New Short Circuits Sphero program partners 3rd graders & Penn Robotics studentsArchived

What would make more than 200 elementary students and dozens of Penn High School students show up at school on a Saturday? It would have to be something pretty cool, and there’s no doubt that P-H-M’s new  “Short Circuits” Sphero is cool! Click here to see the full photo gallery on the P-H-M District website.

Teams of third graders from all 11 P-H-M elementary schools and their Penn Robotics Team 135 coaches/mentors were excited to show off what they had learned about coding, programming, and robotics to their parents, grandparents and family members. 

The idea for Short Circuits came about from a discussion between longtime, now retired, Penn Robotics Team 135 Coach Jim Langfeldt and P-H-M Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom.

Jim Langfeldt
Jim Langfeldt at Penn Robotics Camp, June 2022

Current Team 135 Teacher Coach Kyle Marsh worked with Michael Niemier — a Professor in Computer Science and Engineering at Notre Dame — under the umbrella of his National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) grant, which funded Mr. Marsh’s summer work to write the Short Circuits coding program. Co-developer and former P-H-M teacher Jim Langfeldt has also participated in Niemier’s RET program.

During the 4-week after school practices, the Penn students have coached and mentored 3rd grade teams at all 11 elementary schools; one or two teachers at each elementary school are also involved helping to oversee the students.

During Saturday’s celebration, the 3rd grade students will demonstrate for their parents and family members what they’ve learned, including programming the Sphero robots to maneuver through the Penn Robotics student built obstacle course.

Short Circuits is sponsored by P-H-M Education Foundation. Former longtime PHM Board Member Gary Fox, and his wife Tamera, generously committed to a $20,000 donation over four years to sponsor the program. $30,000 was raised at the PHMEF 25th Anniversary Gala to pay for Sphero kits for all the elementary schools. 

Sphero Celebration
Supt. Dr. Jerry Thacker, PHM School Board Pres. Chris Riley, PHMEF Exec. Dir. Jennifer Turnblom, Fmr. School Board Pres. Gary Fox, & his wife Tamera Fox

Homecoming Weekend Set for September 23rd & 24thArchived

There is going to be a little something for everybody happening at Penn High School on September 23rd and 24th, so mark your calendars and be sure to bring the whole family!

Friday, September 23rd, 2022

P-H-M Education Foundation Family Fun Zone

*All monies raised by the P-H-M Education Foundation goes into funding innovative school and teacher grants which in turn provide #PHMExcellence in all 15 P-H-M schools!

Saint Joseph Health System Health Fair

  • Time 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
  • Cost: FREE!
  • Free Health Screenings PLUS interactive booths for children

Homecoming Parade

  • Time: 5:30 p.m.
  • Location: Behind Schmucker Middle School > Bittersweet > Ends at the P-H-M ESC
    **SEE THE MAP BELOW**
  • Parade Grand Marshal P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, 2022 Penn Homecoming Court, Kingsmen Marching Band, Penn Cheerleaders, Penn student groups and clubs, local Fire trucks & Police cars

 

September 3rd Map

 

Penn Homecoming game, Kingsmen vs. Marian Knights

  • Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
    • Homecoming Court Presentation at halftime
  • Cost: $6
  • Children in grades K-5 get in FREE with a paying adult

 

Saturday, September 24th, 2022

Silver Mile Bubble & Color Run for Education – Sign up Here!
All monies raised by the P-H-M Education Foundation goes into funding innovative school and teacher grants which in turn provide #PHMExcellence in all 15 P-H-M schools!

  • Late Registration & T-Shirt Pickup
    • ​Time: 7:15-8:00 a.m.
    • Location: TCU Freed Field
  • Warm Up
    • ​Time: 8:15
    • Location: TCU Freed Field Track
  • 1-Mile Fun Run / Walk
    • ​Start Time: 8:30 a.m.
    • Cost: $10 Per Person (4 & under free!) | T-Shirt $10
      • ​Price for Preregistration by September 22nd, 2022
      • Friday & Saturday (Day of) Registration: Cost $15
    • Location: TCU Freed Field Track
  • Water and light post race snacks will be available to participants
    race map

Young Authors’ Conference, Sat. March 5Archived

(picture above was taken March 2019)

Mark your 2022 calendars for P-H-M’s Young Authors’ Conference:

Saturday, March 5

8:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Schmucker Middle School

P-H-M Elementary students, grades K-5

Registration Fee: $5 per child

Online registration is at phm.revtrak.net. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 18, 2022.

 

The Young Authors’ Conference is for P-H-M students in grades K-5. The event, sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation, provides an opportunity for students and their parents to meet and hear from a well-known children’s authors. Click here to view the photo gallery of the 2019 event.

This year students and their parents will meet and hear from well-known children’s author, teacher, and speaker, Gabrielle Balkan. Mrs. Balkan is best known for non-fiction books that delight readers ages 3-12 with curious and essential facts about the United States, animal record-breakers, and ground-breaking artists. Mrs. Balkan will share her experiences as a writer and illustrator during her engaging, grade-level  presentations.

Participants and parents will also enjoy an interactive, up-close animal experience from the Potawatomi Zoo staff.   As part of the morning activities, students will share their own writing piece in small, adult-led group sessions with students from other P-H-M elementary schools. While students are meeting with their peers, parents will join P-H-M Teacher and writing expert, Mary Nicolini, as she explores how writing can be a method for remembering and preserving events using real-life stories, drawings, and photographs.

Elementary student attendees will also work in small adult-led breakout sessions sharing their own writing pieces with other P-H-M students.

COST: The registration fee of $5.00 per child is used for conference expenses. There is no cost for the parent. One parent only must accompany students!  However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day.  YOUNGER siblings may not accompany adults. This experience is for your young author and parent.

REGISTRATION: Online registration will be available at phm.revtrak.net. If you don’t have a P-H-M Revtrak account, you will need to create one. There is a fee for using this service. The deadline for registration will be Friday, February 18.

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

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Schirripa at lschirripa@phm.k12.in.us.

Penn Poms to host one-day clinic on Saturday, Jan. 29Archived

Penn Poms will host a one-day clinic on Saturday, January 29, 2022.

The Poms clinic participants (pre-K through eighth grade) will learn a dance routine during the day on Saturday, Jan. 29, that will be performed at the Penn High School boys basketball halftime that night. The clinic cost is $35 per student.

Click here for details.

*Adobe Acrobat Reader will be required to view the pdfs on this page. 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.

COVID Testing Walk-in Clinic for P-H-M Students & StaffArchived

map
The Clinic is located at the Southeast Corner of Bittersweet Rd & McKinley Hwy


COVID Testing Walk-in Clinic
If a student, teacher, or staff member is symptomatic or quarantined due to exposure, they may receive a free BinaxNOW rapid antigen test for the COVID-19 virus. This program uses Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOW tests provided by the federal government.

The IDOH has recently revised the school site testing criteria due to the limited supply to only test the following groups:

  • Symptomatic students Pre-K through grade 12
  • Symptomatic teachers and staff members age 50 and above.  

Where can they be tested:

  • The walk-up clinic will take place at the P-H-M Bank Locker Room Building located on the corner of Bittersweet and McKinley Hwy (US20) near Penn High School. Entry is off McKinley Hwy.
  • No appointment is necessary.
  • The clinic will be open when school is in session on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. AS LONG AS TESTS ARE AVAILABLE. The Clinic may need to close early on the days it is in operation as the number of available tests per day may vary due to the national shortage. 
  • We will only test a student accompanied by a parent/guardian.
  • Please bring the completed consent form to the clinic at the time of testing. Click here to download and print the consent form.

 

Moran Holiday Parade a Huge Success!Archived

Sphero Robots allow students to have fun while being introduced to the concept of coding!

We are very fortunate to be running a pilot program where students school-wide have access to the Robots. There are two large kits per grade level that ensures every student access to the robots throughout the course of the school year.

Today, December 3, 2021, our whole school came together to host a “Moran Holiday Parade”, inspired by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

All the Knights from kindergarten through fifth grade were able to participate. They made “floats” out of cups and put the cups over the Sphero Robots.

Words don’t do it justice, take a look at the creativity in the video and the photos below! 

To download high-resolution jpg files from the photo gallery below, just simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the photo while viewing it in the Photo Gallery function. We are happy to provide this service to you, free of charge!

Mouse card on gym floor.
Two people standing in a room with purple walls and inflatable structures, looking at electronic devices on the floor.
Woman in gymnasium wearing face mask and red star t-shirt.
Children wearing masks, gathered around a table with cups and a tablet, possibly for an art project or learning activity.
Children in Santa hats posing for a picture on a basketball court.
Two people standing on a wooden floor holding a cardboard cutout of a cat.
Two children in camouflage shirts standing at front of room, holding tablets, with colorful balloon arch behind them and
Children in masks posing with a large green Christmas tree decoration.
Two children in a gymnasium wearing masks, one child is holding a small cake with a candle on it and another child is
People playing with a toy robot on a wooden floor.
Children in santa hats playing with a sphero robot on a basketball court.
Children in santa hats playing with spheros on a gym floor.
Person holding a Sphero robot in front of a blue mat on the floor.
Woman wearing a face mask smiles at camera in gymnasium.
People gathered around a colorful inflatable tunnel, possibly for an event or celebration.
Two children in a classroom wearing masks, holding stuffed animals.
Girl posing next to large inflatable santa claus balloon in gymnasium.
Two people standing in front of a colorful inflatable tunnel at an indoor event, one person holding a tablet and the other
Five people wearing masks sitting on a floor in a gymnasium.
A group of people gathered around a table with sphero robots, engaged in an activity that involves using smartphones to
Two people in masks standing in front of a gymnasium.
Girl in red shirt holding a tablet, standing in front of a group of people.
Thanksgiving celebration in a gymnasium with a small Pokémon-themed paper lantern.
Girl in Santa hat wearing mask, standing inside gymnasium.
1 2

Winter Guard Open House, Tuesday, Nov. 16Archived

The Penn Winter Guard Open House will be from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the Auxiliary Gym.

The Open House is for all 4th – 12th  grade P-H-M students.

Questions, contact Jen at (574) 903-9200 for more information about Winter Guard.

U.S. News Ranks Moran Among Indiana’s Top Public Elementary SchoolsArchived

U.S. News & World Report “Best Schools” Designations has recently expanded to include elementary and middle schools. With Penn High School earning a “Best High School” designation for several years, P-H-M now has several elementary and middle schools who also have earned this distinction, including our very own Moran. We’ve earned the distinction of being among Indiana’s Top 30% of Public Elementary Schools (data is based on the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years).

A total of 10 of P-H-M elementary schools earned the high ranking as a U.S. News “Best Public Elementary School.” See the full ranking list below:

1. Northpoint Elementary​
3. Prairie Vista Elementary
8. Mary Frank Elementary
11. Horizon Elementary
93. Bittersweet Elementary
136. Meadow’s Edge Elementary
157. Elm Road Elementary
177. Moran Elementary
256. Walt Disney Elementary
299. Elsie Rogers Elementary 

Two of our middle schools, Discovery and Schmucker, are also named “Best Public Middle Schools.” Discovery is ranked #4 in Indiana and Schmucker is ranked #96.

Here’s how U.S. News calculated the rankings:

For each state, schools were assessed on their pupils’ proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by state assessment tests. Half of the ranking formula was the results themselves; the other half was the results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are high achieving ones that succeeded in educating all of their students. All data for the rankings are from third-party sources, including the U.S. Department of Education.

U.S. News has published state rankings for more than 47,000 public elementary schools and more than 23,000 public middle schools. Most schools with an elementary school ranking offer grades K-5 or K-6, while most with a middle school ranking offer grades 6-8 or 7-8. Some schools with wider grade spans were ranked in both categories.

U.S. News has published an in-depth methodology article that provides more information about the rankings and how they were calculated.
 

Penn Robotics October & November WorkshopsArchived

Penn High School Robotics Team 135 is pleased to once again offering Next Gen Camps this Fall to inspire elementary and middle school students pursue Robotics. The dates are October 29th & 30th, as well as three dates in November: Nov. 13th, 26th, and 27th.

Click the images of the flyers below to enroll your student today.

 

October Workshop    November Flyer

Registration Opens for Spring Break 2021 Kids ClubArchived

Spring Break Kids Club

April 5 – 9, 2021

6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Northpoint Elementary School (Door E)

Cost is $35 per child, per day or $150 per child for the full week. If you are not currently enrolled in Kids Club, you must also pay the $25 registration fee per child. Registration and payment are due, and non refundable, by Tuesday, March 30, 2021. 

Click here for more details and online registration.