Vaping Education & Prevention Community Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 20

Penn High School CPA (Center for Performing Arts)

56100 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka 

*Enter Door C

6:00 -8:00 p.m.

Parking will be located in the main student lot

 

Penn will serve as the regional location for this informational community learning opportunity by the Indiana Department of Education, in collaboration with the Indiana State Department of Health.

 

This opportunity is open to all parents and members of the regional community. (Training for regional educators will take place earlier in the afternoon).

 

The purpose of this event is to engage and discuss the impact of vaping within the community. The presentation will provide data related to youth vaping; address vaping devices; discussion on model policy for schools to combat vape use on campus; education and community resources through the Vape-Free Indiana Website.

 

Click here for more details. 
 

Kindergarten Registration for 2020-2021 begins Tue., Jan. 21

Registration for kindergarten students for next year, the 2020-2021 school year, will begin on Tuesday, January 21, 2020.

 

Children who live within the P-H-M district and who will be five-years-old on or before September 1, 2020 are eligible to register. A parent or guardian must appear in person to register their child. 

 

Penn-Harris-Madison has 11 elementary schools, each offering full-day kindergarten. Use this interactive Google based District Map and the P-H-M Street Guide to verify which elementary school serves your neighborhood. 

 

Click here for more details about kindergarten registration.

2020 Young Authors’ Conference set for Sat., March 7

Mark your 2020 calendars for P-H-M’s Young Authors’ Conference:

 

Saturday, March 7, 2020

8:45 – 11:30 a.m.

Schmucker Middle School

P-H-M Elementary students, grades K-5

Registration Fee: $5 per child

Online registration opens Friday, Jan. 24 on phm.revtrak.net. The deadline for registration will be Friday, February 21, 2020.

 

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 last year’s event.

 

This year students and their parents will meet and hear from well-known children’s author, teacher, and speaker, Lola Schaefer. Mrs. Schaefer has written over 280 books and will share her experiences as a writer and illustrator during her engaging, grade-level presentations.

 

Participants and parents will also enjoy an interactive music and movement experience with “Mr. Dan, the Music Man.”  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 Penn High School 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.

 

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. If you prefer to register via paper, please fill out the front of the blue envelope that will be attached to the hard copy of the flyer that will come home with your student Jan. 24 or after. Fill out the blue envelope completely, insert your payment, and return it to your child’s school. Checks should be made payable to: Young Authors’ Conference. The deadline for registration will be Friday, February 21, 2020!

 

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 Amy Fadorsen at afadorsen@phm.k12.in.us.

Virtual reality becoming reality in P-H-M classrooms

Penn-Harris-Madison is at the forefront of integrating technology into the classroom. We’re a 1:1 Technology district with every student in the district—grades pre-K through 12—having a tablet, iPad or Chromebook. Middle and High School students have a personal Chromebook that they take home.

 

Not only do we have a team of IT Technicians that support the schools and administrative offices, but we also have a dedicated staff member who supports the successful integration of instructional technology in all P-H-M elementary schools with a focus on our five Title I schools. Jessie Kinney works to improve the utilization of technology that will increase both student learning and engagement. 

 

P-H-M is now venturing into the world of virtual reality to enhance student learning and expand students’ learning environments. The district is piloting the use of Google Daydream virtual reality headsets in four of our schools: Bittersweet, Elm Road and Moran Elementary Schools, along with Grissom Middle School. Teachers can utilize the VR headsets and Google’s Expeditions app to take students on virtual field trips or have them do 3D examinations of the heart or lungs.​

 

Recently a Moran 5th grade class got to go the Jamestown, Virginia colony without leaving their classroom. Take a look for yourself …

ILEARN Resources for Parents

ILEARN is Indiana’s standardized test. It is an online computer adaptive assessment designed to measure students’ proficiency of the Indiana Academic Standards in Grades 3–8. At the high school level, students enrolled in Biology and U.S. Government take ILEARN as End-of-Course-Assessments (ECA).

 

Last school year (2018-19) was the first time ILEARN was administered. This year it will be administered again to students in the spring.

 

What does it mean that the test is computer-adaptive? 

Every time a student answers a question, his or her response helps determine the next question presented. The difficulty of the test will adjust to each student’s skills, providing a better measure of what each student knows and can do.  For more information, click here to visit the IDOE website. 

 

Because the ILEARN test is online it has built in tools for students to use while testing:

  • Built-in glossaries allow students to select unfamiliar words and read their definitions.
  • Glossaries are available in English, Arabic, Burmese, Mandarin, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
  • Students are provided with authentic tools, such as spell check, a dictionary, and a thesaurus for use when responding to the writing task.
  • The Desmos calculator (provided for Mathematics Grades 6–8) is available for students to practice using free of charge at: desmos.com.
  • Spanish translations (stacked over the English version) are available for Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

 

Online resources parents can use at home to help prepare their students

 

Student ILEARN reports

  • Reports provide a scale score as an indication of overall student achievement in a grade level, as well as several subscores.
  • Parents and guardians may request rescores of open-ended items through the local school. 

 

Questions?

Contact INassessments@doe.in.gov

Parent meeting & permission form for new State mandated curriculum

Tuesday, Oct. 15
5:30 p.m.
Schmucker Middle School, 56045 N Bittersweet Rd.

 

Indiana law (IC 20-19-3-11) now requires that all schools provide age appropriate and research based instruction on child abuse and child sexual abuse to students in grades kindergarten through 12th. Penn-Harris-Madison has partnered with the Family Justice Center, Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County and the St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit to provide this instruction for our students.  

 

In November and early December, staff from the Family Justice Center, Youth Service Bureau St. Joseph County and St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit will present the materials to secondary students in grades 6-12. Each unit is age appropriate specific to the grade level.

 

The elementary (grades K-5) curriculum can be viewed at http://fightchildabuse.org/. The program’s main goal is to educate children about what to do when confronted with abusive behavior, safe and unsafe touches, going to a parent or another trusted adult if they are confronted in an unsafe situation, and that it is not their fault. An “Unsafe Touch” is defined as touching private parts of the body that are covered by a bathing suit. Stranger safety, Internet safety and other situations are also presented. 

 

For middle school, P-H-M will be utilizing the Teen Lures Prevention curriculum on a variety of safety issues. For additional information about the curriculum, please visit https://childluresprevention.com/grades7-12/.  

 

At the high school level, students will watch a video created by the St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit will be presented about ways youth can prevent, respond to and report all forms of child abuse, dating violence and sexual assault.  By talking openly with students about what constitutes healthy and respectful relationships, we prepare young people to better recognize and resist all forms of mistreatment.

 

To learn more about the new State mandated child abuse/sexual abuse prevention curriculum, all P-H-M parents are invited to attend an optional parent information night on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 5:30 p.m., at Schmucker Middle School, 56045 N Bittersweet Rd.

 

Parents have the option to have their student(s) participate in the state mandated educational program.

 

Parents are asked to complete the online permission slip through their student(s) school website. *Please note a permission form needs to be returned to your student’s school for each individual child enrolled in a Penn-Harris-Madison School.

 

Please see the list below to click for each school’s online permission slip:

 

Update on Community Health Announcement

This is a follow-up communication that the District shared with parents and staff on Friday, Sept. 20 regarding Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) health concerns in communities surrounding St. Joseph County (Indiana). At this time, St. Joseph County still has not released a warning, alert or advisory for EEE.

 

EEE is a potentially serious disease that can affect anyone, but children under the age of 15 and people over the age of 50 are at greatest risk. Click here for more information on EEE. We want to make families aware that Penn-Harris-Madison allows all students to possess and use a topical, non-aerosol insect repellent product (such as lotions or wipes) while on school property or at a school sponsored event or activity. Non-aerosol products are recommended in order to prevent students from getting the products in their eyes. Students do not have to have a physician’s note or prescription for the product, nor is the student required to store the product in a specific location if the product is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  

 

When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective. Local and state county health departments recommend the use of EPA-registered insect repellents that contain one of these active ingredients: 

 

Corporation personnel shall not assist with the application of the topical insect repellent product. Therefore we still strongly encourage parents to use a long lasting insect repellent and apply on your child before they leave for school. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants is also effective and insect repellent can also be applied to the clothing for a longer lasting effect. Again, students are allowed to bring repellent lotions or wipes to school to reapply.

 

Penn-Harris-Madison Facilities Department and Groundskeeping crews will also be extra vigilant in maintaining our school properties and campus areas to minimize these risks for students when they are with us. If you are aware of areas of concern at one of our schools or properties, we encourage you to reach out to your building principal who will notify P-H-M Facilities Department.

We appreciate your cooperation as heightened awareness about EEE continues to grow in our area. As we become aware or receive updates from area and state Health Departments, we will pass that information along to our families and staff. We will also post any important updates on the P-H-M District website. Please also feel free to share that information with us by way of your building principal.

 

Thank you for your collaboration in helping to keep our students and staff safe.

Community Health Announcement, re: Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)

Please read the letter below that was distributed to all P-H-M Families and Staff on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 …

 

Dear Penn-Harris-Madison Families and Staff,

 

As you might be aware, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has now confirmed seven cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in humans. This week the MDHHS also expanded the geographic area affected by the human EEE cases to include the southern Michigan counties of Cass and Van Buren–those closest to St. Joseph County, Indiana. In addition to the human cases in Michigan, there are nine confirmed cases in animals that include the nearest southern Michigan counties of St. Joseph (MI), Cass and Van Buren. Click here for more information from MDHHS.

 

In addition, yesterday (Thurs., Sept. 19)  Elkhart County Health Department (ECHD) renewed their earlier warning after four horses tested positive for EEE in Elkhart County. Click here for more information from the ECHD. Click here for more information from the ECHD.

 

 

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is carried by certain types of mosquitoes. It is a potentially serious disease that can affect anyone, but children under the age of 15 and people over the age of 50 are at greatest risk of severe disease following infection. Although there is a vaccination available for horses, there is not one available for humans. The kind of mosquitoes that spread EEE typically breed in bog and hardwood swamp wetlands. Mosquitoes remain active at temperatures above 60 degrees F and tend to be more active in the evening and pre-dawn hours. Click here for more information on EEE.

 

 

At this time, we are not aware of St. Joseph County (Indiana) releasing a warning, alert or advisory for EEE. However, due to the nature of the disease, and that children and older adults are more susceptible to the disease, we are reaching out to our families and staff to make sure everyone is aware and can start taking precautions at home.

  • When used as directed, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective. Use EPA-registered insect repellents with one of these active ingredients: 

  • ​Apply long lasting insect repellent to your children or yourself before leaving for school/work. Please research and use the product that has the longest effective range; this will provide extra protection for our elementary age children and staff during recess times. 

    • Middle and High School students who have outside, after-school activities are allowed to have non-aerosol insect repellent in the form of lotion or wipes in their backpacks and are encouraged to apply before going outdoors. P-H-M prefers these students only bring non-aerosol products to school in order to prevent getting the products in their eyes.

  • Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Insect repellent can also be applied to the clothing for a longer lasting effect and helps prevent bites. The weather for the week of Sept. 23 is forecasted to be cooler and in the 70s.

  • If you and your family are attending outdoor, after-school activities, please apply insect repellent to your body and to your long-sleeved shirts and pants clothing.

 

At your home, you can take these precautions to help eliminate mosquito breeding sites on your property, thus preventing mosquito bites for you and your family:

  • Maintain window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes outside.

  • Empty water from mosquito breeding sites near the home, such as buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires or similar sites where mosquitoes may lay eggs.

  • Use nets and/or fans over outdoor eating areas.

  • Unclog gutters

  • Keep overgrown vegetation mowed

  • Home swimming pools should be maintained clean and operational

  • Ornamental ponds should be aerated to prevent the collection of mosquito larvae

 

Penn-Harris-Madison Facilities Department and Groundskeeping crews will also be extra vigilant in maintaining our school properties and campus areas to minimize these risks for students when they are with us. If you are aware of areas of concern at one of our schools or properties, we encourage you to reach out to your building principal who will notify P-H-M Facilities Department.

 

We appreciate your cooperation as heightened awareness about EEE continues to grow in our area. As we become aware or receive updates from area and state Health Departments, we will pass that information along to our families and staff. We will also post any important updates on the P-H-M District website homepage at phmschools.org. Please also feel free to share that information with us by way of your building principal. 

 

Thank you for your collaboration in helping to keep our students and staff safe.

Giving Trees Orchard Update

Three years ago thanks to a P-H-M Education Foundation grant Penn High School Early College teacher Mr. John Gensic had an idea that was able to take root … to plant fruit orchards at some PHM elementary schools; the first was planted at Horizon Elementary.

 

Now the project is literally bearing fruit! Recently current 3rd graders of Ms. Marci Messer & the students who helped plant the orchard three years ago (who are now Discovery students) went apple & pear pickin'! Click to see the full photo gallery on Horizon’s website.

 

Watch the video …

 

First Day of Kindergarten 2019

On Thursday, August 22, we welcomed back the youngest members of the P-H-M family … our kindergartners!

 

This up and coming Class of 2032 kicked off their educational careers in true #PHMExcellence fashion! Take a look …