The K12 Zone Report
October 8th
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🎉🏈 Get Ready for Homecoming Week in the K12 Zone! 🏈🎉
October 20 – 24 | National K12 Zones
It’s almost time for Homecoming Week in the K12 Zone — a weeklong celebration of school pride, creativity, and friendly competition across all K12 schools nationwide!
Each day, staff and students can visit the National K12 Zones to take part in the Balloon Popper Challenge — and enjoy themed dress-up days, daily events, and exciting activities.
🎈 How It Works
Every staff member and student who enters the National Zone adds one pump of air to their school’s balloon.
The first school to pop its balloon wins the ultimate bragging rights — their school mascot will appear as a statue in all National Zones for the entire month of November!
👩🏫 Teacher & Staff Call to Action
Bring your classes into the Zone each day to:
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Participate in the daily themed activities
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Help your school climb the leaderboard
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Celebrate Homecoming in a fun, interactive way
💛 Staff Can Join the Fun Too!
Teachers and K12 staff are encouraged to participate in all of the daily themes and activities! Dress up, take part in the events, and log in each day to add air to your school’s balloon. Every pump counts toward your school’s victory!
✨ Daily Themes & Events
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Monday: Pajama Day 💤 + Karaoke & Open Mic Night – Get comfy and sing your heart out!
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Tuesday: Crazy Hat Day 🎩 + Scavenger Hunt & Cutest Pet Contest – Hunt for clues and show off your furry friends.
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Wednesday: Favorite Sport/Hobby Day ⚽ + Trivia & Game Night – Test your knowledge and compete for bragging rights.
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Thursday: School Spirit Day 💙 + Homecoming Parade – Show off your school pride in the virtual parade!
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Friday: Cosplay/Costume/Character Day 👻 + Esports Homecoming Game, Thriller Halftime Show, and a Homecoming Dance – Celebrate the big finale in true Homecoming style!
📸 Photo Challenge:
Students and staff can submit pictures showing off their Homecoming looks on Chalk the Block in every National Zone or upload them to the Padlet linked in the Zone.
Don’t forget to like your favorite photos — top submissions may be featured in our next newsletter!
💥 Don’t miss the fun — log in each day, pump up your school’s balloon, and make this the biggest Homecoming celebration yet!
🛒 Help Shape the Future of the K12 Zone Marketplace!
We’re building something brand new in the K12 Zone — the K12 Zone Marketplace!
This feature will allow teachers and staff who create custom assets, scenes, and games to share them with others across the network — making it easier than ever to collaborate, get inspired, and bring creative ideas to life.
Before it launches, we’d love your input! We’re looking for teachers and staff who are interested in joining a short feedback session to share ideas and suggestions that will help shape the Marketplace’s design and functionality.
💬 How It Works:
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Fill out a quick form with your name, school, and availability.
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We’ll reach out to schedule a short feedback session.
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Your insights will help ensure the Marketplace works for everyone who builds in the Zone!
👉 Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/L4PKg9bcMa
Let’s crowd-source creativity and make building in the K12 Zone even better — together!
✨ Bring Your Passions to Life in the National Zone! ✨
Do you have a talent, hobby, or favorite activity that lights you up? Imagine sharing that joy with students across the country! We’re inviting K12 staff to lead weekly clubs in the National Zone — a fun way to inspire, connect, and build community around the things you love most.
🎶 A few ideas to spark inspiration:
• Cheerleading Club
• Band or Music Jam
• Book Club
• Art Studio
• Chess or Strategy Games
• Fitness or Yoga
• Dance (and so much more!)
🌟 October Highlight: We’re looking for a leader for a Thriller Dance Club! Students will learn the iconic moves together and perform in a special end-of-October Zone event.
💡 While these are volunteer opportunities, they’re an amazing way to boost school spirit, connect with students, and make the Zone truly magical.
👉 Ready to share your passion? Email nhoover@k12.com with the club idea you’d like to lead and which grade band(s) you’d like to host — or open it up to everyone!
💡 Zone Pro Tip of the Week: How to Manage the Raise Hand Action and Sound
Keep your class organized with the new Raise Hand feature! 🙋♀️
This tool lets students signal questions or comments while giving teachers full control over access and sound settings.
🎛️ To Update Raise Hand Access:
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Click World Settings → General User Controls.
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Under Raise Hand Access, choose:
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Anyone in world – Sound off → Silent hand raises.
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Anyone in world – Sound on → Plays a sound when raised.
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Disabled for all → Hides the Raise Hand icon.
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🌟 To Spotlight a Student:
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Open the Users Menu and go to the Overview tab.
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In the Raised Hands Queue, click Pin → Spotlight to highlight their video.
👁️ Pro Tip:
Use “Sound off” for quiet lessons and “Spotlight” to keep attention on the speaker!
🎥 Watch the short video below for a walkthrough on managing the Raise Hand feature in the K12 Zone.
🔥 New Game in the K12 Zone: Glitch Lava!
Get ready to test your reflexes in the newest K12 Zone game — Glitch Lava!
💥 How to Play:
Avoid the lava and race to the green spaces to earn points!
Challenge your friends, rack up your score, and see who can survive the longest.
🕹️ Now Available:
You can find Glitch Lava in the K12 Zone Scene Library and in all National K12 Zones!
🎮 Jump in today and see if you can beat the heat!
