Nail biter, suspenseful … not terms you usually hear to describe a Spell Bowl, but that’s what happened at last night’s (Tuesday, March 20) 33rd annual P-H-M Elementary Spell Bowl. Click to see the photo gallery on the PHM District website (you’ll be able to view & download a high resolution jpg file from the photo gallery by simply clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right hand corner of the photo wile viewing it in the Photo Gallery function).

It was a packed house at Penn High School’s Center for Performing Arts filled with more than 200 third, fourth and fifth graders from all of P-H-M’s 11 elementary schools, along with their family, friends and P-H-M staff from the students’ home schools. Click to see the full list of winners listed below.

Preparation for the Spell Bowl takes weeks, as the students work with their teacher coaches. Each school has three teams (representing each grade) made up of six students, plus one alternate. Preparation includes spelling under pressure, studying word lists, learning about word sources (e.g., Latin roots) and rules such as capitalization and pluralization.

The format of P-H-M’s Spell Bowl is very much like a written test. Similar to a traditional spelling bee, the emcee reads a word aloud and then uses it in a sentence. The students then have 15 seconds to write the word on paper. The words get progressively more difficult through each round. A panel of judges reviews the answers and then posts the scores for the audience to see. 

The 4^th and 5^th grade rounds had to go into “extra innings” for tiebreakers. Bittersweet and Northpoint’s 4^th grade team of two students each went into the tiebreaking round with 29 points. Students had to spell appendicitis, hieroglyphic, reverberate, and Mozambique to win. Eventually Bittersweet beat out Northpoint by successfully spelling Mozambique. Click to see the full photo gallery on the PHM District website.

After that close match, it was time for the 5^th grade round, which also had to be finished with an additional tiebreaker round. This time it was Walt Disney going head to head with Northpoint. Students went through all five tiebreaker words: antiperspirant, spelunking, westernization, putrefy, and Okeechobee Lake.  Judges then had to pull from their “secret bag of words,” giving the students the word affiliate to spell. Finally in the end, Walt Disney came out on top spelling affiliate correctly. 

Each first place winning team got their picture taken with their coach and P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Thacker. See the full list of winners below …

3rd Grade Winners: 1st place – Northpoint with 26 points, Coach Deb DeLaurelle (team pictured to right) 2nd place – Prairie Vista with 23 points, Coach Katie Harris 3rd place – Bittersweet with 20 points, Coach Sheri Hedrick

4th Grade Winners: 1st place – Bittersweet with 37 points, Coach Leslie Metcalf​ (team pictured to right) 2nd place – Northpoint with 36 points, Coach Rosan Morehouse 3rd place – Horizon with 26 points, Coach Jeanne Rehlander

5th Grade Winners: 1st place – Walt Disney with 42 points, Coach Kristie Reynolds​ (team pictured to right) 2nd place – Northpoint with 41 points, Coaches Jen Payne & Charity Grimes-Ford 3rd place – Mary Frank with 29 points, Coach Christine Nisley

Special thanks to P-H-M’s K-5 High Ability Coordinator, Mrs. Anne-Marie Reininga, who is the Spell Bowl manager. This year’s emcee was Kate O’Brien, Penn’s Spell Bowl Coach.

Kids Club 2019 Spring Break registration is now open! Click here to download, complete & print the registration form.

Full-day childcare will be offered at Mary Frank Elementary School for Monday, April 1 – Friday, April 5, 2019, from 6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. This service is a available for students in all P-H-M schools, families do not have to be currently enrolled in Kids Club to take advantage of this service. The cost is $25 per child per day or $100 per child if attending all 5 days. 

Children will enjoy a variety of educational and recreational activities, as well as crafts for this week.

Registration form and payment are due together no later than Tuesday, March 26.

Children need to bring their own lunch and drink (no pop please).  Morning and afternoon snacks will be provided.

Please click to download, complete and print the registration form. Please return the form send it along with your payment to your child’s school.

If you have questions, please contact Kids Club at (574) 258-9514 or at 258-9587.

*Adobe Acrobat Reader will be required to view these 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. If you need more help accessing Kids Club information, plesae call (574) 258-9514.

Dear Moran Families,

We are raring to go for the month of March! Hopefully, we are past the worst of our winter weather, and we have no interruptions until Spring Break! Our teachers have zeroed in on learning targets most essential for preparing our students for their end-of-year assessments and for next year! Grissom and Schmucker music teachers are providing opportunities for parents and students to visit your 5th graders’ prospective middle school for an Instrument Selection Night. If your child is interested in joining band in 6th grade, families may come in and try out different instruments to make the right choice. Music professionals will be available to give students advice about which instrument may be best suited for them.  Below are the dates for the visits.

Moran’s March Madness is fast approachin­­g! This annual event will take place Friday, March 15th 6-9pm. Practices are well underway for our students in preparation for the games that evening.  Don’t miss our Moran Knight Cheerleaders performances and our silly half-time show when the staff plays a game of Knock-Out.  A fun time will be had by all!

Please make sure your child is at school each and every day on time, well-rested, fed, and ready to learn! Try to schedule appointments after school. We want to maximize learning during this final stretch before spring break. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Children who regularly eat meals with their families tend to perform better in school and avoid risky behavior? Even if you work at night, sharing breakfast is a great way to start the day. Try a weekend picnic or at-home movie night with dinner and a movie for quality family time.

Moran Knights Calendar of Important Events

Feb. 25-May 15 – Girls on the Run Practices M/W

Mar. 1 – Young Authors’ Conference Registration Deadline

Mar. 9 – Young Authors’ Conference @ SMS; 8:45-11:30 am

Mar. 15 – March Madness Basketball & Cheer Event @ Moran; 6:00 pm

Mar. 19th – Yearbook Order Deadline

Mar. 29th – Fifth Grade Growth & Development Presentations

Mar. 26-Apr.  29 – Running Is Elementary Practices T/TR

Apr.  1-7 – Spring Break – No School This Week

Apr. 19th – Recess Day / No School

Apr. 29th – Running is Elementary Meet at Elm Road 3:30-5:00 pm (Rain Date March 1st)

Apr. 29th – May 3rd – Spring Book Fair

May 29th – Memorial Day Recess / No School

June 5th – Last Student Day – All School Field Day & 5th Grade Graduation Party  –  Please Note:  All visitors must have an approved Volunteer Background check on file.

Penn High School is bringing the famed children’s book “Tuck Everlasting” to the stage. This musical adaptation is a show that the whole family can enjoy

The Penn Fine Arts and Communications Academy is presenting, “Tuck Everlasting, the Musical” on the following dates:

• Friday, March 1, at 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 2, 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday, March 3, 3:00 p.m.

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.
 

“Tuck Everlasting” is about a magical spring found deep in the woods that has the power to grant immortality. To drink or not to drink is the question that each character must answer for themselves.

On a deeper level the story wrestles with is living forever as desirable as many people think it is?

So make sure you bring out the whole family, you will not regret it!

Schmucker Principal Lavon Dean-Null will be visiting the following Penn-Harris-Madison feeder elementary schools to hold parent information sessions for incoming SY 2019-2020 sixth grade middle school students (except where noted, the meetings will be held at the elementary school):

• Monday, Feb. 25, 6:00 p.m., Prairie Vista Elementary School
• Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6:00 p.m., Elsie Rogers & Walt Disney Elementary Schools *this meeting for both schools will be held at Elsie Rogers
• Wednesday, Feb. 27, 6:00 p.m., Bittersweet Elementary School
• Thursday, Feb. 28, 6:00 p.m., Moran Elementary School

If parents cannot make it to their school’s designated night, they are welcome to attend another night that works for their schedule. Please click to download and print a copy of the parent flyer.

Middle School Instrument Selection nights for incoming sixth graders are also coming up.

Schmucker Instrument Selection Nights

Monday, March 4, 2019

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Click for more details and to sign up for Schmucker’s Selection Night.

Grissom Instrument Selection Night

Thursday, March 7, 2019

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Click for more details and to sign up for Grissom’s Selection Night.

Saturday, March 9, 2019

8:45 – 11:30 a.m.

Schmucker Middle School

P-H-M Elementary students, grades K-5

Registration Fee: $5 per child

Click here to register and pay online
*Registration deadline has been extended to Friday, March 1

The Young Authors’ Conference is an annual, beloved event 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 last year’s event.

Troy Cummings is this year’s celebrity author and illustrator of the popular series “The Notebook of Doom.” Cummings’ illustrations have also been featured on magazines, puzzles, and games! Click hear to learn more about Cummings’ other work. 

As part of the morning activities, participants and parents will not only enjoy a presentation by Cummings, but also a short performance by Penn High School Theater students from their upcoming musical “Tuck Everlasting” (March 1, 2 and 3).

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

Parents will attend a special presentation by Bethel College Education professor Dr. Michelle Fish.  Dr. Fish will share how parents can use children’s literature to connect with writing at home. *One parent must accompany students! However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day.

REGISTRATION: Click here to register and pay online. If you don’t have a PHM Revtrak account, you will need to create one. There is a fee for using this service. If you prefer to register via paper, please fill out the front of the blue envelope that was attached to the hard copy of the flyer that came home with your student. Fill out the blue envelope completely, insert your payment, and return it to your child’s school. Checks should be made payable to: Young Authors’ Conference. Cash is also accepted. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 22, 2019!

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 Lisa Russell at lrussell@phm.k12.in.us.

Monday, April 29 (Rain Date Wed., May 1)

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 11th 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.

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.

Click to download the RIE forms to sign your student(s) to participate. 

Mary Frank 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.

The event is hosted by the P-H-M Education Foundation and Corporations for Education.

Penn High School will once again host the FIRST Robotics St. Joseph District Event on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10.

Plan on coming out and enjoying the excitement of more than 40 high school FRC robotics teams from Indiana and Michigan battling it out on a basketball court-sized field with four-foot tall, 120-pound robots! Join more than 5,000 students, coaches, mentors, parents and fans during this one-of-a-kind two-day event! WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW to get a taste of all the excitement!

Cheer on Penn’s Team 135 and make sure to bring your Robotics fans to enjoy Next Gen, an area for students ages K-8, who can get hands-on engaging fun with some of Team 135’s other robots. Next Gen will be open Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The entire event is FREE ADMISSION!

Schmucker Instrument Selection Nights

Monday, March 4, 2019

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Grissom Instrument Selection Night

Thursday, March 7, 2019

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” offering choir, band and orchestra at P-H-M’s three middle schools: Schmucker, Discovery, and Grissom Middle Schools. Moran Elementary’s school zone is divided for middle school between Schmucker & Grissom middle schools.

Every P-H-M 5th grader who will be attending a P-H-M middle school as an incoming 6th grader in the Fall 2020 has the opportunity to join an instrumental music class, which includes either band or orchestra. “Instrument Selection Night” is when students and families get to make their choice!

In order to join 6th grade band or orchestra, students must select an instrument that they will learn, practice and perform for the school year.  Click this link to sign-up for your appointment at your designated school and date. *If you have not received a letter with details about this process, please contact Glenn Northern at gnorthern@phm.k12.in.us.

At “Instrument Selection Night,” a music professional will be available to give students advice about which instrument may be best suited for them. They will be allowed to “try out” instruments from various instrument groups.

Dear Moran Families,

I would like to reintroduce myself.  As some of you may remember, I was the acting interim principal last fall when Mr. Anglin was on medical leave.  This year, I return while Mr. Anglin is out for another medical leave.  I am very excited to be back with the students and staff at Moran.  It was so much easier this year as I know the “lay of the land!”.  It was surprising to see how many kids remembered me, and I am enjoying visiting with them each day.

Although I am unsure how long I will be staying, I want to assure you we are working hard each day to maximize student learning and success.  I am sure you are aware that state standards and expectations have become increasingly more rigorous since you were in school.  Our teachers work so hard to provide the highest quality instruction to your students every day.  We value your support and appreciate any and all help you can provide your child at home:  insuring they complete their homework, read at night, and practice their math facts.  Just spending a few minutes with your child checking their homework can make all the difference.  It also shows them how important YOU think learning is and how putting forth your best effort is not only the best way to be successful in school, it is an essential life skill we all take into the world.

Currently, teachers in grades K-2 are administering mid-year DIBELS tests and students in grades 3-5 are completing  AIRWays Interim Assessments in ELA, Writing, and Math.  Teachers use the results of these formative assessments to guide their instruction.  Ask your child’s teacher what you can do to help them reach their learning goals!  We know all our students can succeed and want everyone to reach his/her fullest potential. 

As we quickly progress through February, below are some upcoming events to mark on your calendars. Please help your child come to school well-rested, fed and ON TIME! No one likes to walk in late and feel behind before their day has even begun.

Sincerely,

Amy Fadorsen​

Interim Principal

2/8 – U.S. Shake Out

Once again, Moran Elementary School will be participating in the great “American Shake Out!” This nationwide drill will be conducted on Friday, February 8th. Indiana is in a fault zone and is susceptible to earthquakes. We plan to be prepared in such an event.

2/14 – Spring Parties  –  Party times vary among classrooms. Your teacher will be in contact if volunteers are needed!

2/15-2/18 – Presidents’ Day Recess – No School!

March 18-29 – IREAD Assessment for third grade students

Students prepare all year long for this week-long assessment. Please ensure your child is ready. Daily school attendance and partnering with the teacher will maximize your student’s potential to perform at their optimum level.