ParentSquareDr. Heather Short Approved as New Superintendent
In a special meeting held Tuesday, May 27, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees unanimously (7-0) approved the appointment of Dr. Heather Short as the district’s next superintendent effective July 1, 2025.
Nearly 50 P-H-M teachers, administrators, staff, family and friends showed up to express their overwhelming support of Dr. Short’s appointment.
Dr. Short, a lifelong educator who has dedicated her entire 31-year career to P-H-M, will succeed Dr. Jerry Thacker, who is retiring after 19 years of transformative leadership. Dr. Short has served as Assistant Superintendent for Instruction since 2017. During her tenure, P-H-M students have experienced consistent academic growth and achievement.
“I am deeply honored by the Board’s confidence and grateful to Dr. Thacker for his mentorship throughout my career,” said Dr. Short. “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to grow as a leader within this incredible district. I’m excited to continue working alongside our talented staff, dedicated families, and exceptional students to expand opportunities and ensure every child thrives.”
Under Dr. Short’s leadership, P-H-M ranks in the top 4% of Indiana districts based on ILEARN scores. The district also outpaces the state average by 20 percentage points in overall percent passing rates.
“There is no one better—or more qualified—to lead P-H-M’s continued path of academic excellence than Dr. Short,” said Chris Riley, President of the Board of School Trustees. “Her academic expertise and visionary leadership in developing rigorous, relevant curriculum have been key to our students’ success. Dr. Short was the Board’s clear and unanimous choice for superintendent.”
P-H-M is home to some of Indiana’s highest-performing public schools in both English/Language Arts and Math. Prairie Vista Elementary ranks #3 in the state, while Discovery Middle School ranks #2. In Spring 2024, P-H-M’s IREAD pass rate was 86.8%, surpassing the state average of 82.5%. Three P-H-M elementary schools—Prairie Vista (97.7%), Northpoint (95%), and Horizon (95.3%)—achieved pass rates above 90%.
Included in her district-wide academic strategy was a robust Response to Intervention (RtI) program and expanded summer offerings that support both enrichment and remediation.
Dr. Short’s leadership journey reflects deep roots and unwavering commitment to P-H-M. She began her career as a classroom teacher before serving as an Instructional Leader and High Ability Coordinator. Click here to learn how Dr. Short and Board Trustee Katie Bell’s paths crossed when Dr. Short was a 3rd grade teacher at Northpoint. In 2004, she became principal of Prairie Vista Elementary. Recognizing her talent for professional growth and instructional excellence, Dr. Thacker appointed her in 2007 as P-H-M’s first Director of Professional Development—a role she held for a decade before being named Assistant Superintendent.
Throughout her career, Dr. Short has been deeply committed to developing others. She co-created a nationally recognized leadership development program designed to build internal capacity among P-H-M educators and administrators. Her strategic focus on professional development has empowered teachers at every level—from new educators to veteran principals—through initiatives like the annual Literacy Summit and the New Teacher Series.
As Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Short has combined her instructional leadership with strong fiscal stewardship. She has overseen the management of multimillion-dollar budgets and successfully secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants—investments that have directly enhanced classroom instruction, expanded student programs, and strengthened districtwide operations.
“Dr. Short possesses one of the most valuable qualities a leader can have: the ability to build genuine relationships,” said Dr. Thacker. “She makes personal connections with teachers, principals, staff, families—and most importantly, students. She understands the P-H-M culture because she helped build it. There is no one more fitting to serve as the next superintendent.”
After the Board approved Dr. Short as the district’s new leader, Board members shared well wishes and comments. Trustee Katie Bell (elected in November 2024) talked about how things have come full circle for her as a former student of Dr. Short’s when she taught 3rd grade gifted and talented students at Northpoint. The two were actually featured in an article that ran in the South Bend Tribune in March 2003. The article featured Dr. Short teaching her students how to use PowerPoint for their Geography reports on Asia. Click here to read the original story.
Fast forward to 2013 to when Dr. Short was P-H-M’s Director of Professional Development, she interviewed Bell for a teaching position. Bell was hired as a kindergarten teacher in 2016 at Prairie Vista Elementary School and Dr. Short led the professional development for all new teachers.
“Dr. Short and I are a testament that it’s never goodbye, it’s always see you later,” Bell said. “And I think that shows the true impact of a teacher, that they are in your lives forever, and that you will always remember them.”
Media Coverage
Sarah Hildebrandt Parade
Penn High School’s “Golden Girl” is coming home! On Sunday, September 8th the community will have a celebratory parade for the Female Wrestler Olympic Gold Medalist.
The parade starts at 3:00 at the intersection of Bittersweet and McKinley Highway. The parade will proceed West down McKinley Highway and will end at Zolman’s Tire (2014 E McKinley Ave., Mishawaka).
There will be an Olympic Celebration 4:30 p.m. at Urban Swirl (Heritage Square, Granger). Congressman Rudy Yakym will present Sarah with a special gift; and Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood’s office will present a proclamation. Mark McGill will emcee the event.
There will be free posters, available on a first come, first serve basis. T-shirts will also be available for sale.
Sarah Hildebrandt earned a Gold Medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Women’s Wrestling (50kg). Hildebrandt was one of two American women to win a Gold Medal in Wrestling at the 2024 Olympics. She is also just the fourth woman to win Gold in Team USA Wrestling history.
Hildebrandt earned a Bronze Medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She is also a two-time national collegiate champion. A 2011 graduate of Penn High School, Hildebrandt became the first female to qualify for the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Wrestling Semi-State competition and led Penn High School to the IHSAA Team Championship. Her personal coach is Penn Boys Wrestling Head Coach Brad Harper.
P-H-M Social Media Rules of Engagement
P-H-M Social Media Rules of Engagement Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and its individual schools may have an official presence on the social networking sites: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. All P-H-M social media accounts serve the purpose of disseminating information about the P-H-M School District to students, staff, parents, and citizens to our school communities and the greater community at large. The district’s social media accounts are not intended to be a public forum.
Comments posted to these pages will be monitored. Frequent offenders may be blocked from district social media sites and page administrators reserve the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason.
Comments that contain/involve any of the following will not be tolerated and will be deleted:
- abusive, obscene, vulgar, and inappropriate language
- comments or content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination or hostility on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or any other unlawful basis of discrimination
- derogatory language or personal attacks directed at individual(s), whether a student, a staff member, or a community member
- information that violates a student’s or staff member’s right to privacy
- information that may compromise the safety, security, or proceedings of any person, public system, or any criminal or civil investigation
- advocacy of illegal or violent activity
- jokes made about tragedies
- solicitations or advertisements for external businesses, products or commercial transactions
- spam or links to other sites
- comments that are posted repeatedly
- comments or discussions that are off topic
- negative comments or negative discussion threads that are made on positive posts and pictures of students and staff members Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is not responsible for content posted by others.
Any account that violates these rules is subjected to being blocked.
The comments and opinions expressed by members of the public are theirs alone and do not reflect the opinions of the district or its employees. Communications made through the district’s social media sites will in no way constitute a legal or official notice or comment to the district or any district official or employee for any purpose. Information shared with or posted to official district pages by the public is also subject to the Terms of Service of the host site and may be used by the owners of the host site for its own purposes.
P-H-M social media sites are third party sites and the host sites have Terms of Service and policies that are not governed by the district. The posts made on this page are meant to show the joy of learning, positive learning environment, student and staff achievement, highlight the district’s commitment to academic excellence, and the wide range of extracurricular and co-curricular programs.
Food Service Plan for the 2020-21 School Year
Food Service Plan for the 2020-21 School Year
Thanks to a USDA waiver, all meals served to students at P-H-M will be free until the end of the 2020-21 school year. Student accounts will be charged for any ala-carte sales.
Elementary:
- Pre-packaged breakfast (except at Northpoint and Prairie Vista) and lunches.
- Please view the Elementary School Menu and make sure your child knows which lunch they would like, as it will be recorded in the morning so meals can be delivered to each child.
Middle:
- Pre-packaged breakfasts are available at Grissom and Schmucker. Lunch is available at Grissom, Schmucker and Discovery. Students will select pre-packaged meal components in the cafeteria.
- Middle School Menu
High School
- Pre-packaged breakfast and lunch is available at Penn. Students will select pre-packaged meal components in the cafeteria.
- High School Menu
Meals for 100% Virtual Learners:
- Pick up meals at Door K at Penn High School
- Day & Time: Mondays, 1-3 p.m.
- Students will receive a refrigerated box and a frozen bag with five (5) breakfasts and five (5) lunches.
Additional Information
- We will have meals available for the 100% virtual learners from all schools.
- Students do not need to be present for the parent or guardian to pick up meals.
- Student ID’s WILL NOT be required.
*Meals will not be provided on Recess Days.
Menus for all schools and virtual learners can be found here.
Dyslexia Screening
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. That person is Lisa Russell. Click here to email Lisa Russell.
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 Lisa Russell with any questions you may have. Click here to email Lisa Russell.
Click here to visit the IDOE website for more information on the Indiana dyslexia law.
Elementary School Menus
Breakfast & Lunch is served at all 11 elementary schools.
- Students receiving special meals due to diet restrictions: Special diet menus will not change with changes on the regular menu. Your student will receive the original menu item on days that they have requested a meal.
Monthly Menus:
- Beginning April 2026, all school menus will only be listed on SchoolCafe.
- March 2026 Elementary Menu (Updated 2.26.26)
*School menus are also posted in Schoolcafe.com.
The Penn-Harris-Madison Food Service department implements the Offer Versus Serve (OVS) system. OVS allows students to accept or decline some of the food offered as part of a complete meal. The goals of “OVS“ are to reduce food waste in the school nutrition programs and to allow students more customization of the meal they select.
CLICK HERE to fill out a new application for Free / Reduced Lunch.
For parents with busy schedules, it can be hard to make sure that kids are eating a healthy breakfast before they go to school in the morning.
Sometimes children aren’t hungry right after waking up, and it’s hard to find food they like to eat that is also healthy.
Also, some kids refuse breakfast at home but are hungry when they arrive at school. Fortunately, we have a great breakfast program for all students, and it’s available at school every day.
If morning meals are difficult for your family, let the School Breakfast Program help you out!
Free meal students receive a free breakfast. Reduced price breakfast for qualified students is .30. Regular priced breakfast is $1.50 at elementary and $1.75 at secondary. Ala-carte is also available at the middle and high schools.
The following schools serve breakfast each morning:
- Bittersweet Elementary serves breakfast in the cafeteria
- Elm Road Elementary has a grab and go breakfast that students enjoy in the classroom.
- Elsie Rogers Elementary serves breakfast in the cafeteria
- Horizon Elementary serves breakfast in the cafeteria
- Madison Elementary serves breakfast in the cafeteria
- Mary Frank Elementary serves breakfast in the cafeteria
- Meadow’s Edge Elementary has a grab and go breakfast that students enjoy in the classroom.
- Moran Elementary has a grab and go breakfast that students enjoy in the classroom.
- Northpoint has a grab and go breakfast that students enjoy in the classroom.
- Prairie Vista has a grab and go breakfast that students enjoy in the classroom.
- Walt Disney Elementary has a grab and go breakfast that students enjoy in the classroom.
- All three middle schools serve breakfast in the cafeteria
- Penn High School offers breakfast in the cafeteria. Students can eat there or take to the classroom.
Benefits of Eating Breakfast
- Eating breakfast can help improve math, reading, and standardized test
scores. - Children who eat breakfast are more likely to behave better in school and get
along with their peers than those who do not. - Breakfast helps children pay attention, perform problem-solving tasks, and
improves memory. - Children who eat school breakfast are likely to have fewer absences and
incidents of tardiness than those who do not. - By eating breakfast, students get more of important nutrients, vitamins
and minerals such as calcium, dietary fiber, folate and protein. - Studies have shown that children who eat breakfast on a regular basis are less
likely to be overweight. - Eating breakfast as a child is important for establishing healthy habits for later in
life. - Schools that provide breakfast in the classroom to all students have shown
decreases in tardiness and suspensions as well as improved student behavior
and attentiveness. - What you eat for breakfast can have an impact on learning. One study showed
that eating breakfast food high in fiber and low in sugar for breakfast helped
students sustain the cognitive effects of breakfast. - School Breakfast provides daily servings of fruit, whole grains, and milk, plus
roughly ¼ the recommended calories needed for lasting energy.
Back to School Information
We’re thrilled to welcome back all of our 11,000+ students and are excited to help all our students achieve Excellence.
The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 20, 2025 for grades 1 – 12.
- All students in 1st through 12th grades will report to their school buildings that day, and all those who are signed up for transportation services may ride the bus that day.
- Kindergarten orientation takes place on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 with the first full day of kindergarten being Thursday, August 21st.
BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS. MARK CALENDAR & ATTEND!
- Our elementary schools are hosting many fun Back to School family events starting the week of August 11. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal.
- All three Middle Schools are also planning a Walk-Around on Thursday, August 14th. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal. Make sure you mark your calendar and plan to attend!
- Penn is hosting a “Walk Around” to help parents and students get familiar with the school:
- Penn High School’s “WALK AROUND” on Saturday, August 16, from 9 a.m. – Noon gives students a chance to familiarize themselves with the school and find where their classes and activities are located.
The BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION listed below will help P-H-M parents and students get ready for the 2025-26 School Year!
CONTACTING SCHOOLS OVER THE SUMMER
- Elementary and Middle School Front Offices open Monday, August 4th.
- Penn is open every week day over the summer.
- All schools are open Monday – Friday during business hours. Those hours vary by school.
- Click here for the School Directory of all 15 schools
- Register a new elementary or middle school student by visiting the school after offices open August 4, 2025. Click here to know what documentation you need to bring with you for registration.
- Register a new Penn High School student by calling (574) 254-2851. We will help you schedule your registration appointment and advise you on what information to bring with you to the appointment.
BACK TO SCHOOL PACKETS & FORMS
- Back to School packet & information sheets
- Parent/guardians will sign these three forms in ParentSquare:
- Photo Consent
- Mandatory Curriculum Consent
- Handbook Certification
- These forms will be in Skyward Family Access:
- CHIRP Release
- Chromebook packet
- Authorization to administer non-prescription medication at school
- Back to School Info Sheets
Click here for more information on how to login into your Skyward Family Access account
- Here is the SY 2025-26 one-page calendar showing “at a glance” the start and end dates, as well as scheduled recess and vacation dates.
- All P-H-M families are mailed a District Activities Calendar early August. It lists key school and district events throughout the year.
- Our online (Google) calendars are the most up-to-date. You’ll find a link to the P-H-M Corporate Calendar posted on the home page of the District website. It’s a Google calendar that can be added to your personal calendar.
- Each school also maintains an online Google calendar on the home page of each school website that is updated frequently with the school’s scheduled activities and event details. You can also the school’s Google calendar to your personal calendar to remember important dates.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
- All P-H-M schools provide basic school supplies to our students, free of charge. Therefore, our schools do not issue supply lists. You will need to purchase a backpack, water bottle, lunch box, and other items you want your child to have at home or take with them to school. If other specific items need to be purchased for a class or lab, your child’s teacher will inform you after school starts.
IMMUNIZATIONS AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES
- Click here to make sure you child is up-to-date with all required immunizations.
- Proof of immunizations must be provided to the school office by the first day of school.
- Kindergarten parents, please click here to learn about important kindergarten health information and medical forms before your kindergartner’s first day of school.
- Click here for the forms administering medications at school
- Click here for more information on P-H-M Healthcare Services
- School bus route times and locations will be shared with parents in a Transportation letter to be emailed before school starts
- Parents can check EZRouting to see your child’s bus route information online
- Here Comes the Bus provides real time GPS bus location info so parents know when to send their students out to the bus stop
- Have more questions about Transportation? Visit their webpage for contact information.
- Visit our Food & Nutrition page to see monthly menus and find nutritional information
- See if you qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch and Textbook Assistance. Click here to apply online.
- Online payment for child’s meals
- Other Payment options
- Penn-Harris-Madison uses ParentSquare to send urgent alerts, such as school closings and delays.
- Principals and teachers also use it for noncurricular school and classroom communications.
- Penn High School coaches and teachers who sponsor clubs, academic teams or extracurricular activities use StudentSquare to safely communicate with students, without exchanging cell phone numbers. Click here for details on how students can sign up for StudentSquare.
- Click here for instructions on setting up your account.
- Once your account is set up, families can chose their preferred mode of communication for non-urgent notifications–app, text, email, phone. You can also chose to have all communications automatically translated to your preferred first language. Click here for details on how to personalize your account and check your notification settings.
- Make sure you sign up for ParentSquare to receive school closings/delays urgent alerts.
- Click to see how, when and what factors into P-H-M’s decision makings for 2-hour delays and closings.
Penn-Harris-Madison’s