Jan. 30, 2023, will be an AMI day in Fort Zumwalt School District. Students grades 6 - 12 should log in to Canvas. Students grades Pre-K - 5 should complete AMI packet No. 1. Remember, AMI Days do not have to be made up. Get all you need to know at go.FZSD.us/AMIDays.
Jan. 30, 2023, will be an AMI day in Fort Zumwalt School District. Students grades 6 - 12 should log in to Canvas. Students grades Pre-K - 5 should complete AMI packet No. 1. Remember, AMI Days do not have to be made up. Get all you need to know at go.FZSD.us/AMIDays.
Weekend to-do list: Laundry. Study. Sign up for FZSD Teacher Job Fair!
Sign up to interview at go.FZSD.us/JobInterview before Monday comes back around. You can interview to #Work4FZSD in 2023
@MizzouEducation @TrumanState @MOStateCOE @HarrisStowe @LindenwoodU @umsl @siue
Checking in before break at Twin Chimneys. Amy Houston’s fourth-graders were trying to wrangle a science lesson inspired by a story they read about cowboys. Working in teams to engineer a lasso out of plastic shopping bags, the students had to design and test their creation and throwing technique on their chairs. While none of the throwing techniques matched those they had read about, several managed to rustle up their runaways and bring them back to the herd. #TeacherProud
No School Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023 will be a traditional SNOW DAY in Fort Zumwalt School District. All students, teachers and staff (other than 12-month employees) will be off Wednesday, Jan. 25, due to inclement weather. Just a reminder, this means the day will have to be made up at the end of the school year. Again, Jan. 25 will be a traditional snow day in Fort Zumwalt School District.
Keeping an eye on the forecast? We are, too. Check out go.FZSD.us/AMIDays for inclement weather plans. Then, download the FZ app, free for Apple/Android. Go to settings, subscribe to your schools and turn on notifications so you get important info when you need it. Tell a friend!
Why are flags at half-staff? By order of the President, flags at all government buildings will fly at half-staff until sunset Thursday in honor of the victims in Monterey Park, CA. See the proclamation: bit.ly/3HreGnO
The state Office of Special Education is asking for input from parents, teachers, and other professionals and stakeholder groups that work with special needs students. Please complete this short survey (should take only 5-7 minutes of your time) to provide your important perspective as the state Office of Special Education works to improve services in Missouri for school-age children with special needs. The survey closes Jan. 31
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DESEStakeholderEngagement
Welcome to Finance Friday, some insight to school finance. Did you know 9.4% of FZSD'S operating budget comes from personal property tax? This year, that’s $22.5 million toward services such as optimum class sizes, utilities and internet, or materials such as cleaning supplies or curriculum. Missouri school districts are funded through local taxes, state funding (which is allocated by the legislature and can be withheld by the governor to balance the state budget) and federal funding that typically is designated for specific expenditures or is one-time money.
Local revenue sources make local schools possible.
Checking in at Forest Park, Comic Con, where fourth graders debuted their original stories featuring a superhero. Students wrote for four weeks. Along the way they learned about narrators and characters, about the importance of putting events in order and about using a variety of tools to describe things to the reader. There were plenty of masked marvels on hand sharing their stories aloud. Some struck a pose, including their SuperTeachers, who are reinforcing the learning standards students have been striving to meet:
We can establish a situation that introduces the narrator and characters!
We can organize a clear sequence of events.
We can use dialogue, description and sensory details.
#TeacherProud #LIM #AnchorCharts
Slots are filling up for our Teacher Job Fair, set for Feb. 18. Sign up for your interview time now if you're ready to #Work4FZSD just head over to go.FZSD.us/JobInterview
@MizzouEducation @TrumanState @MOStateCOE @HarrisStowe @LindenwoodU @UMSL @SIUE
Martin Luther King Day
Jan. 16, 2023
No School Today. Classes Resume Jan. 17, 2023. High School and Middle School will be an A Day. Elementary School will be a B Day.
Real-world experience. Connections with people who are doing the job. Fort Zumwalt Career Technical Education programs aren’t just for those interested in manufacturing.
Meet the Cadet Teachers. These 25 students are in the final semester of the pathway to teaching. As a part of the experiences offered in this pathway, these seniors spent a day at the Professional Development and Technology Center learning about how coursework is developed. The day ended with a panel discussion that brought them face-to-face with 200 years of experience in education.
Building principals, assistant superintendents and Superintendent Dr. Bernie DuBray shared guidance and advice for the road ahead. And each of the panelists took the time to point out to the high school students that, if you get into the college coursework and discover teaching isn't for you, that’s OK.
“If you continue to pursue this through college, my advice to you would be to get certification in a couple of areas that interest you. That makes you as valuable as you can be.” DuBray told the students, adding that he is certified in English, History and Biology.
Jen Waters, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, echoed DuBray’s sentiment. “Take as much as you can from every course you can take,” she told them. “Read outside your coursework. Ask a lot of questions. Get as many experiences as you can get. Prepare well. Take summer jobs that have you working with kids.”
Students had a chance to ask the panel questions and UMSL was on hand to provide information about the dual credit classes available through the pathway to teaching. (Similar arrangements are also in place with Lindenwood.)
“I couldn’t have picked a better profession,” DuBray said. “And you couldn’t either. And there hasn’t been a better time to do it.”
Learn more about career pathways, and all of our high school offerings, in the Fort Zumwalt Course Description Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wSYfHbHo6__xI0ryhZ_70EQltPLDMN6IJhBS9uLa4YY/edit
Tune in now: bit.ly/3ZgGSk2
This #edchat is all about #literacy. It’s the foundation for all other learning. Reading unlocks everything else students encounter. Elementary teachers have deployed new tools that allow them to zero-in on each student’s skills, offer individualized support and provide regular feedback to families. Hear how we’re building better readers in this FORTiTUDE podcast.
#letrs #publicschoolproud
@moeducation
@acadience
@95PercentGroup
As Lindsay Moshkowsky and her fifth graders went through a story together, Moshkowsky would pause to have students discuss the information they had learned from the story they’d been given. She would help them decode words they didn’t know and encouraged them to work together for deeper understanding. In the background are the tens of anchor charts the classroom team has built together first semester. Teachers and students across 16 FZ elementary schools use these charts to help emphasize the concepts and skills they are working to master. In Moshkowsky’s room, there are math charts including the order of operations and decimal places and English Language Arts charts including ways to track character details while reading and best practices in editing what you’ve written.
These graphic reminders help them with the work they have before them and, more importantly, remind them of what they have achieved.
We are ready for our annual Teacher Job Fair, scheduled for Feb. 18, are you? Get details and the link to sign up for an interview slot on our website:
https://www.fz.k12.mo.us/article/952262
K-5 teachers have deployed new tools that allow them to zero-in on each student’s skills, offer individualized support & provide regular feedback to families. Sunday, hear how we’re building better readers in this FORTiTUDE podcast. #letrs @moeducation
Tune in to the regular Superintendent's Update with #FZSupt Dr. Bernie DuBray. We're halfway through the school year! Checking in on achievements, work for semester two and music from student ensembles. Find the FORTiTUDE podcast wherever you get your podcasts or, check this episode here:
https://www.fz.k12.mo.us/article/948082
Welcome to Finance Friday, some insight on school finance. At the regular December Board meeting, Chris Suda of CliftonLarsonAllen presented the audit results for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The audit is the systematic examination and verification by independent Certified Public Accountants of the district’s finances, transaction records, and compliance with state and federal laws and guidelines. The results of this audit were “clean” opinions on financial reporting and required state and federal program compliance. This means district residents can rest easy knowing the financial reports prepared by the district are accurate and free from any irregularities. It also means the information reported to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is accurate and meets all state and federal requirements. A clean opinion means the school district is managing your tax dollars well and that there are no areas of concern.
Enjoy your break. Classes resume Jan. 5.
