This document provides information from the Crossroads Charter Academy Elementary Newsletter including upcoming events, lunch menu, a wishing tree initiative, and box top collection details. It also outlines new student pick-up and drop-off protocols for the elementary school to improve traffic flow using designated areas and crosswalks with the help of staff and crossing guards. The goal is to make daily commutes less stressful and safer for all.

1. Crossroads Charter Academy
Elementary Newsletter
Cougar Mews September 21, 2012
Kendall Schroeder
215 N. State St., Big Rapids, Michigan Elementary Principal
Phone: 231.796.6589 www.ccabr.org
On the Calendar
CCA Weekly Newsletter
Friday, September 21 Parents, in addition to weekly
CCA Homecoming Football Game 7:00pm information that comes home to
Saturday, September 22 you from classroom teaches, the
Suicide Prevention Walk –Northend Riverside Park
elementary office prints a
Registrations will begin at 9:00am
Tuesday, September 25 weekly, school-wide newsletter.
Cross Country Club 3:30-4:30pm Beginning next week we will
Wednesday, September 26 send it home with the youngest
Kindergarten Field Trip-Schwallier’s Country Basket sibling only. If your youngest
Tae Kwon Do 4:00-5:00pm child does not come home with a
Thursday, September 27 “Cougar Mews”, let the elementary office know. We
5/6 Girls Volleyball Practice 3:30-4:30pm don’t want to miss you!
Friday, September 28
PTO Treat Day $0.50 each
Saturday, September 29
Cross Country Club Meet – Carson City 2:20pm
Munch a Lunch! The Wishing Tree
Mon..... BBQ Pork Sandwich OR Chicken Patty Sandwich
Tues..... Pancake & Sausage OR Corn Dog Outside of our elementary
Wed..... BBQ Chicken Quesadillas Bites OR Pizza Pocket office, we have a wishing tree
Thur.... Macaroni & Cheese OR Egg Roll w/Sweet-N-Sour (bulletin Board). It has items
Fri....... Personal Pan Pizza OR Cheeseburger that are needed for different
Healthy choice: Turkey Wrap classes. If you are able to
Alternative: Fruit & Veggie Bar supply an item, please bring
that item to the office along
with the tag from the tree so
that it can get to the class that
needed the item.
Box Tops & Soup Labels
2nd grade is doing a canned food drive. You can It’s easier than ever to
help support your
put the food by Mrs. Robinson’s door. We are school. Mrs. Nawrot’s
doing this thru the month of September. We 4th Grade is organizing
are doing this for people that don’t have food. the collection for CCA. They are ready to
By: Marcus Harland get started, so please send in your box
Mrs. Robinson’s 2nd Grade tops and labels.

2. Crossroads Charter Academy
Student Pick up and Drop off Protocols
September 19, 2012
Hello Parents!
We are very excited about the opening of our new parking lot at the corner of Marion and Spruce. While we realize this area is
to be used throughout the day and evening for general parking, we would like the am / pm times of 7:40-8:00 AM and 2:45-3:30
PM to be mainly used as a pick up – drop off area. We will ask people to use the northern and southernmost areas of the new
parking lot for actual parking and leave one row open for people to wait in their cars for picking up students at the end of the day.
We know everyone has their favorite area and it may already be part of a daily routine, but we are confident if we can organize
the process better, the time spent waiting in traffic can be reduced significantly. Here are the general protocols we want used:
Drop off-Because drop off in the morning does not create as bad a traffic bottleneck as the afternoon pick up, we feel there is
more flexibility in morning drop off routine. Depending on congestion at the time you drop off, elementary parents can drop off
at A, B, or C, and MS / HS parents can drop off at B, C, or D on the map. Parents with students in both buildings should use B or
C. As a general rule for pick up and drop off times, we want the entrance on the new parking lot on Marion to be “entrance only”
with everyone leaving the lot to Spruce. To lessen traffic congestion in the area towards Marion, we ask everyone to turn
right while leaving the new parking area onto Spruce, and exit to the west towards Rose Street and then to either Pine or
Madison. We do not want people using the alley for pick up or drop off due to it being very narrow and easily blocked
should cars meet in the middle of the block.
Pick up- At the end of the day, the circle drive near the elementary drop off point A will be mainly for primary grades k-2.
Grades three and four will be asked to use the new parking area, and grades 5-6 will be asked to use area C of the lower high
school parking lot. Middle school and high school will be asked to use areas B or D. Again, people leaving the high school lot and
new parking area on Spruce are asked to drive north to Rose Street when leaving. People arriving at 2:30 on the circle drive
will be asked to park in the new parking lot. Also, we ask that parents do not park on the north side of Spruce alongside
the elementary building. This narrows the usable portion of the road making it difficult for people exiting the lower
parking area, or getting to the new parking area. Please go to the new designated areas to pick up or wait for your
students to be brought over.
In both pick up and drop off, there will be adult crossing guards at each area. The crossing guards at the two areas on Spruce will
be stopping traffic simultaneously, thus allowing students to cross Marion after traffic has time to clear. With traffic stopped
at both areas of Spruce, no cars will be able to enter Marion until the crossing guards allow traffic to pass again. Students will
wait at staging areas of the sidewalks and cross together quickly and safely with the help of CCA staff. It would be very much
appreciated and also great modeling for our students if staff and parents would use the designated crosswalks during these heavy
traffic periods.
If you have children in more than one grade level, you can have them
all meet at any of the designated areas that work for your situation.
If you find your routine is still taking a long time, please try a
different recommended area to see if it helps lessen the time it takes
to pick up or drop off your children.
This plan is likely to be adjusted as we see the new challenges in
implementing our protocols. Again, we are confident if we work
together we will be able to make your daily commute with your
children less stressful and safer for us all!
Thank you,
Lynn Gullekson, Superintendent
Crossroads Charter Academy
gulleksonl@ccabr.org
Phone 1-231-796-9041 ext. 231