Chief Weekly

Monday - A Day I Good News Club 3:45pm

Tuesday - B Day

Wednesday - C Day I ZE Spirit Squad Practice 3:45pm I Drama Club 3:45pm I PTO Meeting 4:00pm

Thursday - D Day

Friday - NO SCHOOL for students - Staff Professional Development Day.

Pillar of the Month: Respectful

Counseling Week: Gray

At Zitzman Elementary, every student is part of a Tribe—a small, K-4th student-mixed group led by a ZE staff member. These Tribes stay together throughout a student’s career at Zitzman, fostering strong relationships and a sense of belonging. Tribes meet four times a year to complete a service learning project that gives back to the school and community.

This year, our Tribes have been making an impact through:
✔ Organizing a schoolwide Kindness Spirit Week
✔ Creating posters to encourage students during MAP testing
✔ Collecting supplies for local animal shelters
✔ Making gifts for senior citizens and Meals on Wheels recipients
✔ Promoting recycling and environmental care
✔ Supporting younger students in developing a love for reading

Through these projects, our students are learning the power of kindness, leadership, and service—values that will stay with them for a lifetime!

We will be accepting books for the book swap this week (2/24-2/28) Please have your student bring any books they wish to donate to the book swap to Mrs. Dryer THIS WEEK.

Also, this week (2/24-2/28) teachers will be reaching out on the Rooms platform with an update and details on how they will be organizing guest readers for their room on Friday 3/7.

Greetings ZE Community,

During our Grow Roots in Reading themed celebration for March 3-7, 2025 Read Across America Week, ZE has an amazing week planned.

Coming home in Thursday folders this week you will find either flora or fauna cut-outs for you and your family to fill out each time you read (book, magazine, recipe, directions, closed captions, …) and ideally, color it. Return it to school for your child to add to the Grow Roots in Reading scene in the hallway outside of the gym. Photos will be posted as our scene grows.

K= flowers, leaves (flora)

1=burrowing animals, insects (fauna)

2=flowers, leaves (flora)

3=woodland insects (fauna)

4=woodland animals (fauna)

Please feel free to add to our scene with your own drawings/text. Just add the text title and your name and/OR use recycled materials, magazines (MO Conservationist is free insert link). You can add any of the above flora and fauna no matter your child’s grade level. Watch as our scene grows!

Happy Reading, Rooting, and Growing,

From,

Mrs. Savin & Mrs. Erickson

Zitzman Elementary Title Teachers

This came home in Thursday Folders last week and is something that Mrs. Dryer is doing to lead up to our Spring Book Fair!

Dear Parents,

This email is to inform you of slight adjustments to the 2024-2025 school calendar.

• Monday, February 24th will now be a school day for students.

• The last day of the second trimester has been moved to Thursday, February 27th.

• Friday, February 28th will be a professional development day for teachers and students will not attend school on this day.

• Trimester 2 report cards will be available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Tuesday, March 4th.

These changes were made to maximize instructional time for our students.

We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to prioritize student learning.

Sincerely,

MVR-III School District

Dear Families,

Sign up today for the FREE 2nd Annual MVR-III "Together We Grow" Family Resource Event hosted at Riverbend Middle School from 5:30 - 7:30 PM on Thursday, March 6. Gain insight with workshops on navigating power struggles, promoting language development, preventing drug & alcohol use, teaching safe Internet use, and more. Free childcare, dinner, door prizes, & resources provided with signup at bit.ly/MVR3FRN. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Josh Grodie at jgrodie@mvr3.k12.mo.us or 636-271-1459.

Sincerely,
Meramec Valley R-III School District

Do you have a rising Kindergarten student? Kindergarten Registration for the 2025-26 school year is now open! Because you are an existing family within the district, this will be completed through your Infinite Campus Parent Portal (watch this IC online registration video for a preview).

If you do not have your Infinite Campus Parent Portal set up yet, please contact your school building secretary for assistance. You will be provided a KEY, which can be entered on this Infinite Campus-New User webpage to create your account.

• Once logged in, click the three-line menu > More > Online Registration / Update:

  • IMPORTANT - Smartphones are not supported devices for online enrollment.

  • If you do not have access to a computer, Chromebook, or tablet, please contact your building to set up an appointment. We are happy to provide a district device on-site and assist you with completing the application!

• At the next screen, click Start on the 25-26 Kindergarten (and New-Student-to-District) Registration item:

• On the Student tab, verify info for all other students returning for the 25-26 school year.

• Click Add New Student if your incoming Kindergarten student is not already in the system.

Visit the Enrollment Info page on our website or call Central Office at 636-271-1400 if you have any questions. Thank you for ensuring that MVR-III has the latest information about your student(s)!

Sincerely,

Meramec Valley R-III School District

Regular meetings will occur on the third Wednesday of each month at 4:00pm. There will be childcare provided by PTO if you are unable to find childcare for you kiddo and want to attend!

Reach out to PTO at zitzmanelempto@gmail.com

See the list of upcoming events below and use the button to sign up for the event you are interested in through our 'givebutter' links!

Dear Valued Community Member,

The Zitzman Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is dedicated to promoting a positive

and cooperative relationship between parents, teachers, and the school community. To achieve this

goal, the PTO organizes various events and activities that complement and enhance the educational

experience of students. While most of our events are centered around building a strong school

community, we also hold a once-a-year adult only fundraiser to meet a specific need. This year,

Zitzman Elementary PTO will be hosting a Television Trivia Night on March 8, 2025, at the Pacific

Eagles, to help raise funds to help provide enhancements to our school playground. Playgrounds

have many positive impacts on children including fostering physical development, promoting social

interaction and skill development, boosting creativity and imagination, enhancing cognitive

abilities, and increasing self esteem and confidence through overcoming challenges on playground

equipment; essentially contributing to overall well-being and healthy development of our Zitzman

students.

We are currently seeking items to be featured in our silent auction, raffles, or prizes for the winners

of our trivia night. We are also taking monetary donations for Round Sponsorships. We would

greatly appreciate any donation you can make. As acknowledgement for your donation to our

annual Trivia Night, your business will be recognized in our event program, as well as on our

website and social media platforms.

We will gladly provide a donation receipt letter with the PTO’s tax-exempt ID number for your

records upon request.

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact me at (314) 922-3941 or

zitzmanelempto@gmail.com. On behalf of the students, parents, and faculty of Zitzman Elementary,

we thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Meaghan Sodemann

Zitzman Elementary PTO President

Here are some fun and meaningful ways families can practice and show respectfulness at home and in the community throughout the month:

At Home

1. Respect Jar – Create a jar where family members write down acts of respect they notice in each other. Read them together at the end of the week.
2. Manners Challenge – Make a game out of saying “please,” “thank you,” and using kind words throughout the day.
3. Listening Circle – Take turns sharing about your day while practicing active listening (eye contact, no interruptions, asking follow-up questions).
4. Respect Coupons – Make and exchange coupons for kind gestures like helping with chores, making a sibling’s bed, or giving a compliment.
5. Dinner Table Discussion – Each night, discuss one way someone showed respect that day (at school, home, or in the community).
6. Role-Playing Scenarios – Act out different situations where respect is needed (e.g., losing a game, disagreeing with a friend, waiting patiently).
7. Gratitude Board – Display a whiteboard or poster where family members write what they appreciate about each other.

In the Community

1. Kindness Rocks – Paint rocks with kind messages and place them around the neighborhood or a local park.
2. Respect in Public Spaces – Practice using quiet voices in waiting rooms, putting shopping carts away, and saying “excuse me” when needed.
3. Community Clean-Up – Spend time picking up trash in a park or around the neighborhood to show respect for the environment.
4. Write Thank-You Notes – Send a thank-you card to a teacher, coach, librarian, or community worker.
5. Hold the Door Open – Make it a goal to hold the door open for others when entering or leaving public places.
6. Visit an Elderly Neighbor – Spend time talking to or helping an elderly neighbor with small tasks.
7. Library or Bookstore Visit – Discuss respect for shared spaces by returning books properly and keeping voices low.
8. Donate Gently Used Items – Clean out toys, clothes, or books to donate to those in need, teaching respect for others’ needs.

• 2/28 - NO SCHOOL: Staff PD Day

• 2/28 - End of 2nd Trimester

• 3/3 - 3/7 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 3/3 - 3/7 - Read Across America Week
• 3/12 120th Day of School!!
• 3/12 MVR3 Board Meeting
• 3/17 - 3/21 - Spring Break
• 3/27 - Kindergarten Round Up from 5:30 - 7:30pm