With the release of the Spring 2017 ISTEP+ results, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation now ranks in the state’s top 4% of public school districts.

Based on both Math and ELA pass results of grades 3-8, P-H-M ranks 12th out of all 292 public school districts in Indiana. For grade 10, P-H-M ranks 9th out of all 292 public school corporations—the Michiana area’s only public school district to make the top 20!

P-H-M’s overall district pass rate for grades 3-8 was 70.8%, compared to Brownsburg Community School Corp. who received the highest overall pass rate of 83.1%. Penn-Harris-Madison’s pass rate for grade 10 was 59.9%, compared to Carmel Clay Schools 68.3%

“When you compare P-H-M to the state’s other top performing school districts, you can see the level of excellence that our students and teachers are achieving in the classrooms,” said P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker commenting on yesterday afternoon’s (Wednesday, September 6, 2017) testing results release by the Indiana Department of Education. “P-H-M has been able to achieve high performing test results not just by teaching the academic standards, but by empowering our teachers with ongoing professional development, equipping them with technology providing timely and efficient student assessment, while also growing our students’ academic stamina with rigor and relevant preparatory tools.”

Based on the 2017 Spring ISTEP+ results, Moran ranks in the top 12% of all 1,437 Indiana public schools.

As part of Penn-Harris-Madison’s own self-district assessment, P-H-M administration reviewed the 2017 ISTEP+ results information from across the state and also notes these examples of P-H-M Excellence:

• Northpoint is Indiana’s #1 public elementary school!
• Discovery ranks #3 out of the state’s 205 public middle schools.
• P-H-M has four schools (Northpoint, Prairie Vista and Horizon Elementary Schools, along with Discovery Middle School) ranked among the state’s top 50 of all 1,437 public schools.
• P-H-M ranks 4th among public school corporations with large high schools (student population more than 500).
   

After analyzing the data, Dr. Thacker also noted “I am extremely proud of what our students and teachers have been able to achieve. It is with the parent and community support that they receive that P-H-M is able to achieve academic excellence at all levels. I look forward to using the data from 2017 ISTEP to build on and improve for this coming 2018 spring testing.”

More than 10,000 Penn-Harris-Madison students in grades 1-12 headed back to school today (Wednesday, August 23, 2017) with tons of excitement for another year of #PHMExcellence!

Here’s a snapshot of the First Day from across the District … (be sure to click to view the photo gallery at the end of this story)

Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and new Penn High School Principal Sean Galiher got an early start to the day doing live interviews on the early morning news programs of South Bend’s three television stations, starting at 5:00 a.m.!  With student enrollment up this year to about 10,800 students, Dr. Thacker talked with excitement about the new school year. With P-H-M’s successful 1:1 Technology Initiative for all students in the District, P-H-M is in a great position to empower teachers with new technology and software that will help them utilize student formative assessment data more efficiently, which will help create a more personalized path unique for each student. Dr. Thacker also talked about how the District has recently created teacher leadership teams in all 11 elementary schools to increase leadership capacity and promote a renewed focus on high quality instructional practices. Principal Galiher talked to the news stations about Penn High School’s 97% graduation rate, with 45% of Penn students graduating with Honors and 51% graduate with a Core 40 degree.
 

Over at P-H-M Transportation Headquarters, approximately 139 buses started rolling out about 7:00 a.m. to pick up and transport students across the District to our 15 schools (11 elementary and three middle schools, and Penn High School).

For the first three days of school, Dr. Thacker visits all 15 schools! After leaving Penn High School this morning, his first stop was Madison Elementary to speak to students during their school assembly. All the students got a kick out of hearing about Dr. Thacker’s teaching days at Madison. P-H-M Board Members Jim Garrett and Larry Beehler (a Madison student alum) joined Dr. Thacker for his school visits this morning. Kevin McMillen’s enthusiasm, Madison’s new principal, for the new year was contagious. Students were so glad to be back at school they were hugging their teachers.

Over at Horizon Elementary, Principal Tressa Decker enlisted the help of parent volunteers to join Horizon teachers and staff to give students a “Heroes Welcome.” When students arrived at school, they were greeted by parents dressed in their work uniforms and were given "Be The Hero" medal. The goal … to inspire students to be the heroes we know they can be. 

Grissom and Schmucker Middle Schools also have new principals this year. Jean Milfort and Lavon Dean-Null were there to welcome sixth through eighth graders as they exited the buses. The hallways were a flurry of activity, but Mr. Milfort managed to spot and meet Grissom’s female football player linebacker and tight end, whose looking forward to a great year of proving herself to all the naysayers! Dr. Thacker and the Board members showed up later to say hello as part of their District tour. At Schmucker, Mrs. Dean-Null was busy helping students find their way to lockers, classes and at times played the role of “traffic cop!”

Horizon students weren’t the only ones to get a surprise when they arrived at school today. Back at Penn High School, Early College Academy staff dressed in caps and gowns to welcome the Early College Academy senior Class of 2018. This spring the students will be Penn’s first graduating co-hort of the Early College Academy—graduating with both high school diplomas and college associate degrees! Quite an accomplishment and something to look forward to!

Thursday, August 24 is the first day back for kindergartners in P-H-M’s 11 elementary schools.

It’s going to be another amazing year of academic excellence in Penn-Haris0n-Madison this year! Be sure to follow #PHMExcellence to see all the amazing pictures, videos and stories throughout the year!

This morning Penn-Harris-Madison Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker welcomed back nearly 1,500 teachers, administrators and classified support staff during the annual Kickoff Breakfast (click here to see the photo gallery below). As part of building excitement for the new school year, Dr. Thacker always takes time to praise staff and student achievements from the past year. Some of the many EXCELLENT accomplishments of P-H-M teachers, students and staff were highlighted in a video shown to staff. Dr. Thacker encouraged staff to share the great stories taking place across the District this coming year on social media using #PHMExcellence.

As part of the Kickoff Breakfast, a motivational speaker and leader in education is invited to come in and speak to P-H-M teachers. This year Dr. Joe Sanfelippo, superintendent of Fall Creek School District in Fall Cree, Wisconsin spoke to P-H-M instructional staff about “Brining School stories to the World” and telling P-H-M’s story. Dr. Sanfelippo was named an Innovative District in 2016 and 2017 by the International Center for Leadership in Education and is the author of “Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways that Great Leaders Inspire Learning that Teachers, Students, and Parents Love.” Dr. Sanfelippo is innovative school administrator who has built strong relationships with his district’s students, families and employees through engaging social media stories. Today he also encouraged P-H-M teachers to do the same and be EXCELLENT storytellers and to share the EXCELLENT things taking place every day within P-H-M’s 15 schools, telling them “You are teachers! You move people!!!”

P-H-M is an “A” rated school district and in the state’s Top 3 of public school districts with nine Four Star Schools. Excellence happens here!  Our teachers and students do amazing things every day.  Throughout this year, the community and our families will start seeing more and more of these stories. Look for and use #PHMExcellence on social media and click here for #PHMExcellence feed to catch up and see what you might have missed. 

Next Wednesday, Aug. 23 is the first day for grades 1-12 (Thursday, August 24th for Kindergarten), but today Penn-Harris-Madison’s newest teachers had their first day of school!

It was a busy New Teacher Orientation Day for this group of creative, talented and energetic teachers. This year P-H-M hired 41 new elementary, middle and high school teachers, as well Exceptional Education professional staff.

These newest teachers joined the ranks of one of Indiana’s highest ranked public school districts. As an “A” rated school and Four Star School District, 100% of our teachers are rated “Highly Effective” or “Effective.” Ongoing professional development supports and empowers our teachers to then in turn provide an excellent education to our students!

Browse the new faces you’ll be seeing throughout the 2017-18 school year!

Group 1: Elementary

Group 2: Middle School

Group 3: Penn High School

August/September, 2017 Dear Parents/Guardians: I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2017-2018 school year. Our staff is looking forward to working with you and your children. We at Moran look forward to meeting and serving our new families as well as those returning for another year. New full time teachers to Moran are Anna Carroll, 1st grade and Bob Wentroble 4th grade. Mrs. Hatch has transferred to Northpoint where her children attend and Mrs. Clark will be teaching second grade this year. Mrs. Rydzinski remains out on medical leave. Several support staff positons still need to be filled. Riding the bus to and from school is extremely safe and helps reduce traffic congestion on Beech Road. If your children do not currently ride one of our buses please consider it. You’ll save money and children will be transported safely and efficiently. ISTEP data is still unavailable at this time. The Department of Education is still working on scoring and rescores. Once the data arrives our staff will immediately begin the process of building a plan of success for all our students. The staff at Moran Elementary School is dedicated to providing the best educational experience possible for your child. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and experienced staff working with your children. We know that working together, between home and school, we can be successful. At Moran we want every child to be successful. As the new school year approaches I hope you will have the opportunity to visit and volunteer in your school. Your participation at Moran sends the message that learning is important. We hope you will have the opportunity to send that message often. Again, the Moran Staff and I look forward to serving you and your children in the coming year. I hope that your summer break has been an enjoyable one. See you soon. Sincerely, Frank Anglin, Ed.S.

One of the most exciting celestial events is coming up the afternoon of Monday, August 21 and

P-H-M wants our students to be prepared and experience the Great American Solar Eclipse. 

What makes the Great American Solar Eclipse so great? This is the first major total solar ceclipse across the continental U.S., West to East Coast, since June 8, 1918!

The northern Indiana area is not in the total eclipse pattern. However, starting at 1:00 p.m., moving east, we’ll be able to see maximum coverage (about 88%) at around 2:22 p.m. with the eclipse concluding about 3:46 p.m. Still something extraordinary for our students and families to witness!

Because the first day of the 2017-18 school year is not until Wednesday, August 23, PTOs from all our 15 schools partnered with the P-H-M DVT and Planetarium to send home free “eclipse shades” with all of  our 10,700 students the last week of school back in June. DVT Director Melinda O'Malley also prepared this P-H-Mstudent/parent fact sheet and guide for watching the eclipse safely.

We encourage our students and families to experience this wonderful event, but to do  so safely! If your child has misplaced their “eclipse shades,” here are some resources to find/purchase new ones (some of these resources, but not all, are providing solar watching glasses for free; some payment and pre-orders may be required):

• Get Ready for the Great American Eclipse! seminar, Saturday, August 12, 2017, 4:15 – 5:15 p.m., University of Notre Dame DVT- Jordan Hall: See a simulation of the eclipse in Notre Dame's unique 50-foot planetarium and digital theater. Learn about historically interesting eclipses and how the moon's place in the solar system makes these events so spectacular. Discover how to view the eclipse safely, and receive free eclipse viewing glasses. 

  The event is free and appropriate for all ages, but TICKETS ARE REQUIRED! Click here to get your tickets.

• Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library has a small number available for free, call  574-259-5277 for more information
• Saint Joseph County Public Library is hosting a Solar Eclipse Viewing party on August 21 at the downtown branch on 304 S. Main Street, South Bend. Glasses are free of charge to use only if you attend the viewing party.
• NASA’s website has a listing of reputable vendors of safe solar filters & viewers

P-H-M DVT/Planetarium Director Mindy O'Malley will be in Carbondale, IL on August 21 for the GreatAmericanEclipse. She'll be posting pictures and video that you won't want to miss! Be sure to click here to like and follow PHM DVT & Planetarium Facebook page and then logon on August 21 to experience the eclipse with Mrs. O’Malley.

Be safe and enjoy the viewing, the next total solar eclipse viewable in North America is not until April 2024!

All female P-H-M students grades 3-8 are invited to participate in a community-sponsored girls basketball league. The league begins on Sunday, September 10 and sign-ups are Sunday, August 27 in the Penn High School Arena from Noon – 2 p.m. The "Junior League" is for grades 3-6 and the "Senior League" is for 7^th and 8^th graders.

• Click here for the Junior League (Grades 3-6) informational letter
• Click here for the Junior League (Grades 3-6) registration information
• Click here for the Senior League (Grades 7-8) informational letter
• Click here for the Senior League (Grades 7-8) registration information

*Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view pdfs. 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. You can also call (574) 259-7941 for assistance.

The beginning of the 2017-2018 school year is just around the corner. Please remember the Indiana State Department of Health requires parents/guardians to provide their child’s full immunization record to the student’s school health office on or before the first day of school, August 23, 2017.  Click here for details on Kindergarten immunization requirements. 

See the list below for important Moran dates and events to get the year started:

• August 7 – Office Opens
• August 18 – Kindergarten Jump Start, 9-10:30 a.m.
• August 22 – Meet Staff/Visit Rooms, 6-6:45 p.m.
• August 23 – First Day of School (Grades 1-12); Kindergarten Orientation – Last Names A-L, 10 a.m.; Last Names M-Z, 1 p.m.
• August 24 – First Day for Kindergarten
• August 29 – School Picture Day; 1^st Grade Parent Information Night, 6 p.m.
• August 30 – 2^nd Grade Parent Information Night, 6 p.m.; Dibels Testing (Grades K and 1) 8/30-9/27
• August 31 – 3^rd Grade Parent Information Night, 6 p.m.
• September 4 – Labor Day (No School)
• September 5 – 4^th Grade Parent Information Night, 6 p.m.
• September 6 – 5^th Grade Parent Information Night, 6 p.m.

Click here to see the 2017-18 P-H-M District Calendar of Events.

The Penn-Harris-Madison Education Foundation recently announced the recipients of the Spring 2017 grants—with grants totaling $16,640!

Traditional Grant Recipients

Kelso’s Kit: Tools for Kids – Horizon Elementary – Joann Hartline’ Grade K-5  —  300 students; Awarded: $636.73
Kelso’s Kit includes 23 comprehensive lessons that help children make good choices and solve conflicts on their own. The kit will give classroom teachers and/or college practicum students additional tools needed to help students with their everyday life difficulties.

iPod Touches for Walt Disney’s A/V Team

iPod Touches for Walt Disney’s A/V Team – Walt Disney Elementary – Robi Davidson, Emily Beeden; Grades K-4  —  510 students
Awarded: $597
The purchase of the iPods (3) will allow the AV team to record live broadcasts and to connect to other forms of media. In addition, the iPods will allow the team to explore new technologies such as music recording, computer coding, app review, and more extensive photo and video editing.

Wiggling Our Way to Success – Mary Frank Elementary – Lindsay Helman; Grades 3  —  40 students; Awarded: $1,432.34
Alternative seating at Mary Frank will support students who have difficulty focusing. In addition, these seats provide health benefits that include increased metabolism, motivation and engagement, creating better oxygen flow to the brain, and improve core strength.

Strumming Our Way To Musical Success – Horizon Elementary – Jon West and Jeannie Chettleburgh; Grades K-5 — 650 students
Awarded: $1,170
Recently, due to the increase use by pop performers, the Ukulele has quickly risen in popularity. The creates a phenomenon whereby students are expressing a desire to learn to play chords and sing with the Ukulele. The teachers intend to use this natural interest to continue to each the Indiana Music Standards using Ukuleles.

The Walking Classroom – Moran Elementary – Louise Black; Grades 5 — 80-90 students
Awarded: $3,950
Student learning is not limited to sitting in the classroom. This program would allow for a class to walk around/throughout the hallways while listening to pod-casts lessons. Each student audio device is preloaded with 111 pod-casts that are aligned with the 5th grade Common Core curriculum covering language arts, social studies, and health topics.

Documenting Bat Activity in an Urban Habitat – Elm Road School – Jackie Anderson; Grade K-5 —  520 students
Awarded: $323.61
From a school’s FIRST Lego League team, this bat house is located on the edges of the school ground. A remote camera, with infrared lighting, will allow students to observe the natural patterns of bats.

Penn Orchestra – Barrage 8 –  Penn High – Ann Tschetter (P-H-M’s 2017 Teacher of the Year); Grades 9-12 —  20 students
Awarded: $450
Earlier in the year, Penn High School hosted an international string group – Barrage 8 – whose focus is to introduce student to the new eclectic and contemporary side of being a string performer. Furthermore, Penn currently houses contemporary music performing groups in band and choir, but not orchestra. This inspired the teacher to create a before or after-school group where students would take their classical training to a “show” format. Students will learn a wide variety of popular, ethnic jazz, and show tunes. The grant will support purchasing 5 musical instruments for students to perform.

Cafetorium Acoustic Development – Grissom Middle – Heather Baker; Grades 6-8 —  600 students
Awarded: $5,181.39
The school’s cafetorium is used for numerous events throughout the school year, including meetings and conferences. The current sound situation involves outdated technology and bare walls to enable a massive amount of reverb and echo. A new system would increase the quality for musical performances, student news programs, athletic events, and student body assemblies.

Serving Students with Calming Sensory Tools – Elm Road – Audrey Kim; Grades K-5 —  520 students
Awarded: $800
As an educational assistant, the teacher has helped students with anger and behavior issues using sensory tools. Students have enjoyed using manipulative tools to help them calm down. Creating boxes that are readily available for students to help channel their frustrations in appropriate ways.

EZ grant recipients ($250 or less)
 

• Occupational Therapy Materials: Mary Frank Elementary – Tess Weaver; Grade PreK-8; Awarded: $246.67
• Book Clubs in the Classroom – Not Just for Adults; Prairie Vista Elementary – Karen Hlade; Grade 5; Awarded: $244.43
• Electronics Components for Updated Physics Curriculum; Penn High School; Jonathan Lockwood; Grades 11-12; Awarded: $225
• Aquaponics Experiments to Promote a Sustainable Food Future; Penn High School – John Gensic; Grades 9-12; Awarded: $247.99
• It’s All About the Bass Bow; Discovery/P-H-M Middle School Orchestras – April Oppenheim; Grade 6-8; Awarded: $234
• Bike to Build Muscles! Walt Disney Elementary – Kathy Greve; Grades K; Awarded: $250
• Take a Stand; Discovery Middle – Murray Weaver; Grades 6-8; Awarded: $250
• Pay Attention! Elsie Rogers Elementary – Stefanie Hanks; Grade K-5; Awarded: $245
• Table Top Easels; Penn PALS/Elsie Rogers Preschool – Alison Minegar; Grades Preschool; Awarded $250

As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1996, the PHMEF develops alternative sources of income to support learning while strengthening the partnership between schools and community.

Since the Foundation’s inception, more than $520,000 have been distributed in innovative teaching grants supporting P-H-M teachers, staff, and students. Click here to see the grants awarded Fall 2016. The Grants Committee is comprised of Foundation board members, community representatives, and a P-H-M administrator who evaluate each grant application.

Dedicated business leaders, administrators, and community volunteers, representing a cross-section of the school community, serve as the board of directors. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

PHMEF’s funding comes from special events such as its premier Silver Mile Health & Fitness Fair, Donna & Dr. Jerry Thacker 5K Run/Walk for Education, the State of Indiana from the purchase of Read On Education License plates, Corporations for Education, Thank a Teacher, Entrance to Excellence bricks, and individual donations.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

The May/June calendar marks the beginning of the end of the 2016-2017 school year. Students in grades 3-5 have completed their ISTEP exams. Results will not be immediately available. We will update you as soon as we here from the Indiana Department of Education. Kindergarten and first students are assessing end of year phonemic and comprehension skills (DIBELS). These are important assessments because they tell us how well our students are learning. From this data we examine our curriculum, instructional strategies and make modifications as needed. For you, the parent/guardian, these exams provide you another benchmark in the progression of your child’s learning.
Extended Learning summer school will occur during the month of July. Meadows Edge and Walt Disney are the elementary host sites. Dates for attendance are July 10-28. This is an important learning experience for students who need a little more time and practice to master Indiana Standards. If your child has been invited be sure you get them signed up for this important learning opportunity.
IREAD 3 summer school will be held from June 12-30. This session is offered to help third grade students pass the state mandated IREAD 3 exam.
I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful summer full of exciting memories of times spent with your family. Wrapping things up for this year only makes me more excited about the 2017-2018 school year when we can once again come together and create new memories. Below I have included some information that I hope you find helpful in planning for the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Frank Anglin, Ed.S.
Important Dates:

June 1 – Kindergarten Graduation – 1:00 PM-GYM

June 6 – Awards Day
9:00 a.m. – Grades K-2
10:00 a.m. – Grades 3-5

June 7 – Field Day

Back To School Night:
August 22, from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. For your convenience class lists will be posted outside the rooms and in our gym.

First Student Day & Kindergarten Orientation
August 23, grades 1st – 5th attend a full day. Kindergarten students come to school with their parent/guardian for orientation. Families with a last name A – L attend at 10:00 am. Families with a last name M – Z attend at 1:00 pm. August 24 is the first full day for kindergarten students.