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Scheduled Network Maintenance for Friday, Feb. 12, 2016

Penn-Harris-Madison will be performing computer network maintenance on February 12, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. to upgrade our current internet services. During that time, access to P-H-M online services, including P-H-M hosted websites, Canvas, APlus and Plato will be unavailable. This network maintenance is necessary in order for P-H-M to continue to offer excellent technology online service. We appreciate your patience.

ISTEP and IREAD testing dates released. ISTEP Experience can help students prepare.

Parents of 3rd through 8th graders and Penn sophomores, the Indiana Department of Education has released the testing windows for ISTEP+ and IREAD for the 2015-2016 school year. ISTEP will begin in late February and IREAD in mid-March. Part 1 of ISTEP will be done with paper/pencil and Part 2 will be done online.

New this year: In preparation for 2016 ISTEP+, the IDOE has now made ISTEP+ “Experience” available through Pearson, allowing students and parents to experience various technology-enhanced item types that will appear on the ISTEP+ Part 2 assessment as often as they like from home, at school, or on mobile devices. “Experience” is presented via the Pearson online platform (TestNav 8) that will be used for ISTEP+ online testing, as well as IREAD-3 online testing. P-H-M families can access ISTEP+ “Experience” through the P-H-M District website, as well as through the link provided on the RESOURCES menu of every school website.

Indiana Statewide Testing of Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+ ) Grades 3-8, and 10*

Window Begins Window Ends

ISTEP+ Part 1 – paper/pencil February 29, 2016 March 11, 2016
(Applied Skills)

ISTEP+ Part 2 – online April 18, 2016 May 6, 2016
(Multiple-choice & Technology-Enhanced Items)

*New this year, high school sophomores will be required to take ISTEP

Indiana Reading And Evaluation Determination-3 (IREAD-3) Grade 3

IREAD-3 March 14, 2016 March 18, 2016

For more information on the state assessment testing windows, please visit the Indiana Department of Education website, www.doe.in.gov/assessment.

Take the Speak Up survey – because your opinion counts!

Speak Up is a national research initiative that seeks to gather widespread input on the topic of educational technology.

Each fall the Speak Up survey is posted online so students, parents, teachers, school staff, and the general public can share their views on technology in schools.

The Speak Up survey has three primary objectives:

To provide a means for local schools and districts to easily and effectively listen to and act upon the ideas of their stakeholders
To provide a conduit for the voices of education stakeholders, most notably students, to inform national and state policies and programs
To stimulate new local discussions around the use of technology within education.

Survey results are typically released in February, and are important to those who shape educational policy, direct school finance, create curriculum, and implement technology in our schools.

Penn-Harris-Madison participates in the survey in part because we are recipients of a Digital Learning Grant that helps to fund our technology.

Another reason we support Speak Up is because the results can be helpful in the development of our formal technology plans. Each P-H-M school develops and follows a 3-year technology plan that outlines its goals for educational technology and directs how resources may be spent to achieve those goals.

Here’s a link to learn more about the SPEAK UP survey and the agency that conducts the research, Project Tomorrow. Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Speak Up here.

Or, you may want to just jump right in and take the survey!

Parents and community members CLICK HERE to TAKE THE SPEAK UP SURVEY NOW

The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete and you will not need to create an account. The survey will be open until December 18 and the link on this webpage will remain active until then.

P-H-M staff and students will have opportunities to take their version of the Speak Up survey at school / at work through arrangements made in the coming weeks.

Looking Ahead to 2015-2016

As an “A”-rated school district, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation excels at providing an excellent education for our students! And the 2015-2016 School Year will be no different!

This year P-H-M has several new initiatives:

For the first time this year, 2,500 middle schoolers at Schmucker, Grissom and Discovery Middle Schools will receive Google Chrome Books! Last year, all 3,500 students at Penn High School received them. That makes 6,000 students in P-H-M with personal Chrome Books—more than half of our student population!
P-H-M’s Transportation Department is utilizing GPS tracking and the latest technology to help parents up-to-date with their child’s bus routing. Through the web-based infoFinder i and “Here Comes the Bus” website and smart phone app, P-H-M continues to provide great customer service to our families.
130 Penn High School students are on track to be in the Graduation Cohort of 2019 of the Penn Academy of Early College. In this unique program, Penn High School has partnered with Ivy Tech Community College to offer a selection of courses, including dual credit courses, that can potentially earn a student college credits up to an Associate Degree by the time the student graduates.
P-H-M continues to build community partnerships to help enhance the quality education, resources, along with extra and co-curricular activities we offer to our students. One such partnership is with Teacher’s Credit Union. On August 28, Penn High School’s football field, formerly known as Freed Field will be dedicated as TCU Freed Field. TCU will also work with P-H-M teachers and staff to provide financial education opportunities to our students and families.
In keeping with P-H-M’s Vision of Excellence, P-H-M established Exceptional Education, an in-house department whose goal is to provide special education services for students with identified needs. P-H-M’s goal is to provide an inclusive, cooperative, excellent education to ALL our students.
100% of P-H-M teachers are rated “Effective” or “Highly Effective” by the state DOE standards and evaluations. This is because we invest in our teachers and educational staff by offering year round professional learning opportunities. This will continue to be an important initiative of P-H-M.

Highlights from 2014-2015:

Here’s a look back at the school district accomplishments achieved by our schools, students, teachers and staff from last school year:

P-H-M students perform in the top 5% of all Indiana districts on ISTEP+
P-H-M has seven Four Star schools, as named by the IDOE. They are: Horizon Elementary, Mary Frank Elementary, Prairie Vista Elementary, Northpoint Elementary, Discovery Middle, Grissom Middle, and Penn High School.
Prairie Vista Elementary School was named a finalist for the 2015 National Blue Ribbon School (announcement to come in the fall of 2015).
Northpoint Elementary School was ranked #27 in the nation among 70,000 schools by the organization TheBestSchools.org. Northpoint was cited for its academic performance, the strength and richness of its programs, and for earning National Blue Ribbon School status in 2010.
Discovery Middle School Science Teacher Shelia Toth was named P-H-M Teacher of the year and was nominated for 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year (announcement to come in fall 2015).
Penn High School Principal Steve Hope was named Indiana District 2 High School Principal of the Year.
Penn High School ranks as the seventeenth best high school in the state by U.S. News and World Report, moving up from bronze to silver since the last U.S. News and World Report Ranking.
With a 97% graduation rate and a 90-25-90 rating by the IDOE, more than half of Penn High School’s graduating seniors receiving Academic Honors diplomas—a first for Penn High School—with a third earning High Honors, a distinction reserved for those with a 3.5 GPA or higher. Ninety-one graduates received Technical Honors diplomas, a tribute to the strength of the district’s STEM programs. Twelve seniors were named National Merit Finalists. There were 17 valedictorians and two salutatorians. Three seniors have earned coveted appointments to United States Military Academies. The combined value of their collegiate scholarships exceeds $8.5 million!
Over the Summer of 2015, Morgan Ludwig and Emma Moon, now rising seniors at Penn High, earned Congressional Award Gold Medals. Moon received her on honor on Capitol Hill from Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN, 2^nd District). Ludwig received hers from Walorski at her Mishawaka District Office. The United States Congress awards medals to ambitious young Americans who set and meet goals in four program areas: Volunteer Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration.
Winning works of art by 13 Gold Key Scholastic Art Award winners from Penn were included and judged in the Scholastic Art Awards’ national exhibit.
The Black Knights, Penn High’s advanced robotic team, received the prestigious Chairman’s Award at state competition hosted by Indiana FIRST Robotics, then went on to represent Indiana in international competition.
The Baker's Dozen, a FIRST Lego League Robotics team made up of Horizon Elementary and Discovery Middle School students, attended the Razorback International Invitational at the University of Arkansas, competing against 71 teams from 31 states and 12 countries. The Baker's Dozen captured 1st place for Robot Strategy and Innovation, and earned a 4th place trophy in the Robot Game competition.
Penn High School TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) did very well at national competition in June 2015: Penn’s 9/10 Team was named the Indiana State Champions; Penn’s 11/12 Team 1 brought home the 3rd place trophy in the Problem-Solving Competition; and Penn’s 11/12 Team 2, brought home the 2nd place trophy in the Written Competition. These students are coached by Mrs. Becky Tagliaferri.
Penn’s Spell Bowl Team won its 14^th state championship with a perfect score of 90. The team is led by Mr. Pete DeKever and its success is based on the hard work of eighteen dedicated team members.
Schmucker Spell Bowl Team brought home the Spell Bowl State Championship for the third time in the school’s history. The team is led by Mrs. Sue Dale.
The Penn High School Symphonic Winds were awarded 1st place at ISSMA state finals, tying with Carmel. The Penn High Orchestra also did a tremendous job in the competition and judges awarded them a 6th place finish.
Penn Boys Baseball won the 4A State Championship and senior catcher Tim Lira was named the L.V. Phillips Attitute Award Winner. This is the fourth state championship for head coach Greg Dikos, whose other big wins came in 1994, 1998 and 2001.
Penn Baseball coach Greg Dikos was named the Indiana Boys Coach of the Year by the South Bend Tribune.
Penn pitcher Skylar Szynski was chosen to represent the Chicago White Sox in the 2015 Area Code Baseball Games played in California in August 2015.
Penn Varsity Wrestling won the Team State Wrestling championship, after seven contenders advanced to state finals. The team championship is a celebrated first for Penn Wrestling.
Kobe Woods earned the Individual State Wrestling championship in his weight class. Penn last had an individual state champion wrestler in 1971.
Chase Osborn who earned the Individual State Wrestling Championship in his weight class, was the recipient of the Ward E. Brown Mental Attitude Award, issued by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, and also named MVP of NIC Wrestling.
Football coach Cory Yeoman was named Northern Indiana Conference Coach of the Year. He led the Kingsmen through a 12-1 season and on to the Class 6-A semi-state.
Penn Boys Rugby won the state championship, while Penn Girls Rugby took second place at the state tournament. Penn Boys Rugby also competed and placed in the top ten at the national tournament.
Penn Softball coach Beth Zachary was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn Girls Soccer coach Jeff Hart was named NIC Coach of the year and District I Coach of the Year by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association.
Penn Girls Cross Country coach Josh Fletcher was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn Boys Tennis coach Eric Bowers was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn Boys Golf coach Tony Polizzzotto was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn High School is the Northern Indiana Conference All-Sports Award winner for the 21st consecutive year.
Thirty-nine Penn student-athletes signed letters of intent to attend colleges and universities across the country; 12 of them with Division 1 Schools.
Glenn Northern, Penn band director and head of Penn’s Fine Arts Academy, was presented Phi Beta Mu’s Outstanding Bandmaster Award by the Indiana Chapter of the International Bandmaster’s Fraternity.
Superintendent Jerry Thacker was chosen by Indiana University South Bend to receive the 2015 IUSB Distinguished Alumni Award. He was recognized for his accomplishments at the May commencement ceremony.
Sean Galiher, principal of Schmucker Middle School, was named by the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce to the 2015 class of “Forty Under 40” as a young professional who’s making a difference.
Tom Hartman, Director of Facilities, was named the 2015 Indiana Support Professional of the Year by IASBO (Indiana Assn. of School Business Officials).

A Great Start to a New School Year!

Alarm clocks were set early. The weather cooperated beautifully. Children got themselves ready for school while parents snapped photos. Then the yellow buses started to roll and School Year 2015-2016 was underway!

Today was the first day of school for grades 1-12 at Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. We welcomed back more than 10,600 students to our 15 schools. About 700 kindergartners, members of the future Class of 2028, attended orientation sessions with their parents and families getting prepared for their first day tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 20. And close to 800 seniors, making up the Class of 2016, followed a Gold Day schedule at Penn High School.

We want to see all your “1^st Day of School” photos. We asked parents, families and high school students to snap, tag ‪and share their pictures on Facebook and Twitter using #‎PHMBACK2SCHOOL. Go to our channels or check out our picture gallery on the home page to get a glimpse.

The start of school also means new faces at the front of the classroom as well! Last week, we also welcomed more than 50 new teachers to P-H-M. Click here to see their friendly faces.

Thank you to ALL our students, parents, teachers and staff for all the great pictures. Here’s to a great year!

Girls grades 3-8 can join the Penn Girls Basketball League!

Girls in grades 3 through 8 are invited to be part of a community-sponsored girls basketball league run by PHS girls varsity basketball coach, Kristi Kaniewski Ulrich.

JUNIOR LEAGUE is for girls in grades 3 through 6.

SENIOR LEAGUE is offered for girls in grades 7 and 8.

Sign-up takes place on Sunday, August 30 in the Penn High School Arena from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The league begins on Sunday, September 13.

This is a great opportunity to learn the game, pick up skills, build fitness and make friends!

Click here to access the informational flyers and the registration form.

Learn about and join P-H-M’s FIRST LEGO League!

Calling all parents of P-H-M students in grades 4-8^th … is your child interested in robotics?

Does your child love playing with LEGOs®?

Then P-H-M’s FIRST® LEGO® League is your answer!

WHO: 4^th-8^th grade P-H-M students, families, elementary and middle school teachers

WHAT: FIRST® LEGO® League (sponsored by Penn Robotics, Team 135)

WHEN: Wednesday, August 5
7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Penn High School, Door J
56100 Bittersweet Rd Mishawaka, IN 46545

WHY:

P-H-M’s FIRST® LEGO® League is sponsored by Penn Robotics, Team 135. Penn’s team was a 2015 Indiana District-Kokomo City winner of the FIRST® Robotics Competition; Penn’s team also won the Chairman’s award. FIRST® LEGO® League is a national program that introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. This year’s challenge will be Trash Trek: discovering the hidden world of garbage!

In FLL, elementary and middle-school students (ages 9-14) get to:

Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology
Apply real-world math and science concepts
Research challenges facing today’s scientists
Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills
Participate in tournaments and celebrations

What FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And participants learn skills that will last a lifetime.

Come learn all about joining P-H-M’s FIRST® LEGO® League. Register, find out about the resources and get the season timeline.

Back to school immunization requirements for 2015-2016

The first day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 19 and that means along with school supplies, parents also need to make sure their children are up-to-date on their immunizations.

A record of your child’s immunizations are due to your student’s health office on or by the first day of school. All P-H-M schools are open to the public beginning Wednesday, Aug. 5 (7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.). You can drop off the records at the schools between Aug. 5 and Aug. 19.

Please find the list of required immunizations by grade levels listed below …

For incoming Kindergarten students:

3 Hep B
5 DTaP (4 doses are acceptable if the fourth dose was administered on or after the 4th birthday)
4 Polio (the 3^rd dose must be given on or after the 4^th birthday and at least 6 months after the previous dose with only one type of vaccine used, all OPV or all IPV. Final 4^th dose must be given on or after the 4^th birthday and administered at least 6 months after the previous dose).
2 MMR
2 Varicella
2 Hep A

Additional immunizations needed for incoming 6^th grade students:

1 Tdap (Tetanus & Pertussis)
1^st dose of MCV4 (Meningococcal conjugate)

Additional immunizations needed for incoming 12^th grade students:

2^nd dose of MCV4 (Meningococcal conjugate)

Immunizations may be obtained from your family doctor, St. Joseph County Health Department, or other area clinics. Please call the school health office for resources.

For more information on state immunization requirements, please visit the P-H-M Healthcare Services webpage on our site.

Posted July 17, 2015 – 9:00 a.m. EDT

Summer Visual Arts Academy is open to all elementary students

The 2015 Summer Visual Arts Academy is offered to all P-H-M elementary students – at no charge!

The Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame and Penn-Harris-Madison are teaming up to offer an extraordinary week-long summer learning experience for our students!

This exciting 2015 Visual Arts Academy will integrate art history, art production, and writing into a week-long, intensive and enriching learning experience that will challenge children to “think outside of the box.” Students will create works of art inspired by pieces in the Snite Museum’s collection as well as learn about museum objects through tours, reading and writing. A highlight will be a field trip to the Snite Museum of Art that all students will take, one day of the week.

P-H-M teachers, the Snite Museum's Curator of Education, and an Artist-in-Residence will lead this learning experience! Click here to watch the Visual Arts Academy video.

Each five-day session is designed for a single grade level so children will interact with those of the same age, and the material and activities will be developmentally appropriate.

The Academy hours are 8:00 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Here are the scheduled dates for each grade level:

Kindergarten: June 8 – June 12, 2015

2nd Graders: June 15 – June 19, 2015

4th Graders: June 22 – June 26, 2015

1st Graders: July 6 – July 10, 2015

3rd Graders: July 13 – July 17, 2015

5th Graders: July 20 – July 24, 2015

The 2015 Visual Arts Academy will be held at Penn High School. Families are to provide daily transportation to and from Penn High School. Enter through Door C.

On day of the field trip, P-H-M will provide school bus transportation from Penn to the Snite Museum and back to school before parent pick-up.

Registration for the Visual Arts Academy is now closed. If you have questions about your child's attendance, please contact the P-H-M Learning Division at 258-9588.

Kindergarten registration for 2015-2016 school year

Registration for kindergarten students for the 2015-2016 school year will begin at each P-H-M elementary school on Tuesday, January 20. This registration opportunity is for youngsters who live within the P-H-M district and who will be five years old on or before September 1. A parent or guardian must appear in person to register their child.

Please bring the following documentation with you:

Original Birth Certificate
Proof of Residency (lease/rental agreement or current utility bill showing address)
Immunization Records
Any legal documents related to child custody, restrictions, or restraining orders

Penn-Harris-Madison has 11 elementary schools, each offering full-day kindergarten. You may use the P-H-M Guide to Attendance and Map of District to verify which elementary school serves your neighborhood. Registration will take place at the schools during normal office hours, which are 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in most cases. The offices at Elsie Rogers Elementary School and Moran Elementary are open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We encourage you to register your student as soon as possible, on or after January 20. We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2028!

Each child entering kindergarten at P-H-M must also complete a Registration Form and must have a physical exam and a dental exam completed before entering kindergarten. Below are the forms you will need to complete your kindergarten student registration:

Registration Form

Physical Examination/Health Questionnaire

Dental Examination

Immunization Requirements for School Year 2015-2016 – Immunizations are used to protect your children against certain diseases as well as other children in the school. Under Indiana Public Law, when a child enrolls in school his/her parent/guardian is required to furnish written proof that a child is fully immunized as required by the Indiana State Department of Health. Immunization paperwork must be submitted to your school office before the first day of school, August 19, 2015. Immunizations may be obtained from your family doctor, St. Joseph County Health Department, or other area clinics. Please call your school health office for resources.

Children and Hoosiers Immunization Registry Program (CHIRP) – The Indiana State Department of Health has implemented an electronic reporting system that is designed to improve the state’s records on immunizations. The registry is called Children and Hoosiers Immunization Registry Program (CHIRP). Health care providers in Indiana will enter data into the electronic database to ensure the most up-to-date record of immunizations is available.

SJRMC Letter re: Health Problems – Non-resident students seeking admission to kindergarten, or any other grade level, must wait until Tuesday, February 17, the first date that applications from non-residents will be accepted. There will be limited spaces available. Check back on the P-H-M website on/after February 17 for more information on non-resident application, posted openings, and to obtain the actual application form. Non-resident kindergartners who apply and are admitted, will be notified and given opportunity to enroll, later in the spring.