Week of February 10, 2025
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Principal's Message from Dr. Edwards
It was great to see so many people come out to the 1st Grade Literacy Night on Thursday, and we had a terrific turnout for the open times at the book fair. We are just three weeks away from IREAD-3 testing for our 2nd and 3rd graders and only five weeks from Spring Break! These next few weeks are critical for student learning, and we truly appreciate your efforts to ensure your children are well-rested and ready for school each day. To those who have been dealing with the various illnesses making the rounds this winter—students, staff, and families alike—you have my sympathies. Thank you for keeping a close eye on your child’s health and keeping them home when necessary to help limit the spread of germs. Strong daily attendance is key to making sure students receive the instruction they need.
Tonight is the PTO’s Suits and Sequins event—I hope everyone attending has a fantastic time! And whether you’re watching for the game or just the commercials (or just because you are a Swiftie), enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend!
“When accessing all information is common, paying attention to important information is rare." -- James Clear |
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The School Smiles dentist is returning to our school on March 3rd for dental cleanings. If you missed the dentist’s first visit, there is still time to get your student signed up for our upcoming visit! Please visit https://schoolsmiles.com/student-signup/ to sign-up today! A new form needs completed each school year to remain in the program, but if you have already completed a form for the 2024-25 school year, you do not need to sign-up again. School Smiles accepts Medicaid, private insurance, and offers self-pay rates for those who may be uninsured.
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Reporting Absences
Please assist us by being sure to call our office at 317-485-3180 or email elizabeth.thomas@mvcsc.k12.in.us if your student is going to be absent. With state reporting, we have to assign specific codes for every absence, and it saves our office staff a lot of time each day if we don’t have to call to follow-up on students that are marked absent by their teachers. And please be sure to provide the documentation required for qualifying absences to be marked as excused in a timely manner.
MV Absence Policy Infographic
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Important Dates
Presidents Day -- No School
Monday, February 17th
Teacher Professional Development Day -- No School for Students
Tuesday, February 18th
Spring Picture Day
Tuesday, February 25th
(see flyer below -- NOTE: only for new students or those who have paid in advance)
School Smiles (Dental) On Site
Monday, March 3rd
(advance sign-up required)
 
Happy Friday!
This week I went into 3rd-grade classes for their classroom lesson. For the lesson, we read a book called "Capybara is Friends with Everyone" by Maddie Frost. This book gives a cute visual to teach students that it is healthy to have boundaries in friendships. After the reading, we discussed five different kinds of boundaries and what it looks like to be on either side of the boundary line. Attached is a link to a slide deck that reviews the different kinds of friendship boundaries that I am teaching/reviewing with students. You can view it and use the same language at home for more of a home-to-school connection!
Next week I will be going into 2nd-grade classes for their classroom lesson.
Below are reminders from my office:
- MVCSC is now partnering with Indy Hygiene Hub. This organization provides hygiene packs to schools to hand out to students/families. The packs include soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, and deodorant. If you are in need of the items in these packs please reach out to me, Mrs. Crecelius through email or ParentSquare and I can get you connected with a pack.
- If you have gotten a pack and need a refill, please reach out!
- Any student can request to talk/meet with me. All teachers have a "Let's Talk" form in their classrooms that students can fill out and put in the red mailbox outside my office. Once I get a paper, I meet with the student as soon as possible.
- As we move into the new year, I wanted to share some news that FES families may or may not know about, as well as our plan for the second semester. Some of you may know through your students but my husband and I are expecting our first child over Spring Break. If all goes well, the plan is for me to be on maternity leave from March 31st through the end of the school year.
Upcoming events:
- Q3: Classroom Lesson - Friendships
- 2nd-Grade: 2/10-2/14
- 1st-Grade: 2/20-2/26
- KG: 2/24-2/28
- Q4: Mrs. Crecelius on Maternity Leave
FES Staff Favorite Vacation:- Miss. Billstrom's (4th-grade Teacher, Purple House) favorite travel location is El Salvador!
These students were chosen by their classroom teachers for this past month for “sticking together” and setting a positive example. We called them down to the cafeteria and gave each of them one of the gold tokens for our book vending machine they were able to use to choose a book to keep. We are so proud of these great kids and the great choices they make each day!
These students were called down to the cafeteria on Friday to be recognized for something from the week (being a great helper, working hard, demonstrating growth in a skill, etc.) Thanks for being valuable contributors to our Viking community!
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MV Reads: News from the Library
Mrs. Jennifer Leavell, FES Teacher Librarian
A huge thank you to all FES students, families, faculty, and staff for a very successful Book Fair! I loved experiencing the excitement of Book Fair all week and connecting students with books. A special thank you to all of our parent volunteers for helping everything run so smoothly! Happy reading!
"Be a Substitute Teacher" and MV Employment
Fortville Elementary is a great place to work, and we would love to have you join our team. You can apply on the MV Employment website. We are currently looking for a High Intensity IA.
And we always need substitute teachers! Subs apply through Kelly Education Services (information below).
- To learn more or apply for substitute teacher positions at Mt. Vernon, please contact Kelly Education by completing this Inquiry Form and a recruiter will follow up with you. For questions, please call 800-991-5157, option 2.
- Kelly Services will guide the applicant how to obtain a substitute permit issued by the Indiana Department of Education (~$17) and a background check (~$28).
- Kelly Services will then share a short orientation video that will show you how to choose the jobs of your choice at Mt. Vernon and how to see the incentive offers.
Help Support FES Year-round
Help our school get a share of the money that many of America’s best companies are giving to K-12 education. SchoolStore.com is an online shopping mall where over 400 merchants have agreed to give a percentage of every sale to schools. This includes companies like Walmart, Best Buy, Old Navy, Kohl’s, etc. Just go to the website and then to the merchant websites you normally order from and help us earn rewards. The SchoolStore fundraiser is 100% online so there is NO face-to-face selling, handling money, or delivering products.
Go to https://www.schoolstore.net/sid.t?0000177219 to sign up. If you have questions about how to participate, reach out to our office. Once you are registered, invite family, friends and co-workers to support your child and our school.
Parent Resources
To be a chaperone on a field trip or to volunteer in the classroom regularly, you must have a clear background check from the current school year on file with the district. MVCSC Volunteer Background Check Form
Webinars on support and advocacy for parents of High ability students. https://nagc.org/page/webinarsParents want to help their children succeed and navigating the current educational landscape can be challenging when your child is a high achiever, creative thinker, or high ability/gifted learner. The Indiana Academy presents the Gifted Education Series for Parents; programs take place at 7:00 p.m. eastern.
Understanding My Gifted Child- watch archive Helping My Gifted Child Succeed-Wednesday, December 4-Register Now Perfectionism and My Gifted Child-Wednesday, January 22-Register Now Supporting My Highly Intelligent Child-Wednesday, March 5-Register Now Resources for Gifted Students: A Parent Guide-Wednesday, May 14-Register Now
From the Technology Department: We're excited to remind you about the valuable partnership between Mt. Vernon Schools and Qustodio! This collaboration provides you with insights into your child's online activities and allows you to manage certain aspects of their school-issued devices at home.
For more details, please check out this ParentSquare post from earlier this year.
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The FES PTO spirit wear store is always open to help with your FES and MV apparel desires.
LINK for Fortville Elementary Designs LINK for MV Designs
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