FRIDAY
FIVE
October 10, 2025
1.
Heart Day at
Trailside Elementary School
Fourth Graders Explore the Science of the Heart Through Hands-on Learning
Science Comes to Life at Trailside
Trailside Elementary fourth graders explored the human heart through a day of interactive learning. Students rotated through stations that included a real heart dissection, a CPR overview with Lisa Stepsis, a visit from heart surgeon Dr. O’Leary, and a hemoglobin lab where they created models of blood. With help from medical professionals, nurses, and teachers, students connected classroom study to the authentic applications of seeing the heart come to life.
2.
ZCS State of the Schools
2025
Celebrating Growth, Gratitude, and Community Partnership
Thank you to the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce, the Zionsville Education Foundation, and all supporting partners for hosting the annual State of the Schools event. The event brought together community members, educators, and local leaders to reflect on the recent achievements and look ahead to the future. Highlights included student success, district growth, and a continued focus on teaching, learning, and community collaboration.
Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Coffman shared the district’s continued focus on connection, collaboration, and student success.
3.
Fourth Grade
Union Elementary School Poetry Slam
ZEF Grant Supports New Reading Unit with Creative Twist
Thanks to a Zionsville Education Foundation (ZEF) grant, the fourth grade team at Union Elementary School introduced their first reading unit with a Poetry Slam.
What is Poetry Slam?
The premise of this poetry reading unit is that students work in small teams to read books from a set list. At the end of the unit, there is a game-show style "Poetry Slam" where teams face off against one another. Teams earn points for remembering details from the books they read. Several rounds of the Poetry Slam take place until one final team is determined as the winner!
What is the goal for Poetry Slam?
The goal for Poetry Slam is to promote student's reading stamina, fluency, independence, reading comprehension, exploration of a new genre, and perseverance.
4.
Exploring Ecosystems
at Starkey Park
Sixth grade science students at Zionsville Middle School Dive into Hands-on Learning
Sixth grade science classes visited Starkey Park to study the freshwater ecosystem. During the trip, students used waders to explore the creek and conducted hands-on investigations measuring dissolved oxygen levels, total dissolved solids, and turbidity. They also observed how biotic and abiotic factors interact to create a balanced and functioning ecosystem.
5.
ZCS
October Board Meeting
Read highlights from the October Board Meeting.
ZCS will host its next parent webinar on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. The session, “Suicide Prevention: What Parents Need to Know,” will be facilitated by ParentGuidance.org. All participation is anonymous, and the webinar is free for parents, guardians, community members, and youth advocates. A QR code for registration is included in this newsletter. If you are unable to join live, a recording will be shared on the ZCS website following the webinar.
Last month, ZCS partnered with the Central Indiana Educational Services Center and the Cook Center for Human Connection to host a webinar on “Substance Abuse and Vaping.” That recording, found here, will remain available on the ZCS website for one year.
ZCS Summer Newspaper
ZCS Strategic Plan 2025-2030
ZCS Strategic Plan 2025-2030
ZCS Strategic Plan 2025-2030
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