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Fortville Elementary principal details programs to boost belonging, literacy and number sense
Summary
Principal Vince Edwards told the board Fortville Elementary emphasizes relationship‑building (TBRI), MTSS supports, a house system, mentoring and a weekly 'success slide' to recognize students; he said the school is tracking NWEA growth and aims to meet reading and number‑sense goals this year.
Vince Edwards, principal of Fortville Elementary School, briefed the Mount Vernon Board of School Trustees on Feb. 9 about programs the school uses to promote student belonging and academic growth.
Edwards described relationship‑focused practices including TBRI (Trust‑Based Relational Intervention) and daily social‑emotional instruction during the first 15 minutes of the school day. He said the school operates a house system that mixes grade levels for quarterly all‑house meetings, buddy‑class pairings, classroom jobs, mentoring led by related‑arts teachers, calming corners, and weekly celebrations that include a "success slide" recognition for roughly 30–35 students each week.
On academic supports, Edwards outlined a twofold MTSS approach: behavioral supports staffed by two behavior technicians and academic supports provided by a math specialist, reading specialist and a multilingual teacher; the school also employs a high‑ability teacher and uses pull‑out and push‑in models for instruction. He said Fortville uses NWEA to track student growth and is on track to exceed its reading growth targets this year; the school is also focusing on number‑sense essential learnings at each grade level.
Edwards said these strategies are part of the school improvement plan and that teachers intentionally track student progress so students can monitor their own growth. He thanked the board for district support and the new building.
Clarifying details: Edwards noted Fortville recognizes students weekly with a success slide and tokens redeemable at a book vending machine; the school typically recognizes about 30–35 students per week.
