Our Principal

 

Hello,

I'm Mr. Gruen, the principal of Mt. Zion Grade School. I hope you find our website to be informative and enjoyable. The 2023-2024 school year marks my twentieth year as principal of Mt. Zion Grade School, my twenty-second year as a building administrator, and my thirtieth year in public education. Mt. Zion Grade is our District's second and third grade attendance center. This arrangement allows us to focus on this age group and to provide more consistency across the grade levels.  Our teachers are working daily to implement the Common Core State Standards in a manner that not only meets those requirements but also makes learning enjoyable. 

Mt. Zion Grade also believes that we must ensure that all students are meeting research-based goals for their age and grade level.  We will use aimswebPlus three times this year to assess the reading and math level of each student. We use this data to identify students who are in need of support. Once identified, we will provide the support needed for their success.  While language arts and mathematics is our main goal, we also recognize the need to create well-rounded citizens. Our children receive much more than just good core instruction.  We provide top-notch instruction in Art, Music, PE, and Library. 

We also provide 21st Century instruction with SMARTBoards in every classroom and 1:1 Chromebooks for each student. Finally, Mt. Zion Grade works to develop the citizenship of each child.  We follow the 3 Rs of "Be Ready, Be Responsible, Be Respectful".  We work continuously to reinforce these ideals in our students.  We accomplish all of these goals with a highly qualified and highly dedicated faculty and educational support staff.  They each believe in consistent improvement of their own skills and knowledge, and they keep searching for ways to, "Just do it . . . better."  Mt. Zion Grade also has superb secretaries, custodians, cafeteria staff, and playground supervisors.  I also am proud to mention the excellent support that we receive from the parents' Community Club and our volunteers in general.  All of these people work with the focus of providing an excellent educational experience to some really neat kids. 

As you can tell, I'm quite honored to be the principal of such a great school, and as the parent of three Mt. Zion alumni, I can tell you that this ideal extends throughout the Mt. Zion School District, Pre-Kindergarten - 12.

Mt. Zion School District truly is, "a great place to LEARN," and a great place to live.