FORTiTUDE

As the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, Jen Waters mobilized her team in early March to pare down existing curriculum to essential components students need to succeed. Working closely with the Technology department, they then pushed that out to teachers and families via a virtual platform of unprecedented scale in Fort Zumwalt School District.

We visit with Jeremy Moore, Assistant Superintendent of Student Personnel Services, to discuss the actions his department has undertaken to help the district through the COVID 19 closures. FORTiTUDE: Strength in community.

The Fortitude crew meets up with Dr DuBray to chat about the latest news and information related to the District's response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

School safety. It’s always front-of-mind. In Fort Zumwalt School District, there are layers of safety measures in place for everything from managing visitors to responding to severe weather. In the newest episode of the FORTiTUDE podcast, we sit down with Superintendent Dr. Bernie DuBray and Assistant Superintendent for Student Personnel Services Mr. Jeremy Moore to help you learn more about the physical features, technical tools and people in place in Fort Zumwalt Schools to keep students and staff safe.

Students and parents might just be trying to get to Spring Break, but at the Fort Zuwmalt Curriculum and Instruction Office, Summer has been the state of mind. Tuesday at the regular meeting of the Board of Education, the Board approved plans for summer programming. Tune in to the newest episode of the FORTiTUDE podcast to hear about the exciting FREE opportunities that will be available to students grades K - 12 this summer.

School lunch programs are making headlines again as federal rules could be changing for next school year. What will that mean for your hungry kid? Tune in as Paul Becker, FZSD Director of Student Nutrition Services, talks about the possible changes in Zumwalt cafeteria options, the benefits of working in our cafeterias, and the online information available to parents on this episode of the FORiTUDE podcast. 

Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Margie Vandeven sits down to discuss what lies ahead for students and teachers across the state. Learn about the role of the commissioner and how the work of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education connects the state legislature to local school boards and our classrooms. “We lift those we serve, our children, by lifting up those who serve them, our teachers.” she says.

This week we bring you a favorite episode from the past, Snow Days... CAPS intern Annalise Harry takes the opportunity to grill Dr DuBray on how snow days work in the district, and what the process of making that decision looks like.

Welcome to Hope High School, Fort Zumwalt's alternative high school. And welcome to their biggest community event of the year: Empty Bowls. Empty Bowls raises funds for a local food pantry each year. Students coordinate, publicize, create, cook and serve to raise funds to support neighbors in need. Learn about the alternative high school environment from students and staff and about the unifying force of the Empty Bowls event in this episode of the FORTiTUDE podcast.

In case you didn’t notice this week …. Winter is here. But when it’s cold outside, it’s hot in the gym. Tune in to FORTiTUDE for a wrap on fall activities and a preview of what’s to come in basketball, wrestling, swimming, theater and more. We sit down with each of our activities coordinators so they can fill us in on the busy winter schedule. FZW Activities Coordinator Neil Nowack rounds up the fall season and lets us know what to watch for from wrestling to dance, as winter starts.

In case you didn’t notice this week …. Winter is here. But when it’s cold outside, it’s hot in the gym. Tune in to FORTiTUDE for a wrap on fall activities and a preview of what’s to come. FZS Acitivies Coordinator Ryan Rapp makes sure we know fall sports aren’t done yet! After an update on soccer and more, he gives us some insights on everything from basketball games to choir concerts and shares some of the secrets to successful student athletes’ time management.

In case you didn’t notice this week …. Winter is here. But when it’s cold outside, it’s hot in the gym. Tune in to FORTiTUDE for a wrap on fall activities and a preview of what’s to come. FZE Activities Coordinator Tim Grimes talks about the fall season (soccer, swimming, band and more), highlights what we should watch for during the winter season (basketball, wrestling, theater and more), and tunes us into the upcoming season for Fort Zumwalt’s winter drumline Modulation Z.

In case you didn’t notice this week …. Winter is here. But when it’s cold outside, it’s hot in the gym. Tune in to FORTiTUDE for a wrap on fall activities and a preview of what’s to come. FZN Activities Coordinator Ted Hickey talks about the fall season (football, soccer, band and more), highlights what we should watch for during the winter season (basketball, wrestling, theater and more), and discusses the benefits and challenges of being a multi-sport athlete.

In the newest episode of the FORTiTUDE podcast we check in with middle school orchestra teachers Chris Torretta from DuBray and Jenina Kenessey from North (and North High). Tune in to learn more about the role of music in our students' lives, how new technology supports that learning and about Chris and Jenina's unique opportunity to perform with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

We went out to a CyberSafety night for parents at Lewis & Clark Elementary School to find out what parents would like to know about keeping kids safe on their devices and online. Fort Zumwalt Director of Technology JB Mette answers a few of their questions, providing a few tips, tricks and tools to help track usage and create conversation on the role of technology in our lives.