Welcome to Crossroads Park Elementary School, home of the Cougars. Crossroads Park, a K-6, three-sectioned building which opened in 1977, is home to approximately 540 students. Crossroads is unique in that attendance boundaries serve students in both West Des Moines and Clive. Approximately 57% of Crossroads students live in West Des Moines, 40% in Clive and 3% reside in other school districts. Approximately 31% of our students ride the school bus, and 13% qualify for our free or reduced lunch program. In the summer of 2006, Crossroads Park will experience reconstruction of our driveway and parking lot areas.

Crossroads Park is staffed by thirty-nine certified staff and twenty-three classified personnel. Crossroads Park offers an English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. The ESL Program enhances students’ understanding and communication skills of the English language. We also offer three programs (Levels I, II and III) in special education.

Crossroads Park has several valuable and hard-working committees functioning in order to provide staff, parents, and community members meaningful opportunities to be involved in the education of the students. Crossroads Cougar Council (student council), our Parent-Teacher Association and our Farm Bureau Business/Education Partnership are three such groups.

Crossroads Cougar Council student representatives (kindergarten through sixth grade) meet twice each month. The goal of Cougar Council is to provide strategies and activities that involve students in school-wide functions and in the decision-making process.

Parents are encouraged to become actively involved through one or more of the following PTA committees: Reading Club, the Banner (a literary publication by and for Crossroads Park students), Community Education, Outdoor Sign, Volunteer Coordinators, Book Fairs, Talking Canvas, Homeroom Parents, Conference Child-Care Coordinators, Fine Arts, Scholarship/Dollar for Scholars, Welfare/Kindergarten Roundup/Safety, Chess Club, Publicity/Directory, Registration/By Laws/Membership, Fundraising, Hospitality, I-Care, Sixth Grade Activities, and School Community Network.

Our business/education partnership with Farm Bureau is one of the most successful in the West Des Moines Community School District. The following is a sample of activities sponsored by our business/education partnership:

• Farm Bureau volunteers read books to our kindergarten and first grade students
• Farm Bureau hosts a Halloween tour for our second graders
  Third grade students have a traveling writing adventure with Farm Bureau employees
• Fourth graders are pen pals with Farm Bureau employees
• Farm Bureau gives our fifth graders a tour of the Farm Bureau building
• Sixth graders team-up with Farm Bureau volunteers to deliver Thanksgiving food boxes to needy families living in West Des Moines and Clive
• The Crossroads Park Chorus gives a concert to Farm Bureau employees
• Crossroads Park art projects are displayed at Farm Bureau

Once again, welcome and we invite you to visit other areas of our website for further information.

Britt Cameron, Principal