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Running is Elementary Parking for April 28 (April 30)

Running is Elementary will be held Monday, April 28 (Rain Day is Wed., April 30) at Elm Road Elementary School, 59400 Elm Rd, Mishawaka.

Introductions will begin at 2:50 p.m.

5th Grade Girls – 3:00 p.m.
5th Grade Boys – 3:20 p.m.
4th Grade Girls – 3:40 p.m.
4th Grade Boys – 4:00 p.m.

Limited parking is available at Elm Road School. Overflow parking is at Grissom Middle School with shuttle buses running to Elm Road School.

PARENTS: Please give yourselves plenty of time to arrive and get parked. You may end up having to park at Grissom and take the shuttle. Please follow the signs for parking at Grissom; school is still in session and releases at 4:00 p.m.

Spectators who park at Elm Road may be asked to wait to pull out of the lot if student runners are on the course. Please do not get impatient with volunteers; this is for our students’ safety.

Running is Elementary Parking for April 28 (May 8)

2025 Middle School Music Instrument Selection Night

Every P-H-M 5th grader who will be attending a P-H-M middle school as an incoming 6^th grader in the Fall 2024 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!

Fifth graders at Bittersweet, Elsie Rogers, Walt Disney, Prairie Vista, and some Moran Elementary Schools will attend Schmucker Middle School for 6^th – 8^th grades. Some Moran students will attend Grissom. Moran families please click here to view the P-H-M School Boundaries Map as a reference.

Schmucker’s Instrument Selection Nights are Monday, March 3rd and Tuesday, March 4th.

Grissom’s Instrument Selection Nights are Monday, March 10th and Tuesday, March 11th.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” offering choir, band and orchestra at Schmucker, Discovery and Grissom Middle Schools.

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. Click here to download, view and print more information on Instrument Selection Night.

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.

2025 Books & Bots

Saturday, March 1, 2025

9:15 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.

at Penn High School

for P-H-M students K – 5th grade

FREE! There is no cost for this event, but registration is required and limited.

REGISTRATION: Opens January 17 – deadline is Friday, February 14, https://bit.ly/BooksandBots

Sponsored by the P-H-M Education Foundation, Young Authors’ Conference is an opportunity for P-H-M students in Kindergarten – 5th grade to meet and hear from well-known children’s author and speaker Shannon Anderson, participate in a variety of robotic explorations, and visit a “Make It and Take It” puppet making session!

Shannon Anderson has spent 25 years teaching, from first grade through college level. She is now a full-time author, with picture books titled: B is for Belonging, Heroes Don’t Have to Fly, I Love Strawberries, and more. She is also known for her biography series, with books like The Story of Benjamin Franklin, The Story of Helen Keller, and so many more. A champion of kindness and positivity, Shannon believes that every day offers a new opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

I Love Strawberries! book cover American Tall Tales, Johnny Appleseed book cover B is for Belonging, book cover

As part of the morning activities, students will participate in three rotations: one session with Shannon Anderson, one interactive puppet-making session, and one session where students will enjoy the hands-on exploration of technology with Sphero Bots, Dot and Dosh, Bee Bots, Ozobots and more! Our amazing P-H-M teachers and volunteers will guide students and their parents through the interactive session guiding them on how develop a character and create their own puppet.

Student with laptop operating Sphero bot Teacher holding artwork done by Sphero bot

At least one parent or guardian must accompany the student(s)! If more than one child is registering for Books and Bots, the family will stay together so only one adult is needed. Siblings YOUNGER than kindergarten may not accompany adults. This experience is for your young author(s) and the parent/guardian.

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

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please contact Candace Cussen at ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.

2024 Community Connections Fair

P-H-M’s ENL Department is hosting their annual Community Connections Fair on Saturday, October 5th!

Join us for activities, arts & crafts, food, performances, and to learn about resources in our community. It is completely FREE and all P-H-M families are invited to attend. Click here to see photos on Facebook of past Fairs.

If you have somebody in your family that would like to perform for our event showcasing a traditional act from your family’s culture, click here to fill out a form to participate.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Disney’s The Jungle Book Student Performance

The student performers of this year’s school musical performance, Disney’s The Jungle Book, had a full dress rehearsal this morning for the entire school. Let’s just say they knocked it out of the park!

The acting and singing were phenomenal! All the students and staff in the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The staff director and co-directors also did a great job! Thank you Mrs. Scott (Director)
and Co-Directors Mrs. Ginter, Mrs. Howell, Mrs. Kinney, and Mrs. Yankauskas for all your dedication.

Some of the equipment used in the production of the show was bought with a grant from the P-H-M Education Foundation.

The musical will be performed for the public Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18, both shows at 6:00 p.m. Tickets available for purchase at the door!

Click here for the show Program.

2024 PHM Elementary Spell Bowl Results

Tuesday, March 19 was P-H-M’s annual Elementary Spell Bowl event. Student 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade teams from all 11 elementary schools compete. Click here to see the photo gallery below.

Below is this year’s “leaderboard”:

3rd Grade Winners:

3rd gr. winners, Northpoint

1st place- Northpoint with 29 points, coached by Nichol Monday
2nd place- Prairie Vista with 27 points
3rd place tie – Bittersweet, Horizon and Mary Frank each with 22 points

4th Grade Winners:

4th gr winners, Northpoint

1st place- Northpoint with 30 points, coached by Jen Payne
2nd place- Bittersweet with 29 points
3rd place- Prairie Vista with 27 points

The 5^th grade competition was very close with Northpoint and Bittersweet neck and neck. The tiebreaker words were: panache, soup du jour, fluorescence, pharmaceutical and Albuquerque.

5th Grade Winners:

5th gr winners, Northpoint 5th gr 2nd place, Bittersweet

1st place- Northpoint with 38 points, coached by Ros Morehouse
2nd place- Bittersweet with 37 points
3rd place tie – Prairie Vista and Horizon each with 26 points

Overall Bittersweet did so well that when the 5^th grade team came out on stage to be recognized, the other students and parents cheered, clapped, and gave them a rousing round of congratulations!

Bittersweet team recognized Bittersweet recognized

The teams spend weeks preparing for Spell Bowl with their teacher coaches. They may study word lists, learn about derivations (e.g., Latin roots) and rules (e.g., capitalization, pluralization), and how to spell correctly under pressure.

The format of the Spell Bowl is more like a written test. The emcee reads a word and uses the word in a sentence, the students listen and then write it on paper within a 15-second time limit. The students’ written entries are reviewed by a panel of judges and then their score is posted in front of the audience. Each correct word spelling is worth one point.

The annual event is held in Penn High School’s Center for Performing Arts to not only accommodate all the student teams, but also the students’ “fans,” which are their family, friends and other staff from their home schools!

Mrs. Cassie Scarsella, P-H-M’s High Ability Coordinator, manages the Spell Bowl and works to assure that it is a positive and enriching experience for students. Academic competition can give students confidence, increase their motivation to sharpen their skills and abilities, and expand their opportunities to receive recognition.

eLearning Day for April 8 due to Solar Eclipse

At the P-H-M Board of School of Trustees meeting on Monday, February 26, district administration made a presentation to the Board regarding the total solar eclipse taking place on Monday, April 8. As part of the presentation, district administration announced that for a variety of reasons Monday, April 8 will be an eLearning Day. If the district has used all of its allotted three eLearning Days (we currently have used two), the day will be a Virtual Learning Day. No P-H-M sponsored field trips or planned evening activities will take place on this date. Monday, April 8 is the first day back after Spring Break (April 1-5).

Indiana is in the path of totality and is centrally located in the United States, thus the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is telling tourists, residents, school districts and public agencies to be prepared for three days of potential impact such as, oversized crowds, gridlock traffic, communications disruptions, and even nocturnal animal confusion. Click here to see the full presentation from last night’s Board meeting.

The Indianapolis area and south will experience 100% totality; while the St. Joseph County area will experience 96%. Click here to see a map of Indiana regions that will experience varying degrees of darkness from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources website. The South Bend area will start experiencing darkness at 1:53 p.m., lasting until 4:23 p.m., with 96% totality occurring at 3:09 p.m. and lasting just over 4 minutes. Because these times are around school dismissal times and based on the recommendations of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the IDOE, P-H-M will not be holding in-person instruction on April 8.

Thanks to Old National Bank and P-H-M Education Foundation, all students in the district will receive eclipse glasses to use at home with instructions. Mrs. Mindy O’Malley, Director of P-H-M’s Arthur M. Klinger Planetarium and Digital Video Theater, and a team of teachers, are preparing grade-level eclipse information to send home with students. In the classrooms leading up to April 8, teachers will educate students about this nearly once-in-a-lifetime event; the next total solar eclipse where portions of Indiana will be in full totality will be 2099.

If parents have any questions, they should contact their students’ principals. Employees should contact their supervisor or Human Resources.

Ms. Lynn Named Culver’s Bus Driver of the Month

We’re happy to share the news that P-H-M bus driver Andrea Enyeart, or “Ms. Lynn” as the students call her, was named Culver’s Bus Driver of the Month for February 2024!

Ms. Lynn drives for Bittersweet, Moran and Schmucker Middle School. Her positive and upbeat personality is highly valued by all in the transportation department.

The surprise took place at Bittersweet on Feb. 28, 2024 as she waited for her students to board for afternoon pick-up.

Transportation Administrators (Director Brandon Tugmon, Asst. Directors Amy Aschenbrenner and Robin Tharp) joined Osceola Culver’s restaurant co-owners Mark Nowak and Keith Remington, Bittersweet Principal Shonda Masterson, and P-H-M Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom to surprise/congratulate Ms. Lynn.

Thank you Culver’s and and the P-H-M Education Foundation for being valued partners to make this award possible!

If you would like to nominate your student’s bus driver, click here to fill out the nomination form.

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2024 Young Authors’ Conference, Books & Bots

This year P-H-M Education Foundation’s Young Authors’ Conference is partnering up with the Next Gen Robotics event to bring you Books & Bots! This event blends literary innovations with robotic creations. It’s a wonderful opportunity for P-H-M students in Kindergarten – 5th grade. Click here to view photos on Facebook from last year’s Young Authors’ Conference; click here to view photos of the 2023 Next Gen event.

The event will start at 9:15 a.m. in Penn’s Fitness Center. There will be the three rotations at three locations within Penn High School. Families and students will visit each station for 45 minutes, with a 15 minute break in between. The rotations will be an author visit, reader’s theater, and fun with the bots! Next Gen (the bots area) will be open until 1:00 p.m. Registered participants will receive a S’more with confirmation details the week of February 26. You and your student’s rotation schedule and starting location will be provided in the S’more. If you have any questions after receiving the email, please contact ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.

Please enter Door D. Parking is available in the front of Penn, at Schmucker Middle School, and in the parking lot near River Valley Church. Click here to access a Penn Building Map. Once inside Penn, look for “Books and Bots” signage and please arrive at your room between 9:00-9:15 a.m. With record attendance expected, plan plenty of time to park and walk to your designated area.

Books & Bots is completely FREE! Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation and P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and his wife Donna Thacker for covering the cost of the YAC for the second year in a row from the proceeds of #GivingTuesday donations.

NEW THIS YEAR … both events will be held at Penn High School!

While the events are FREE, registration is required!

Registration is NOW OPEN! Click here to register today! Registration closes Friday, February 23.

One parent only must accompany students! Younger siblings may not accompany adults. Due to the planned activities and available space, this experience is for your young author and one parent.

As part of the morning activities, students will participate in two rotations: one with well-known children’s author and speaker, Carolyn Crimi; and the other with Jocelyn Dupuis. Following these rotations, students will enjoy spending time exploring technology, with an opportunity to share a piece of their piece of writing on a FlipGrid or online writing platform.

Thanks to Better World Books, parents can purchase ahead of time Carolyn Crimi books online and then bring them to the March 2 event. Click here to preorder your student(s) books.

As a way to support Better World Books’ mission of providing books to children around the world to do their part in achieving global literacy, a collection box will be set up near Penn’s Door D for families to donate their gently used books.

BACKGROUND ON CAROLYN CRIMI:
Carolyn Crimi enjoys snacking, pugs, Halloween, and writing, although not necessarily in that order. Over the years she has published 19 books for children, including Weird Little Robots, Secondhand Dogs, Don’t Need Friends, Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, Where’s My Mummy?, There Might Be Lobsters, and I Am The Boss of This Chair. When she’s not snacking, Carolyn enjoys giving author talks to elementary schools all over the country.

BACKGROUND ON JOCELYN DUPUIS:
Also as part of Young Authors’ Conference, participants and parents will also enjoy an interactive experience with P-H-M’s extraordinary Jocelyn Dupuis. Jocelyn has a passion for music education and the performing arts. As a music teacher, she has taught many students to enjoy music as well.

*Questions, please contact Candace Cussen at ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.

2024 Middle School Instrument Selection Night

Fifth graders at Moran Elementary School will either attend Schmucker or Grissom Middle School for 6^th – 8^th grades. Click here for the P-H-M School Boundary map.

Schmucker’s Instrument Selection Nights are Monday, March 4th and Tuesday, March 5th.

Grissom’s Instrument Selection Nights are Monday, March 11^th and Tuesday, March 12^th.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” offering choir, band and orchestra at Schmucker, Discovery and Grissom Middle Schools.