Week of September 21, 2026
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Principal's Message from Dr. Edwards
Well, we are getting very close to reaching our fundraising goal (see PTO section below)—and very close to me having to kiss a pig. I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of so many FES families and friends who have supported our school. At the same time, I have to admit that I am a slightly appalled by how many people seem to have found the prospect of me kissing a pig to be such a powerful motivational tool. 😂
Thank you for your generosity (I think)... and, apparently, for your enthusiasm for porcine affection.
Also, with the rare event that two days will affect related arts in the same week (P/T Connection Day and Walkathon), be sure to note the SHINE calendar for how that class rotation will change for everyone next week.
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“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.” – Roald Dahl |
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Important Reminder: Field Trip Eligibility & SchoolCare
We have several field trips coming up, and all students must have a completed SchoolCare emergency card on file to attend off-campus field trips. This replaces the orange cards that used to be filled out at the beginning of the year. Please update your emergency contacts, medical details, etc. today at https://secure.caredox.com/enroll/mtvernoncscin.
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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. We are working together to meet the state accountability expectation and school goal of at least 95% attendance rate for every student.
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Important Dates
Walkathon Spirit Week
September 21-25
See flyer below
All Pro Dad Meeting
Tuesday, September 22 @ 5:00p in Treehouse
Parent/Teacher Connection Day (No School for Students)
Wednesday, September 23
Sign-ups sent in ParentSquare on 8/29
School Picture Retake Day
Thursday, September 24
Only for students new since the first picture day or whose parents signed up for retakes
Walkathon Event Day
Friday, September 25
Wear House Color Shirt
Related Arts Rotation Days
Happy Friday!
This week, I continued our bullying prevention classroom lessons by going into 4 out of the 5 3rd -grade classrooms for their lesson. The other class will have their lesson on Monday. During the lesson, I read a book called "Just Kidding" by Trudy Ludwig. Then we had a discussion about different kinds of conflicts and ended the lesson by doing a four-corners activity. Next week I will be going into second grade classrooms for their bullying prevention lesson.
Next week is a very busy week with Parent/Teacher Connection Day, Walk-a-thon, AND College GO! Week. In addition to the Walk-a-thon celebrations, classrooms will have an opportunity to play a mystery person/mascot game to celebrate College GO! Week. For Parent/Teacher Connection Day, I will be present in my office if you would like to talk, unless otherwise noted by my Yes/No sign outside my office (ask your student to explain).
Reminders:
- Any student has the ability to request to come talk/meet with me. Students ask their teachers to fill out a Let's Talk slip and bring it down to my office. If I am not currently available, students put the slip into my mailbox.
Upcoming events:
- 1st Quarter Classroom Lesson for all grades: Bullying Prevention
- College GO! Week: September 21st-25th
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
The temperatures might not feel like fall yet, but we are enjoying reading fall-themed books in the library! Ask your kindergarten student who the leaf thief is in The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming and illustrator Nicola Slater, and your 1st grade student can tell you how we fixed all of the mistakes in Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka and illustrator Chad Cameron. Second grade students listened to a sweet story of friendship in The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry and illustrators The Fan Brothers while 3rd grade students learned a little trick about how to tell which pumpkins have more seeds in How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara and illustrator G. Brian Karas. Fourth grade students figured out who the mystery character is in The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg as we start an author study of him for the next few weeks. Happy almost fall!
"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 not currently looking for a part-time 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 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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The Fortville Elementary School Walk-a-thon is coming on Friday, September 25!
We are soooooo close! As of this afternoon, we have collected $29,578.26!!! Since we are just a few hundred dollars away from reaching the $30K goal (and Dr. Edwards having to kiss a pig), we are extending the deadline for collecting docations through the weekend. Let's do this!
Also, the following classes are close to the next reward level and can still get there over the weekend!
Close to $500
Dean $440
Rigsbee $486
Close to $750
Koppang $715
Hufford $696
Close to $1000 (and pizza party)
Mace $901
Hoeppner $931
Friends and family can donate from anywhere and easily share their support for our FES Vikings.
FES Walk-a-Thon Online Donation Page
We also need volunteers! See the opportunities linked below.
General Donations (monetary donation for supplies)
Snacks Donations
Silly String Donations
Day of Event Volunteers
RSVP for our Volunteer Recruitment Event (flyer below)
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