And that's a wrap! We have concluded a wonderful year at Union Elementary! Thank you for all of your support and we are wishing you and your family a FUN, SAFE, and JOYFUL summer vacation!

We wish our fourth graders all the best as they transition to new adventures - MIDDLE SCHOOL! We are so glad they were a part of our story and as I said this morning, "It was a true honor and joy to be your principal!"

We will see our Union STARS back here in August!

23-24 ZCS School Calendar 2023-2024 ZCS Calendar and our 23-24 Back-to School Dates and Events: Open Houses and Back-to-School Plans for your planning!

With a GRATEFUL heart,

Mrs. Erin Kay, Principal of Union

ekay@zcs.k12.in.us

Mrs. Laura Christie, Assistant Principal of Union

lchristie@zcs.k12.in.us

Online registration for the 2023-2024 school year will be available soon! Individual notification will be emailed next week. If you do not see the notification in your email, it may have gone to your junk/spam folder. If you cannot find the email it is no problem - login to the PowerSchool Parent Portal, select your student and complete registration.

Please complete this registration as soon as you are able, or no later than Tuesday, 5/30/23. If your child will not be returning to Zionsville Community Schools for the 23-24 school year, please fill out this link: https://dan395.typeform.com/to/Mb4rAgQH?typeform-source=bme.zcs.k12.in.us or contact Kim Gilley, Union Administrative Assistant, for assistance.

Spring Identification

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 as needing more advanced curriculum in grades 1-4, you will not receive an email because this placement will continue for the next school year.

Important Kindergarten Dates:

• Union Safety Town at Union is June 5th and 6th, 2023.
  
• Union Kindergarten Meet the Teacher Night is August 9, 2023.