P-H-M Named 2022 Best Community for Music Education

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation was named among the Best Communities for Music Education (​BCME) in the country by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for the 9th year in a row!

 

Now in its 23rd year, the 2022 Best Communities for Music Education program has recognized 738 school districts and 80 schools across 44 states for the outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders and their support for music education as part of a well-rounded education for all children. This NAMM Foundation celebrated and recognized K-12 music teachers in school districts who found creative ways for the “show to carry on” despite schools moving online or to in-person settings where masks were required not only for student musicians and instruments.

 

In our elementary schools, music class is part of the regular curriculum following state standards. Students are instructed in both vocal and instrument classes. Beginning in 6th grade, P-H-M students at our three middle schools (Discovery, Schmucker and Grissom) have the opportunity to choose choir, orchestra or band as their music elective. Students at Discovery also have the option of choosing Piano Lab.

 

Discovery students performing Christmas piano concert in UP Mall (Dec. 2017) Grissom students in Band class (2017) Schmucker Choir Class (2017)

 

Penn High School offers the Fine Arts & Communication Academy as part of its unique academy structure. The seven academy design provides Penn students with relevant and meaningful coursework taught in smaller, supportive environments where each student is known well by his teacher and peers. Nearly a third of Penn’s total 3,500 students are enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy with the majority being involved with music programs, either Choir, Orchestra, Band or another music program.

 

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, P-H-M answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

 

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood.

 

Beyond the Northwestern research, other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, as well learning how to give and receive constructive criticism to excel.

Technology help during extended eLearning

Internet resources all over the world are currently very busy! You may encounter errors with websites, school curriculum or other internet resources. If you receive an error message when trying to access resources, please be patient and try again after a few minutes. If you continue to receive an error message after trying multiple times, you can email the teacher who assigned the work to let them know.
 

P-H-M’s Guide to Technology on the district website will provide parents with many of the resources you need to help your student with eLearning, click here to view that webpage.  
 

Parents can set up parental controls on the P-H-M issued Chromebooks issued for student eLearning. Securly is the application the district uses on Chromebooks to filter objectionable content; it also allows parents to receive reports on internet use of the P-H-M issued Chromebook. Parents should have received an email from Securly providing instructions on how to set up. Please click here to learn more. 
 

If your student’s Chromebook is in need of repair, please send an email to the P-H-M Technology Department at chromebooks@phm.k12.in.us. Please include all of the following in your email:

  • Parent’s name
  • Student’s name
  • Student’s email address
  • School Name
  • Describe the issue/problem Chromebook is experiencing
     

P-H-M Technology will respond back with details on how and where you will exchange the device for a new one. However, please note that you must turn in the damaged Chromebook and the charging cable to receive the new device. New Chromebooks will not be issued unless you return the damaged Chromebook first.

P-H-M Named 2020 Best Community for Music Education

With music education programs at all grade levels (K-12), Penn-Harris-Madison has once again been named one of 2020 Best Communities for Music Education for its outstanding commitment to music education! P-H-M is one of only 754 districts nationwide and 16 in Indiana to receive the honor from The NAMM Foundation. This is the 7th year in a row that P-H-M has received this prestigious national designation!

 

The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. The BCME award acknowledges the commitment of P-H-M’s music teachers and administrators in the District’s 11 elementary, three middle schools and Penn High School.

 

Horizon Elementary Show Choir  Middle School students

 

In our elementary schools, music class is part of the regular curriculum following state standards. Students are instructed in both vocal and instrument classes. Beginning in 6th grade, P-H-M students at our three middle schools (Discovery, Schmucker and Grissom) have the opportunity to choose choir, orchestra or band as their music elective. Students at Discovery also have the option of choosing Piano Lab. 

 

Penn High School offers the Fine Arts & Communication Academy as part of its unique academy structure. The seven academy design provides Penn students with relevant and meaningful coursework taught in smaller, supportive environments where each student is known well by his teacher and peers. Nearly a third of Penn’s total 3,500 students are enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy with the majority being involved with music programs, either Choir, Orchestra, Band or another music program.

 

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, P-H-M answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

 

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood.

 

Beyond the Northwestern research, other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, as well learning how to give and receive constructive criticism to excel.

2020 Spring Break Ideas

 

Zoo / Animal Activities:

 

 

Aquariums:

 

 

Art Museums:

 

 

National Park Virtual Tours

 

Send an eCard to Friends and Family:

 

 

Family Fun:

 

  • Family Karaoke Night, search youtube for free Kaoke versions of your favorite songs or use a premium site like KaraFun or SingSnap
  • Perform a play, view free scripts at Playscripts.com or write your own play!
  • Break out family favorite board games and regular old playing cards
  • Movie Night, Turn down the lights, make popcorn and stream your favorite movies. 
  • “Drive-in” Movie night. Turn cardboard boxes into cars and pick a theme for the night (action/adventure, tropical, sports, etc)

 

Fun with Food:

 

  • Cook Together, try one of these kid-friendly recipes
  • Have a stay-at-home picnic, try these food ideas or make your own.
  • Make your own pizza, experiment with new toppings!
  • “The Great British Bakeoff” at home: choose a basic idea, like cookies, cakes, brownies, etc. for the “bakers” to make but give then a challenge of decorating, or a theme, or a unique flavor that they must use.

  • “Chopped” at home: put mystery ingredients in a basket for contestant family members to cook and use other family members as the judges. Don’t forget to set the stop clock!​

 

Puzzles:

 

 

Get Crafty:

 

 

Fun with Literature:

 

Scavenger Hunts

 

Go Outside (Please avoid crowded parks and jungle gym equipment)

 

 

Storytelling

 

  • Start a family podcast. Practice interviewing family members and learning about them. Record on your phone and share the episode with friends and family everywhere. Free plans available here.
  • Write your own book. Whether you write 5 pages or 100 pages, here’s some things to consider

  • Record kids reading story books that can be shared with others, like grandparents or possibly nursing homes

 

P-H-M shutdown due to “Shelter in Place” Order for Indiana (3.23.20)

Dear P-H-M Families,

 

As you are aware, this afternoon Governor Eric Holcomb ordered a “Shelter in Place Order” for the state of Indiana to go into effect tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24 (11:59 p.m.) through April 7, 2020 (11:59 p.m.). 

 

The Governor called on all state agencies to do their part in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19 by closing offices and ending in-person non-essential contact. The Governor’s order calls for all state agencies that are able to shift to providing services online or virtually to do so starting tomorrow. Click here for more information on the Order.

 

For Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation this means that most of the essential staff who still remained in our buildings will not report on site for work starting tomorrow, March 24. Building principals and secretaries will work remotely continuing to serve and support our students, staff, and families during this period of extended eLearning. If you do not have your building principal and secretary’s email address, you can find it on your school website. Just click the yellow alert at the top of the homepage. Teachers, of course, are already working remotely from home facilitating eLearning for our nearly 11,000 students grades K-12. 

 

The only staff who will continue to report to work in person are those needed to ensure our buildings are safe and maintained. Those who are necessary to conduct essential district business operations will still also report for work on site as permitted by the Executive Order. 

 

Food Service has now become a critical service that we are providing to our families. Yet out of an abundance of caution, we are reducing the number of sack meal pickup sites to just three sites effective tomorrow, March 24:

  • Early Meals (8-9 am)
    • Prairie Vista & Grissom 
  • Midday meals (11 am – 1 pm)
    • Prairie Vista, Grissom, & Penn
  • Late meals (5 – 7 pm)
    • Penn High School only
       

Essential school and district staff members who are working at home remotely will be reachable via email. This is the best way to reach someone initially.

 

These are definitely unprecedented times for our country. Every single person is being impacted by COVID-19 in some way or another. Today Governor Holcomb called on all of us to do our part to help all Hoosiers. Cooperation by all citizens in all communities across Indiana for these next two weeks will hopefully prevent an overload to our state’s healthcare system. This is something we can all do to help the healthcare providers on the front line. Self-sacrifice for these next two weeks will also put our state in a better position to rebound economically.

 

I strongly urge all of you to take this Executive Order seriously. For more information on what the Executive Order permits and restricts, click here.

 

The sooner this pandemic crisis ends, the sooner our students can return to school and we can get back to doing what we love the most … educating and supporting your children!

 

Stay healthy, safe and well,

Dr. Jerry Thacker
Superintendent of Schools

Managing COVID-19 Anxiety & Stress

 

Talking with Your Child & Teen About Infectious Diseases (such as the Coronavirus) … Helping to Relieve Anxieties

 

With all the information out about Infectious Diseases, such as the COVID-19, coronavirus, many people may have concerns and anxieties looming about their own health and the spread of the disease. As parents, we may have questions about how to talk to our children about the disease. With that in mind, we wanted to offer ways to support you from the social-emotional side. Please click to watch the video below from P-H-M's Director of Social-Emotional Learning & Mental Health Jennifer Sears, Ph.D. 

 

 

Dr. Sears has also prepared a multitude of tips and resources below for parents.

 

  • The following are guidelines or suggestions on the type of information that is age-appropriate for most. Remember, you know your child best.
    • Early Elementary: Keep the conversation brief, simple and stick to the facts. Assure the child home and school are safe. Let the child know IF someone gets sick, adults will help. Help the child learn ways to stay healthy, such as washing their hands, maintaining a sanitary environment, eating properly, getting enough rest, etc. 
    • Upper Elementary and Early Middle Schoolers: Share facts as above, but keep in mind children at this age are processing information more and may question if they are really safe. Therefore, it is important to separate fact from rumor. Share the ways people at home and school are taking measures to help keep them healthy. Monitor or limit media intake.
    • Upper Middle School and High Schoolers: Information can be shared more in-depth and more adult-like. Be honest, accurate and factual. Make sure they feel a sense of control in the situation, which comes by engaging in activities that will help keep themselves and others be healthy. Monitor media intake. 
  • Key Talking Points: When you talk with your child, keep the above in mind as well as a few key talking points for your consideration — State that at home and school, adults are taking every effort to keep everyone safe. Not everyone will get the disease/virus. Steps are being made to limit the spread of the disease and care for those who are sick. They can do things to help stay healthy (i.e., wash hands with soap and water, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, avoid contact with people who are sick, do not touch your mouth, eyes, nose or face, use your elbow to catch your sneeze or cough, clean and disinfect surface areas, etc.).

  • Here are some additional helpful suggestions about how to talk with your child about Infectious Diseases, such as the COVID-19:

    •  Be available and present: Take a few minutes to have a conversation with your child. Chances are they have heard something about the virus, and if not, it is a good time to set the tone with your child. Stick to the facts and reassure them that everyone is making every reasonable effort to keep people safe. Tell them you are aware of the symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath, per the CDC) and will monitor their health and seek immediate medical attention if you have concerns.

    • Remain calm and reassuring: Children will imitate what is modeled for them, so keep your voice calm, soothing and reassuring as you talk to them. Tell your child your family and the school are taking every precaution to help keep them safe.

    • Do not blame others: At times, we may find ourselves blaming a person or group of people, but it is really important to avoid stereotyping and blaming, especially in an instance when no one has meant to cause any harm. Any negative talk should be stopped and if there are concerns, you can report this to the school or make a call to the Safe School Helpline.

    • Listen to Concerns to Help Keep them Manageable: As do adults, children’s minds can wonder and they can imagine horrible situations. They may be worried about their loved ones becoming sick. Listen to their concerns, stick to the facts, and only share age-appropriate information. You know your child best.

    • Be aware of signs of anxiety in your children. You may notice some behaviors in your child that are a little out of character. For instance, on the mild side, they may hang around you more, seem clingy or want to be with you to help build a sense of security. Be patient. Younger children will have more difficulty expressing their worries than older children so they may not be able to put their thoughts into words, but their behaviors will help you gauge what they are feeling. Also keep in mind, young children may ask a few questions, play and then come back with more questions. They are unpacking a lot of information and attempting to make sense of it based on their experiences and knowledge. This is why it is important to stick to facts, answer what you are able to and what is age-appropriate, and prevent or limit access to media or talk that will heighten concerns.

  • Other Important Considerations:

    • Relieving Anxieties: Oftentimes, we feel a sense of anxiety because we do not feel in control or want to gain some control over the situation. With this in mind, remind children and adults alike that they have a sense of control in that they can help prevent the spread of the virus by taking appropriate measures to keep their hands sanitized using soap and warm water or an alcohol-based sanitizer, not touching face or mouth, not touching others, covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze, not eating or drinking after others, which all can provide provide a sense of control in people that they are not spreading the virus. We can also feel a sense of control when we take measures to stay healthy and give our immune system what it needs to keep our bodies healthy by eating right and getting enough sleep for their age. Assess your own risk to gain a sense of control over your health. Please consider speaking with your medical provider if you have individual concerns. The CDC also offers information on risks to different populations.​​ Please find the link here to CDC Website with information about people at high risk. If you know your risk, you can take the recommended precautions in order to help gain a sense of control, which will help alleviate some anxieties.

    • Self-Care: It is vital that we continue to engage in self-care activities to promote physical, psychological, personal, emotional, spiritual and professional well-being and help strengthen our ability to be resilient, or bounce back. If you are feeling more stress during this time, it is a good idea to make self-care more of a priority than it usually is for you. Self-care activities include eating and exercising properly, getting plenty of sleep, as well as engaging in activities that are safe and you enjoy.

    • Flexible Thinking: Practice flexible thinking, which is thinking about things in a new way. During times of change, we can practice flexible thinking when we think about our routine, for example. During times of change, we can practice cognitive flexibility by realizing we might do school work differently than normal, but we are still learning-we are just going about it in new ways than we typically do.

    • Supervise media consumption. Make sure information is age appropriate. Sensitive topics such as death can cause extreme worry and confusion. Limit the amount of time and conversation surrounding the Infectious Disease (e.g. COVID-19). While it is important to take precautions, adults should not dwell on the topic or share information with students that can be frightening and cause unnecessary panic. Reference the cdc.gov for the most accurate information. Communication regarding school will come from school administration. Be careful not to get caught up in rumors. If you have specific concerns, please report those to your child’s school. Rather than spending too much time with social media, especially with your children around (remember, they pick up on more than you know), engage in a game or other healthy activity to build relationships and ease their concerns by having the attention and presence of an adult. 

Additional Resources:

 

Important Message from Dr. Thacker re: COVID-19 (3/11/2020)

The message below was sent out to all P-H-M staff and families the afternoon of March 11, 2020.

 

Dear P-H-M Families,

 

The Saint Joseph County Department of Health held a news conference shortly after 3:00 p.m. this afternoon (Wednesday, March 11, 2020) to announce that St. Joseph County has its first positive case of COVID-19. 

 

If you are not yet aware, the Health Department stated that the patient is an adult male in his 50s and is quarantined at home. They stated that the patient does not need to be hospitalized. Due to patient privacy, no other information was released.

 

Out of an abundance of precaution and to minimize risk of exposure to the elderly and those with medically compromised immune systems, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation has decided to postpone large community events that we are hosting for the remainder of this week through Sunday, March 15. Building principals will notify the groups affected by the postponement of these events.

 

P-H-M Administration will take the rest of this week to examine what future action may need to be taken. We will be following the recommendations and direction of local, state and federal health officials.

 

We shared with you yesterday afternoon that we met with the Health Dept. officials. Their recommendation was to continue to stress the importance of hand hygiene and the importance for students and staff who are displaying flu-like symptoms to remain at home until they are fever and symptom free for at least 24 hours. CDC recommendations include:

  1. Wash your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Soap and water is best, washing the hands for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  2. Cover your mouth and nose. Remind your students to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. The best thing is to cover the mouth and nose area with a tissue and then throw the tissue immediately away. Second best, if tissues are not available, is to cough/sneeze into your elbow. 
  3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

 

Both influenza and COVID-19 are respiratory viruses and the symptoms are very similar (click here for COVID-19 symptoms as described by the CDC). If you or a family member is having flu-like symptoms, you should contact your family physician for medical guidance. 

 

Please use these resources for more information on the COVID-19 situation nationally and in our state:

 

We appreciate your patience during this time.
 

Dr. Jerry Thacker​
Superintendent of Schools

Parent information on Naviance

P-H-M is excited to offer Naviance to students in grades 6-12. Naviance is a college, career and life readiness web-based platform that helps identify and align students' individual strengths and interests to post-secondary goals, including college and careers. Naviance was built for students to learn about who they are as learners, what their interests and strengths are, and then tie their personal interests and strengths to potential career pathways and colleges.

 

Starting in the Spring 2020 semester, students in 6th-12th grades will be doing two to four learning activities through the Naviance platform as part of Phase I of our Naviance launch.

 

During the 2019-2020 school year specifically, in middle school, students will engage in Naviance during social studies, and high schoolers will engage in Naviance during English for 11th & 12th graders, science for 10th graders, and PCC for 9th graders.

 

Students will have access to Naviance using their Clever credentials, and parents can have access to their student's account using their child's Clever credentials as well.

 

Please click here to access the presentation used at a parent informational meeting on March 2, 2020 for additional information.

 

We are pleased to offer this robust tool to continue to support your student to reach his or her potential and set them on a path toward success!

Important Message from Dr. Thacker re: COVID-19 (3/3/2020)

The message below was sent out to all P-H-M staff and families the afternoon of March 3, 2020.

 

Dear P-H-M Families,

 

The health, safety and well-being of Penn-Harris-Madison students and staff are our top priorities. With the ongoing elevated discussion regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the world news, we are reaching out to remind everyone in the P-H-M family about the preventive safety measures we can all take, as well as to inform you what we at P-H-M are doing.

 

As a school district, we are closely monitoring the situation via the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. The CDC is providing local expert and community guidance through the St. Joseph County Department of Health and the Indiana Department of Health. We are also receiving information from the U.S. Department of Education and the Indiana Department of Education, as well as a host of other state and national professional organizations. The one good thing about this situation is that there is an abundance of expert guidance. We are following the advice and direction of the governmental entities in charge. As a district, we are focusing on the things within our control.

 

All of the health officials are uniformly reiterating that the best preventive measure that each and every one of us can do is practice good hand hygiene. The same precautions that we annually remind our students, at all grade levels, during the cold and flu season are the exact same practices that the CDC is recommending to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
 

  1. Clean hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  2. Cover your mouth and nose. Remind your students to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. The best thing to do is to cough/sneeze into your elbow. Second best is to cover the mouth and nose area with a tissue and then throw the tissue away.
  3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
  4. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

 

P-H-M’s janitorial staff already cleans common areas and disinfects common touch surfaces regularly. We ramp up these efforts during the cold and flu season. Under the current circumstances and in an abundance of precaution, P-H-M is taking extra steps to increase our normal diligent disinfectant measures.

 

As stated in all P-H-M Student Handbooks if students are sick please keep them home. Students should not return to school until they are fever and symptom free for 24 hours. We are constantly reminding families to practice this ongoing safety practice year round.

 

As it pertains to concerns over COVID-19 symptoms, the CDC has very specific recommendations if the symptoms coincide with recent travel to specific countries on their watch lists.

 

This situation continues to evolve. P-H-M Administrators are staying abreast of the information, as we have since the beginning. If the need should arise to change or defer from our normal operations, rest assured we will communicate with our families and staff immediately.

 

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Superintendent of Schools

Naviance Parent Info Night, March 2

Penn-Harris-Madison is pleased to introduce Naviance Student as a comprehensive website that you and your middle or high school student can use to make post-secondary plans. Naviance Student allows your student to engage in a variety of activities, such as:

  • Getting involved in the planning and advising process – Build a resume, complete online surveys, and manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about post-secondary options and careers
  • Researching colleges – Review statistics regarding students who have been admitted in the past
  • Researching careers – Research hundreds of careers and career clusters, and take career assessments
  • Creating plans for the future – Create four-year plans, goals and to-dos, and complete tasks assigned by the school to better prepare your student for future post-secondary and career goals.

 

To help parents answer questions about this new tool, we will be holding a information night for middle and high school parents:

Naviance Parent Info Night (middle & high school parents)

Monday, March 2

6:00 p.m.

Penn High School, LGI-B

*Enter Door A or B

 

You can get started by clicking here to watch a demo of “The Student Journey in Naviance.” 

 

Naviance Student also lets us share information with you and your student about upcoming meetings and events, local scholarship opportunities, and other resources for post-secondary information. We will systematically introduce Naviance to your student so your child can begin engaging in a variety of  activities. 

 

Additionally, over the course of the spring semester, your student will have the opportunity to complete different activities in Naviance, so please talk with your student about what your child is completing and learning about themselves in preparation for college and career readiness.