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 Wednesday, March 29. If you did not receive a copy contact your child’s teacher.  

APRIL TEST DATES: 

April 10 – April 14: 5^th Grade Math placement for Middle School

April 12 – May 10: DIBELS Reading K-1

April 17 – May 5: ISTEP grades 3-5

May 5 –   May 26: NWEA, select students

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 12 – June 30, 2017.

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 more information about our school’s performance parents may to http://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/overview.aspx.

SUMMER SCHOOL:

Regular summer school for 2017 will be held at Meadow’s Edge from July 10 – July 28. 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 Wednesday, May 18. 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 6-June 7:

Awards Day will be on June 6 and June 7th will be the all school Field Day. The last day of school is Wednesday, June 7.  

Kids Club will be open for Spring Break 2017!

WHEN: Monday, April 3 – Friday, April 7

                 6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

                *House of Bounce Carnival Day on Friday, April 7

WHERE: at the Mary Frank Elementary School location

                    13111 Adams Road, Granger (Entry through Door H) 

COST: $25 per child, per day + $10 activity fee per child

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Payment due Monday, March 27

                                                         Click here to download and print the registration form

Questions? Please contact Kailey Campanaro at (574) 258-9514 or Ashley Stoffl at (574) 258-9587 or click here for more information about P-H-M’s Kids Club program.

For 28 years, Circle the State with Song has been an integral part of Indiana’s choral landscape. This program is a statewide choral festival for elementary and junior high/middle school choirs. Nearly 5,000 youth from hundreds of different schools participate in Circle the State each spring at one of 12 sites throughout Indiana.  Over 15,000 community members attend these concerts annually. During the festival, the participating schools rehearse and perform together under the director of a highly experienced Clinician.

The primary objectives of the program include:

• Provide students with an exciting and quality choral performance with other students from their area;

• Allow music teachers an opportunity to observe and learn from the clinician working with the students, plus to share and discuss vocal pedagogy with other teachers; and

• Provide students the challenge and opportunity to sing quality children’s choral repertoire.

Our music teacher Mrs. Sherer and our students have spent many valuable hours preparing for this concert on February 25th at Goshen College.  Congratulations to the following Moran students:

Lauren Alwine, Lana Balajadia, Cole Bennett, Caleb Burns, Maia Centilli, Josie Clarke, Kylie Creech, Braelyn Freel, Abigail Hughes, Ryan Klosowski, Therisa McFarland, Brayden Minix, Alisandra Pinedo, Rily Pletcher, Charlotte Ryska, Julian Smith, Leah Spinsky and Ellisa Thompson.

THE DEADLINE IS NOW EXTENDED TO WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1!

P-H-M’s annual Young Author’s Conference offers an opportunity for all P-H-M elementary students in grades K-5 and their parents to meet and learn from a well-known children’s author.

This year’s guest author Judith L. Roth has written three children’s picture books (Goodnight Dragons, Julia’s Words and Cups Held Out) and a middle school novel-in-verse, Serendipity & Me. A native of California, Roth has been a resident of Indiana for almost 30 years now. Inspired by a love of music, Roth also writes some poetry. Her love of writing began with her love of reading when she was a student herself at the age 10. Roth is hoping to inspire other budding young authors like she once was!

While students are meeting with their peers, parents will attend a special presentation by Penn High School English teacher and Writing Coordinator, Mrs. Mary Nicolini, who is a recent recipient of the University of Chicago’s Outstanding Educator Award.

The Young Author’s Conference is sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation.

DATE: Saturday, March 11, 2017

TIME: 8:45 – 11:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Schmucker Middle School, 56045 Bittersweet Road

COST: Just $5.00 per child; the registration fee is used for conference expenses. Checks should be made payable to: YAC. Cash is also accepted. 

REGISTRATION: The deadline for registration is now Wed., March 1, 2017.  Please make sure you return the registration packet and fee to the front office by March 1. Please contact your child’s school, if you did not receive one. We require that at least one parent accompany their student(s) to the Conference. However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day.

CONFIRMATION: Participating students will receive additional information prior to the conference through their home school the first week of March.

QUESTIONS: Please click here to email Lisa Duerksen.

At Penn-Harris-Madison, we are proud to offer year-round academic enrichment, athletic and recreational activities for the students and families within our award winning school district.

For months, P-H-M administrators, teachers, coaches and staff have been busy planning all the camps and activities that will be available for students when school lets out this year on Wed., June 7, 2017.

Everything from Japanese to building apps for mobile devices to baseball will be offered this summer! And we’re adding more and more …

Click here to see the full list of camps and activities being offered so far this year. New this year, some of the camps now have online registration making it easier for busy parents to register their children for these engaging opportunities.

Experts say it takes 3 weeks to learn a new habit, but since this is our first time, we are going to give ourselves 4 weeks to make fitness a daily occurrence.
Who: Anyone that is part of the Moran community. Students, parents, neighbors and friends.
When: Four weeks in the month of March.
Where: Anywhere you can do 15 minutes of continuous, sustained movement.
Cost: $1.00 for Moran student single registration, $2.00 for all other single registrations, $5.00 for a family registration.
Benefits: Beside starting a healthy habit, all participants that successfully complete the challenge will be entered in a raffle for one of two $25.00 gift certificates to Garden Patch Market.
To enter please return your registration and payment to Miss Julie or Moran PTA by Tuesday, Feb. 28th.

Have you ever met an author before? Author Judith L. Roth is coming to meet YOU! She will be at Schmucker Middle School on March 11th for our Young Author’s Conference. You can hear a published author speak, watch a drama show and share your writing with student authors just like you! All you have to do is have your parents help you fill out the little blue Young Author’s Conference envelope, and bring it back to school. Be sure to give it to your teacher by Friday, February 24. Judith can’t wait to meet you!

Joining Band and Orchestra is easier then ever!
Please find our Band and Orchestra Instrument Selection Night information and appointment form online by going through the PHM main page (www.phm.k12.in.us). Scroll down to find the “Middle School Instrument Selection Night”. You may also call Tiffany Perry at 258-9515 to schedule an appointment.
Selection Night is for both parent and students. If possible, please attend session at the school your student will attend.
Schmucker Middle School 4:30 – 7:30 pm – February 21st and 22nd
Discover Middle School 4:30 – 7:30 pm – February 27th and 28th
Grissom Middle School 4:30 – 7:30 pm – March 7th

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Currently our students have been busy with DIBLES testing in grades K-1 and preparing for ISTEP/IREAD in grades 3-5. Acuity C will be the next test for grades 2-5. Teachers are monitoring the children’s progress in reading and math. These regular check-ups guide us in our daily planning and preparation. We want all our children to grow and realize their potential. February has quickly arrived and we have much to do in the days ahead. Below is a list of some information we hope you find helpful.
Sincerely,

Frank Anglin, Ed.S.

YEARBOOK PICTURES: Friday, February 10th Lifetouch Photography will take classroom and special group pictures for our yearbook. A special thanks to Mrs. Clark who sponsors our yearbook production.

ACUITY TESTING: ACUITY tests in LA/Math will be from Feb 6-24. Grades 2-5 participate. ACUITY measures student growth, indicates ISTEP preparedness and provides teachers with feedback for planning instruction. A good night’s sleep and good breakfast will help your child perform their best during this time.

U.S. SHAKE OUT: Once again Moran Elementary School will be participating in the great “American Shake Out!” This nation wide drill will be conducted on Thursday, February 23. Indiana is in a fault zone and is susceptible to earthquakes. We plan to be prepared in such an event.

WRITING: Students in grades K-5 continue to practice and learn the Lucy Calkin’s writing process put in place in all PHM elementary schools. Writing impacts learning in other subject areas too. On Wednesday, February 1, teachers will be participating in professional development focused on the Writing Conference.

Make Up Days: Friday, March 24 is our snow Make Up Day. School will be in session. We will follow our Monday schedule.

From the DOE: Recently the Department of Education recognized Moran Elementary School as an “A” school for the 2015-2016 school year. Congratulations to all the Moran teachers, support staff, students and the entire Moran School community.

ISTEP/IREAD: Both of these very important assessments are coming soon. Is your child ready? Have you been partnering with your child’s teacher? It takes all of us working together to reach each student’s potential. We appreciate and encourage your support for the success of your child.

Misson: We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

Vision: We invision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.

Over a period of 10 weeks, girls in the 3rd through 5th grade participate in an after-school program like no other. Designed to allow every girl to recognize her inner strength, the Girls on the Run curriculum inspires girls to define their lives on their own terms. Throughout the season, the girls make new friends, build their confidence and celebrate all that makes them unique.

The Girls on the Run lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development. Participants explore and discuss their own beliefs around experiences and challenges girls face at this age. They also develop important strategies and skills to help them navigate life experiences. We start with helping the girls get a better understanding of who they are and what’s important to them. Then, we look at the importance of team work and healthy relationships. And, finally, the girls explore how they can positively connect with and shape the world.

Physical activity is woven into our program to inspire an appreciation of fitness and to build habits that lead to a lifetime of health. At the end of each three month session, the girls participate in a Girls on the Run 5k event. This celebratory, non-competitive event is the culminating experience of the curriculum. Completing the 5k gives the girls a tangible understanding of the confidence that comes through accomplishment as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls realize that even the seemingly impossible IS possible.

Registration forms are due Feb. 6th or before.

Practices are Tuesday and Thursday Feb. 28th – May 11th with a 5 K race on May 13th.