Chief Weekly

Monday: A Day. Good News Club, 4th Grade Drama Club Practice.

Tuesday: B Day. Girls on the Run Practice.

Wednesday: C Day. 4th Grade Drama Club Practice.

Thursday: D Day. Girls on the Run Practice

Friday: A Day. United Way Wacky Sock Day! Read, Right, Run Practice

ZE Core Value Monthly Focus: Communication

Our CHIEFS Letters celebrate great attendance! Each day a class has perfect attendance, they earn a letter toward spelling CHIEFS. Once they spell it, they earn a class reward and start again! Every day at school helps your student's class get one step closer!

This week the following classes earned their CHIEFS letters:

• Miss Overman's Kindergarten Class
• Ms.Dillard's Kindergarten Class
• Mrs.Schlueter's 1st Grade Class

Congratulations to the following students for earning a Chief Cheer by demonstrating one of our Zitzman Core Values!

• Lukas D- Citizenship
• Mara S- Responsibilty
• Delilah S- Communication
• Ellie S- Citizenship

Congratulations to Bus 46, our September Bus of the Month! They earned this recognition by showing safe, respectful, and responsible behavior on the ride to and from school. Keep up the great work, Bus 46!

We are working to improve the character initiative at Zitzman Elementary, and we would

appreciate it if you would complete our parent survey. The information you provide is important

to us and will be used in planning for our school.

The survey should only take 10 minutes of your time. Please complete the survey today, if

possible, but no later than October 12, 2026.

Your response to the survey is anonymous, confidential, and voluntary. Responding to the

survey constitutes your consent for us to use the information for district and school planning.

To access the survey, please go to https://CharacterPlus.surveymonkey.com/r/ParentsZES26 or

use the QR code below. The password to access the survey is zitz325.

Click the button below to Sign Up!

• Wednesday, October 21st - ZE PTO Meeting @ 4:15pm in the Library
• Wednesday, October 21st - MVR3 Board Meeting @ 6:30pm at Central Office
• Thursday, October 22nd - 1st Grade Field Trip Day!
• Monday, October 26th - BEWARE! Full Moon in Effect!
• Tuesday, October 27th - Zitzman Elementary Learning Night @ 6:00pm
• Wednesday, October 28th - ZE Fall Retake/Absentee Picture Day!
• Thursday, October 29th - Kindergarten Field Trip Day!
• Friday, October 30th - ZE Family Tribe Day!
• Friday, October 30th - ZE Halloween Parade @ 2:00pm
• Friday, October 30th - ZE PTO: Trunk or Treat 6:00-8:00pm

I recently read a message about reaching the point in the school year when the “honeymoon period” begins to end. The excitement of a brand-new year has settled, routines are familiar, and the realities of learning and growing together begin to show up.

That doesn’t mean something is wrong. It means the real work has begun.

In August, we talked about the kind of school we wanted Zitzman to be. We shared our expectations, named what matters most, and began the year excited about all that was possible. But now it is October—and this is when those words begin to mean even more.

Our students may not remember everything we said at the beginning of the year, but they notice what we continue to do. They notice whether we hold the same expectations on a difficult Thursday that we held on the first day of school. They notice whether we continue to lead with kindness, follow through with consistency, celebrate effort, and remind them that mistakes are part of learning.

Culture isn’t created by what we say when everything feels fresh and exciting. It is created by what we continue to prove through our actions—especially when things feel harder.

I am incredibly proud of the culture and climate we are building at Zitzman. It isn’t perfect, and it never will be, because it is filled with real people doing real work together. But it is a place where children are known, loved, supported, and held to high expectations. It is a place where we keep showing up for one another, working through challenges, and choosing to grow.

The August vision was only the beginning. The October follow-through is where that vision becomes who we truly are.

Thank you for believing in Zitzman, partnering with us, and trusting us with your children. I believe in this school and this community with my whole heart—and I am so proud of what we are building together.

If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out:

636-271-1440 or jsladek@mvr3.k12.mo.us.

Leading & Learning,

Dr. Sladek