MSD of Mount Vernon

Greetings!

It was exciting to have our students return to the buildings this week as we begin the second semester. Safety protocols will continue for the remainder of the year and may be adjusted upon guidance from the state or county health department. We anticipate disruptions again this semester due to Covid-19. However, the MSD of Mount Vernon is still committed to providing in-person education as much as possible for the remainder of the school year. 

Despite various disruptions due to quarantine our students performed well overall during the 1st semester. Academically, the @i-Ready diagnostic indicates our students experienced 76% median growth in reading and 66% median growth in math. At this time of year 50% median growth is expected. Athletically, our high school fall sports had an excellent season. Artistically, our fall play was wonderful and our band and choir sounded just as good as ever. Like many of you I wish we could have larger crowds to enjoy our students’ accomplishments. Until larger crowds are possible we will continue streaming many of our events through Facebook or the MVHS Athletic website. 

We look forward to another semester of success!

Dr. Matt Thompson

WEAREMV.ORG

ALL breakfast and/or lunch meals will continue to be available at NO CHARGE to ALL MSD of Mt. Vernon students.

The USDA has announced that the emergency waiver which allows ALL students to receive a free breakfast and lunch each day at school has been extended through the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

What to Expect: We are not changing the daily menu, the food items offered, or the meal service experience. Students will select the minimum required items to create a meal, and that meal will ring up at no charge. Students can still pay for ala carte items, second entrees, or second meals at current pricing. Families can leave funds in student lunch accounts to be used next semester. To qualify for textbook assistance, though, eligible families must still complete a free or reduced application.

Virtual Students: Free Grab and Go meals will continue to be available to virtual students this semester. Contact your child’s school to make arrangements for pickup times.

We appreciate the flexibility allowed by the USDA to help our families, and we thank you for your continued support for Mt. Vernon Schools!

• Did you know the MSD of Mt. Vernon has one of the few student hotspot programs in the area?    

• Did you know that this year (and next year) the MSD of Vernon is providing hotspots to students who do not have access?

• Did you know that, thanks to @SABIC, we provide drive up hotspots in various parking lots around Posey county?

• Did you know that we can also provide families with resources to get low cost broadband in their homes?

MSD of Mt. Vernon does all this and more! Information can be found here: ConnectMV.org!    

Please see the enclosed information regarding this school year's inclement weather plans.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fv0tggSlj-KcwOtGResm3C_DgdX3qdI8/view?usp=sharing

PARENT/GUARDIANS: :  The MSD of Mt. Vernon is expanding its GEER Internet Hotspot program to *any* MSD Mt. Vernon child enrolled in our district who has limited or no access to the Internet. Hotspots will be issued on a first come first serve basis.

Online Applications can be found here: tinyurl.com/MSDMVGEER or by printing, completing, and returning (to your school) the paper application here: tinyurl.com/MSDMVGEERPDF 

Call 812-833-2061 to have an application mailed to you.

FREE Breakfast and Lunch Meals for ALL Students

Effective tomorrow (Tuesday, September 15, 2020) ALL breakfast and/or lunch meals will be available at NO CHARGE to ALL MSD of Mt. Vernon students physically attending school.

On August 31, 2020, the USDA announced an emergency waiver which allows ALL students to receive a free breakfast and lunch each day at school. The Indiana Department of Education released guidance to Indiana school districts on September 9 allowing us to begin using the waiver effective immediately. Please note: This USDA waiver will be in effect until December 31, 2020 OR until available federal funding from USDA runs out, whichever comes first. Once the waiver ends or funds expire, breakfast and lunch meals will be charged to students normally.

What to Expect: We are not changing the daily menu, the food items offered, or the meal service experience. Students will select the minimum required items to create a meal, and the meal will ring up at no charge. Students can still pay for ala carte items, second entrees, or second meals at current pricing. Families can leave funds in student lunch accounts to be used next semester. To qualify for textbook assistance, though, eligible families must still complete a free or reduced application.

Virtual Students: At this time, we are not yet able to offer this service to our virtual students. The Food Service Department will be developing a workable plan to offer meals to our virtual students in the near future. Stay tuned for that plan!

We appreciate the flexibility allowed by the USDA to help our families, and we thank you for your continued support for Mt. Vernon Schools!

Full Document can be viewed here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YHjZ98s0rLdOpxiq2ET83IVwCS4myxhI/view?usp=sharing

Athletics are off to a strong start!

ALL IN isn’t a catch phrase, it’s a way of life. ALL IN means you completely invest yourself in what you are doing. It means you demand the best from yourself and those around you. It means you carry yourself with integrity and determination. It means wins and losses matter. 

Over the last year, our athletic teams have promoted ALL IN to our student athletes and it’s paying off. Our football team has started the season undefeated. Our volleyball team is state ranked. Our boys’ and girls’ soccer teams have winning records. Both cross country teams have competed well and dropped times. Girls’ golf finished 3rd out of 13 in the PAC. And our boys’ tennis team is showing improvement in each competition.  

We won’t win every game in every sport this year, but we will be ready to compete in every game in every sport. Our coaching staff has worked hard to prepare for this year. Many of them hosted Zoom workouts with their athletes during quarantine to ensure we didn’t miss a beat.  Once we were able to practice on campus, our athletes fully invested themselves in workouts and weight training to prepare for the year. 

Our head varsity coaches are diligently working with their respective feeder programs to ensure a long lasting culture of success. I encourage families to participate in our youth leagues throughout the year. It is important for our youth athletes to begin learning fundamentals and experience competition. Soon, they will be our varsity athletes competing for championships. 

The MSD of Mount Vernon is excited to welcome our students back in-person and virtually. The energy level of our students and staff this first day of school has been great! We intend to stay in school as long as we can and as much as we can this entire school year. As we move forward this year please remember, WE NEED YOUR HELP.

For families that are attending in-person, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please make sure you are screening your students each day before school. If they have a fever, please keep them home. We understand that childcare is a concern that often drives parents to medicate their children before they send them to school resulting in a reduced fever. We can’t afford to do that this year! The spread of COVID-19 could result in building closure for 2 to 3 weeks. It is much better for everyone if you keep your student home until they are fever free for 72 hours without medication. If your student contracts COVID-19 or has been ordered by the County Health Department to quarantine due to close contact, please contact your school nurse. 

For families that are attending virtually, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please make sure your student is logging in daily and completing assignments on time. As a reminder, elementary virtual classes will be on a bit of a delay in the beginning as the teacher will share lessons and information at the end of each school day. If you experience any technical issues, please make us aware of them so that we may address them. Establish a routine for your student to help keep them on track. Also, please be patient during the first few days of school as data entry occurs and technical problems get ironed out.

This year will be what we collectively make of it. We have great families and we have great teachers. If we all do our part, it will be great school year!  

Welcome to MSDMV's Virtual Classroom Option!

See the enclosed letter from Dr. Matt Thompson 

Click below:

See the enclosed reopening letter.  Question should be directed to your child's school once they reopen.  

Preparing For Fall 2020

At this time, it is hard to anticipate what the fall of 2020 will look like for schools. We all want a return to normalcy, but we also understand there is a significant possibility our normal routines may be interrupted again. Much of what we do will be dictated by the Governor’s executive orders regarding schools over the next few months. 

Currently, we are developing plans for a return to school with additional safety measures, as well as a potential return to school using eLearning. Our teachers are training to develop and implement eLearning lessons, should they be necessary in the fall. Below you will find steps we are taking to ensure we can provide continuous education. If eLearning is mandated, we will provide detailed information to families as soon as possible. 

*Every student will receive an electronic device to take home
*We will provide satellite locations to receive Wi-Fi in areas without internet coverage
*We will provide instructions to parents and students on how to access Google Classroom and Google Meet
*Teachers will record lessons and post them in Google Classroom
*Teachers will use Google Meet to host live class sessions daily and record those sessions for those unable to attend the live session
*Teachers will be available to meet with students or parents face to face using Google Meet.
*Paper packets will still be available upon request

No matter what the fall throws at us, we will be prepared to deliver the best education possible to your student. We have the best teachers and they are working hard to ensure our students don’t miss a beat. 

Stay healthy!

Congratulations to the MVHS Class of 2020! 
Click Here for Virtual Honors Night!

Free Grab and Go lunches will continue to be available to anyone ages 18 and under at three of our school locations every weekday through Friday, May 22.

Grab and Go meals are being handed out from 11:30 - 12:30 each day at the front entrances of Marrs Elementary, West Elementary, and Mt. Vernon Senior High School.

The child does NOT have to be present for the meal to be provided to the responsible adult.  You can come to any of these locations to pick up a meal:   Marrs, West, or the High School.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Join us for our community blood drive to help satisfy the urgent need for blood in the midst of COVID-19.

April 24, 2020
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
MVJHS Main Gym - Enter through door 16

2020 04 08 Grab 

Free Grab and Go lunches will continue to be available to anyone ages 18 and under at three of our school locations every weekday, with the exception of Good Friday, April 10, when lunch will not be served.  On Thursday, April 9, though, we will be giving each child two (2) Grab and Go lunches to cover both Thursday and Friday.

Grab and Go meals are being handed out from 11:30 - 12:30 each day at the front entrances of Marrs Elementary, West Elementary, and Mt. Vernon Senior High School.

The child does NOT have to be present for the meal to be provided to the responsible adult.  You can come to any of these locations to pick up a meal: Marrs, West, or the High School.

Again, we will NOT be serving lunch on Good Friday, April 10, but will hand out two meals per child on Thursday, April 9.