P-H-M’s Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year learned today that they have been selected among the Indiana Department of Education’s Top 30 Finalists for the Indiana Teacher of the Year.

Christine Austin is a fourth grade teacher at Walt Disney Elementary School. Mrs. Austin learned in a surprise announcement in the Spring that she had been chosen as P-H-M’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. Click here to see the video of the surprise announcement and to learn more about Mrs. Austin.

Jeanie Mitchell teaches French at Penn High School and is the Freshman Academy Leader. Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker also surprised Madame Mitchell with the good news that she had been named Secondary Teacher of the Year by popping in on her class back in April. Click to watch the video.

Austin and Mitchell were among 30 teachers chosen as the top finalists from a field of 61 applicants. P-H-M is only one of two school districts, and the only one in the Michiana area, that has two teachers who made the Top 30!

The IDOE TOY Selection Committee will determine the “Top 10” within the next few weeks, with those finalists being invited to the “Top 10 Interview Day” on September 12.

On Saturday, July 20th the PHM DVT and Planetarium hosted “Imagine & Explore: 50th Anniversary, Apollo 11 Moon Landing.” Click to see the full photo gallery below.

It was a truly unique experience for families and people of all ages. We had over 500 guests show up including people that drove up to 5 hours to attend! All of our wonderful volunteers did an amazing job educating and interacting with our guests. Upon arrival, visitors were greeted by telescopes set up so that patrons could view the sun using special filters to ensure eye safety.

Inside visitors saw the brand new planetarium show “Imagine the Moon” and they also had a chance to view P-H-M Air & Space Museum, which has artifacts on loan from NASA, Johnson Space Center, and the Smithsonian, including artifacts that have been on the Moon!

The cafeteria and gym had hands-on STEM activities for everybody. Everything from liquid nitrogen demonstrations to 3D printing. 

The Digital Video Theater (DVT) & Planetarium is an outstanding educational resource to P-H-M schools and the greater St. Joseph County community, supporting learning across the curriculum and at all grade levels. The facility hosts nearly 50 informative and entertaining public shows each year, with topics ranging from Astronomy to Rock & Roll. These shows are offered at a nominal cost and are also open to members of the general public.

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.

MISHAWAKA, IN –  The P-H-M Education Foundation has partnered with Boling Vision Center in Elkhart to bring an innovative program called Kindness to Prevent Blindness to P-H-M School Corporation and throughout St. Joseph County.

The Kindness to Prevent Blindness Mobile Clinic will provide a medical eye exam and two pairs of prescription glasses at no cost to all 1st, 3rd, 5th & 8th grade students who fail their state mandated vision exam in the following school districts:

• Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
• South Bend Community School Corporation
• School City of Mishawaka
• John Glenn School Corporation.

On behalf of the four education foundations in St. Joseph County, the P-H-M Education Foundation submitted and was awarded a United Way of St. Joseph County four-year grant that will support the financial expansion of Kindness to Prevent Blindness in St. Joseph County. 

“We are thrilled to have been awarded a $45,000 a year grant from the United Way of St. Joseph County. This grant will help expand Kindness to Prevent Blindness to all public schools in St. Joe County. Partnering with Boling Vision and the area education foundation was a natural fit for PHMEF. It is our hope to eliminate barriers so that all children can reach their academic potential,” said Mari Linn M. Wise, executive director of the P-H-M Education Foundation. 

The media was invited to a joint announcement of the project on Thursday, July 18 at the Century Center; tours and free vision screenings of the Kindness to Prevent Blindness Mobile Clinic were also provided.

Kindness to Prevent Blindness expects to provide more 4,000 students with free glasses in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties during the 2019-2020 school year. Launched in September 2018 in Elkhart County, Kindness to Prevent Blindness’s mission is to diminish obstacles families face getting vision screenings as mandated by the Indiana Department of Education. 
 

The P-H-M Education Foundation was founded in 1996 and has disbursed more than $1 million in innovative grants and scholarships. The mission of the P-H-M Education Foundation is to support excellence in education in all 15 P-H-M school by securing alternative funding that supports student programs that fall outside the school corporation’s budget.

Boling Vision Center has been compassionately serving the families of Michiana with a state-of-the-art, personalized eye care experience since 1960.  With four locations in South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen and Notre Dame, the team at Boling Vision Center provides a high-tech, family environment where the genuine care and comfort of their patients is the highest mission. BVC pledges to provide the finest products, facilities and services for their patients in a warm, relaxed and caring atmosphere. Boling Vision Center feels honored to have had the opportunity to serve as many as four different generations of families in their eyecare practice. From babies to seniors – patient eye health is the main focus.

Please view the photos below to see the inside of the mobile unit:

In the summer months, P-H-M is proud to offer a variety summer camps, both academic and athletic. This helps keep our students physically and mentally fit over summer break.

These are the camps and academies taking place during Week 5 (July 15-19) : Volleyball, Visual Arts Academy, Learn to Swim, Junior Academies (STEM) and Super Kids Camp.

Some pictures are featured below, however click the links below to visit our Facebook page to see the full photo gallery:

• Tuesday, July 16: Volleyball
• Tuesday, July 18: Super Kids Camp

In the summer months, P-H-M is proud to offer a variety summer camps, both academic and athletic. This helps keep our students physically and mentally fit over summer break.

These are the camps and academies taking place during Week 4 (July 8-12) : Football, Visual Arts Academy, Junior Academies (STEM), Junior Foreign Language Academy, and Learn a Foreign Language. 

Some pictures are featured below, however click the links below to visit our Facebook page to see the full photo gallery:

• Monday, July 8: Football​
• Tuesday, July 9: ​Junior Foreign Language Academy
• Wednesday, July 10: Learn a Foreign Language
• Wednesday, July 10: Junior Academy (STEM)
• Thursday, July 11: Visual Arts Academy

Saturday, July 20

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

P-H-M DVT & Planetarium (located inside Bittersweet Elementary School, 55860 Bittersweet Road Mishawaka)

FREE!!!

Bring your whole family and come join us at the P-H-M DVT & Planetarium to learn more about and celebrate this historic event in American and world history. 

The DVT will have the first showing of “Imagine the Moon!“  Through beautiful imagery and historical footage, “Imagine the Moon” explores our closest celestial neighbor. The DVT & Planetarium is also home to the P-H-M Air & Space Museum, which has artifacts on loan from NASA, Johnson Space Center, and the Smithsonian, including artifacts that have been on the Moon!

We will also have telescopes setup for viewing the Moon and Sun and various STEM activities that include the following:

• Robotics demonstrations
• Chemistry demonstrations
• Gravity well
• 3D printing
• Virtual Reality experiences
• Photo Booth
• Drone demonstrations

* Just a caution, the area has been experiencing high summer heat temperatures … A couple of our events will be outdoors, most will be indoors. The DVT is air conditioned for our four showings of “Imagine the Moon!“ However, Bittersweet is currently undergoing HVAC work, so part of the building is without air conditioning. We will have cold water available.

Watch the video below to get a sneak peak about everything that we’ll be offering on July 20^th …

In the summer months, P-H-M is proud to offer a variety summer camps, both academic and athletic. This helps keep our students physically and mentally fit over summer break.

These were the camps that took place during Week 3 (June 24-28) : Boys Basketball, Learn to Swim, Camp Invention, and Bakers Gonna Bake. We also saw the conclusion of summer school sessions at Walt Disney, Meadow’s Edge, Schmucker, and Penn.

Some pictures are featured below, however click the links below to visit our Facebook page to see the full photo gallery:

• Tuesday, June 25: Boys Basketball​
• Wednesday, June 26: Young Adult Life Skills​
• Wednesday, June 26: Meadow’s Edge Summer School
• Thursday, June 27: Camp Invention
• Thursday, June 27: Penn Summer School
• Friday, June 28: Walt Disney Summer School
• Friday, June 28: Schmucker Summer School

P-H-M’s annual Community Tailgate to kick off the start of the Penn Football Season will once again be held at the TCU Freed Field, South End Concession Stand Plaza.

The Tailgate is hosted by Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and the Penn Boosters Club for all P-H-M families and patrons to enjoy.

So come out early to the football game, grab a hot dog and catch up with old friends! Then stick around to cheer on the Kingsmen as they take on LaPorte in the season Home Opener!

Friday, August 30

5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

TCU Freed Field, South End Concession Stand Plaza

Tickets $4.00 (payable at the event) includes:

• Bratwurst or hot dog

• Potato Chips

• Cookie

• Drink

With the passage of IC 20-35.5, et seq., as created by SEA 217 (2018) in April 2018, Indiana school corporations and charter school’s reading plans must now include screening for dyslexia risk factors and indicators. If a student is determined to be at-risk for dyslexia, the school will administer an additional dyslexia screener, which will identify whether or not the student needs to be referred for further testing. It also requires schools to use specific response to intervention processes if screeners indicate certain characteristics of dyslexia are present. Parents/Guardians click here to read the Notification Letter for Dyslexia Screenings.

Dyslexia as defined by IC 20-18-2-3.5 is a specific learning disability that:

(1) is neurological in origin and characterized by:

(A) difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition; and

(B) poor spelling and decoding abilities;

(2) typically results from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction;

(3) may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge; and

(4) may require the provision of special education services after an eligibility determination is made in accordance with 511 IAC 7-40.

In accordance with IC-20-35.5-6-2, Penn-Harris-Madison now has an authorized reading specialist trained in dyslexia. Betsy Alwine is P-H-M’s Dyslexia Specialist.

In accordance with the law, each school corporation and charter school shall report on the school corporation or charter school’s website the following information:

What intervention programs are used to assist students with characteristics of dyslexia?
Dyslexia intervention programs must have explicit direction and instruction that is systematic, sequential, and cumulative. Instruction that follows a logical plan of presenting the alphabetic principle that targets the specific needs of the student without presuming prior skills or knowledge of the student. It must use meaning based instruction that is directed at purposeful reading and writing. Instruction that incorporates the simultaneous use of two (2) or more sensory pathways during the presentation of instruction and student practice. It is also important to keep in mind that the dyslexia program should be research based and be offered in a setting that also teaches the five (5) components of literacy.

The Wilson Fundations program is P-H-M’s mandatory phonics and spelling curriculum in grades K-2 that meets these requirements. Every K-2 classroom does 30 minutes of Fundations daily. 

In the 2022-2023 school year, all 2,456 kindergarten through second grade P-H-M students receive this Tier 1 instruction in their classrooms daily. This systematic, sequential, and cumulative instruction is also used in small group intervention in tier 2 and tier 3 small groups as needed, along with Heggerty Phonemic Awareness curriculum and the HearBuilder and MVRC (Mindplay Virtual Reading Coach) computer based interventions.

How many students received dyslexia interventions during the 2022-2023 school year?

In the 2022-2023 school year, P-H-M had 486 students working in small groups with Reading Specialists, interventionist or a certified teacher, for an intense focus on phonological awareness and phonics through the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness and Fundations curriculum.  

How many students were identified with dyslexia during the 2022-2023 school year?

During the 2023-2023 school year 2,4661 students across K-12th grade were administered the Universal Screener (DIBELS 8th) screener, and 22 students were administered the Level 1 diagnostic screener (Mindplay Screener for Kindergarten and NWEA Skills Checklist for 1st-12th). 0 Students were identified with dyslexia during the 22-23 school year.  

Please contact Betsy Alwine at balwine@phm.k12.in.us with any questions you may have.

Click here to visit the ​IDOE website for more information on the Indiana dyslexia law.

It has been another amazing year at the P-H-M Education Foundation. At the Monday, June 17 P-H-M Board of School Trustees Meeting, PHMEF Executive Director Mari Linn Wise gave the Board an update on the Foundation’s activities this past school year.

In April, the Foundation Board approved $18,510 in classroom grants. A total of 27 grants were funded ranging from workplace experience to a $5,000 grant supporting VEX at the high school. Click here for more information on the grants awarded during the Spring 2019 grant cycle.

The Foundation also continued to provide funding for classroom books such as “Non-fiction Flashlight Friday,” student leadership camp for athletes, and concert lighting at Grissom Middle School.

During the Fall 2018 grant cycle, a total of $36,252 in grants had been awarded. Click here for more information on the grants awarded during the Fall 2018 grant cycle.

Corporations for Education funding of programs totaled $53,058; programs included Running is Elementary, Penn Art Gallery, the Laidig commitment to four schools, and Gibson Title I after-school program.

Through scholarships, innovative classroom grants, Corporations for Education, Silver Mile grants, the 2018-19 grant total was $116,237!