Week of February 17, 2025
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Principal's Message from Dr. Edwards
Happy Valentine's Day and holiday weekend! I wanted to share out regarding our brand new Robotics Competition Team. Mrs. Thorla has spearheaded this effort, and we were able to get a grant to cover costs related to this start up. Our team members have worked hard with Mrs. Thorla for weeks and were able to compete this past weekend representing FES. Their first competition took place at Fall Creek Valley Middle School where there were 62 teams. We had 8 matches, plus 3 skills competitions. Our 2 teams placed 26th and 42nd. Not bad for the first time ever! ;) The team has another competition this weekend, too. I believe they learned a lot and had fun along the way, and I'm looking forward to helping build this program as another opportunity for our amazing students at MV moving forward.
 
Also, we continue to struggle with illnesses right now affecting student and staff attendance. Please see the graphic below from our health team regarding when students need to be kept home. We are hoping the long weekend will help things look a lot better by Wednesday. ;)
 
“There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others.” — Michelle Obama |
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District Science Resource Adoption
Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation is considering the adoption of new science textbooks and resources for the upcoming school year. A science textbook adoption committee has come to a consensus on recommending the below resources for district science courses. Parents and community members may preview the resources in the administration building's main office between the hours of 8:30am-3:30pm until March 10th. The school corporation intends to seek board approval to purchase the resources at the March 10, 2025 school board meeting.
The committee is recommending Generation Genius an online supplemental resource for grades K-6. More information can be found at https://www.generationgenius.com/.
The committee is recommending McGraw-Hill’s Actively Learn Science an online supplemental resource for 7th grade science. More information can be found at https://www.activelylearn.com/
The committee is recommending McGraw-Hill’s Inspire Science textbooks for 8th grade science, HS Physics, HS Chemistry, HS ICP (Integrated Chemistry and Physics), and HS Earth/Space.
The committee is recommending Pearson’s College Physics: A Strategic Approach 4e for the HS AP Physics course and Pearson’s Biology in Focus 4e for the HS Biology 101 course.
The district MLL (multi-lingual learner) team is considering adopting English 3D® from HMH as an online resource for MS MLL. More information can be found at https://www.hmhco.com/programs/english-3d. The school corporation intends to seek board approval to purchase the resource at the March 10, 2025 school board meeting.
Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation's novel list committee is considering seeking school board approval for five (5) novels to be added novel list. The novels being requested are; The Wild Robot (3rd grade), The Homework Machine (5th grade), Chains (5th grade), And Then, Boom (6th grade), and Wink (6th grade). Parents and community members may preview the novels in the administration building's main office between the hours of 8:30am-3:30pm until March 10th. The school corporation intends to seek the school board's approval of the novel committee’s recommendation at the March 10, 2025 school board meeting.
Please direct any comments, questions, or concerns to Dr. Scott Shipley at scott.shipley@mvcsc.k12.in.us or 317-485-3100.
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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, Valentine's Day, and 3/4 Day Weekend!
This week I went into 2nd-grade classes for their classroom lesson. For the lesson, we read a book called, "The Invisible Boy" by Trudy Ludwig. This book gives a visual story of what it looks like to be left out/not noticed. After reading the book, we talked about including others and how when we include others that doesn't mean we don't still have our other friendships. Then 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! We discussed that we want to make sure that we are including others but that we should also have healthy boundaries in friendships/relationships.
Next week I will be going into 1st-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
- 1st-Grade: 2/20-2/26
- KG: 2/24-2/28
- Q4: Mrs. Crecelius on Maternity Leave
FES Staff Favorite Vacation:- Mrs. Feltman's (4th-grade Teacher, Green House) favorite vacation is in any Tampa, Clearwater, St Pete or Fort Myers beaches located in Florida!
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
All students are learning about and celebrating Black History Month in the library for the remainder of the month of February. Students are listening to stories by Black authors and illustrators that feature Black characters and historical figures. Here are some of our favorite biographies honoring the achievements of African Americans available in the library:
     
"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
Contact us at: fortville.elementary.pto@gmail.com
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