Week of September 8, 2025
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Principal's Message from Dr. Edwards
As we continue to enjoy some beautiful "fall" weather at the end of summer, I want to remind families that we do have a lost and found at school, and it tends to start getting full very quickly once students are wearing sweatshirts, jackets, etc. when they come to school. If your child loses something at school, encourage them to check the lost and found (located near the playground doors). We will typically keep things through the end of a quarter and then donate what remains.
If you haven't already signed up for a time to meet with your student's teacher, don't forget to use the link sent out by our teachers last Saturday morning. We are looking forward to a great day connecting with parents on September 17.
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats |
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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
Parent-Teacher Connection Day (NO STUDENTS)
Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 11a-6:30p
Sign-ups to meet with classroom teachers will be on ParentSquare at 10a on 8/30
Dental Safari Onsite
Thursday, Sept. 25
See Flyer Below
 
Happy Friday!
This week, I started going into 4th-grade classrooms to complete our quarter 1 anti-bullying lesson. We will be finishing up 4th-grade next week. For 4th-grade classes, I am reading the book "My Secret Bully" by Trudy Ludwig. Then we are discussing different types of conflict and ending the lesson with a true/false activity. Below are reminders and information about various programs at FES.
- In Indiana, Child Abuse Prevention Education is mandated in all public schools. Zoey's Place Child Advocacy Center is providing the child abuse prevention education for Mt. Vernon Community Schools during the 2025-2026 school year. Zoey's Place Child Advocacy Center partners with the Monique Burr Foundation to implement their comprehensive, research-based prevention program called MBF Child/Teen Safety Matters®. Students will participate in an engaging and age and developmentally appropriate classroom lesson that educates and empowers them to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to body safety and digital dangers. A trained facilitator will be implementing the program at MVCSC schools. To learn more about the program visit https://mbfpreventioneducation.org/why-use-our-programs/mbf-child-safety-matters/.
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Here is a link to the virtual parent information meeting that occurred on 8/21/2025. Please keep in mind that they did discuss K-12 programming, so for FES, you will want to focus on listening to the K-4 programming.
- Zoey's Place Child Advocacy Center will be visiting Fortville Elementary to educate students on body safety on September 11th and September 12th, 2025. Each presentation will be given in individual/combined classrooms at the elementary level and will last approximately 45-60 minutes. Although not required, each child's attendance in the program is strongly recommended. By working together, we can all play a part in preventing child sexual abuse. Thank you for your partnership in our efforts to keep the children of our community safe. All students at FES participate in the Body Safety lesson. Please contact the school counselor, Caitlin Crecelius, if you do not want your child to participate in the Body Safety lesson to obtain an opt-out form and fill it out by September 9, 2025. Any child who is not participating will be provided with alternate learning activities. If you have questions, please reach out to Caitlin Crecelius, School Counselor, at caitlin.crecelius@mvcsc.k12.in.us or ParentSquare or 317-485-3180 ext. 4112.
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We have a local church that will be donating new and gently used coats to our school. If your child does NOT have a winter coat and is needing one this season, please fill out the following form by the end of the school day on Tuesday, September 23rd (2:00pm). Please reference the sizing photo prior to putting in what size of coat your student needs, the church will be going off of this chart due to different brands having different sizes. This is ONLY for student(s) attending Fortville Elementary. The goal is for them to be distributed at the end of October.
- All requests must be submitted by the end of the school day on Tuesday, September 23rd (2:00pm).
- **If you have more than one student, attending Fortville Elementary, that is in need of a coat, fill out the form for each child.
- Coat Assistance Form
- Any student has the ability to request to come talk/meet with me. This week I went into all classrooms to explain where my office is located and how students can get a hold of me.
Upcoming events:
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1st Quarter Classroom Lesson: Bullying Prevention
- 4th Grade Lessons: 9/4-9/10
- 3rd Grade Lessons: 9/15-9/19
- 2nd Grade Lessons: 9/22-9/26
- 1st Grade Lessons: 9/29-10/3
- Kindergarten Lessons: 10/6-10/10
- Week of September 8th: Body Safety Presentations
- September 11th: 1st and 2nd grade presentations
- September 12th: Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th grade presentations
- 9/23: Coat Assistance Form Due
House Points Update
These students were chosen by their classroom teachers for this past month for “sticking together” and setting a positive example. We called them to the top of the Success Slide and gave each of them one of the gold tokens for our book vending machine which 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 to the Success Slide 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
I have loved the specific questions students have been asking lately when choosing books in the library! Helping students connect with books that interest them and they are confident in reading is the best part of my job. Ask your student(s) what book(s) they have enjoyed reading lately! You can always reach out to me if you find your student(s) might need a suggestion on what to read next.
"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 leave coverage teachers.
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 our building (this is separate from any other MV buildings). FES Volunteer Background Check Form
At MV, we have all of our instructional staff trained on TBRI, and we now have a Parent Resource Hub available to our families to access at any time.
Webinars on support and advocacy for parents of High ability students. https://nagc.org/page/webinars
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