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District

FES Newsletter 4.26.26

Posted Date: 04/24/26 (03:55 PM)


Week of April 27, 2026
Principal's Message from Dr. Edwards
Another week has passed quickly, and we are (incredibly) just over a month away from the end of the school year.  There were a lot of Earth Day activities, baby chicks, state testing, field trips, etc. to fill these days, and I want to share our appreciation for the good parenting work so many put in to help support your students with challenges, focus on growth, and hold them accountable for their actions.  We have a lot of valuable days for this school year in front of us, and we want them to be the best they can be.


“All really great things are happening in slow and inconspicuous ways." -- Leo Tolstoy



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. 



 

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




  Important Dates  

ILEARN Testing
3rd Grade:
  April 21, 24, 28
4th Grade:  April 20, 23, 27, 30



 

Happy Friday!

This week, I went into 2nd-grade classrooms to complete their quarter 4 lesson. For this lesson, we talked about positive self-talk. I read a book called "A Little Spot Needs Positive Thinking" by Diane Alber. After reading the book, we talked about how our brains get so many thoughts a day, and we have to figure out which thoughts are true and which are false. We also talked about how sometimes we need to 'trick' our brains into believing positive true things about us - how we need to override the false thoughts. Students then wrote down four "I am..." statements and completed a self-portrait. Next week, I will be going into 1st-grade classrooms to complete a quarter 4 lesson on self-talk. 

MVCSC has a partnership with a therapy company called Cartwheel. One part of the partnership is that we have access to webinars that they host. Recently, they hosted a webinar titled, "5 Keys to Helping Your Child with ADHD Thrive". If you would like access to watch the recording of the webinar, please reach out, and I can send it to you. 

Hancock Community Information:
  • Love, INC – Will sponsor a FREE financial education series at Park Chapel
    Church on Tuesday evenings, 6-7:30pm, from May 5-June 16. Dinner and
    childcare will be provided. Sign-up is required and will be accepted through
    April 27th. To sign up – call 317-468-6300, text 317-747-0302, or email
    cristy@loveinc-ghc.org
  • Free Legal Help – Lawyers in the Library” – Talk to a lawyer and get free
    legal advice and help with court forms. *CIVIL MATTERS ONLY*
    Individuals should bring any paperwork connected to their case, matter, or
    question. April 28, 5-7pm @ the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W.
    McKenzie, Greenfield. Remote consultations are also available. To learn
    more or register for a meeting with a lawyer at hcplibrary.org This
    program is in collaboration with the law firm of Faegre Drinker Biddle &
    Reath, Indiana Legal Services, and Pro Bono Indiana

Below are reminders and information from previous newsletters: 

  • 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 ask their teacher to come meet with me.
Upcoming events:
  • Quarter 4 classroom lessons: 
    • 1st-grade: Week of 4/27
    • Kindergarten: Week of 5/4

House Points Update



Student ShoutOuts

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!


MV Reads: News from the Library

Mrs. Jennifer Leavell, FES Teacher Librarian

Only four books left in our 25-26 Battle of the Books Tournament! Ask your student which two books they are hoping make it to our final round! I shared various books about topics surrounding Earth Day this week with all grade levels. As we approach the end of the school year, it’s so important for all of our library books to make it back to us to complete a full inventory over the summer. Please be mindful of those overdue/fine notices sent out each Monday morning.


PLEASE PAY LIBRARY FINES BEFORE THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

Please return overdue books as soon as possible. Parents can pay for lost/damaged library books via MVCSC’s eFunds link.  Click on PAY for Optional Fees, then choose Lost/Damaged Library Books. Thank you for your support in returning overdue books and paying library fines before the end of the school year.

LAST CHECKOUT DATE: FRIDAY, MAY 8th; ALL LIBRARY BOOKS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, MAY 15th

 
 
"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 do not currently have any openings.

And we always need substitute teachers! Subs apply through Kelly Education Services (information below).
  1. 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.
  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).
  3. 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

Don't Forget to Order This Year's School Pictures

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CODE: S2610OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2026

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What a great first Family Fun Fest in our new building!  We are always looking for how we can do things better, so we would love to hear feedback from you!  Please take a few minutes to complete THIS SURVEY for our planning for next year.


And as we get ready for Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8), we want to shower our staff with love!  We are planning a "Friends" themed week of ways to help make our appreciation evident (see flyers below for ways you and your students can get involved).

We are looking for parent donations of any vases or mason jars you might have sitting around your house that you might be looking to part ways with.  (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!)   Please drop them off in the school office by May 1st. 
Also, for that week, we are looking for Recess Coverage Parent Volunteers to be able to provide a break from recess coverage for all our classroom teachers on Monday, May 4.  Please SIGN UP HERE.





 
 
Second Semester All Pro Dad Meetings:
January 23rd - Optimism
February 20th - Responsibility
March 13th - Patience
April 17th - Determination
May 22nd - Compassion
Mt. Vernon Flyers

Community Flyers