonal bus zone slots is strictly prohibited.

Afternoon Pick-Up Procedures

All car riders and 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.

Important: Parents are no longer allowed to walk up to pick up their children. Please use the car pick-up line.

Bright blue car tags will be distributed at Meet-the-Teacher Night. If you are unable to attend, tags will be sent home with students on the first day of school. Please check with the office if you need a car tag. USE A THICK MARKER TO FILL THESE OUT.

When driving through the car lanes, please display the bright blue car tag on your dashboard where names can be easily seen. If you do not have a car tag, staff will need to check your ID, contact the office for clearance, and then call your child. This process slows down pick-up for everyone.

A few additional reminders:

Dismissal changes will not be accepted after 3:00 p.m.
Student safety is our top priority. Because 3:20 p.m. is a busy time, we cannot allow office checkouts after 3:20 p.m. Please plan accordingly.
If your child is a walker but will become a car rider due to inclement weather, you are responsible for notifying the school. We no longer send text messages about rainy-day dismissals.

Please review the arrival and dismissal maps.

Arrival Procedures
- Front doors open at 8:20 a.m.
- Beginning Monday, Aug. 25, parents will no longer be permitted to walk students to their classrooms.
Cafeteria Information
- View the Child Nutrition page on the district website.
- All meals will be eaten in the cafeteria.
- Breakfast is served from 8:20-8:35 a.m.
Buying Lunch
- Students will enter a lunch PIN number.
- Teachers will have a card with each student’s PIN number for the first few weeks.
- Teachers will also send home the PIN number and a practice number pad.
Bringing Lunch
- Please label all lunch bags with your child’s name.
- Send items that your child can open independently.
- Any unopened items will be thrown away for health and safety reasons.
Recess Information
- Recess is supervised by classroom teachers and noon-duty staff.
- Dress your child appropriately for the weather.
- Label all clothing items with your child’s name.
- Please avoid parking along the playground fence.
- Visitors are not allowed on the playground during recess.
Tips From the Office
- All adults visiting Crossroads must sign in at the office and wear a visitor sticker.
- Please bring your driver’s license to check in using our Raptor visitor management system.
  - Raptor will scan your ID, take a photo, and check information against sex offender databases and any district-restricted lists.
  - Approved visitors will receive a printed badge to wear while in the building.
- Call the office by 9:15 a.m. if your child will be absent.
- If your child arrives after 8:35 a.m., please walk them into the office.
- Notify the office of any dismissal changes by 3:00 p.m.
- Students cannot be checked out from the office after 3:20 p.m.
- Be sure to update your contact information with the office if anything changes.
2025-26 WSD Academic Calendar

Meal Prices for 2025–26

Breakfast (Grades K–12): $2.00
Elementary Lunch (Grades K–5): $3.10
Reduced-Price Meals:

Breakfast: $0.30
Lunch: $0.40

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications

Applications for free and reduced-price meals are available on the WSD Free and Reduced informational page or at any school office.

To support families transitioning back to paid meals, the USDA has increased the income guidelines used to determine eligibility. You can view the USDA Income Eligibility Guidelines for Free and Reduced-Price Meals.

If you believe your family qualifies, please complete an application. You can return the application by:

Bringing it to your child’s school
Scanning and emailing it to marysanzottera@wsdr4.org
Faxing it to 636-327-3961
Mailing it to:
Child Nutrition Services
101 Support Service Drive
Wentzville, MO 63385

Need Help? If you have questions or need assistance completing the application, please call Child Nutrition Services 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

Aleisha Tutterrow, Assistant Principal

Amy Walton, Counselor K-2