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.

Discovery 

Tuesday, Feb. 22 and Wednesday, Feb. 23

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Schmucker 

Monday, Feb. 28 and Tuesday, March 1

4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Grissom 

Monday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 15

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 Schmucker, Discovery and 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 2022 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!

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. 

As part of the P-H-M Education Foundation naming rights campaign, Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Thacker have generously donated $25,000 to the Education Foundation to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center at TCU Freed Field named after Penn’s legendary championship coach, Chris Geesman, renaming the facility the Chris Geesman Kingsmen Athletic Center.

The donation commitment is $25,000, which will be paid at a rate of $5,000 per year over five years. The naming rights will last for 12 years.

The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted to approve the sponsorship agreement Monday, Dec. 13, Board meeting.

“Donna and I are truly honored to have the Kingsmen Athletic Center named after this legendary coach who guided the Kingsmen to five state championships and three state runners-up,” said Dr. Thacker.

Geesman, a Hall of Famer coach, came to Penn 1973. The previous season, Penn had a 0-10 record. In Geesman’s first season, the Kingsmen posted a 5-5 record. Geesman led Penn to 309 wins, and the Kingsmen never had a losing season during the span of his 30-year career as head coach of the Kingsmen. Geesman coached the Kingsmen through 2002.

Penn’s Geesman Athletic Center is a 13,264 square-foot facility that was completed in October, 2018. It houses three locker rooms to be rotated during the Fall and Spring sports seasons: Football (Varsity, JV and Freshmen), Track & Field (Boys & Girls) and Girls Lacrosse. All three locker room areas have adjacent coaching staff office space and an on-site training room, giving Penn athletic trainers access to equipment and medical treatment supplies. Click here to read more details about the Athletic Center when it first opened.

Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s donation to name the Athletic Center after the storied head coach was a natural decision, said Dr. Thacker. “It’s only fitting that a facility built to provide Penn student-athletes with the best on field playing experience be named after the coach that led Kingsmen Football to so many wins.”

The mission of the Education Foundation is to develop alternative sources of income to support education initiatives in the School Corporation by strengthening partnerships between the community and the District. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Per PHMEF’s naming rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into the Foundation’s endowment, which will in turn provide alternative and additional funding for various co-curricular and extracurricular programs. The remaining 20 percent directly funds professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. Continuing education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School District.

“Our goal is to provide our students with an outstanding education to prepare them for college and career success,” said P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Thacker. “We do this by making sure our students are receiving the best education possible from the best educators. P-H-M’s ‘Triangle of Success’ is built upon students, teachers and parents. Community partners are vital to sustaining P-H-M excellence in education.”

Dr. Thacker has been superintendent of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation since 2006 and has supported the Education Foundation wholeheartedly. Over the course of 15 years, Dr. and Mrs. Thacker have donated $192,500 to the P-H-M Education Foundation, including this most recent donation of the naming rights. Most of this money has either been unrestricted donations or used as matching funds for fundraising initiatives. This is the first time they have made a donation to the naming rights campaign.

“The Foundation Board and I are so appreciative of Dr. and Mrs. Thacker’s generosity through the years,” said Jennifer Turnblom, Executive Director of the P-H-M Education Foundation. “Their unwavering support has been a tremendous help to us fulfilling our mission. The Thacker’s donations alone have made it possible for the Foundation to fund approximately 20% more classroom grants, activities and programs possible for the students of all P-H-M’s 15 schools. Their impact has been nothing less than incredible!”

At the start of the 2022-2023 football season, a ceremony will be held at TCU Freed Field with Coach Geesman and his family.

About Penn Athletics
Penn boasts 21 IHSAA team state championships and 26 Penn student-athletes have been named winners of the IHSAA mental-attitude award. Penn Athletic Teams earned a remarkable seven Sectional Championships in the eight sports offered by the IHSAA in the 2021 Fall Sports season.

About P-H-M Education Foundation
In pursuit of excellence in education, the P-H-M Education Foundation has partnered with P-H-M School Corporation to grow the Foundation’s endowment in order to provide permanent additional funding of programs for outstanding students and teachers.

Naming rights is a 12-year partnership, payable over five years, that highlights a commitment to excellence in P-H-M. Signage will include name and/or company logo that will be associated with a specific property or program within the Corporation.

We invite you to be a part of a large and diverse group of individuals, professionals, and companies who support excellence in education. For more information, click here or please contact Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom at jturnblom@phmef.org. 

Ready to look ahead?  You can add these 2022-2023 dates to your family’s calendar now! 

Click to view and download the one-page 2022-2023 School Year calendar.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR 20122-2023

• First day of school – Wednesday, August 17, 2022
• Labor Day Recess/No School – Monday, September 5
• Fall Recess Days/No School – Friday, October 21 and Monday, October 24
• Election Day/No School – Tuesday, November 8
• Thanksgiving Day Recess/No School – Wednesday, November 23, Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25
• Winter Break/No School – Friday, December 23, 2022  – Friday, January 6, 2023
• School Resumes following Winter Break – Monday, January 9, 2023
• Martin Luther King Jr. Recess Day/No School – Monday, January 16
• Presidents’ Day/No School – Monday, February 20
• Spring Break/No School – Monday, April 3 – Friday, April 7
• Election Day/No School – Tuesday, May 2
• Memorial Day Recess Day/No School – Monday, May 29
• Last Day of School for Students – Thursday, June 1

   

Remember to check the online version of the district calendar located on our home page throughout the year for updated information and more event details. As dates for school events are determined, they will be posted to the online Google calendar that is displayed on each school’s website. You can easily visit the school websites by clicking on SCHOOLS in the menu bar at the top of this page. 

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation considers the health and safety of our school community as a top priority. As such, we are piloting a voluntary COVID-19 walk-up testing 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.

Click here for the full document, including the consent form and what happens next after you receive results.

Who can be tested? 

• Symptomatic students, teachers, and staff within the first seven (7) days of symptom onset.  
• For close contacts to discontinue quarantine. May be used to test on days 5, 6, or 7 to be considered for early return to school with enhanced precautions on day eight (8) if symptoms are resolved.

The test cannot be used to:

•   Allow close contacts to return to school prior to day eight (8) 
• Serve as proof of negative COVID status to allow participation in extracurricular activities 
• Apply to symptomatic students, teachers, or staff greater than seven (7) days past symptom onset

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. Parents and staff should enter off McKinley Hwy. 
• The clinic will be open when school is in session on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. No appointment is necessary. This will begin on Monday, November 1st.
• 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. Students or staff electing to participate in testing should plan to quarantine following the test until results are received. 

Click here for the full document, including the consent form and what happens next after you receive results.

Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars Program offers income-eligible Indiana students up to four years of paid tuition at an eligible Indiana college or university after they graduate from high school. Students must be enrolled in the program by 8th grade and the family must meet income eligibility guidelines.

Students enroll in middle. In high school, 21st Century Scholars are connected to programs and resources to help them prepare for college. Once in college, Scholars receive support to complete their college degrees and connect to career opportunities.

ENROLL IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Click here for more information on eligibility. Your Middle School Guidance Office can also answer more questions about the program and help students who meet the eligibility requirements with the enrollment process.

Click here for a copy of the 2021-2022 Worksheet (English) that will help families determine eligibility. 

• Click to download a copy in Spanish. 

Click to watch the video below on how to set up your Scholar Track account & enroll today.

Click here to login to Scholar Track. 

Visit learnmoreindiana.org/scholars to learn more about 21^st Century Scholars program, and learnmoreindiana.org/scholars/resources/​ for more resources.

HIGH SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS

As Freshmen, there are three (3) Scholar Success Programs that students must complete to stay on track for success. By the end of their senior year, students will complete a total of 12 activities to complete to earn the 21st Century Scholarship. Students log their completed activities by logging into their ScholarTrack account to track their progress and completion. Below are some helpful links that not only explain the steps that need to be completed throughout the four years of high school, but also provide access to the resources and tools 21^st Century Scholar high school students will use frequently. Students should work with their high school counselor for help or questions completing the 12 activities. 

• Click here to review a brochure about being a 21st Century Scholar from enrollment to high school requirements to College Requirements.
• Click here to review a brochure that outlines all 12 activities that high schools students need to complete to earn the 21st Century Scholarship (click here for the Spanish version).
• Click here to logon to ScholarTrack to record activities 
• Click here for the Senior Scholarship Checklist  
• Click here for the Grade 9 Scholar Guide  
• Click here for the Grade 10 Scholar Guide  
• Click here for the Grade 11 Scholar Guide  
• Click here for the Grade 12 Scholar Guide  
• Seniors, click here to fill out the FAFSA

On Monday, August 2nd and Tuesday, August 3^rd, P-H-M Administration held three Parent Information Sessions and Workshops on Social Emotional Learning & Diversity Equity Inclusion Student Lessons.

196 people attended the Parent Information Sessions/Workshops; 316 had pre-registered.

For those unable to attend the sessions, P-H-M is providing a recording of the August 3^rd 7:00 p.m. session. Click to watch the recording below.

Click to view a PDF of the Google Slide Show that was used in the presentation in the recording above.

Penn’s 62^nd Commencement was held Friday, June 4, 2021 at TCU Freed Field. 868 graduates, their families, Penn faculty, staff, Penn & P-H-M administrators, and P-H-M Board of School Trustees members weathered the hot and steamy evening to celebrate the many accomplishments of the Class of 2021. Click to watch the recording below of the live stream that aired on P-H-M’s YouTube Channel …

For a listing of student awards and accomplishments highlighted on Senior Recognition Night held May 11, please click here.
 

Candid photos that were taken throughout the evening by Penn & P-H-M staff were posted on Facebook. Click to view album #1 on Penn’s Facebook page posted 6/4/21. Click to view album #2 on Penn’s Facebook page posted 6/7/21.

Inter-State Studios was the Official Commencement photographer and was in position to take individual pictures of seniors with P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker holding their diplomas. Click here to access Inter-State Studios’ secure website. Password = Penn2021.   

Valuing and celebrating diversity is a tenet of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. We have rich cultural diversity amongst our student population. We different opportunities for all of our students to learn more about their fellow students and other world cultures as a way of preparing our students for college and career readiness in a global society.

Over the last several weeks, our elementary schools have been studying different cultures around the world. We encourage students to embrace and share about their culture all year long, but even more so, during our units of study in May.

Walt Disney Elementary School is one of P-H-M’s more diverse schools with 33 different languages spoken in Disney family homes! In a normal school year, the culmination of the multicultural study unit ends with a "Multicultural Night" where Disney families to come together, share their cultures, and celebrate our vibrantly diverse community.” Click to see pictures from the 2017 event. This year the event was turned into a Culture Day where every student in grades K-5 got to go through the school and learn about cultures of the countries spanning six continents. Even the virtual students got to participate. As part of the studies earlier in the week Mrs. Joshi, at Walt Disney, explained the background history of Henna tattoos and even gave some of the students Henna designs!  It was fabulous having the students be the teacher! Click to learn more about Disney’s Culture Day and see the full photo gallery.

At Horizon, students ended the unit with by teaching about their own cultures. Students created slide presentations or completed a paper with information about their culture and heritage. Click to see pictures on Horizon’s website.

At Northpoint, hallways were decorated with artwork, displays, and fact cards. Click to see pictures from Northpoint’s website. 

The letter below was shared with P-H-M Staff and Families on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

Good Afternoon,

The CDC released an update last week regarding masking for fully vaccinated people and the St. Joseph County Department of Health’s (SJCDH) subsequently rescinded its Public Health Order 1-2021 on Thursday, May 13.

In our weekly conversation with SJCDH on May 13, we discussed the County Health Department’s requirement of masks in schools. The following guidance was shared with us:

• Overall county case rates for COVID are down. It’s the first time since September it’s been this low.
• Governor Holcomb issued the continuation of Executive  Order 21-12 on April 29. It is through the end of the school year. Students, staff, and external school visitors must be masked while in any school building, facility, or grounds.
• For P-H-M Summer School and Summer Camps (beginning Monday, June 7), SJCDH gave approval for optional masking; it will no longer be required as long as social distancing and hand washing are still in place. If all of this is in place, SJCDH will not require masks indoors for classrooms for summer indoor classes and outdoor activities. 
  • SJCDH made these recommendations for the following reasons: 
    • Students ages 12+ (which is middle and high school age) have the opportunity to now get vaccinated.
    • Elementary age students are least likely to have serious complications and least likely to transmit.

Therefore based on the guidance from the St. Joseph County Department of Health at last night’s Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees meeting (Monday, May 17), I shared the following information:

• Masks will still be required on all P-H-M buses and property through the evening of Friday, June 4. This includes the last day of school, Wednesday, June 2, for all P-H-M students grades PreK-12 and Penn High School’s Commencement Ceremony on Friday, June 4, 7:00 p.m. Should rain or inclement weather delay the ceremony, Graduation will be moved to Sunday, June 6th at 7:00 p.m., and the mask requirement will be in place through the end of that evening’s ceremony. All the prior details that Principal Sean Galiher has shared with senior families remain in effect. Click here for that information shared back in April.
• Masks are optional starting Monday, June 7, for summer school students, summer camps, and all P-H-M staff working through the summer. Please click to read the updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols that will be in place for P-H-M summer school and camps.
• Through the summer masks will remain required on all P-H-M buses for drivers and summer school students using P-H-M transportation per the U.S. Dept. of Transportation regulation. 
• The First Day of School for the 2021-2022 school year is Wednesday, August 18, 2021. When school starts in the fall, the following will be in place: 
  • We will return to five (5) days per week of in-person instruction for all students.
  • We will return to normal school start times as listed on our website at this link, https://www.phmschools.org/p-h-m-school-directory
  • COVID-19 health safety protocols will continue to be adopted based on the guidance from the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) and St. Joseph County Department of Health (SJCDoH).
  • The Administration will continue its commitment to transparency through communication and the COVID dashboard. 

(Click to read Dr. Thacker’s Return to Learn presentation shared at the May 17 Board Meeting).

Safety is our top priority, and we are committed to promoting an optimal, safe learning environment for our students and an optimal, safe work environment for our staff members. 

Sincerely, 
Dr. Jerry Thacker
Superintendent of Schools