Parents and educators will all agree that giving to those less fortunate, sick or elderly, especially during the holiday season, teaches our students important lessons about compassion, community, and character. However, some families find it difficult to imagine their child with learning differences or special needs effectively carrying out a volunteer or community service program. As life itself can be challenging for our students, it is understandable, and often easier, to tell ourselves that setting volunteer and community service goals for our children is not a priority. We may think that it is too stressful and counterproductive for everyone involved to ask our students to volunteer. However, I submit to you that just the opposite is true, especially for our Crossroads kids.   

 

As we enter this traditional season of giving and Crossroads begins our annual campaign to help the Houston Food Bank, let’s remind ourselves what giving to others (through donation & volunteering) truly gives back to our students.

 

 

While our goal here at school this year is to raise 500 cans of food for the HFB, I encourage you and your family to dig deeper into your philanthropic reserves and go above and beyond the Crossroads food drive. Find a way for you and your family members and friends to serve your community alongside your child. While the benefits of assisting others in need are valuable to everyone, they are so much more impactful on our students with learning differences.  

Ginger Cuellar

Head of Finance & Business

[email protected]

713-977-1221 x102

Help Us Fill Up the Turkey!

This Fall, we are continuing our annual partnership with the Houston Food Bank in their quest to feed hungry families within our area. For each non-perishable donation to our Thanksgiving Food Drive, the students will place one feather per item donated on our paper turkey located in the front office. Our goal is for the turkey to have 500 feathers by November 22nd; if this happens, our principal, Mr. Justin, will dress up as a pumpkin during our annual Thanksgiving Feast!

As Seen On Campus - Crystal Snowflakes

This week in Science class, the students enhanced their learning about mixtures and bonds by making crystal snowflakes. To do this we mixed boiling water and borax to demonstrate mixtures and how atoms (the powder borax) move around freely in liquid form, but join together when cooled into its solid form.  

Ms. Gemma's After School Cooking Club

In this week’s Cooking Club, we went waaay down south to Argentina, and handcrafted dozens of scrumptious beef empanadas, which we shared with students and faculty. The kids learned a handy, new skill of separating egg whites from egg yolks, and also learned that the whites can act as a binder, and the yolks can create a glossy, golden finish to pastry crust. These South American hot pockets were a hit!

The Positivity Project - Words & Actions

 This week's social skill was the Other People Matter Mindset - knowing my words and actions can affect others. The high school students practiced cause and effect situations where they each had to read the cause of a problem and figure out the effect of it. One cause was that someone is mean to you. The effect of that would be you feel upset, you tell a teacher, you talk to them about why they were being mean to you.

The relationship of cause and effect is visible around children every day. The students have seen these causes (such as you forgot to feed your pets, you go outside in cold weather without a coat, you get up late) everyday. This activity was a way to show students that sometimes they don't see how their own behaviors affect others. 

Words & Actions Slides

Community Events 

 Crossroads School believes in sharing information and community resources with parents. Crossroads School does not specifically endorse or recommend any outside services or programs unless otherwise stated.   

Sensory-Friendly Night at Sugar Land Holiday Lights

Sugar Land Holiday Lights is an annual holiday event featuring over three million lights. On Sensory-Friendly Night, representatives for the event say guests can expect "the volume of music played around Constellation Field will be considerably lowered and a sensory-friendly safe room will be available for patrons."

The sensory-friendly display of the Sugar Land Holiday Lights will take place on Thursday, December 5. The event starts at 6 p.m. Tickets to attend Sensory-Friendly Night cost $15 for adults and $12 for children older than 3 years and seniors. Tickets are available for purchase here.

Sensory Friendly Day at the Children's Museum of Houston

The Children's Museum of Houston will host its Sensory Friendly Day on Monday, December 9. 

According to Children's Museum representatives, "Sensory Friendly Day is an exclusive event for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and sensory processing differences to have a fun, enjoyable and interactive learning experience in a comfortable and accepting environment."

On Sensory Friendly Day, guests can expect limited crowds, reduced light and sound, additional visual safety signage and designated quiet rooms. Admission is $5 per guest and free to museum members and children 1 year and younger. This is an exclusive event which requires advance registration. For more information visit the Children's Museum Online.

Events & Reminders