Week of February 23, 2026
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Principal's Message from Dr. Edwards
This was a bit of an unusual week, but the long weekend provided a helpful pause as we continue through the heart of winter. Tuesday’s professional development day brought our district’s instructional staff together for meaningful learning—hearing best practices, reflecting on our approaches, and planning how we can do our important work even better for students. We are truly grateful for the support of our families and School Board in making this dedicated day of growth and focus possible.
I would also like to give a reminder at this point in the year about our drop-off and pick-up procedures. I know the majority of our parents are very conscientious about helping us ensure things go smoothly and safely, but there are a couple of issues that have occurred more than once recently. Please do not cut the line by trying to pull into the main gate entrance after the car rider line has started. Also, once the warning bell rings at 7:32a and our staff members come back into the building to get ready to start the day, parents needs to park and sign your student in at the front office (door 1). Please do not drop students off at the the curb when we do not have staff outside. Thank you for your attention to these matters.
“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer |
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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
Spring Picture Day
Tuesday, February 24
IREAD Testing
2nd Grade: Week of March 2
3rd Grade: Week of March 9
MVIS Parent and Student Preview Night
Thursday, March 12th 6:00-7:00pm
MVIS Gym
Last Day of Quarter 3
Friday, March 13
Spring Break (No School)
March 16-27
Happy Friday!
This week, I finished going into 1st-grade classrooms for a lesson on growth mindset. Next week, I will be going into kindergarten lessons. Each classroom will be getting a lesson that is tailored to a skill that their teacher thought would be helpful for me to teach.
4th-grade parents: Yesterday afternoon, information was sent to you via ParentSquare about a parent and student preview and information night for MVIS. If you have not seen this information, please let me know, and I can send you the flyer.
Below are reminders and information about various programs at FES.
- 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:
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Q3 Classroom Lessons
- MVIS Parent and Student Preview Night: March 12th 6:00-7:00pm MVIS Gymnasium
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
Now that the American Library Association announced the winners of the 2026 Youth Media Awards, I am sharing some of the winners with students this week. All students have been discussing what makes a picture book worthy of the Caldecott medal, and I read one of the 2026 Caldecott Honor winners, Every Monday Mabel written and illustrated by Jashar Awan with kindergarten through 2nd grade students. I also shared another 2026 Caldecott Honor winner, Our Lake by Angie Kang with 3rd and 4th grade students. Check out the list of winners if you need ideas on what books to check out from your local library or add to your home 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 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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