Are you stressed about getting shopping done? Need a date night without the kids? We have a solution for you! Friday, December 15th is an opportunity for parents to have a night out while your child enjoys time with friends in a safe environment. Time: 6:00 – 9:45 pm **We will not be serving dinner, but will serve snack and drink during the movie! Cost: $10.00 per child, $25.00 for a family with three or more children. We accept cash or checks. Please make checks payable to Moran PTA. Registration forms and payment are due Monday, December 11th. Late registration will be $15.00 per child and $20.00 the night of event. Forms are available in our office.

Do you like to dance? Do you want to learn how to spin a flag? Do you like to perform?

All levels are welcome to come to the Penn Cadet Winter Guard Auditions at Walt Disney Elementary School (enter in back). There will be two audition dates of Monday, Nov.20 and Wednesday, November 22. Audition times for both dates are 6-8 p.m.

Girls and boys, grades 4-6, will be accepted. 

Rehearsals will be every Monday and Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. Competitions will begin Saturday, January 27.

Come be a part of this incredible performing arts group!

Click here to download and print the flyer.
 

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Starting Tuesday, October 31, I’ll be on medical leave. Hopefully I’ll be able to return to work in 4-6 weeks but that will depend on how well my recovery and rehabilitation goes. The interim principal during this time will be Amy Fadorsen. Amy is the current Assistant to the Principal at Horizon and has administrative experience. Amy can be reached by contacting the Moran Office or by email: afadorsen@phm.k12.in.us.  Please direct all questions and concerns to Mrs. Fadorsen during my absence. She will be glad to help you.

Playgrounds: We ask that parent/guardians not visit our playgrounds during recess time or when school is in session. This policy is for your child’s safety and security as well as those of other parents. 

Focused Instruction: Are you curious about what skill your child is working on and if they have mastered it or not? Teachers in grades K-4 are sending this information home. If you’re not seeing your child’s information coming home contact their teacher. FI skills are those state mandated skills we want all students to know and be able to perform.

Picking Up/Dropping off Your Child:  Only bused students should use the front drop off area of our school. Students in cars, vans or trucks should be dropped off and picked up at the south entrance or exit. Please do not drop off students prior to 8:25 a.m. Help keep our students safe. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Parent/Teacher Conferences:  We appreciated your attendance during our two evenings of parent/teacher conferences. Working together, in partnership, we can help your child reach their learning potential. We hope you found your conference helpful.

Picture Retakes: Retakes were completed on Wednesday, October 16.

Daylight Savings Time: November 5, at 2:00 a.m., marks the end of daylight savings time. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour.

D.A.R.E. Graduation: Tuesday, December 5, is D.A.R.E. graduation for 5^th graders. Graduation starts at 11:30 a.m. in the IMR. Seating is limited.

Don’t forget to come visit us. We’d love to have you visit or volunteer. Please remember only approved volunteers may participate. If you have not been approved please stop by our office and pick up the forms you need in order to serve. Moran Elementary School is dedicated to serving its students and families. Please do not hesitate to call or stop by if we can be of service.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                Frank Anglin, Ed.S.

The popular annual family event is scheduled for Saturday, December 2 and is open to the entire community, not just P-H-M families. However, please note this event is for Kindergarten – 3rd grade students only and children must be accompanied by at least one adult. All tickets are $7.00.

Show times this year are scheduled for 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Space is limited to 100 tickets/participants per time slot.

This year, ticket sales will be ONLINE ONLY at phm.revtrak.net and will go on sale Wednesday, November 1 at 8:00 a.m. Tickets will NOT be sold at the ESC on Nov. 1 or at the door on Dec. 2. Tickets sell out fast, so please make arrangements to setup your account at phm.revtrak.net prior to Nov. 1. Once tickets are sold out for a time slot, online sales for that time slot will end.

You will be able to pay online using eCheck, Discover, VISA or MasterCard credit or debit cards and a 3.49% transaction fee will be added to your total purchase amount. Tickets will be mailed to the address provided during the online registration prior to December 2nd. No refunds or tickets will be available at the door.

If you have any questions, please contact the P-H-M Community Education office at (574) 258-9568 or email Jenny Forkner.

Dr. Jerry Thacker, Superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, recently learned that the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS) named him the IAPSS 2017 Outstanding Educator. 

The public announcement of Dr. Thacker’s recognition will be made at P-H-M Education Foundation’s annual Superintendent’s Luncheon to be held Tuesday, October 17.

This is the second time Dr. Thacker has received this prestigious honor from his IAPSS peers; the first time was in 2013. He was also named Indiana Superintendent of the Year in 2012 and received the Sagamore of the Wabash in 2014—Indiana’s highest award—from then Governor Mike Pence. He has also been recognized as Alumnus of the Year from both IUSB and Bethel College.

Dr. Jerry Thacker began his career in education in Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation as a 6th grade teacher at Madison Elementary School. Having filled a variety of leadership roles at districts across Indiana and Michigan, in July 2006 he returned to the P-H-M schools to serve as superintendent. Under Dr. Thacker’s leadership, the Indiana Department of Education has consistently named P-H-M an “A” Rated School District. The School Corporation now ranks in the state’s top 4% of public school districts with nine Four Star Schools.

Fifth graders from Mrs. Black’s class are using The Walking Classroom thanks to a grant provided by the PHM Educational Foundation. The Walking Classroom is a national award-winning program that is a way to learn and get exercise at the same time. Each student uses a walk kit preloaded with 111 podcasts aligned with 5th grade standards covering language arts, social studies, science, and health topics.

With the release of the 2016-17 Accountability Grades, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is proud to have nine schools received A's:
 

• Bittersweet Elementary School
• Elm Road Elementary School
• Horizon Elementary School
• Meadow’s Edge Elementary School
• Moran Elementary School
• Northpoint Elementary School
• Prairie Vista Elementary School
• Discovery Middle School
• Penn High School
   

Overall, 62 percent of Indiana schools received an A or B. For more information on and to view the 2016-17 School Accountability Grades, please click here to visit the IDOE website.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation has received an “A” grade from the Indiana Department of Education for the past seven years and expects to again be named an “A” Rated School District by the IDOE when that data is released.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

The 2017-2018 school year is off to a great start. I’d like to thank all our parents and staff who have made this possible. Our enrollment is almost the same as last year (441). This year we have four sections of kindergarten and first grade with two sections of fifth grade. All other grades have three sections.

ISTEP: We hope to have school wide ISTEP results from the 2016-2017 school year soon. Individual student reports will be mailed to parents. We continue to get mixed messages from the DOE on a release date.

Acuity Testing Replaced: This has been replaced by Exact Path. This will give us an opportunity to pre and post-test students for growth. Teachers are challenging students by setting individual learning goals.

Transportation (Buses): If your child is experiencing problems on the bus contact your child’s driver and discuss the problem with him/her. Most all problems can be resolved by working with your child’s bus driver. If you need further assistance concerning safety or drop off/pick up locations the transportation office (258-9565) can assist you.

Attendance: Regular school attendance is crucial to your child’s learning and achievement. Indiana schools are expected to maintain a 96% attendance rate in order to meet state and federal mandates. After four unexcused absences parents may be referred to Child Protective Services for truancy. Please read carefully the section on attendance in your child’s planner, pgs. 19-20. Please be sure to verify your child’s absence (pg 20). Absences are unexcused if not verified. Thank you.

Lunch/Recess Times: Lunch/Recess times are: Grades K/1: 10:45-11:40 a.m., Grades 2/3: 11:40-12:30 p.m. and Grades 4/5: 12:30-1:20 p.m. Lunch/Recess periods are a combined fifty minutes (Kindergarten is fifty-five) in length. If you plan to visit for lunch please contact your child’s teacher in advance to get the correct time for the lunch period. We enjoy visitors. Thank you.

Crossing Guard: Students who walk or ride their bikes to school will find Mr. Wolf on duty from 8:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. in the morning and from 3:05 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the afternoon. All students are encouraged to cross Beech Road when Mr. Wolf is on duty.

AM Drop Off: Our back door, south end of the building, locks at 8:40 a.m. Students are tardy after 8:40 a.m. and will need to report to the front entrance to enter school. Please be respectful of others behind you in line when dropping off your child. Many of our parents have other morning stops too. Be safe!

New Staff Members: New staff members this year are Kaza Green, Kindergarten Teacher, Anna Carroll, First Grade, Bob Wentroble, fourth grade and Marissa Reinholtz, Universal Substitute.

I would again like to thank everyone for a smooth start to a new school year. Moran Elementary School is dedicated to serving its students and families. Please do not hesitate to call or stop by if we can be of service.

Sincerely,

Frank Anglin, Ed.S.

The annual Superintendent’s Luncheon is coming soon! On October 17, 2017, P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker will give his State of the Corporation address to parents, business, community and education leaders.

The luncheon, hosted by the  P-H-M Education Foundation, is a District fundraiser and also a chance to say thank you to all of the partners who have made grant funding possible. Those grants help make many important programs for P-H-M schools possible.

The featured speakers this year will be former Bethel men’s basketball head coach Mike Lightfoot and his wife, Jacci Lightfoot. Mike and Jacci will speak about how their new calling to lead was fueled by their passion for education and athletics.

For tickets, please click here to pay online. For more information, contact Amber Kennedy at 254-2893 (ext. 10721).

The application window for P-H-M Education Foundation’s Fall 2017 Grant Cycle is now open!

And thanks to the  success of the P-H-M Education Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Gala in May 2016, an additional $10,000 is available for grants. A total of $ 33,920 is available this academic year!!!

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 Spring grant awardees.

The window for applications closes on Thursday, October 26. Applications are due promptly at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 26. If you are turning your applications in at the ESC, please come to 55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka. No late applications will be accepted. Note that there must be 10 copies for the traditional form.

There are two ways to apply:

• EZ Form: for grants less than $250

• 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)

Application and filing details can be found on the Education Foundation’s website. Click here to access the application.

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

Thursday, Oct. 26 – All applications (EZ Form and Traditional Form) must be turned in by 4 p.m. No late applications will be accepted. Note there must be 10 copies for the traditional form. 
 

Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 27 – PHMEF grant committee meets to select recipients and presents grants for approval to the P-H-M Education Foundation Board of Directors.

By Nov. 30 – Recipients will be notified by email with formal letter to follow

By Dec. 8 – Checks will be sent to the recipient’s home school.