When Indiana’s primary election takes place Tuesday, May 8, 2018, Meadow’s Edge Elementary School will house a polling center, as it has in the past.

Voters should park on the north side of the parking lot, and access the gymnasium directly through the outside entrance/exit door. Voting will take place in the gymnasium. Voters will not be allowed passage into other areas of the school. 

Other P-H-M schools that will serve as voting locations in this spring election are Penn High School, Schmucker Middle School, Mary Frank Elementary School, Prairie Vista Elementary School, and Walt Disney Elementary School. Of course registered voters may only use the polling location that serves their precinct, based on home address.  Here is a link to the precincts maps and polling location information provided by St. Joseph County.

Mark your calendars!

Community Connections Fair

Saturday, April 21, 2018

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Walt Disney Elementary School

In an effort to expand outreach to the families of all of our ENL students (grades K-12), P-H-M’s ENL Services is hosting a community resource fair to make families aware of the services not only available within the district, but also in the Mishawaka and South Bend areas. Bilingual interpreters will be on hand at the event to assist those families who need it.

Click here to download a copy of the event flier in English. Copies are also available in Spanish, Chinese and Korean.

*Adobe Acrobat Reader will be required to view pdf documents. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, please visit Adobe’s website, at this link www.get.adobe.com/reader/, to download your free version.

The registration deadline for Visual Arts Academy (grades K-5) and Learn a Foreign Language (grades 6 & 7) has been extended through Friday, April 20. 

Both of these P-H-M sponsored camps offered through the Learning Division are FREE! The Visual Arts Academy is offered during these weeks: 

• July 9 – 13, 2018
• July 16 – 20, 2018
• July 23 – 27, 2018

Learn a Foreign Language is three week course offered July 9 – 27, 2018.

Please click the links above for camp details and to complete your child’s online camp registration today!

Kids Club 2018 Summer Program registration is now open!! Click here for more information and registration.

Full-day childcare is offered at two locations (Walt Disney and Northpoint Elementary schools) for current P-H-M students in grades K-5. Children will enjoy a variety of educational and recreational activities, crafts and field trips.

Cost is $125 a week, for 5 days a week. All children not currently enrolled in Kids Club are required to pay the $25 registration fee in addition to all other program-related costs. In addition, a deposit of the $100 non-refundable activity fee is required to hold a place for your child.

Sign up now!!

Locations:  Northpoint Elementary School

                       Walt Disney Elementary School

Dates:          June 6 through August 21, 2018

                       (closed July 4)

Times:          6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Questions: If you have questions about Kids Club Summer Session,

                       please call Kailey Campanero at (574) 258 – 9514 or

                       Ashley Stoffl at (574) 258 – 9587

Caregivers of dependents with special needs are invited to attend a special workshop, sponsored by Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company, on how to make your child’s future more secure.

See the information in the flier posted below …

Mark your calendars now!

Penn High School’s Center for Performing Arts brimmed with excitement as nearly 200 third, fourth and fifth graders participated in the 32^nd annual P-H-M Elementary Spell Bowl on Tuesday (March 20, 2018).

The Meadow’s Edge fourth grade team tied for 3rd place in a 2-way tie with Bittersweet.

Click to see a full photo gallery of the Spell Bowl on the District website. (To download a high resolution jpg file from the photo gallery, you will just need to simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right hand corner of the photo wile viewing it in the Photo Gallery function). 

Spell Bowl consists of three six-person teams (plus one alternate) from each of the 11 elementary schools representing grades 3, 4 and 5.  

This year's winners were a mixture from the schools:

3rd Grade Winners:

• 1st place – Northpoint with 28 points, coached by Mrs. Nichol Mondy and Ms. Molly O’Rear
• 2nd place – Bittersweet with 25 points
• 3rd place – Horizon with 22 points

4th Grade Winners:

• 1st place – Mary Frank with 30 points, coached by Mrs. Lindsay Helman
• 2nd place – tie Horizon, Northpoint, Prairie Vista and Walt Disney with 28 points each
• 3rd place – tie Meadow’s Edge and Bittersweet with 20 points each

5th Grade Winners:

• 1st place – Northpoint with 30 points, coached by Ms. Rosane Morehouse
• 2nd place – Mary Frank with 25 points
• 3rd place – Prairie Vista with 24 points 

Preparation for the Spell Bowl takes weeks, as teams work with their teacher coaches. Preparation includes spelling under pressure, studying word lists, learning about word sources (e.g., Latin roots) and rules such as capitalization and pluralization.

The format used for the Spell Bowl is very similar to a test. Much like a traditional spelling bee, the host, or emcee, reads a word aloud and then uses it in a sentence. The students then have a time limit of 15 seconds to write the word on paper. A panel of judges reviews the answers and then posts the scores for the audience to see. Scoring is one point for each correct spelling.

P-H-M’s K-5 High Ability Coordinator, Mrs. Anne-Marie Reininga, is the Spell Bowl manager and works very hard to provide students with an enriching experience.

Saturday, May 5

8:30 a.m. – Noon

Penn High School

Register online today!

Do you like bubbles? Well, if you do, you’ll enjoy this fun change coming to the Silver Mile this year. The Silver Mile 5K Run/Walk will now be a Bubble Bash! 

What is a Bubble Bash, you ask? Watch the video below from P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and then click here to register your family today!

The non-timed 5K Run/Walk will incorporate bubble stations along the route for participants to travel through during the event. The Fun Walk will now be incorporated into this event, and there will be an option to take a shorter loop for those not wanting to run/walk the 5K. This event will start at 9:00 a.m. on the TCU Freed Field Track.

After the Bubble Bash, runners and families are invited inside Penn High School’s cafeteria for the Education & Health and Fitness Fair complete with free health screenings provided by the St. Joseph Medical Center. The popular Silent Auction offers a chance to bid on prime Penn student parking spaces and new this year … Penn Commencement front row seat!!! Student works of art and other items from community businesses are also offered. And the Talent Showcase has been expanded to an hour this year.

All proceeds benefit the P-H-M Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support excellence in education in all 15 P-H-M schools by awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Click here for early bird registration and for more information on the Bubble Bash.

Monday, April 30 (Rain Date Wed., May 2)

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

behind Elm Road Elementary School 

59400 Elm Road, Mishawaka

“Running is Elementary” is gearing up for another great year! This is the 10^th year for the one mile, non-competitive run which will feature the participation of almost 700 fourth and fifth grade students from all 11 P-H-M elementary schools. This event is free to students and takes place on the Penn cross-country course located behind Elm Road Elementary School.

Horizon physical education teacher and P-H-M’s 2009 Teacher of the Year Cindy Batalis began this event in 2008. Running has always been a true passion for Batalis and she shares that passion with students by organizing this yearly event.

Each school year fourth and fifth graders are encouraged to join the running club at each of P-H-M’s elementary schools. The kids go through this six-week club trained by designated coaches at each school. The end of the six weeks is then celebrated by participating in the Running is Elementary run.

The event is hosted by the P-H-M Education Foundation and Corporations for Education.