Cedar Rapids Community School District used its Future Ready Today podcast to remind families that preschool and kindergarten registration is open for the 2025–26 school year, report on a ceremonial groundbreaking at Jefferson High, highlight awards for district staff and students, and announce school-based vaccination clinics.

The updates matter because they affect families preparing for the next school year, outline capital improvements funded through local levies, and spotlight district efforts on literacy and career and technical education. Hosts said the newsletter contains more details on testing schedules and clinic dates.

Registration and eligibility: The district said preschool and kindergarten registration for the 2025–26 school year is open, with half-day, full-day and wrap-around care options at multiple district locations. The podcast noted that children who turn 5 by Sept. 15 are eligible for kindergarten and directed families to crschools.us/enroll for registration information.

State testing and superintendent message: Hosts said a full newsletter includes a message from Superintendent Dr. Grover and the schedule for the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). The podcast advised families to consult the newsletter for the complete ISASP testing schedule and for information about how to ask questions or provide feedback to the district.

Jefferson High renovation and funding: The episode reported a ceremonial groundbreaking earlier in the week at Jefferson High School for a major renovation. The district said the project will add updated spaces for career and technical education programs, including auto technology and aviation, and will create new freshman academy spaces. The podcast identified SAVE funding and the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) as the funding sources for the work.

Awards and program recognition: The podcast announced that Dr. Tara Troster was named the 2024 Administrator of the Year by the Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education. Hosts said Trosterwill represent Iowa at the Region 3 ACTE conference in June. The program segment also highlighted a national Education Week article that featured Cedar Rapids educatorsand described Roosevelt reading interventionist Jenny Fleeteras leading small-group, foundational reading instruction for older students.

Student achievements: The district celebrated Washington High Schoolspeech team's fourth consecutive state championship in group speech; the podcast said the team's choral reading performance, "Parable of 3 Roses," won the Critics Choice Award and that the team rang a victory bell and raised a new state banner. The episode also noted that Jefferson High's academic decathlon team was honored by the Cedar Rapids City Council for an extended string of state championships; the transcript presented conflicting counts (reported as both garbled "20 fifth" and "25 straight wins"), and the exact number of consecutive championships was not specified in the recording.

Vaccination clinics and paperwork: The podcast reminded families that school-based vaccine clinics will be held at middle and high schools ahead of the next school year. The district asked families to return required paperwork to their school nurse and to check the newsletter for clinic schedules.

The episode closed with hosts encouraging listeners to subscribe to the podcast and follow district social media for updates and reminders.