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This Week at CCS...
This Week at CCS...
Self Control
Self Control
Dear Parents,
The eighth graders, their parents, and I have just returned from Student Leadership University. We had a tremendous time of learning and fun. We worked hard and played hard while we were in Orlando. Thank you all for helping us by praying for our trip and supporting us through bake sales, Chick-fil-a Tuesdays, etc. We were joined by around 300 other Christian students in grades 8-12 from private schools around the nation. We were all blessed to learn from business leaders, college professors, youth pastors, and others including Pat Williams, a basketball Hall-of-Famer, currently serving as co-founder and senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic and author of 100 books and our very own Ryan Bowman who holds a senior position at Chick-fil-a.
It is fitting that our Habit of the Month this month is Self-Control. We learned a great deal about what it means to be a leader, especially one of biblical character. Students were instructed to do things like we do here at CCS, such as picking up after themselves, leaving a place better than they found it, and finding ways to serve others. I am convinced that these small character qualities will add up over time to allow students to be "salt and light" in a culture full of self-absorbed and distracted people.
The Lord has been working in my heart regarding how different our students will be from the 'culture at large' through the relationships we build at CCS and the habits we cultivate through training and modeling. There seems to be a deficit in character and integrity at every level of American society. It seems as though the enemy has encroached on our American values of hard work, honesty, integrity, honor, and freedom of expression to a degree that these values are not nearly as common as they should be or even used to be.
As parents, we must remain vigilant about the communities in which our children are involved. We have to pray fervently for God's will for their lives and protect them from the onslaught of digital and cultural influence. They must be "in the world, but not of the world." An important part of that covering of protection is filtering what they see online. Due to the dangers available online and through social media, we do not recommend that any of our students have cell phones. We also advise you to closely monitor all use of the internet in addition to maintaining hardware and software filters at home. We use layers of protection at school, but are unable to monitor them at home. Therefore, I am including some information from Focus on the Family to help you keep your kids safe at home. You can download their guide on Technology Safety and view their recommendations for Parental Controls, Web Filtering, and Internet Accountability software. They also have articles about dangerous apps, cell phone rules, and other guidelines to help you navigate our increasingly technical world.
My prayer for you is that you will take the time to read these resources and be vigilant about monitoring and maintaining your child's digital landscape. It takes a bit of self-control to follow through, but when we consider the potential dangers of exposure to pornography, online predators, gaming addiction, sleep deprivation, cyber-bullying, depression, and anxiety, the urgent need to do so becomes clear.
At the very least, please use Google Chrome as your browser and follow these instructions to enable Google Safe Search and filter explicit content on You Tube.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Winslett
The Christmas Spirit
The Christmas Spirit
Dear Parents,
Our hallways are filled with music this morning as our students prepare for "Caroling Around Tyrone". It is a delight to hear young voices lifted in praise to the heavens. I am thankful for families who are committed to raising their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. How desperately we will need leaders who love God and walk in His ways in the coming years!
We are looking forward to our upcoming festivities to celebrate Christmas. We were careful to choose things that are more relaxed since we had such a tremendous Thanksgiving celebration. On Tuesday, the 18th, we will close the year by sharing our favorite books and enjoying breakfast together. Students and teachers are encouraged to wear something cozy to school so they can settle in with a favorite book. We would like for your child to bring a book he or she is currently reading to school on the 18th. We would also like for your child to bring a favorite book to share with a classmate. Please have it wrapped for a gift exchange. If it is a gender-specific book, please put a note on it so we will know.
Next week, students and teachers are finishing up their coursework for this semester. It's hard to believe that we at the end of another year. God has been so good to us, and we are looking forward to what 2019 has for CCS. Please be in prayer for enrollment for 2019-2020. Enrollment season begins in January, and we are praying for God to bring the families He wants to join us to Crossroads. We expect growth, and appreciate a covering of prayer for His perfect will. Please consider helping deserving families by signing up for Apogee to fund CCS student scholarships at no additional cost to you. The deadline is December 15th. What a wonderful gift that would make for a family who needs Crossroads next year.
My prayer for you and your family is that 2019 will be a year of bountiful blessings and unbridled joy. All of us at CCS wish you a Merry Christmas and pray for you to be filled with the hope and joy that comes through God's perfect Gift to us. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. " Luke 2:14
Sincerely,
Jennifer Winslett
Everything worthwhile...
Everything worthwhile...
Dear Parents,
Charlotte Mason defines education as an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life, and a Science of Relations. The teachers and I visited Red Mountain Community School in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this month and were able to see the embodiment of 'Atmosphere' in their school. We have come away with many ideas of how to enhance the Atmosphere at Crossroads. We intend to make small improvements along the way in our classrooms by incorporating natural elements, student-made work, and making our school more warm and inviting.
Something that our teachers already do well is living out the atmosphere Miss Mason wrote about, which is to love and attend to each individual child. I hope you are experiencing the beauty of an environment where your child is cherished and appreciated as an individual and is challenged to do his or her best for the Lord's honor and glory.
You are all invited to chapel next Thursday morning to welcome a special guest. Mischa Yoo has invited her dear friend Dr. Tredennick (click for his bio) to join us. It is such an honor to have an internationally acclaimed conductor and musician visit our humble halls. Mrs. Yoo explained to our students this morning that though Dr. Tredennick's credentials are impressive, he is most known for his love of the Lord and his praise for Him through music and his testimony. We hope that you will join us and make him feel welcome. A special thank you to Mrs. Yoo for putting us on his whirlwind tour while he visits the U.S. from London.
"Everything worthwhile is hard." I often paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt when speaking to my children about things they don't feel like doing. I remember reciting it to myself on the way to church last Sunday and on the way to Prayer and Share on Tuesday night. I have found that the greatest blessings come from the things that I am least inclined to do when the moment arises. It's hard to be at Prayer and Share from 5:30 to 9:30, but it is always a sweet time of fellowship and an opportunity to lift up our children to the Lord who knows their hearts and their needs. I was so blessed by helping the 8th Graders babysit the youngest of our Crossroads family. The Lord knew I needed a distraction from the work of my office to see the value of what we do each day. It takes time to develop relationships, and P & S is one of the ways we invest that time at CCS. So many prayers are answered and relationships formed through the simple act of meeting and sharing with one another. Please make it a priority to be here for this special time each month. It will become a blessing to your family as you see God move in the lives of your children and in individual lives where parents dare to share their challenges with one another and pray over them.
November is a full month with lots of activity. As I shared on your P & S Agenda: We are only three weeks away from Thanksgiving Break. Equally surprising is that there are only 28 regular school days until Christmas Break, so every moment counts as we approach the end of the semester. This time of year, I often must remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moments instead of letting things get in the way of my thankfulness for the things that truly matter. Please join me in praying for our staff and students to truly enjoy this season of thanksgiving and the celebration of our Lord’s birth.
Our Thanksgiving Play and Feast is a special time to come together for fellowship and developing relationships. We would like for you to invite friends who might consider CCS as an option for their family in the future, or others with whom you’d like to share our community. We are so thankful that God has provided this special community and we’d like to share what He’s doing here at Crossroads. Please provide an estimated number of guests to your Classroom Coordinator and final numbers by November 5th. We will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal together and are looking forward to making memories as we share in the Lord’s bounty with friends and family.
This site is a work in progress, but please go ahead and bookmark it for quick access so you can stay up to date on the many things happening at Crossroads. Thank you for sharing your family with us! It is a joy and a privilege to serve Him at CCS.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Winslett
The Body of Christ at Crossroads
The Body of Christ at Crossroads
Dear Parents,
This morning, we were blessed by having one of our new parents, Mischa Yoo, play for us during chapel. Since she is a classical pianist with a lifetime of experience, you can imagine how lovely it was. She shared that whether playing a classical piece or familiar hymn, she considers it all an act of worship. With that in mind, I watched her play. She sang softly, raising her voice to the Lord while she pushed the pedals with her feet and her hands worked the keys masterfully. Her entire body was involved in worshiping God in that moment. One of the songs we sang was from Psalm 40 where David, though pressed by circumstances, chose to praise God so that “many will see and put their trust in the Lord our God.”
We have been in school for one full week today. It has been a whirlwind of activity. I hit the ground running this morning feeling exhausted, but the sweet hugs from our Kindergarteners were just what I needed to energize and brighten my day. It has been a delight to welcome our new families into our covenant routine. At each stage, it is a little different, but all members of the “body” of CCS know what to do. They embrace the process while acclimating students to their new realities. In chapel, we have all been learning together and practicing our motto while discussing how to live out “I am. I can. I ought. I will.” Our Kindergarteners are learning to be still and attentive when it’s time to listen and to jump and wiggle when it’s time to move. Our fourth graders are enjoying being upstairs and learning about God’s plan for mankind through their study of Ancient History. Fifth graders are adjusting to new expectations as they are introduced to the rigors of our Middle School program. Eighth graders are learning to lead. They served our students Chick-fil-A lunches yesterday and are discovering what it means to be ‘magnanimous.’
On Monday night, we had a board meeting and as we were considering God’s plan for Crossroads for this year and for the next 30 years, I remember thinking how blessed we are that God put together families who serve with a diversity of passions and talents. Our teachers have their respective niches as well, and when we gather to share during staff meetings, I am in awe of God’s efficiency and effectiveness. When we come together and worship Him as a body of believers who are made in His image, there is a flow to our efforts, and excellence is a natural by-product of aligning our will with His.
I look forward to getting to know our new families and how God intends to use each individual as members of the body at CCS. It is an awesome delight to see His plans unfold as He grows families and relationships to accomplish His purposes in our midst. Please join me in slowing down long enough to allow relationships to grow so that we can enjoy the fruit that comes from abiding in the Vine.
We will close out our first full week with a homeschool Friday. Your child will have work to do at home. How you approach your first few homeschool days will set the tone for the year. Choose your routine carefully and prayerfully. What works for one family may not work for another. Some advice I took as a first-year teacher that served me well is “Be firm in the beginning. It is easier to loosen the reins as they learn the routine than to tighten them later.” This can mean different things for different families. It may mean that you get up early and get all work out of the way by lunch time. For others, it may mean sleeping in, but restricting free-time activities until all work is completed. For responsible middle schoolers, it may mean allowing them the freedom to choose when to complete their work over the entire weekend, so you can enjoy an outing or field trip. As the parent, you get to choose. As a school, we work toward establishing independent learners who love to learn and learn to serve. Above all, slow down and enjoy your children. Laugh often. Take walks. Play a game. Bake some cookies. Be magnanimous.
Enjoy the journey!
For the Children’s Sake,
Jennifer Winslett
From 2017-2018....
From 2017-2018....
CCS Motto:
CCS Motto:
On Monday morning, we began a journey together to improve our habits of courtesy and respect. As discussed at the Oratorical Recital, I introduced the students to our school motto, a variation of the motto Charlotte Mason used with her own students and teachers. The message is timeless, and the motto is one that I hope the children carry with them far beyond CCS. Packed into those four short phrases (I am. I can. I ought. I will.) are countless life lessons on how to live a life of joy, peace, and prosperity while honoring God and others.
We adopted a school motto as a step toward one of our long-term goals at CCS; to tell the story of Crossroads through the rich tapestry of a close-knit community of parents, teachers, and students who share standards of excellence in loving service to God and others. The motto is a simple way to express the four pillars of a Charlotte Mason education because it truly embodies the ideas of Atmosphere, Discipline, Life, and the Science of Relations without the need for detailed explanation. Students who rely on the Holy Spirit to live by this motto will emulate Christ in their daily lives and be equipped to face any of life's challenges.
In order to serve our Lord and our community well, we need to understand who we are in Christ and the power He has given us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are unpacking each statement of our motto and relating it to scripture. As we continue to help students understand these deep and wonderful ideas, we are teaching them how to extend courtesy and respect in small, but noticeable ways. We have begun practicing a proper handshake to greet new people. We have also discussed how to greet familiar faces in our lives by looking them in the eye and expressing a cheerful greeting such as "Good Morning" as we encounter one another in carpool and the classroom. As our staff works consistently to improve our atmosphere of learning through the intentional formation of good habits, we ask that you do the same in your communication with your children. We will continue to add new habits and will share those with you so we can work together for our good and His glory.
Our prayer is that we will continue to hear great things in the community about CCS students as we expand preparation in habits. Please come alongside us by reinforcing good habits with intention and enthusiasm as your children interact with others outside of school so that these things become second nature. Sowing these small seeds of change will reap great benefits for them in the future as they communicate with confidence, kindness, courtesy, and respect. We are so thankful to be in a community of parents who love the Lord and who are committed to quality education for the children's sake.
Thank you for taking this journey with us. We will share more in the weeks to come.
Jennifer Winslett
Jennifer Winslett
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