We had such a fun week with countdown activities, field trips, and Field Day! Thank you to our teachers for planning memorable events and to our families for their support! We are heading into our final 4 days of the 2023-2024 school year. Please check out this week's newsletter and your teacher's communication regarding any special events for the days ahead. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

No School Monday- As a reminder, school will be closed on Monday, May 28 in observance of Memorial Day. We look forward to seeing students on Tuesday, May 29.

Registration- Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open. Please see the blurb below for details. Thank you to the families of the 446 students who have completed registration. We only have 52 student registrations left to be submitted! These are due on May 31st and help us greatly as we plan for the year ahead, so thank you for your attention to this matter.

Calendar Survey- Your input is requested on calendar options beginning in 2025-2026. Click on the graphic below to give your feedback.

Medication Pick-Up- Please see the information below from Nurse Mindy regarding medication pick up before summer break.

Clinic Donations- The clinic could use some gently used clothing and shoe donations. Anything is appreciated and can be dropped off to the office or clinic. Thank you for your consideration.

With gratitude,

Mrs. Jen Raycroft and Ms. Deb Pickett

Trailside Elementary

jraycroft@zcs.k12.in.us

dpickett@zcs.k12.in.us

May 27 - Memorial Day (no school)

May 29- Fourth Grade Celebration

May 31 - End of 4th quarter/Last Day of School

June 3 - Last day for certified staff/teacher work day

June 9 - ZCHS Commencement

23-24 ZCS School Calendar 2023-2024 ZCS Calendar

Please follow the instructions you received in the personalized email from Zionsville Community Schools on Tuesday, May 7th. Registration information is vital for ensuring that you receive information about the 2024-2025 school year, for maintaining records to ensure student safety, and in compliance reporting required of us on behalf of all enrolled students (for various state and local agencies). Please remember that this notification may have been sent to multiple parent/guardian contacts. Only ONE registration record may be submitted for each student. A parent/guardian who starts a registration for a student becomes the only registrant possible for that student.

Please complete this registration by Friday, May 31st, 2024.

If your student will not be returning to Zionsville Community Schools next year, please complete the online student change form found here so that you won’t continue to receive registration notices.

Our lost and found is overflowing! Please claim any items before the last student day. Any items left will be donated.

ALL medication that is in the health clinic must be picked up by May 31st, 2024. The clinic is open on school days from 07:30am-3:30pm.

For the safety of our students, all medication must be transported to and from school by an adult (unless other arrangements have been made with the Nurse for emergency meds only).

Any medication that is left in the clinic will be discarded. The Health Clinic will not be open after May 31st, 2024.

Please email Nurse Mindy (mconrad@zcs.k12.in.us) with any questions about the medication that your student has in the clinic or if you would like me to dispose of the medication for you on May 31st.

The Indiana Department of Education requires school districts to identify gifted students and provide them with appropriately differentiated curriculum and instruction. In ZCS, we consider ability and achievement data of all students each spring to identify any who may need advanced curriculum and/or instruction. This spring our team of teachers, licensed in gifted education, will look at all data to make sure that we understand the needs of each student.

Our school district is committed to continuous progress for all students, regardless of designation. Accelerated content is common in our classrooms as are heightened expectations, instructional levels and high-achieving peers. Whether or not a child is identified as needing advanced curriculum, our teachers are committed to regular assessment of skills and knowledge and matching experiences to challenge each child and help him or her make maximum academic growth. While we have approximately 20% of students who are formally identified in elementary school, more than 40% of students take advanced coursework in high school. We are proud to be a high-performing school district with high expectations for all students.

For students currently in grades K-3: Programming at the elementary level is based on student need for acceleration and enrichment within a cluster group in a general education classroom and not on labels. All student data is reviewed each year to look for several indicators that a child needs advanced instruction in order to grow academically. Our identification team looks at achievement (NWEA), ability (CogAT/OLSAT) and teacher observational data (KOI/SIGS). Since these vary from year to year with young students, we re-look at every student each spring. Parents will be notified by June 1 if their child has been recommended for more advanced curriculum. If your child was not identified through our extensive process, parents/guardians may appeal the decision. Parents/guardians can complete the appeal process by June 15. Forms are located on the Academics tab of our website under “Advanced Curriculum”: https://4.files.edl.io/039c/01/28/20/182123-3d4a9f45-de63-4549-95a9-0341f67290eb.pdf

For students currently in grade 4: All students are considered and more formally identified for high ability each year throughout middle school where they are placed in a class with high ability curriculum. Our identification team considers either achievement (NWEA) or ability (CogAT/OLSAT) when making decisions. Parents will be notified by June 1 if their child has been recommended for differentiation based on the need for accelerated instruction and curriculum. If your child was not identified through our extensive process, parents may appeal the decision. Parents can complete the appeal process by June 15. Forms are located on the Academics tab of our website under “Advanced Curriculum”: https://4.files.edl.io/9ed3/07/24/19/163425-9b8daab0-04e6-4efb-acd8-f68c3aec4318.pdf

Note: If your child is currently identified and receiving more advanced curriculum in grades 1-4, you will not receive an email because this placement will continue for the next school year.

Students in grades 3 and 4 have concluded ILEARN testing. We expect final scores and Individual Student Reports later this month and will share those with you at that time. Indiana Code 20-32-5.1-12(d) allows parents an opportunity to request a review for specific open-ended item(s). Click here for more details.

• Lunch visitors- The last day for lunch visitors for the 2023-2024 school year will be on Thursday, May 23rd. You can use our online system to sign up to have lunch with your student in the office conference room. You will need to bring your ID to check in. Please no more than 2 guests per student due to limited space. So that others may have the opportunity, we ask that you not sign up more than 1 time per calendar month. When you sign up, please put your student name and classroom teacher in the notes. Here is the lunch visitor sign up link: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/TrailsideLunchVisitors@zcsk12in.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/

The Home Links for the entire year are linked below.

• Kindergarten Home Links
• 1st Grade Home Links
• 2nd Grade Home Links
• 3rd Grade Home Links
• 4th Grade Home Links

Visit the website at www.secondstep.org and enter your grade level activation code. You will first need to create an account and then from your account dashboard you can select Family Resources.

Grade Level Activation Codes:

Kindergarten: SSPKFAMILY70

Grade 1: SSP1FAMILY71

Grade 2: SSP2FAMILY72

Grade 3: SSP3FAMILY73

Grade 4: SSP4FAMILY74

If you have any questions about the Second Step program, please do not hesitate to reach out for more information. Thank you for supporting your child(ren) in learning the skills which lead to success in school and in life.

Family Assistance - When basic needs are met, students are better able to focus on education and learning. Therefore, there is assistance available for our students and their families to help with various needs which may arise throughout the school year. If you are currently in need of assistance, please fill out the form by clicking the link Family Assistance. Please know, this information is private and will be kept confidential.

Local Counseling Agencies and Groups - Zionsville Community Schools Student Services Department has compiled this list of professional counseling agencies as a guide for ZCS parents/guardians and students.

Dismissal Changes

Same Day Changes

• Prior to 1pm – please call the main office and press 1 in order to leave a message that will be received in time to communicate the change.
• After 1pm - please call the main office and press 0 to speak live with one of our administrative assistants.
• Please do not email same day changes to your child’s teacher. They may not have an opportunity to check email prior to dismissal.

Changes in Advance

• Please send a handwritten note to your child’s teacher or call the office instead of an email. There may be times that a substitute teacher has been assigned, that he or she will not have access to the teacher’s email.
• If you choose to email, please ensure you get a reply confirmation that your child's teacher received the change. If you do not, please call the main office.

Attendance

Illness or Late Arrival

• If your child is ill, you are running late, or your child won’t be coming to school that day for any reason - please call the main office and press 2 to leave a message on the attendance line. If you do not, you will receive phone calls after a certain time so we can ensure your child is safe.

Pre-Arranged Absence

• Please complete the pre-arranged absence form, linked below or located on the Trailside Elementary website (under the Parent tab) at least two days in advance, and turn it into the front office.

During the school day, all volunteers are expected to check in at the front office. Prior to the volunteer opportunity, all volunteers must sign a Non-disclosure Acknowledgement Form and have successfully completed a Full Criminal History Background Check.. Necessary background check paperwork is available on the ZCS website at the Volunteers/BRAVO link and should be submitted at least 10 days prior to the intended volunteer date. Volunteers must also view the state mandated confidentiality/bullying video, provided on the Volunteer/BRAVO website. The volunteer will pay the fee for the full background check which will expire after 5 years.

During the school day, all visitors must enter via the front door and sign-in at the front office. Visitors need to be prepared to present a government issued photo ID which will be scanned against the National Sex Offender Registry. All visitors will be issued a visitor badge/tag to be worn inside the building at all times. Visitors other than parents/guardians must be prearranged and organized through the main office.

GROW/Child Care Services

Eagle Rec

Bridge and Early Start Spanish are optional, fee based programs that “bridge” the time between the 7:50-8:00 arrival time for 1st-4th grade students, and the start of the instructional day for Kindergarten students, which is 8:50-9:00.

Before and After-School Care (BAC) is available for all Trailside students. Before school care begins at 6:45am and After school extends childcare from 2:30 to 6:00pm.

Eagle Rec offers fee based programs in a variety of interest areas throughout the school year.

Email: jraycroft@zcs.k12.in.us
Website: https://tse.zcs.k12.in.us/
Location: 4200 South 875 East, Zionsville, IN, USA
Phone: 317-873-8057