Kids Club 2018 Summer Program registration is now open!! Click here for more information and registration.

Full-day childcare is offered at two locations (Walt Disney and Northpoint Elementary schools) for current P-H-M students in grades K-5. Children will enjoy a variety of educational and recreational activities, crafts and field trips.

Cost is $125 a week, for 5 days a week. All children not currently enrolled in Kids Club are required to pay the $25 registration fee in addition to all other program-related costs. In addition, a deposit of the $100 non-refundable activity fee is required to hold a place for your child.

Sign up now!!

Locations:  Northpoint Elementary School

                       Walt Disney Elementary School

Dates:          June 6 through August 21, 2018

                       (closed July 4)

Times:          6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Questions: If you have questions about Kids Club Summer Session,

                       please call Kailey Campanero at (574) 258 – 9514 or

                       Ashley Stoffl at (574) 258 – 9587

Caregivers of dependents with special needs are invited to attend a special workshop, sponsored by Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company, on how to make your child’s future more secure.

See the information in the flier posted below …

Mark your calendars now!

Penn High School’s Center for Performing Arts brimmed with excitement as nearly 200 third, fourth and fifth graders participated in the 32nd annual P-H-M Elementary Spell Bowl on Tuesday (March 20, 2018).

Mary Frank had a great showing by taking 1st place in fourth grade and 2nd place in fifth grade! The fourth-grade team had a perfect score of 30 points!

Click to see a full photo gallery of the Spell Bowl on the District website. (To download a high resolution jpg file from the photo gallery, you will just need to simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right hand corner of the photo wile viewing it in the Photo Gallery function). 

Spell Bowl consists of three six-person teams (plus one alternate) from each of the 11 elementary schools representing grades 3, 4 and 5.

3rd Grade Winners:

• 1st place – Northpoint with 28 points, coached by Mrs. Nichol Mondy and Ms. Molly O’Rea
• 2nd place – Bittersweet with 25 points
• 3rd place – Horizon with 22 points

This year's winners were a mixture from the schools:

4th Grade Winners:

• 1st place – Mary Frank with 30 points, coached by Mrs. Lindsay Helman​
• 2nd place – tie Horizon, Northpoint, Prairie Vista and Walt Disney with 28 points each
• 3rd place – tie Meadow’s Edge and Bittersweet with 20 points each

5th Grade Winners:

• 1st place – Northpoint with 30 points, coached by Ms. Rosane Morehouse
• 2nd place – Mary Frank with 25 points
• 3rd place –  Prairie Vista with 24 points 

Preparation for the Spell Bowl takes weeks, as teams work with their teacher coaches. Preparation includes spelling under pressure, studying word lists, learning about word sources (e.g., Latin roots) and rules such as capitalization and pluralization.

The format used for the Spell Bowl is very similar to a test. Much like a traditional spelling bee, the host, or emcee, reads a word aloud and then uses it in a sentence. The students then have a time limit of 15 seconds to write the word on paper. A panel of judges reviews the answers and then posts the scores for the audience to see. Scoring is one point for each correct spelling.

P-H-M’s K-5 High Ability Coordinator, Mrs. Anne-Marie Reininga, is the Spell Bowl manager and works very hard to provide students with an enriching experience.

Saturday, May 5

8:30 a.m. – Noon

Penn High School

Register online today!

Do you like bubbles? Well, if you do, you’ll enjoy this fun change coming to the Silver Mile this year. The Silver Mile 5K Run/Walk will now be a Bubble Bash! 

What is a Bubble Bash, you ask? Watch the video below from P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and then click here to register your family today!

The non-timed 5K Run/Walk will incorporate bubble stations along the route for participants to travel through during the event. The Fun Walk will now be incorporated into this event, and there will be an option to take a shorter loop for those not wanting to run/walk the 5K. This event will start at 9:00 a.m. on the TCU Freed Field Track.

After the Bubble Bash, runners and families are invited inside Penn High School’s cafeteria for the Education & Health and Fitness Fair complete with free health screenings provided by the St. Joseph Medical Center. The popular Silent Auction offers a chance to bid on prime Penn student parking spaces and new this year … Penn Commencement front row seat!!! Student works of art and other items from community businesses are also offered. And the Talent Showcase has been expanded to an hour this year.

All proceeds benefit the P-H-M Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support excellence in education in all 15 P-H-M schools by awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Click here for early bird registration and for more information on the Bubble Bash.

Monday, April 30 (Rain Date Wed., May 2)

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

behind Elm Road Elementary School 

59400 Elm Road, Mishawaka

“Running is Elementary” is gearing up for another great year! This is the 10^th year for the one mile, non-competitive run which will feature the participation of almost 700 fourth and fifth grade students from all 11 P-H-M elementary schools. This event is free to students and takes place on the Penn cross-country course located behind Elm Road Elementary School.

Horizon physical education teacher and P-H-M’s 2009 Teacher of the Year Cindy Batalis began this event in 2008. Running has always been a true passion for Batalis and she shares that passion with students by organizing this yearly event.

Each school year fourth and fifth graders are encouraged to join the running club at each of P-H-M’s elementary schools. The kids go through this six-week club trained by designated coaches at each school. The end of the six weeks is then celebrated by participating in the Running is Elementary run.

The event is hosted by the P-H-M Education Foundation and Corporations for Education.

Approximately 150 students attended this year’s Young Authors’ Conference with their parents (Saturday, March 10). This year’s guest writer was Ruth McNally Barshaw, author and illustrator of Ellie McDoodle Diaries and Leopold the Lion.

P-H-M students in grades K-5 enjoyed the unique opportunity to learn directly from a well-known children’s writer. Barshaw led the students through sketching exercises and gave them creative writing and storytelling techniques. After the program was over, Barshaw held a book signing for the families. As a reward for the students that waited in line for 2 hours … she did their illustrations as part of giving the students her autograph! See the photo gallery below.

Students aren’t the only ones that benefit from the Young Authors’ Conference, parents do too! While students were participating in their small group writing sessions, parents attended a special presentation by Prairie Vista teacher and writing expert Carrie Mumaw who gave parents fun tips on ways to inspire ideas for creative writing with their children. Click here for Mrs. Mumaw’s presentation.

Students and parents also enjoyed a presentation of “Stuart Little” by Bethel College Genesians. This was the 10th year for Young Authors’ Conference; it is sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation. 

WHEN: Monday, March 12, 2017, 8:00 a.m. – Noon

WHERE: P-H-M Educational Services Center
55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka

There is a $60, non-refundable registration fee due at registration. You must also bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate, immunization record and proof of residency (a copy of a utility bill or lease agreement).

Click the links below to download pdfs of the:

• registration form 

• age requirements & listing of fees 

Penn PALS Community Preschool serves youngsters within Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation (click to see the interactive Google P-H-M boundary map) with special needs in an inclusive setting with their preschool peers, while providing them appropriate challenge, support and accommodation. 

We offer the half-day program at four P-H-M elementary schools: Bittersweet, Elm Road, Elsie Rogers and Mary Frank.

Click here for more details on the program.

The application window for P-H-M Education Foundation’s Spring 2018 Grant Cycle is now open!

PHMEF grants are eligible to any P-H-M staff member who can demonstrate a program’s innovation and creativity, and reflect commitment to excellence in education. Deadline for all grant applications is 4 p.m. Thursday March 29, at the ESC (55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka).

PHMEF is seeking innovative programs that have not been previous funding through past grant cycles. Note there are funding restrictions such as not paying for substitutes, food, party supplies, etc. A complete list of restrictions can be found in the application packet. Those applications requesting non-funded expenses will not be presented to the Grants Committee.

So parents work with your student’s teacher or principal to write up a grant proposal for a program you’ve been wishing you child’s school had. PHMEF grants are eligible to any staff member who can demonstrate their program’s innovation, creativity and reflects commitment to excellence in education. Click here for a list of the unique Fall grant awardees.

There are two ways to apply—EZ Form or Traditional Form. Grant applications and filing details can be found online at the Education Foundation’s website or by clicking on the links below:

1. EZ Form: for grants less than $250
2. Traditional Form: to be used for grants requesting $250 or more and/or a request that is comprehensive (multi-classroom, school-wide or district-wide requests)

The timeline for the PHMEF Spring Grant Cycle is as follows:

• Thursday, March 28 – All applications (EZ Form and Traditional Form) must be turned in by 4 p.m. at ESC or emailed if it is the EZ Form. No late applications will be accepted. Note there must be 10 copies for the traditional form.
• Between March 27 and April 24 – PHMEF grant committee meets to select recipients
• April 25 – P-H-M Education Foundation Board of Directors approve grant selections.
• By May 1– Recipients will be notified by email with formal letter to follow
• By May 7 – Checks will be sent to the recipient’s home school. 

*Adobe Acrobat Reader will be required to view pdfs loaded on our website. 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. Or you can stop by the Education Resources Center at  55900 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka to pick up a copy.

The Penn Fine Arts and Communications Academy is presenting, “Shrek, the Musical”, at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 4.

The showings will be held within the Center for Performing Arts (enter through Door C).

Tickets are $10 pre-sale by clicking here to access Penn Theater’s TicketTracker.com online ticket store, or $12 at the door.
 

Penn student C. Monte Teeple, starring as Lord Farquaad, said that the musical as a contemporary appeal.

“Unlike a lot of musicals that you would find locally, Shrek is a much more modern show,” Teeple said. “This not only means that many jokes and much of the humor will be understood by students, but also that the actual songs and music are far more modern as well.”

The plot of “Shrek the Musical” revolves around a hated Ogre (Shrek) and a talking donkey who go on a quest to save Princess Fiona in order to reclaim Shrek’s swamp.

Lord Farquaad claimed the swamp and has housed all magical creatures there.

From a deeper point of view, the story is about the misfits and those who don’t fit in, and finding your place in the world.