Thanks to all who attended our second annual Parent Leadership Workshop! It's a chance for leaders of our parent organizations to come together and hear from the Superintendent and CFO. They also heard from Lindenwood's Dr. Alex Tripamer, working through strategies to increase their impact by growing their organizations. Networking over dinner helps parents make connections across the district that support our mission to Educate, Empower and Equip Students to Excel. Say hello to the parent leaders at your school at one of the many upcoming fall events!
What are the district’s priorities if it is allowed to borrow funds?
FZ Prop 1 requires 57 percent approval to pass, giving the district permission to borrow $90 million for security and facilities upgrades. Priorities are:
Priority 1 is Safety and Security.
Continuing to build storm shelters at elementary schools
Continuing to fortify school entrances across the district
Adding classroom phones
Priority 2 is Enhanced Opportunities and Accessibility.
Create welcoming spaces to play that are safe for all students and maintain facilities that create opportunities for students.
Priority 3 is Maintenance.
Take care of what we have by keeping roofs, parking lots, HVAC, interiors in efficient, effective operating condition.
Learn more at go.FZSD.us/Prop1
Paid for by Fort Zumwalt School District, 555 East Terra Lane, O’Fallon, MO, 63366
Dr. Henry St. Pierre, Superintendent
FZ Prop 1 requires 57 percent approval to pass, giving the district permission to borrow $90 million for security and facilities upgrades. Priorities are:
Priority 1 is Safety and Security.
Continuing to build storm shelters at elementary schools
Continuing to fortify school entrances across the district
Adding classroom phones
Priority 2 is Enhanced Opportunities and Accessibility.
Create welcoming spaces to play that are safe for all students and maintain facilities that create opportunities for students.
Priority 3 is Maintenance.
Take care of what we have by keeping roofs, parking lots, HVAC, interiors in efficient, effective operating condition.
Learn more at go.FZSD.us/Prop1
Paid for by Fort Zumwalt School District, 555 East Terra Lane, O’Fallon, MO, 63366
Dr. Henry St. Pierre, Superintendent
We’re ready!
These leaders are ready to welcome our community, share a glimpse into the school day, guide a storm shelter tour and hear from our superintendent.
Are you?
We’ll be at Pheasant Point Elementary on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Two chances for you to be a part of our Community Connections: 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
#FZCommunity
These leaders are ready to welcome our community, share a glimpse into the school day, guide a storm shelter tour and hear from our superintendent.
Are you?
We’ll be at Pheasant Point Elementary on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Two chances for you to be a part of our Community Connections: 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
#FZCommunity
Can the district afford to borrow money through a bond issue?
Yes.
The district’s ability to borrow is called its bonding capacity. Bonding capacity is determined through an equation set by state law.
Bonding capacity is 15 percent of the total assessed valuation of real and personal property in the district, minus any current debt the district has from previous bond sales.
The district’s 2026 assessed valuation is $3.98 billion. Fifteen percent is $597 million. Subtracting current debt leaves FZSD with a bonding capacity of $443 million, or five times more than the $90 million proposed in FZ Prop 1.
Learn more at go.FZSD.us/Prop1
Paid for by Fort Zumwalt School District, 555 East Terra Lane, O’Fallon, MO, 63366
Dr. Henry St. Pierre, Superintendent
Yes.
The district’s ability to borrow is called its bonding capacity. Bonding capacity is determined through an equation set by state law.
Bonding capacity is 15 percent of the total assessed valuation of real and personal property in the district, minus any current debt the district has from previous bond sales.
The district’s 2026 assessed valuation is $3.98 billion. Fifteen percent is $597 million. Subtracting current debt leaves FZSD with a bonding capacity of $443 million, or five times more than the $90 million proposed in FZ Prop 1.
Learn more at go.FZSD.us/Prop1
Paid for by Fort Zumwalt School District, 555 East Terra Lane, O’Fallon, MO, 63366
Dr. Henry St. Pierre, Superintendent
Let's hear it for our Custodians, Maintenance and Ground Workers! Creating and maintaining a top-notch learning environment gives students room to grow. Thank you for all you do!
Fort Zumwalt School District is hosting two opportunities to tour the Pheasant Point Elementary addition. Experience our original storm shelter solution and discover what we have learned in the four years since it was built. Come for the tour. Stay for the conversation! Learn about Proposition 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The event, part of our Community Connections series, is for Fort Zumwalt residents and business owners and should only last about an hour.
FZSD Open House & Community Roundtable
3450 Pheasant Meadow Drive, O'Fallon, MO
2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7
or
6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7
The event, part of our Community Connections series, is for Fort Zumwalt residents and business owners and should only last about an hour.
FZSD Open House & Community Roundtable
3450 Pheasant Meadow Drive, O'Fallon, MO
2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7
or
6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7
Look who popped in at Forest Park with the Megan Meier Foundation as an incentive for attendance. They handed out School Year Game Plans to students and spread the word about Beginning With The End In Mind to have a great school year. True Blue! #FZCommunity
What is a bond issue?
The district asks voters for permission to borrow up to a specified amount for capital improvements. With Proposition 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot, Fort Zumwalt is asking for permission to borrow $90 million for security and facilities upgrades.
If voters give the district permission, the district borrows by selling bonds. This can be done in increments. For instance, if given permission to borrow, Fort Zumwalt could sell $30 million in bonds (borrow $30 million) and wait to borrow the remaining $60 million. By law, once the money has been borrowed it can only be used for capital improvements. It must be spent within three years.
Bonds, like home improvement loans, are repaid over time and can be refinanced at a lower interest rate during the repayment period, saving the district money on the loans.
In the past four years, bond funds have made building additions, HVAC replacements and regular maintenance possible at Fort Zumwalt’s 27 schools.
Learn more at go.FZSD.us/Prop1
Paid for by Fort Zumwalt School District, 555 East Terra Lane, O’Fallon, MO, 63366
Dr. Henry St. Pierre, Superintendent
Just inside the door to Mr. Jones’ 7th-grade social studies classroom we spotted a knight guarding these words: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” They are from President Teddy Roosevelt’s autobiography. Mr. Jones, a first-year teacher, says it applies as much to him as he changes careers as it does to his students.
“I spent the last 25 years as an attorney,” he says. “We might think we don't have the skills or talent to achieve great things or that we are in the wrong place or time, but all of us have gifts and talents that can help us do something that matters to someone if we use them. In other words, there will never be a perfect time and place, but that doesn't mean we don't matter or our actions can't have meaning and purpose.”
Now that’s a Moto Monday!
“I spent the last 25 years as an attorney,” he says. “We might think we don't have the skills or talent to achieve great things or that we are in the wrong place or time, but all of us have gifts and talents that can help us do something that matters to someone if we use them. In other words, there will never be a perfect time and place, but that doesn't mean we don't matter or our actions can't have meaning and purpose.”
Now that’s a Moto Monday!
Congratulations to Laura Wilson, a para at Rock Creek Elementary, who has been awarded the Grow Your Own Para award from the FZ Education Foundation. The Foundation established the award to provide tuition assistance to employees working to become certified teachers. It is similar to the Grow Your Own Teacher program for selected Zumwalt high school seniors. Once her degree and certification are complete, Wilson (third from left) will have her own classroom, just like the homegrown teachers celebrating her in this photo.
High school seniors interested in a career in education should visit their counselor to learn more about this year’s Grow Your Own Teacher application process. It is open until Oct. 26.
High school seniors interested in a career in education should visit their counselor to learn more about this year’s Grow Your Own Teacher application process. It is open until Oct. 26.
We want you to be a part of celebrating our staff! Our Blue Notes have been so popular that we want to give #FZCommunity the opportunity to celebrate staff each month. Use the link, which you can find on the banner of any of our websites, to send a Blue Note of appreciation, celebration or thanks to a Fort Zumwalt staff member. We deliver on the monthly early release day. Let's make some noise for our amazing staff!
go.fzsd.us/BlueNotes
go.fzsd.us/BlueNotes
Behind the scenes, our I.T. Professionals keep our school offices up and running and our classrooms prepared to Educate, Empower and Equip Students to Excel. Thank you for all you do, and have a great day!
Congratulations to Fort Zumwalt School District’s National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists. These Fort Zumwalt seniors are among the top scorers on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) taken by more than 1 million high school juniors across the nation. More at fz.k12.mo.us
Never forget.
It's been a great first week meeting with parents to share information regarding FZSD Prop 1. You can learn more at go.FZSD.us/Prop1 #SuptStPierre
That smile you're smiling is brought to you by RECESS! That wonderful time when you take a few minutes to sharpen the saw, reset, stretch your legs, talk with a friend, take care of YOU! Recess: You're never too old for it.
Thanks to all who came out to our Community Connections event at North Middle. The student tour guides shared terrific insight with guests about how the construction projects have changed their school day. The biggest change? Students say that, now that they can fit their whole grade into the lunch room at the same time, they get more time with friends! Guests experienced the storm shelter, the new cafeteria, some nostalgia in the large gym, and great conversation with district leaders.
Mark your calendars for our event Oct. 7 at Pheasant Point. We'll hear from more student leaders, take a virtual tour of our storm shelter projects so far, and discuss what's next for Fort Zumwalt. Come for the tour, stay for the conversation!
Mark your calendars for our event Oct. 7 at Pheasant Point. We'll hear from more student leaders, take a virtual tour of our storm shelter projects so far, and discuss what's next for Fort Zumwalt. Come for the tour, stay for the conversation!
Welcome back! Today is an A Day at the high schools; a B Day at the middle schools and a D Day at elementary. Did you know you can sync our calendars to yours? Check it out at go.FZSD.us/SyncMyCalendar and have a great day!
Work has begun on a classroom addition at Westhoff Elementary that will double as a storm shelter that can house the entire school population during a weather event. It is the fifth such addition the district has constructed since voters approved a bond issue in 2022. Join us at one of our upcoming Community Connections events to experience similar completed projects and learn more about the district’s plans for the future. go.fzsd.us/Connections
Thank you #FZCommunity for a Wonderful Week One!
Educate
Empower and
Equip Students
To Excel!
Have a good weekend.
Educate
Empower and
Equip Students
To Excel!
Have a good weekend.
