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Frequently Asked Questions

  • 2:00-2:15pm Break
  • 2:15-3:15pm Fundraising
    Slides: Handouts: Zeta Tax Receipt Letter Template Sample Donor Engagement Plan
  • 3:30-4:00pm Session 2 Closing
    Slides:
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 10:45am-12:00pm Pitch Practice
  • 9:00-10:30am Building Elected & Community Relationships
    Slides: Handouts: Elected & Community Outreach Plan Template Elected Official Bio Template Elected Official Tour Invite Template
  • 3:15-3:30pm Break
  • 12:00-1:00pm Lunch
  • 1:00-2:00pm Pitch Practice
  • 8:45-9:00am Breakfast & Daily Overview
  • 12:15-1:00pm Lunch + Budget Office Hours
  • 2:00-3:30pm Marketing & Social Media
    Slides:
  • 9:00-10:30am Family & Student Outreach
    Slides:
  • 5:30-7:00pm Dinner
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 1:00-2:00pm Work Time, Outreach / Hiring / Marketing Plan
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast & Daily Overview
  • 3:30-4:30pm Work Time, Outreach / Hiring/ Marketing Plans
  • 10:45am-12:15pm Hiring 101
    Slides: Handouts: Talent Recruitment Handout
  • 5:00-5:30pm Travel to Dinner
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 9:45-11:15am Knowing Yourself as a Leader (DISC)
    Slides: Cohort DISC Results linked here
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 8:30-9:30am Breakfast and Session 2 Overview
    Slides:
  • 3:00-4:30pm, Managing Your Board
    Slides: Handout: Board Member Assessment & Engagement Planning
  • 2:45-3:00pm Break
  • 11:15-12:15pm Inwood Building Tour
  • 1:15-2:45pm Building Your Team
    Slides: Handout: Building Your Team: Opening Reflection Template
  • 9:30-9:45am Break
  • 3:15-3:45pm Daily Debrief
  • 1:30-3:00pm, Getting Academic Results as a Founder
    Slides: Handouts: Setting Academic Goals Root Cause Analysis Getting Academic Results as a Founder Case Study
  • 1:00-1:30pm Work Time
  • 8:00-8:30am Breakfast & Daily Overview
  • 8:30-9:30am Zeta Excellence Training (ZET) @ Tremont Park: Walkthrough + Debrief
  • 7:15am Arrive to Zeta Tremont Park
  • 9:45-11:15am Academic Coaching
    Slides: Handouts: Right #1: Overview of Moving Adult Practice Right #2. Observing Teacher Implementation Right #3: Setting Clear Priorities for Moving Practice Right #4: Observing Effective Practice Right #5: Observing Instruction to Assess Progress Zeta Brilliance in Excellent Teaching (BiET) Learning Competencies and Rubric
  • 11:15am-12:00pm Travel to Zeta Inwood
  • 9:30-9:45am Break
  • 7:30-8:00am Observe Student Arrival
  • 3:00-3:15pm Break
  • 12:00-1:00pm Lunch
  • 10:00-10:30am Work Time
  • 3:45-4:30pm Work Time
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 5:30-10:00pm Dinner and Special Event
  • 8:00-8:30am Breakfast and Daily Overview
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 1:15-2:00pm Work Time
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 2:00-3:30pm Problem Solving Consultancy
    Slides: Handouts: Consultancy Protocol
  • 8:30-10:00am Effective Communication with Zeta School Leaders
    Slides:
  • 5:00-5:30pm Travel to Event
  • 10:45-12:15pm Telling Your Story
    Slides: Handouts: Template: Pitch Deck
  • 3:30-3:45pm Break
  • 10:00-10:30 MVV Debrief + Work Time
  • 10:45-12:15pm Facilities for Early Stage Charters
    Facilities for Early Stage Charters Slides:
  • 1:15-2:30pm Work Time, Pitch office hours, Coupa support and submit questions for COO
    Questions for Samreen Form: Here
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 9:00-10:00am Welcome & Mission/Vision/School Design: Bringing Culture to Life with Zeta School Leaders
    Welcome & Mission/Vision/School Design: Bringing Culture to Life Slides:
  • 2:30-4:00pm Finance for Early Stage Charters
    Finance for Early Stage Charters Slides:
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast and Daily Overview
    Preparing to Launch Mission & Vision Worksheet: Here
  • 4:00-4:30pm Daily Debrief
  • Cohort Experience
    Z Combinator creates a close-knit cohort experience, including an online community forum for real-time conversation and requests for support. ​ Z Combinator Fellows make connections and relationships with each other that last beyond the program.
  • Alumni Community
    Z Combinator is all about creating communities of continuous learners. We provide virtual opportunities to keep learning (like open access to some of our in-house professional learning opportunities) and are already working on ways to keep our first two cohorts on their path to success. Our network of Z Combinator Fellow Alumni is crucial to our mission of ensuring every child in America has access to free, high-quality public education, pre-K to 12th grade.
  • Office Hours
    Connecting is a crucial part of Z Combinator. We offer optional and as-needed virtual office hours with Zeta leaders in between in-person sessions to dive deeper on topics raised during workshops and to provide additional, timely support on school launch resource creation. This might look like small-group virtual pitch practice before an upcoming donor meeting, a 1:1 feedback session on your school launch plan with a Zeta leader, a group problem-solving session on your enrollment tactics, or other meetings to address questions that arise throughout your experience.
  • 3 In-Person and 2 Virtual Sessions
    Z Combinator Fellows spend 24 days across 3 sessions in New York City at Zeta Charter Schools for intensive, hands-on learning. During these sessions, Fellows join Zeta’s network leaders for business and operations sessions (e.g., People Operations, Budgeting, Family Outreach); embed with Zeta leaders and teachers for interactive workshops during Zeta’s summer training and professional learning program; and engage in facilitated school launch planning from vision-setting to forming your tactical check-list leading up to Day 1; We balance our intensive, hands-on sessions during the day with opportunities to connect and rejuvenate with Z Combinator Fellows in our beautiful city in the evening.
  • The New York Experience
    We want you to have a wonderful experience while you visit and learn in the Big Apple! Fellows receive Z Combinator swag and participate in cohort outings to classic NYC experiences. (Past outings have included Broadway hits Hamilton and Lion King and a Mets baseball game. Future outings may vary.) Z Combinator also covers the cost of lodging, food, and transportation throughout your stay.
  • School Launch Resource Creation
    Through workshops, coaching, and individualized support, Fellows leave Z Combinator with a wide variety of exemplar Zeta resources and customized school launch deliverables, which include: a personal development plan, a polished fundraising pitch deck, a school launch project plan, an academic scope & sequence, a Year One budget, an organizational hiring/staffing plan, and so much more!
  • 5:30-7:00pm Closing Dinner
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 3:45-4:00pm Break
  • 2:45-3:45pm Work Time
  • 2:30-2:45pm Break
  • 1:15-2:30pm Pitch Practice
    Pitch Practice Slides (same as previous):
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 5:00-5:30pm Travel to Closing Dinner
  • 10:45-12:15pm Pitch Practice
    Pitch Practice Slides:
  • 4:00-5:00pm Session Goals Review & Wrap Up
    Session Goals Review & Wrap Up Slides:
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast and Daily Overview
  • 9:00-10:30am CEO “Ask Me Anything”
    CEO "Ask Me Anything" Slides:
  • 3:30-4:30pm Academic Resource Share
    Slides: Handout:
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 9:00-10:30am People Ops for Early Stage Charters
    Slides: Handouts: Employee Handbook Onboarding Planning Documents Vendor Comparison Form (if useful in comparing PEOs)
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast and Daily Overview
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 10:45-12:15pm Work Time
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 3:15-3:30pm Break
  • 1:45-2:45pm [SZU] Observe Lesson Demo with Zeta School Leaders
    Slides:
  • 1:15-1:45pm Work Time
  • 2:45-3:15pm Lesson Debrief
    Content Debrief Slides:
  • 1:15-2:00pm Work Time
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 12:15-1:15am Principal Panel
  • 10:15-11:15pm Ideal Team Player Book Club Discussion
    Slides: Ideal Team Player Self Development Action Plan: Link Ideal Team Player Self-Assessment: Link
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast and Daily Overview
  • 9:00-10:00am [SZU] Growth Mindset with Zeta School Leaders
    Slides: Videos: A School with a Growth Mindset First Year Teacher Growth Mindset Community Student Results
  • 10:00-10:15am Break
  • 3:30-4:30pm Work Time
  • 2:15-3:15pm Circle
  • 3:15-3:30pm Break
  • 2:00-2:15pm Break
  • 11:15-12:15pm Lunch
  • Whom should I contact if I have more questions?
    If you have additional questions about Z Combinator, please contact us at zcombinator@zetaschools.org.
  • What is the application process?
    Stage 1: Z Combinator accepts applications for the 2024-25 Z Combinator Fellowship Program starting on a rolling basis. Our application window closes once all openings are filled. Stage 2: Z Combinator invites select Fellowship candidates to complete a brief video interview. Stage 3: Z Combinator invites finalists to a virtual 30 min. live interview. Stage 4: Fellowship invitations are sent on a rolling basis.
  • If I am unable to attend all sessions, should I still apply?
    No. Because the Z Combinator Fellowship is grant-funded, we must ensure that all Fellows will attend each session and will not be able to admit anyone who is only able to partially complete the Fellowship. Fellowship dates for the 2024-25 Fellowship are as follows: Session I: Mon., July 15, 2024 – Fri., July 26, 2024 (including travel to/from NYC) Session II: Sun., September 22, 2024 – Sat., September 28, 2024 (including travel to/from NYC) Virtual 1-hour Session: Oct., 2024 (Zoom meeting) Virtual 1-hour Session: Nov., 2024 (Zoom meeting) Session III: Mon., Jan. 13, 2025 – Fri., Jan. 17, 2025 (including travel to/from NYC)
  • When is the 2024-25 Fellowship application deadline?
    All spots are filled, check back for the 2025-26 Fellowship application deadline
  • Am I eligible to apply for the Z Combinator Fellowship?
    The 2024-25 Z Combinator Fellowship Program supports charter school founders who are opening their schools in the Fall of 2025. If you fit this criteria, apply now!
  • What is the time commitment for Z Combinator?
    Fellows are expected to attend all ~25 days in-person in NYC and two virtual sessions as well as complete deliverables between sessions. You should expect to spend a minimum of 20 hours working on deliverables between each session, though you may spend much more time, as all your hard work will lead to an even stronger school launch!
  • Is there a cost associated with being a part of the program?
    The Z Combinator Fellowship is fully funded. We cover the cost of tuition, transportation, lodging, and food.
  • When are the 2024-25 Z Combinator sessions?
    The fellowship begins on Mon., July 15, 2024. Please ensure your availability for these days when applying; you must attend all days to participate in Z Combinator. Session dates are as follows: Session I: Mon., July 15, 2024 – Fri., July 26, 2024 (including travel to/from NYC) Session II: Sun., September 22, 2024 – Sat., September 28, 2024 (including travel to/from NYC) Virtual 1-hour Session: Oct., 2024 (Zoom meeting) Virtual 1-hour Session: Nov., 2024 (Zoom meeting) Session III: Mon., Jan. 13, 2025 – Fri., Jan. 17, 2025 (including travel to/from NYC)
  • What is the Z Combinator dress code?
    As you will be in Zeta schools, professional dress is required. Zeta implements a "business casual" dress code, which means: (1) well maintained button-down shirt or professionally appropriate top, (2) professionally appropriate dress slacks or skirt, (3) professionally appropriate dress, (4) dress socks/hose, and (5) close-toe dress shoes. When touring, observing, or shadowing in schools, single-color sneakers are also appropriate for walking/standing comfort. Zeta occasionally implements dress-down days as specified in advance, which means: (1) professionally appropriate top and jeans or equivalent (no holes, rips, etc.), professionally appropriate shoes (does not include flip flops, beach shoes, gym shoes, etc.).
  • 3:45-4:30pm Financial Logistics and Coupa
    Slides:
  • 1:30-2:30pm Circle with Zeta School Leaders
  • 5:30-7:00pm Welcome Dinner
  • 9:30-10:30am Session 1 Overview and Program Goal Setting
    Slides:
  • 9:15-9:30am Break
  • 2:30-2:45pm Break
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 10:45-12:15am Defining Your Mission
    Slides:
  • 10:30-10:45pm Break
  • 12:15-1:30pm Lunch
  • 5:00-5:30pm Travel to Welcome Dinner
  • 8:30-9:15am Orientation and Welcome Breakfast
    Slides:
  • 2:45-3:45pm Developing your APs and Teachers with Zeta School Leaders
    Slides:
  • 2:00-3:30pm School Design
    Slides:
  • 9:00-10:30am Vision of a Grad
    Slides: Handout:
  • 10:30-10:45pm Break
  • 3:45-4:30pm Learning Reflection Team Building with Zeta School Leaders
    Slides:
  • 1:15-2:00pm Work Time
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 10:45-12:15pm ZET
    Slides: Handouts:
  • 3:30-3:45pm Break
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast and Daily Overview
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast and Daily Overview
  • 3:15-3:30pm Break
  • 10:45-12:15pm Time and Task Management
    Slides: Handout:
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 1:15-2:15pm Work Time
  • 2:15-3:15pm Academic Year 1 Q&A
    Slides:
  • 3:30-4:30pm Circle Training
    Slides:
  • 9:00-10:30am Defining Your Core Values
    Slides: Handout:
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 12:15-12:45pm Lunch
  • 12:45-3:00pm Headshots + Budget Office Hours
  • 9:00-10:30am Zeta Operational Excellence (ZOE)
    Slides: Handouts: OD/Principal Debrief (Schooling, ODs) ZET 2024 / 2025, ZOE Scores
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 10:45am-12:15pm School Launch Planning
    Slides: Handout: School Launch Project Plan
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast & Daily Overview
  • 3:00-4:30pm Circle
  • Travel Day
  • 11:15-12:15am Work Time
  • 4:00-4:30pm Daily Debrief
  • 9:45-11:15am Year 1 Strategic Planning
  • 8:30-9:30am Breakfast & Session 3 Overview
  • 9:30-9:45am Break
  • 3:15-4:00pm Work Time
  • 1:15-3:15pm Pitch Practice
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 10:45-12:15pm Your Academic Design
  • 10:30-10:45am Break
  • 12:15-1:15pm Lunch
  • 9:00-10:30am Family Communications
  • 2:30-3:00pm Work Time
  • 3:15-4:30pm Leader Consultancy
  • 4:30-5:00pm Daily Debrief
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast & Daily Overview
  • 3:00-3:15pm Break
  • 1:15-2:30pm TBD
  • 8:30-9:00am Breakfast & Daily Overview
  • Travel Day
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