Student Services
Nursing Services
Nursing Services are provided at Zion Classical Academy. The school nurse visits regularly each year to log physical information such as height and weight, and to screen for other general medical issues related to the well-being of each student. The Lions Club visits each year to conduct vision and hearing screenings. Our secretary handles all medications at Zion. In addition, every staff member is certified in CPR and First Aid, and we have an Automated External Defibrillator.
Before School Program
Zion Classical Academy offers free care to all PreK-6 students before each school day, beginning at 7:30am. Preschool - 6th Grade students arriving early will enter through the Performance Center doors and report to the east fellowship hall. Starting at 7:45a.m. all students will report to the gymnasium. All students are expected to participate in the morning activity, which is supervised by ZCA faculty and staff members. Students are dismissed from the gym to their classrooms at 8:05 each morning.
After School Program
The After School Program provides a safe and constructive alternative for student care. Focus areas include academic support, mentoring, youth development, arts, sports and recreation, plus community involvement. It is designed to provide additional Christian enrichment through expanded learning opportunities. Any child still in the building after 3:25pm. will check in to the Homework Club and then will go to the After School Program. Parents can pick up their children anytime before 5:30pm by checking them out with the program provider. The After School Program will be available every Monday – Thursday from 4:00*– 5:30pm, and Fridays from 2:45pm – 5:30pm Program participants are offered a daily snack. * All after school program participants will be required to attend homework club from 3:15pm - 4:00pm. A fee of $.08/minute is assessed for this program.
National School Lunch Program
Well balanced and nutritious hot lunches are available to students in grades K-6 from Monday-Friday. Snacks are also served to K-2nd grades each morning. We are thankful for the parents, members of the congregation, and friends of Zion School who donate cash and snacks to help us with this program.
We publish lunch menus each month. Menus are posted at school and can be accessed on the TADS Educate web site. Meals are ordered daily in the classrooms. All meals include an entree and milk plus fruits, vegetables and breads to meet the guidelines set by the National Hot Lunch Program. All meals are prepared on site and served fresh and hot from the oven. Menus are subject to change without notice in the event of delivery not being received or other unforeseen circumstances.
Zion offers a program called “OFFER versus SERVE”. This means that instead of just serving one standard meal, we offer additional fruits and vegetables to let the children make their own healthy choices. We also allow them to take a smaller portion of foods. Some times students are overwhelmed by having a large amount of an unfamiliar food so this gives them the opportunity to try more new things while still choosing their favorites. All hot lunch meals are served with water and a choice of 1% white milk or fat free chocolate milk. Students can have seconds of milk, side dishes, and main dishes for an extra charge.
In addition to food that tastes good, we also follow all National School Lunch regulations and policies, our Wellness policy, and the HACCP plan. Our kitchen is regularly inspected by the local health department.
We are an authorized site for the State of Nebraska Hot Lunch Program and provide Free and Reduced Meals for qualified applicants. All applications are strictly confidential and are available in our office.
Library/Bookmobile
In addition to a library in the school, Zion Classical Academy students receive services from the Hastings Public Library’s Bookmobile. Every other week, each K-6 class visits our ZCA Library or the Bookmobile to check out a wide selection of age-appropriate books. A Hastings Public Library card is needed to check out books from the Bookmobile. Library cards are free for Adams County residents and are available by applying at the Hastings Public Library.