News and Information
Buildings to Delay Opening Friday
In order that ALL EVSC employees may have the opportunity to attend a corporation-wide meeting Friday, Aug. 8, building opening will be delayed. Lincoln Elementary, EVSC's year-round school, will operate on a two-hour delay. Doors will oepn at 9:15 a.m. for walkers; and before-school daycare will continue on its normal schedule. All other buildings will re-open at 10:30 a.m.
EVSC Students Heading Back to Classes Soon
It’s that time of the year again - a time that students, parents and teachers look forward to - the first day of school. Students in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation will head back to school for the 2008-2009 school year Monday, August 11. Lincoln Elementary, the EVSC's only year-round school, began its classes on July 23.
Below is general information parents/guardians should know before the first day of classes. For complete information, click the button to the right labeled "Back to School Info."
School Supplies
Each school, and in fact each teacher, has a specific list of supplies for their students. BuiGenerally, elementary school teachers will hand out a supply list at the end of the previous school year, or send one in the mail over the summer. Middle and high school students usually are notified of what school supplies are needed on the first day of school. Check school websites as many schools have posted supplies needed by grade level. Also watch the media for announcements about school supply giveaways. Many organizations have partnered with the EVSC to provide supplies and other back to school items for those in need.
Bus Transportation
Bus transportation is offered to nearly every student in the EVSC. However, elementary students who live a mile or less from the school; middle school students who live within a mile and a half of their school; and high school students who live two miles or less from the school are considered to be within walking distance and bus service is not provided. To identify pick-up points and bus schedules, parents/guardians are asked to contact the Office of Transportation at 435-8263. If parents/guardians plan to drop students off at school, the EVSC asks that they contact the school to identify proper drop-off and pick-up locations and times.
Medications/Immunizations/Physical Examinations
For those students requiring medication, a parent/guardian must complete a Medication Permission Form and personally take the medication to the school office. (Students are not allowed to bring medication to school.) Permission forms can be found on the EVSC website or obtained at the school office. Students entering the EVSC for the first time, and those who are entering kindergarten, sixth or ninth grade must have written documentation of a physical examination by a physician or nurse practitioner. A tuberculosis test also is recommended. Physical examination forms are available at the schools or online at www.evscschools.com. In addition to examinations, students must have certain immunizations, which are required by Indiana State Law. When a child enrolls in any EVSC school for the first time, written proof of immunizations must produced, or parents/guardians must have on file a current religious or medical exemption.
Questions regarding medications, immunizations, physical examinations or other health-related topics, should be directed to the Office of Health Services & Wellness at 435-8279.
Meals
Breakfast and lunch are available on regularly scheduled days in the EVSC’s five high schools, 10 middle schools and 20 elementary schools. Breakfast and lunch times are scheduled by the school administrative staff.The price for elementary school breakfast is $1 and elementary school lunch is $1.50 for students. Students in middle and high school also pay $1 for breakfast and $1.75 for regular lunch.
Extended Daycare Services
The ED Center (Extended Day Center) Program is available for children who need care before and/or after school. Children may attend before school from 6:30 a.m. until school starts and from the end of the school day until 6 p.m. Any child enrolled in elementary school, K-5, is eligible to attend on a first-come, first-served basis.
The fee on a weekly basis is $13 per week for the morning program only, $30 per week for the afternoon only, and $43 per week, per child, for both morning and afternoon. In addition, parents who normally do not utilize extended daycare do have the opportunity to use the program, if needed. The fee on a daily basis is $6.50 per day (am only) per child and $11.50 per day (pm only) per child for the afternoon program. For more information regarding extended daycare services, call 435-8435.
Orientation Dates
Schools are hosting orientation for students entering kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade. Call your school to determine the exact day and time.
New Student Enrollment Dates
In addition to orientation dates, each school will set aside a day specifically for enrolling students who have recently moved into the district. Please contact your school for that information.
Textbook Rental OptionsParents of students enrolled in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation this year will have options for payment of textbook rental fees through Old National Bank. Elementary schools (except Lincoln) and all middle schools will participate in the new program and parents will have the option of making their payments at any Old National Bank branch in Vanderburgh County; through a mail-in Old National Bank lockbox location (Old National Bank, PO Box 267, Evansville, IN 47702-0267); or directly at the school. At the high school level, Reitz High School and North High School will pilot the program this year. Click on the "Back to School Info" button at the top of the right-hand column to see exact textbook rental amounts.
Community Organizations Collect School Supplies
Numerous community organizations are in the midst of Back-to-School collections of school supplies and clothing for those in need. Families in need of these items, who are not able to attend any of the events planned, should contact their school or the Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships at 435-8457.
Organizations are hosting events to hand out donated school supplies to children in the Evansville community who may not be able to afford everything needed. Those who are collecting items and are not planning an event for distribution in most cases will be donating those items to the EVSC’s Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships, who will distribute them to the schools. Events that are planned include:
-New Hope Baptist Church, Indiana Black Expo, Inc. and USA Fund – The groups are partnering to collect items for students in the entire Evansville community. Anyone in need of school supplies can pick up items Saturday, August 9, from noon to 2 p.m. at New Hope Baptist Church.
-Forest Hills Baptist Church – Parishioners and various local businesses have been collecting items and will distribute them Sunday, August 10, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Helfrich Park Middle School. Free haircuts are planned at this time, as well.
-Old National Bank – The bank is hosting “Backpack Attack,” a drive to collect school supplies for students in the Evansville community. The bank will donate the backpacks to the EVSC Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships.
-Evansville IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) – The group is collecting school supplies for its August community service event.
-The Coalition of Inner-city Neighborhoods (COIN) – The group is hosting its annual Back to School Fling Saturday, August 9, at the C-Rec & Education Center, Greater St. James Church, 484 South Governor Street, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
-Young Professionals Association will be collecting school supplies and donating them to the EVSC Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships.
-Toyota Logistics Services will be collecting supplies and donating them to the EVSCCenter for Family, School and Community Partnerships.
In addition to the organizations, numerous others organizations donate to a specific school or neighborhood including the following: Mt. Zion Baptist Church collects supplies for students in that congregation and the surrounding neighborhood. Gethsemane Temple collects supplies for students at Delaware Elementary School and Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare collects items for students at Lincoln Elementary School. St. Lucas United Church of Christ provides backpacks and school supplies for all school-age children at Lucas Place Transitional Housing (part of ECHO housing.)
School supplies aren’t the only thing students might need to go back to school. The PTA clothing bank, located at Washington Middle School (but open to students from ALL schools), 1801 Washington Avenue, will begin setting up appointments for children after Aug. 18. The clothing bank has clothing and school supplies that have been donated by individuals or through the Back-to-School Blitz sponsored by the Evansville Courier & Press. Many of the schools have mini clothing banks that are through individual donations. Those in need should ask at their school.
EVSC Foundation Created
A new foundation has been formed by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation to create a mechanism by which individuals, organizations and businesses can donate to fund particular EVSC programs or to create a sustained income to accomplish the core focus of the EVSC – student success.
The Foundation is legally authorized to receive funds from donations, restricted or unrestricted gifts, endowments, trusts, bequests, and up to $25,000 annually from the school corporation. The Foundation also may hold a donation as a permanent endowment.
“The Foundation will work to gather gifts from a wide range of individual, corporate, and foundation donors. The money raised will fund programs those donors wish to support,” said Rudy Montejano, EVSC chief of staff and acting executive director of development. “In addition, some individuals or organizations may want their donation to fund an endowment.”
According to Montejano, endowments are important because they create sustained, long-range income for school programs. The monies donated are invested and then the core initiatives of the school district – professional development, technology, early childhood education, innovative school models and family, school and community partnerships - will have the necessary funding in perpetuity.
The EVSC Foundation will work in cooperation with the Public Education Foundation and will continue to support its funding and development efforts for a variety of programs and projects of the EVSC. "We are so grateful for the support the PEF has given us over the years and look forward to continuing that relationship," Montejano said. "The EVSC Foundation will be a way for the EVSC to fund long-range goals of the corporation year after year, through endowments, trusts, and major donations."
Montejano said the EVSC Foundation is formed pursuant to the 2005 Indiana code legislation that allows public school corporations to establish a public school foundation. The foundation is located at the EVSC Administration Building, but will operate independently of the school corporation as required by law. Such legal arrangement will avoid co-mingling of public funds with private donation funds. All records and accounts will be kept distinct from the records and information of the school district.
“The new Foundation will be recognized as exempt from federal income taxation by the Internal Revenue Service. Since contributions to the Foundation are deductible for federal income tax purposes, the Foundation provides a vehicle for supporters to help sustain the Strategic Plan core initiatives which support student success and allow them to receive tax deductions, as well,” said Montejano.
The EVSC Foundation Board is being formed at this time. In the interim, Mike Duckworth, Board of School Trustees president, will act as president. School Board secretary Christopher Kiefer, will serve as secretary. Gayle Long, EVSC’s new director of development, will serve as the executive director of the Foundation and assistant treasurer. Amy Willis, administrative assistant to the chief of staff/office of development, will be the assistant secretary of the Foundation. Approximately 25 directors will be named in the near future.
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation
1 S.E. Ninth Street | Evansville, Indiana 47708 | 812-435-8453