Dear Parents/Guardians:

Hopefully April will bring more sunny skies and warmer weather. Soon we’ll be hearing the sound of baseballs flying off aluminum bats and observe kites flying overhead. Spring often teases us with sunny days and warming temperatures. I can hardly wait for the real thing to arrive. I’m sure you and your family feel the same way too. There’s just something refreshing about the start of a new season. April is another busy testing time for our students. Please note below these upcoming test windows and be sure your children are getting a good breakfast each morning as well as a good night’s sleep. It they are to do their best they need to be ready to go. A word of encouragement goes a long way too. Kindergarten registration is going well and will continue throughout the spring.

                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                Frank Anglin, Ed.S.

Progress Reports:

Progress reports were sent home with students on March 29. If you did not receive a copy contact your child’s teacher.  

APRIL TEST DATES: 

April 9 – April 13: 5^th Grade Math/LA placement for Middle School

April 11 – May 9: DIBELS Reading K-1

April 16 – May 4: ISTEP grades 3-5

May 7 –   May 25: NWEA, select students grades 1,3,4

Note:  Mandatory ISTEP practice tests will be given to students prior to the actual test dates.

IREAD 3:

We expect IREAD scores to arrive after spring break. Students who did not pass the March IREAD assessment will be required to attend IREAD summer school. Students will receive small group intensive tutoring during this time. At this summer session students will have their final opportunity to pass the state mandated assessment. IREAD summer school is from June 11 – June 29, 2018.

School Improvement Plan/Targeted Focus Group:

Our School Improvement Plan (SIP) includes interventions that address student needs as identified by data from ISTEP. Moran has many ongoing interventions for students. Interventions are targeted to specific groups of students that demonstrate similar academic needs. It’s always important to discuss what, if any, your child’s interventions are with their teacher. Our goal is to help each student accomplish their personal best. Cooperation between home and school is important in helping your child achieve their personal best. Parents can assist by encouraging regular attendance, volunteer in your child’s classroom or a PTA activity and by monitoring your child’s individual learning goals. For information about our school’s performance parents may go to http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx.

SUMMER SCHOOL:

Regular summer school for 2018 will be held at Meadow’s Edge from June 11 – June 29. The PHM transportation department provides transportation. If your child has been invited please get them signed up for this very important learning opportunity. The extra time and attention they receive in summer school may be just the academic boost they need to do their personal best. Principals for summer school have not yet been determined. Summer school sites are at Meadows Edge and Walt Disney. Moran students attend Meadows Edge. I look forward to seeing our students improve their skills during these sessions. Be looking for more summer school information from your child’s teacher as well as our monthly newsletters. 

5^th Grade Tours:

Moran fifth graders will be traveling to their respective middle schools on Thursday, May 10. Students will tour the buildings with their teachers and eat lunch at the middle schools. Moran students attend either Grissom or Schmucker Middle School.

June 4-June 5:

Awards Day will be on June 4 and June 5th will be the all school Field Day. The last day of school is Tuesday, June 5.  

Mark your calendars now!

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.

Approximately 150 students attended this year’s Young Authors’ Conference with their parents (Saturday, March 10). This year’s guest writer was Ruth McNally Barshaw, author and illustrator of Ellie McDoodle Diaries and Leopold the Lion.

P-H-M students in grades K-5 enjoyed the unique opportunity to learn directly from a well-known children’s writer. Barshaw led the students through sketching exercises and gave them creative writing and storytelling techniques. After the program was over, Barshaw held a book signing for the families. As a reward for the students that waited in line for 2 hours … she did their illustrations as part of giving the students her autograph! See the photo gallery below.

Students aren’t the only ones that benefit from the Young Authors’ Conference, parents do too! While students were participating in their small group writing sessions, parents attended a special presentation by Prairie Vista teacher and writing expert Carrie Mumaw who gave parents fun tips on ways to inspire ideas for creative writing with their children. Click here for Mrs. Mumaw’s presentation.

Students and parents also enjoyed a presentation of “Stuart Little” by Bethel College Genesians. This was the 10th year for Young Authors’ Conference; it is sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation. 

WHEN: Monday, March 12, 2017, 8:00 a.m. – Noon

WHERE: P-H-M Educational Services Center
55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka

There is a $60, non-refundable registration fee due at registration. You must also bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate, immunization record and proof of residency (a copy of a utility bill or lease agreement).

Click the links below to download pdfs of the:

• registration form 

• age requirements & listing of fees 

Penn PALS Community Preschool serves youngsters within Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation (click to see the interactive Google P-H-M boundary map) with special needs in an inclusive setting with their preschool peers, while providing them appropriate challenge, support and accommodation. 

We offer the half-day program at four P-H-M elementary schools: Bittersweet, Elm Road, Elsie Rogers and Mary Frank.

Click here for more details on the program.

The application window for P-H-M Education Foundation’s Spring 2018 Grant Cycle is now open!

PHMEF grants are eligible to any P-H-M staff member who can demonstrate a program’s innovation and creativity, and reflect commitment to excellence in education. Deadline for all grant applications is 4 p.m. Thursday March 29, at the ESC (55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka).

PHMEF is seeking innovative programs that have not been previous funding through past grant cycles. Note there are funding restrictions such as not paying for substitutes, food, party supplies, etc. A complete list of restrictions can be found in the application packet. Those applications requesting non-funded expenses will not be presented to the Grants Committee.

So parents work with your student’s teacher or principal to write up a grant proposal for a program you’ve been wishing you child’s school had. PHMEF grants are eligible to any staff member who can demonstrate their program’s innovation, creativity and reflects commitment to excellence in education. Click here for a list of the unique Fall grant awardees.

There are two ways to apply—EZ Form or Traditional Form. Grant applications and filing details can be found online at the Education Foundation’s website or by clicking on the links below:

1. EZ Form: for grants less than $250
2. Traditional Form: to be used for grants requesting $250 or more and/or a request that is comprehensive (multi-classroom, school-wide or district-wide requests)

The timeline for the PHMEF Spring Grant Cycle is as follows:

• Thursday, March 28 – All applications (EZ Form and Traditional Form) must be turned in by 4 p.m. at ESC or emailed if it is the EZ Form. No late applications will be accepted. Note there must be 10 copies for the traditional form.
• Between March 27 and April 24 – PHMEF grant committee meets to select recipients
• April 25 – P-H-M Education Foundation Board of Directors approve grant selections.
• By May 1– Recipients will be notified by email with formal letter to follow
• By May 7 – Checks will be sent to the recipient’s home school. 

*Adobe Acrobat Reader will be required to view pdfs loaded on our website. 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. Or you can stop by the Education Resources Center at  55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka to pick up a copy.

The Penn Fine Arts and Communications Academy is presenting, “Shrek, the Musical”, at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 4.

The showings will be held within the Center for Performing Arts (enter through Door C).

Tickets are $10 pre-sale by clicking here to access Penn Theater’s TicketTracker.com online ticket store, or $12 at the door.
 

Penn student C. Monte Teeple, starring as Lord Farquaad, said that the musical as a contemporary appeal.

“Unlike a lot of musicals that you would find locally, Shrek is a much more modern show,” Teeple said. “This not only means that many jokes and much of the humor will be understood by students, but also that the actual songs and music are far more modern as well.”

The plot of “Shrek the Musical” revolves around a hated Ogre (Shrek) and a talking donkey who go on a quest to save Princess Fiona in order to reclaim Shrek’s swamp.

Lord Farquaad claimed the swamp and has housed all magical creatures there.

From a deeper point of view, the story is about the misfits and those who don’t fit in, and finding your place in the world.

Announcing Moran's Second Annual

Move It to Lose It Challenge

Let’s make fitness a daily occurrence.  Keep reading for the “skinny” on the details.

What:             Move It to Lose It Challenge

Who:               Anyone that is part of the Moran community-students, parents, neighbors, friends, etc.

When:             Four weeks in the month of March 2018

Where:           Anywhere you can do 15 minutes of continuous, sustained movement

Why:               To get ourselves moving and start a healthy habit

Cost:               $1.00 for Moran student single registrations

                        $2.00 for all other single registrations

                        $5.00 for a family registration

Benefits:         Besides starting a healthy habit, all participants that successfully complete the challenge will be                entered in a raffle in which 2 winners will receive a $25 gift certificate to Garden Patch Market.

• The Challenge starts on Thursday, March 1 and ends on Wednesday, March 28.
• The goal for the first week is 30 minutes of daily exercise; thereafter, 40 minutes/day for week 2, 50 minutes/day for week 3 and 60 minutes/day for week 4.
• All minutes must be done in at least 15 minute increments of sustained exercise.  This means you MUST STAY MOVING FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES AT A TIME TO HAVE IT COUNT.  You can switch from one activity to the next within that time, but it must be sustained exercise. 
• ANY exercise counts:  walking, push ups, jump roping, biking, trampoline bouncing, weight lifting, etc.
• Record your daily successes with a star on the appropriate day.
• You’re allowed a total of 3 skip days during the challenge to be used whenever you choose (if needed).
• Completed calendars are due to Miss Julie by Thursday, March 29.  Please make sure your name is on it.

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Want to Half It to Max It?

Try these simple tips to maximize your health benefits:        

1.         cut sugar intake by at least ½ and cut out ½ the amount of sugar called for in recipes

2.         cut white flour intake by at least ½ and replace half the white flour called for in recipes with white             whole wheat

3.         cut salt intake by at least ½ and cut out completely in recipes

4.         Make sure every meal is ½ fresh fruits and veggies

Please stop by our Moran office to pick up a registration form.  We will also be happy to send a registration form home with your student.  Please call us at 674-8504.

Moran students took time to show appreciation for friends by having Friendship Celebrations on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. The celebrations included games, food and craft making.  Please see a photo gallery below.