Week of February 16, 2026
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Principal's Message from Dr. Edwards
With Valentine’s Day this weekend, we’re reminded that, far more than treats, cards, or special surprises, our students thrive when they feel deeply loved, consistently supported, and emotionally safe. When children know they are valued—at home and at school—they are more willing to take academic risks, build friendships, and grow through challenges. Thank you for the countless everyday ways you show steady love to your children: your time, your listening ear, your encouragement, and your setting and holding of boundaries. Those gifts last far longer than candy ever could.
Happy Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day!
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” ~ James Clear |
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District Curriculum Resource Adoption
Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation is considering the adoption of new social studies and FACS textbooks for the upcoming school year. The textbook adoption committee is recommending the below resources. 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 9th. The school corporation intends to seek board approval to purchase the resources at the March 9, 2026, school board meeting.
The committee is recommending Savvas Learning’s social studies textbooks for 5th grade, 7th grade Social Studies courses, and HS courses consisting of US History, World History, Econ., and History and Geography of the World. The committee recommends BFW Publishing’s textbook for AP Psychology. The FACS (Family and Consumer Science) department is recommending the G-W Publishers textbook for the new IDOE course Fundamentals of Human Services.
Lost and Found: If your student is missing something since the start of the year, please take a look at THIS LINK where we have pictures of individual items and a form you can submit if you see an item that you recognize.
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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 16
Staff Professional Development Day (No School)
Tuesday, February 17
Spring Picture Day
Tuesday, February 24
Happy Friday!
This week, I started going into 1st-grade classes to do a lesson on growth mindset. Next week, I will be going into the 1st-grade classrooms that I did not get to. For kindergarten classes this quarter, I am doing lessons on specific skills that their teachers felt would be helpful for their specific classes.
Below are reminders and information about various programs at FES.
- Hancock County is looking for all community members 14 years and older to fill out their 2026 Hancock County Community Health Needs Assessment by April 30th. Please see the attached flyer to access the survey.
- While 3rd and 4th-grade transition lunches were going to start this week, they were pushed back and will now start next week. During lunch, we will talk about things that they can continue and start doing this year to help them transition to their next grade level. These are 1-time lunches and do not repeat weekly.
- Any student has the ability to request to come talk/meet with me. All the student has to do is to ask their teacher to come meet with me.
Upcoming events:-
Q3 Classroom Lessons
- 1st: February 10th-19th
- KG: February 20-27th
House Points Update
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
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” - Emilie Buchwald
February 4th was World Read Aloud Day. There’s magic in reading books aloud to children, especially when you do the voices (you’ve got to do the voices) and they giggle at the pictures and you talk about the characters as if they’re your best friends. Once kids learn how to read on their own, this parent-child ritual often ends, but it shouldn’t. There are great benefits to reading aloud, even up to age 14.
"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 leave coverage resource teacher.
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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  Second Semester All Pro Dad Meetings:
January 23rd - Optimism
February 20th - Responsibility
March 13th - Patience
April 17th - Determination
May 22nd - Compassion
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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