Dear Viking Families,

Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year! I am absolutely thrilled to begin my second year as principal and to continue growing alongside this incredible community. Seeing so many of you at Open House yesterday filled me with joy and deepened my excitement for the year ahead. If you weren’t able to attend, please don’t worry—everything shared is available in this newsletter and on our school website.

This year, we embrace the theme “Together We Lead, Together We Rise,” a powerful reflection of our shared commitment to collaboration, growth, and leadership. It beautifully aligns with our mission: “We are a community igniting the joy of learning and inspiring leaders.” Every day, we strive to create a space where curiosity is nurtured, compassion is practiced, and courage is celebrated—not just in our students, but in ourselves as educators and families.

A few reminders as we ease into the school year: 

• We do not allow parents to walk their child into the building. Our car line is very crowded and it is essential we keep it smoothly flowing without foot traffic. 

• Make sure you let students out of the vehicle wherever the cones are located. Staff will be there to assist! 

• We want your child to learn to open the car door. 

• Lunch with your child will begin in September, along with after-school activities and Precess. We’ll share more about these opportunities in the next edition of The Viking Voice and through your child’s weekly classroom newsletters.

To keep you informed and connected, our school newsletter, The Viking Voice, will be sent out every two weeks. You’ll find timely updates and new information right on the homepage. For school-specific details, please check the banner at the top of the newsletter. It includes essential information about transportation, cafeteria procedures, counseling services, the media center, and our amazing parent volunteer groups: PTO, LSC (Local School Council), PLT (Parent Lighthouse Team), and Viking Dads.

We are also proud to be one of five FCS schools that is a Leader In Me school. As a Leader in Me School we embrace the framework of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Through this journey we have sustained this work and will begin our 9th year as a Lighthouse School. This framework is woven into the fabric of our school culture, empowering students to lead their own learning, build meaningful relationships, and make responsible choices. The 7 Habits help us all—students, staff, and families—grow as leaders and collaborators, and we are excited to deepen this work together in the year ahead.

As we begin this new chapter, I want you to know that my door is always open. I deeply value your feedback, questions, and ideas. Leading with courage, compassion, and curiosity means listening, learning, and growing together—and I am honored to do that with each of you.

Here’s to a joyful, inspiring, and connected school year. Together, we lead. Together, we rise. I hope to see each of you tonight in our bus lane at our annual Ice Cream Social put on by our incredible PTO. It begins at 6 and is a great time for students to get to know each other or reconnect from last year. It is one of my absolutely favorite events of the year!

Warmly,

Elizabeth Ihle

Principal