Fordland Focus

December 2025

Fordland Families,

As we approach the end of the first semester, December provides a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the hard work and success of our students. This time of year is busy, but it is also one filled with celebration, gratitude, and community.

This fall concluded with an exceptional season for the Fordland Band, earning 17 trophies across four competitions, the strongest marching season in program history. Highlights included Grand Champion at the Pirate Power Classic and 1st in class and 1st overall at the MSU Homecoming Parade. Beyond the awards, the band’s positivity, sportsmanship, and work ethic continue to set a high standard for our district.

As winter activities begin, our boys’ basketball team is off to a strong 5–2 start, while our girls’ basketball team has opened the season 5–1, showing confidence, growth, and competitiveness. Our cheerleaders, rebuilding with a young squad, are bringing great energy and laying a strong foundation for the future.

Our FFA program continues to build momentum with successful fundraising, student participation at the National FFA Convention, and strong performances in fall public speaking as students prepare for spring contests.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Fordland students and staff. We are grateful for our community and look forward to finishing the semester strong.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season as we continue to make this a #BannerYear.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephanie Vickers

Superintendent

Fordland R-3 Schools

Shawn Vomund

Meet Mr. Vomund! He teaches Band at Fordland Middle School/High School. Mr. Vomund has been with our district for 8 years. He is described as creative, passionate and dedicated!

His favorite thing about working at Fordland is the amazing admin support, hardworking students and the freedom to expand the band curriculum.

Q: What's something you can't live without?

A: "Probably Spotify. I constantly have music playing at work and home."

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when you're not at work?

A: "I like to work hard to learn new skills-music production, chess, games, guitar or anything that feels new and challenging."

Q: Who is your biggest inspiration?

A: "My wife, Lauren. She inspires me to be a thoughtful person and teacher and always strive to think about things from a different perspective."

Q: What advice would you give our students?

A: "The real skills that school teaches you are often overlooked. Task management, maintaining motivation, communication and teamwork carry you so far!"

Christy Crowe

Meet Mrs. Crowe, affectionately know by the preschoolers as Ms. Christy! She is a paraprofessional in our 4 year old classroom. Ms. Christy has been with our district for 18 years. She is known for her affectionate spirit, adaptability and strong work ethic. She enjoys building relationships with students, families and staff. She truly values the people she works alongside each day, especially Alayna Bates, the preschool teacher.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when you're not at work?

A: "I love going hunting and fishing with my family."

Q: What's something you can't live without?

A: "Tacos! If you know me, you know I absolutely love Mexican food!"

Q: Tell us something that might surprise you.

A: "I have a twin sister."

Q: What is the greatest challenge you had to overcome in your life?

A: "Losing my dad was the hardest thing I have ever gone through. He was patient, kind and hardworking. It was unexpected and I had to find my strength in God to get through it."

REPEAT - Snow Day Protocol

Have you ever wondered what goes into the decision-making process for a superintendent when it comes to calling off school? It is definitely a complicated decision and not taken lightly. We understand the last-minute impact is has on our Fordland families and aim to consider all factors in a careful yet timely manner so families can make other arrangements. Here are some action steps taken during the process:

National Weather Service Calls: Our NWS office holds conference calls for area superintendents at 4:15 am if bad weather is moving in. These calls are informative and give us a better idea as to when inclement weather will arrive in Fordland and how roads will be impacted.

Transportation: Before making a decision, I drive around Fordland to check the road conditions. This process usually begins the night before or in the morning around 4:30 am or earlier if there's no weather call. My goal is to drive part of every bus route so we have a good idea of what road conditions will be like for our bus drivers, student drivers and parents. My own children attend Fordland Schools too, so I would never want to put any of our students, including my own, in a dangerous situation.

Communication: When school is cancelled, we communicate it to our families in multiple ways. You should receive a telephone call, email, notification (if you have the Fordland app), and it is also posted to our social media sites-Facebook and X. If you have not received school communication this year, please call our offices and we'll make sure that your contact information is updated in our system. School day closings will also be posted to KY3. Ideally, we would love to communicate cancellations to our families the night before, however this is not always possible since weather doesn't always match the forecast.

Make-up Days: With our current calendar, we have built in enough hours to forgive two snow days. After that, we will start making up snow days on Mondays. In addition, we have the option of AMI. AMI days will only occur if we have more than 8 snow days. Your child's school will communicate the AMI plan in December. Please see the school calendar below for the order of make up days vs forgiven days.

Feel free to reach out if you have additional questions regarding snow days. Thank you for your support.