We are thankful for the great support we have received from our community during this pandemic. It has been challenging beyond expectations for us all and we appreciate everything that you are doing for students to keep them engaged and learning as much as possible. Last week, we launched a community survey through a new platform called ThoughtExchange. This platform allows participants to share their thoughts related to a posed essential question and for all other participants to “rate” the thoughts of one another. This is powerful in that not only can we see the thinking and opinions of our stakeholders, we can also learn how our stakeholders as a group feel about their thoughts and opinions! We look forward to sharing some of this information with you very soon.
As we move into the next semester on Tuesday, January 19, we will need to decide if we are going to continue our current alternative schedule for in-person students for a few more weeks. Not only that, we will want to communicate our intentions regarding allowing students to experience Mt. Vernon learning in a 100% virtual setting for the second semester.
Our plan is to gather your thoughts as described above and share with our community our plans for the second semester schedule by Tuesday, December 22 via ParentSquare. I wish you and your family a wonderful time together over winter break. Take a breath, relax, and make some great memories with your children.
Future Growth Plan
Our very next decision for our Future Growth Plan is to determine whether we should renovate our current administration building back into a state of the art PK-4 elementary school, or build a new elementary school in a location yet to be determined. Of course, there are many other variables and different sequences of construction with each of the solutions, so we are excited to get this decision made and begin planning the scope and sequence of all of our work in the coming years. The MVCSC Board of Trustees had a great discussion at this week’s board meeting and tabled the decision to the regular board meeting in January when two new board members will join our three current remaining board members.
As we work our plan to reconfigure our grade levels bringing the Fortville Elementary building back online as an intermediate school (grades 5 & 6), we realize that details of other projects need to be ironed out. During the November School Board Meeting and subsequent community Dual Track presentations in early December, we discussed the many factors that play into a change as significant as increasing enrollment by 50% over the course of ten years.
Stay tuned and informed! We have shared a great deal of information including survey data from the virtual town hall meetings on our Future Growth Plan webpage under the “Community” tab. Our school board meetings are streamed live on our YouTube channel which is linked in the footer of mvcsc.k12.in.us.
MVCSC Board Members Step Down
MVCSC would like to recognize long-time MVCSC Board Members Mike McCarty (since 2013) and Beth Smith (since 2017). They have made the decision to step down from the Mt. Vernon School Board of Trustees after this current term. Their dedication to Mt. Vernon students, staff, and the community have been nothing short of inspirational. Both have brought unique talents and perspectives to the leadership of MVCSC, and the school district has benefited from their wisdom and guidance.
At the December 2020 School Board Meeting, McCarty and Smith were presented with rocking chairs that had a personalized plaque labeling their years of service. All school board members shared their gratitude for McCarty and Smith’s commitment to Mt. Vernon and shared how much they have enjoyed their time with them. MVCSC would like to thank Mike McCarty and Beth Smith for their leadership and instrumental roles in guiding the district. Through their unique expertise, guidance, and love for the Mt. Vernon community, the district has been able to further the mission of engaging, educating and empowering students to seize tomorrow’s opportunities.
Snow Day Assignment
Our very first snow day this week was declared an eLearning day for MVCSC students and staff. The day was dedicated as a catch-up day and students were asked to complete one unusual assignment:
“All students and staff will experience virtual learning from their homes. Today will be dedicated for review and catch-up on assignments. All students have only one new assignment today. Students will use the scientific process in planning appropriate clothing to remain warm and dry while spending time outside. Once this hypothesis has been identified, and appropriate attire has been secured, students will be expected to test their theory by going outdoors and playing in the snow.
Step two of this assignment will be to practice the skills of estimation and measurement when throwing snowballs at one another while maintaining a minimum of 6’ of distance with others outside of their household. When being hit with said snowball, students are expected to practice their social skills and to use their good words. Extra credit can be earned by helping to shovel sidewalks and/or driveways.” - Dr. Parker
The assignment was received by all with astounding favor. It’s the simple things in life that need to be celebrated during challenging times. Sometimes, getting back to the basics can provide much needed brain-breaks and pure joy. Here is a video that staff put together of some of the comments and pictures submitted on our district's social media.
Chromebook Care
The student Chromebook breakage is getting worse and several parts are on backorder. The timeframe to get devices back to students is taking over 30 to 60+ days. A couple reminders to prevent some issues being seen:
- Keep food and drink away from the Chromebook.
- Use clean hands before using the Chromebook.
- Regularly clean the Chromebook; you can use a soft, slightly damp cloth to wipe the keyboard, screen and outside of case.
- Take care of the screen and keyboard; do not pick off the keys. They are nearly impossible to put back on and usually the whole keyboard needs to be replaced ($90.00 without protection plan).
- Always hold the Chromebook with two hands and do not walk or move the Chromebook while screen is open.
- Never leave the Chromebook on the floor.
- Keep pens, pencils, crayons off of the Chromebook. Cracked screens often occur when students leave something on top of the keyboard and then try to close the screen.
JackParkerBlog.com
I have developed a personal blog to share my insights and beliefs of education, students, learning, and leadership. Take a look if you have a minute.
Sincerely,
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MVCSC, 1806 W. State Road 234, Fortville, IN 46040 ~ (317) 485-3100