It was an exciting atmosphere on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022 as the entire school gathered to kickoff this year’s One Book, One School event!

Students and staff gathered in the gymnasium to receive their copy of Brambleheart, A Story About Finding Treasure and the Unexpected Magic of Friendship by Henry Cole. 

Take a look at some pictures below!

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Looking for something new to do at home? Frustrated because there is nothing good on TV? Great news!! It’s One Book, One School time!  

Starting March 1 – 31st, we will go on adventures with Twig, a charming chipmunk, who’s trying to figure out his future in Hill society, staying true to himself he makes new friends along the way. Every family and staff member will be receiving a copy of this year’s book, Brambleheart, A Story About Finding Treasure and the Unexpected Magic of Friendship by Henry Cole. 

This will be another fun adventure in reading! There will be a book reveal event, scheduled readings, optional at home projects, discussions, prizes, and more! 

Click the links below for the all your resources: 

• Calendar of Events & Reading Schedule
• At Home Activities
• Mustangs Give Back Activities

“One Book, One School” is an initiative that strives to bring together schools and families through the joy of reading. We want to provide an environment where our imaginations are set free through literature. By choosing one book that spans various reading levels, both students and staff will come together and share thoughts, ideas, and a passion for reading.

While projects and reading will be done at home, there will also be reading and discussions taking place in the classrooms. We encourage all families to use this opportunity to come together to read and carry on discussions about the story. You can even work together on some of our projects. While the at home activities are voluntary, they offer a way for students to incorporate their creativity into the story.

“Sometimes the things we want and the things we love get tangled up in our hearts like bramble when we try to do what’s right” It is our hope that this magical adventure will inspire individuality, teamwork, forgiveness and friendship.  So, Mary Frank, ready, set, read! 

Reading Schedule

• March 1 – 4 

  • Tuesday Kick-off/book

  • Wednesday pp. 1 – 20
  • Thursday pp. 21 – 32
  • Friday pp. 33 – 46
• March 7 – 11
  • Monday pp. 47 – 56
  • Tuesday pp. 57 – 66
  • Wednesday pp. 67 – 78
  • Thursday pp. 79 – 88
  • Friday pp. 89 – 98

• March 14 – 18 

  • Monday pp. 99 – 108 

  • Tuesday pp. 109 – 118 

  • Wednesday pp. 119 – 130 

  • Thursday pp. 131 – 142 

  • Friday pp. 143 – 152

• March 21- 25
  • Monday pp.153 – 162
  • Tuesday pp. 163 – 170
  • Wednesday pp. 171 – 182
  • Thursday pp. 183 – 196
  • Friday pp. 197 – 206
• March 28 – 31
  • Monday pp. 207 – 214
  • Tuesday pp. 215 – 236
  • Wednesday pp. 237 – 256

  • Thursday Final Celebration! 

At Home Activities

The activities listed below are the at home activities that follow along with our book. These activities are completely voluntary, but should your child complete and return them by Tuesday each week, their name will be entered into a drawing for a prize! If your child completes all four of the activities, they will be entered into a special drawing at the end! All projects are due to the classroom teacher.

March 5-6 

• Dragon eyes coloring pages: Click here for the template to use.  

March 12-13 

• Writing activity: If you found an egg that hatched a baby dragon, how would you  care for it? Illustrate a picture of your dragon and its home as well. Click here for the writing prompt.
• PreK & K: Draw a picture of you and your baby dragon. Don’t forget lots of  background details so we know where it lives!

March 19-20 

• Build a sundial: Using recyclable materials found around at home construct a  sundial of your own design that tells the time of day. One that Twig would be  proud to turn into Professor Burdock! 

March 26-27 

• Dress the chipmunk for a job: Click here for the template to use. 

In addition, we will also be having spirit days. 

• March 3 – Dr. Seuss Day, dress as a favorite Seuss character or in Seuss attire Mar 10 – Dress like a Teacher Day
• March 17 – Dress like your favorite book character in the book
• Mar 24 – Career day, dress for your dream job 

Mustangs Give Back Activities 

During the One Book, One School event, our students and staff have established  an amazing tradition of giving back to our community. In this year’s book, we  meet Twig, a chipmunk, and his friend Lily, a rabbit, who live in the forest. In our  community we have beautiful natural areas where many forest animals live. We  are happy to partner with the St. Joseph County Parks. This department includes four parks: St. Patrick’s County Park, Bendix Woods County Park, Ferrettie/Baugo  Creek County Park and Spicer Lake Nature Preserve. Feel free to click here to check out their website for information. These parks are beautiful  natural areas to enjoy and they also provide nature programs and outdoor  activities. We will be collecting items all month for the St. Joseph County Parks.  Please, feel free to send items in with students. The following is a small list of  ideas of what the parks need for activities and programs: 

• 8-ounce non-Styrofoam hot cups
• Band-Aids
• Black oil sunflower birdseed 
• Bottled water 
• Chenille craft sticks (pipe cleaners) 
• Child-size yarn winter gloves 
• Dish soap 
• Gardening/work gloves 
• Glue Sticks 
• Insect repellent 
• Tins of coffee and hot chocolate
• Sharpie markers (all colors)
• Washable markers
• Wire mesh pasta strainers (for pond scooping)

Picture above taken at the 2018 Community Connections Fair

Community Connections Fair

Saturday, March 26, 2022

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Schmucker Middle School

56405 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s ENL Services’ is sponsoring the District’s FREE Community Connections Fair!

Come check out what the Mishawaka, South Bend, and Elkhart communities have to offer to your families!

P-H-M is inviting area businesses who want to participate in the Community Connections Fair to sign up. Click here to request a table at the event. 

The Fair will also include cultural performances from P-H-M students and families. Families wishing to sign up to perform, click here.

Flyers about the event are available in the following languages, please click to download and print:

• English
• Arabic
• Chinese
• Spanish
• Gujarati
• Telugu
• Hindi
• Korean
• Punjabi

Bilingual interpreters will be on hand at the event to assist those families who need it.

Come out and enjoy the many cultural performances and student work that will be on display representing countries from all over the world! 

Please join us!

For more information, please contact:
Nicole Parker
P-H-M Elementary ENL Coordinator
(574) 259-2486, Ext. 53261
nparker@phm.k12.in.us

(picture above was taken March 2019)

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. 

Penn Poms will host a one-day clinic on Saturday, January 29, 2022.

The Poms clinic participants (pre-K through eighth grade) will learn a dance routine during the day on Saturday, Jan. 29, that will be performed at the Penn High School boys basketball halftime that night. The clinic cost is $35 per student.

Click here for details.

*Adobe Acrobat Reader will be required to view the pdfs on this page. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, please visit Adobe’s website, at this link www.get.adobe.com/reader/, to download your free version.

COVID Testing Walk-in 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.

The IDOH has recently revised the school site testing criteria due to the limited supply to only test the following groups:

• Symptomatic students Pre-K through grade 12
• Symptomatic teachers and staff members age 50 and above.  

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. Entry is off McKinley Hwy.
• No appointment is necessary.
• The clinic will be open when school is in session on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. AS LONG AS TESTS ARE AVAILABLE. The Clinic may need to close early on the days it is in operation as the number of available tests per day may vary due to the national shortage. 
• 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. Click here to download and print the consent form.

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation considers the health and safety of our school community as a top priority. The FDA has issued an extension of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), allowing the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 5 years of age and older. As such, in conjunction with the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, we are offering a free COVID-19 Vaccination clinic for all students, staff, and parents/guardians.

This voluntary event is being held after school hours as a convenience for those families wishing to participate. P-H-M recognizes and respects family decisions in regards to non-IDOH immunization requirements.

Who can get the vaccine?

• The vaccine is now available for children 5 – 11 and everyone age 12 and older. For the scheduled dates, we are providing an opportunity for any P-H-M student, parent/guardian, and staff member eligible to be vaccinated with their first dose, second dose, or booster shots to those already vaccinated.
• Only the Pfizer vaccine is approved for the ages 5-11 age group at this time. Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are needed to provide full immunization. The first one primes the immune system, helping it to recognize the virus, and the second one strengthens the immune response. If the vaccine you received requires two doses, you should receive both doses, the second dose for this age group being 3 weeks after the first dose. An individual is considered fully protected 2-weeks after the second/last dose.

When will the vaccinations be offered?

• Tuesday, January 18th, 5-7:30 p.m.

Where will the vaccinations be offered?

• The walk-up clinic will take place at Schmucker Middle School
• Please enter through Door C (see map). Please note that this is the same door as the previous clinics. 
• Address: 
  Schmucker Middle School
  56045 Bittersweet Rd. Mishawaka 46545.

Keynotes about the vaccine for ages 5 -11?

• All children in the eligible group of ages 5-11 will have to be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• Children ages 5 through 11 years receive one-third of the adult dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.  Smaller needles, designed specifically for children, are used for children ages 5 through 11 years.
• COVID-19 vaccine dosage does not vary by patient weight but by age on the day of vaccination.
• Your child will need a second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine three weeks after their first shot.
• The experience of getting a COVID-19 vaccine will be very similar to the experience of getting routine vaccines. Use the tips to support your child before, during, and after routine vaccinations when getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Registration Form (needed for 1st dose Only):

• Pre Registration will NOT be required. Individuals will be served in the order in which they arrive.
  If possible, please print off and complete the registration before arrival.
  LINK: Registration (English)
• Although there is NO COST to the participants, St. Joseph Health Systems asks that you please bring your insurance cards & state-issued IDs to help the registration process. If you do not have insurance, you will not be turned away. 

If the dates or times won’t work for my family, how can I sign up to get vaccinated elsewhere?

• Vaccine Information and Sign-up Links

The Penn Winter Guard Open House will be from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the Auxiliary Gym.

The Open House is for all 4^th – 12^th  grade P-H-M students.

Questions, contact Jen at (574) 903-9200 for more information about Winter Guard.

We are happy to announce that Santa Claus is coming to town!

At the 2021 P-H-M Winter Wonderland Show, attendees will be treated to a fabulous light show and then children will have an opportunity to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

The show is called “Laser Holidays” and it will be shown in the state-of-the-art Digital Video Theater located at Bittersweet Elementary School.

Quick Details:

• Saturday, December 4, 2021
  • ​Shows at 8 a.m., 9:45 a.m. & 11:15 a.m.
  • Bittersweet Elementary School
• $5 for all tickets​
  • ​Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 10 a.m.
  • Space is limited to 75 participants per time slot.
  • Purchase tickets here: phm.revtrak.net

Ticket sales begin on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 10 a.m. Tickets will only be available online on a first-come, first-served basis.

Space is limited to 75 participants per time slot. Once all tickets are sold, all sales end.

While the program is intended for Kindergarten through 3rd grade students, children of other ages may attend with their siblings. All children
must be accompanied by an adult and each person must purchase a ticket to attend.

Tickets will then be mailed to you from the Community Education office prior to the event.

If you have any questions about the program, please call 574.258.9568 or email jforkner@phm.k12.in.us.

Masks will be required to wear during the DVT show and in line to visit Santa. Masks can be taken off briefly to take the picture with Santa.

If you have any questions about the program, please call 574.258.9568 or email jforkner@phm.k12.in.us.