All Mount Vernon School District families and community members are invited!
📅 Tuesday, November 10, 2026
🕕 6:00–7:00 PM
📍 Harriet Rowley Elementary – Cafeteria
Families and community members are invited to an informational meeting about Mountain School and the community-wide effort to restore this important outdoor education opportunity following the loss of grant funding.
This is a district-wide effort led by PTOs and parent groups from multiple Mount Vernon elementary schools. In partnership with the Mount Vernon Public Schools Foundation, our parent groups are working together on fundraising and community awareness. While our goal is to provide Mountain School for all 5th graders throughout the district, fundraising is being organized independently by parents and PTOs, not by the Mount Vernon School District. The district is not assuming responsibility for fundraising.
Why is this so urgent?
Our immediate focus is raising $100,000 to ensure this year's 5th graders have the opportunity to attend Mountain School. With a fundraising deadline of December 31, 2026, we have a very limited window to make that happen.
However, this funding loss doesn't just affect this year's students. Future 5th-grade classes will face the same financial challenges unless a sustainable funding solution is established. Current 4th graders have less time to prepare than 3rd graders, and each graduating class will need a path forward.
Our parent groups are working not only to restore Mountain School this year, but also to explore long-term solutions for future generations.
Multiple Informational Nights Across the District
Harriet Rowley is one of several elementary schools hosting informational meetings on different evenings. Families are welcome to attend any meeting, regardless of which school their child attends.
During the presentation, we'll discuss:
• The history and importance of Mountain School
• What happened to the program's funding
• The urgent $100,000 fundraising goal for this year's 5th graders
• How this funding loss affects future classes
• What parent groups and community partners are doing to help
• Ways families and community members can get involved
Q&A: The final 15 minutes (6:45–7:00 PM) will be reserved for questions from in-person attendees.
Virtual Viewing Available
Unable to attend in person? Watch through Google Meet:
https://meet.google.com/wok-gdkg-nte
Google Meet is provided for viewing only. Online questions and chat will not be monitored.
Our mission is to give every Mount Vernon 5th grader the opportunity to experience Mountain School, this year and for generations to come.
We hope you'll join us!