Zion's Weekly News 02/07/25

Dear Zion Trailblazers -

I have some important news to share about some critical staff transitions. At the end of this school year, we have four staff members retiring or moving to a different role at a different place.

Carla Knippa has served as our Athletic Director for two years. This year marks 41 years in education. Under her leadership, our students have seen their skills in all kinds of sports grow as they’ve also grown closer to their teammates. She’s worked tirelessly hosting tournaments/meets and providing positive environments for athletes across our school.

Sheri Fischer has been our second-grade teacher for 25 years! This year marks a total of 32 years in Lutheran Education. Literally generations of kids have been blessed by her passion for teaching foundational subjects and skills. She has been incredibly selfless, always being willing to step up and step in as needed in our school.

Diane Andersen has been our music teacher/band director for 26 years. This past year, she also graciously agreed to teach some additional music classes. If you’ve ever heard our band play, then you know just how passionate about music Mrs. Andersen is. Her love for music is infectious and has been shared with class after class of Zion students.

Jason Reichert has been our eighth-grade homeroom and middle school science teacher this past year. He has worked long hours coming up with creative ways to make science come alive for our students. His love for our church and school is evident in his commitment to all areas of our ministry.

Please join me in thanking each of these teachers and directors for their faithful service!

We are already forming search committees to help us fill each of these positions. Our commitment is to provide a top-tier, memory-making, and Christ-centered education for every child who is a part of our Zion family. We’ll keep you posted as we fill these positions.

Thank you for all your support for Zion. It’s a pleasure and privilege to be your principal!

In Christ,

Suzan Winkelman

The 8th grade class has completed their Pay in Forward Projects. They will present their project after chapel on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.

Zion families, mark your calendars for the annual Washington, D.C. fundraiser dinner! Your participation helps our 8th grade class cover part of the cost of their class trip to Washington, D.C. at the end of April. Join us for a catered dinner, live music, games and live and silent auctions. See the details below:

Date: Friday, March 7

Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Location: Zion Worship Center & Lobby

Cost: $150/couple (single tickets also available for $75)

Sponsorships for the event are also available! Please see the information attached. Can't wait to see you there!

Applications for the 2025-2026 school year are now open! Incoming kindergarten - 8th grade students are tested by administrative staff before acceptance. Once again, we anticipate being at full capacity next year. We praise God for each student and family who comes to Zion!

Our re-enrollment period is now closed. Per our handbook, every family is automatically re-enrolled through our FACTS/Renweb system unless they give written notice that they are not returning. Any withdrawals will now result in a $500 fee per child, and the fee increases to $1000 per child on June 1.

Congratulations to our players and coaches on an outstanding season and tournament! I know it took a lot of hard work and effort to improve each week and finish high in all of the divisions. Kudos to my amazing parents for all your support, especially our super score table volunteers that made sure our games ran smoothly, our concession stand workers, and our booster club parents that organized the pep rally, decorations and made goodie bags.

Out of twelve district schools, Zion placed:

3rd in the 7-8th girls and boys and 5-6th boys B-team divisions

6th in the 5-6th girls and boys A-team divisions

To God be the glory!

Coach Knippa

Your child's teacher or homeroom parent will contact you regarding specific details on this event.

Your child's teacher will be contacting families regarding a conference meeting on Monday, February 17th.

HOURS & RATES

7 am - 3 pm $170/Week

7 am - 6 pm $220/Week

Daily Rate $55.00/Day

Below is an overview of Camp Zion 2025. Listed you will find the dates, rates and themes. Field trips are still in the works. Due to state transportation guidelines and staff/child ratios, field trips will be for campers 6 through 12 years of age. Look for registration to open the first part of March. I will send out a notice when this happens. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at rhonda.schwertner@zionwalburg.org

Week 1 / June 2-6: Monster Mash

Week 2 / June 9-13: Snow Fun & VBS True North (9 to 11:30 Mon – Thur)

Week 3 / June 16-20 Nature Unleashed

OFF WEEK (No Camp) June 23-27

Week 4 / June 30 - July 3 Patriot Palooza (no camp on Friday, July 4th)

Week 5 / July 7 – 11 Building Brigade

Week 6 / July 14 -18 Color Me Crazy

Send sweet treats to your ZLS friends this Valentine’s Day! For $2 each, 8th grade students will deliver candygrams to your favorite students and staff! Forms have gone home with your students or orders can be submitted through the following link: https://forms.gle/xBjrfR7tFAJ1doqT9. Payments can be made through Venmo (@zlscandygrams) or by sending cash/check to the school office in a sealed envelope through FEBRUARY 9th. All proceeds benefit the 8th Grade D.C. Trippers. Thank you for your support!

Have you ever closed your Bible and thought “what did I just read?” Starting January 12, we will partner with The Bible Recap to read through the Old Testament. The Bible Recap is a chronological reading plan with a daily podcast that highlights and summarizes the Bible in an easy-to-understand way. It will not only help you read scripture but help you love reading it. Click the button below for the reading plan or paper copies are available in the Lobby and Narthex.