The information below was sent to P-H-M families on Friday, March 26, 2021.

Dear P-H-M Families,

In the District’s ongoing efforts to provide opportunities for P-H-M staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, we worked with Meijer to provide a vaccination clinic on March 8 for the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.

1,170 people were vaccinated, including staff from P-H-M and neighboring school districts, as well as some community members. This included over 700 P-H-M staff, representing about half of our entire workforce.

Meijer is returning next Monday, March 29, to administer the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to staff and community members who were vaccinated at our clinic three weeks ago. 

As part of our weekly meeting with the St. Joseph County Department of Health, it was shared with us that we should expect 15-30% of P-H-M employees to experience mild to adverse effects after receiving the second shot.

We know that other area school districts had to call eLearning days after their staff members experienced some side effects following the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. If 15-30% of P-H-M staff members called in sick for Tuesday, March 30, we would not be able to transport, feed or teach our students.  

Based on this information, we are calling an eLearning Day for grades K-12th grade for next Tuesday, March 30. This day will be an eLearning day (just like what is called due to weather), NOT a virtual learning day. Teachers will not be teaching live on Tuesday. Head Start, PreK (Early Learning Academy and PennPALS), and Young Adult programs are all canceled for March 30. However, eLearning lessons will be provided for Early Learning Academy, PennPALS, and Young Adult programs.

The regular eLearning Day responsibilities of teachers will be in place next Tuesday. If a teacher is not sick, he/she will be online and responsive to student questions and to offer additional support and clarification as needed throughout the school day. If a teacher is taking a sick day on Tuesday, they will notify students and families through email and other normal modes of class communication and will not be available online that day. The classroom teachers will give specifics and assignment due dates of the eLearning lessons.

We know that this is a disruption and an inconvenience for our families at a time when we are trying to return all students to 100% in-person learning. Having nearly half of our workforce fully vaccinated through our Meijer clinic coupled with the state opening up vaccine eligibility to people 16 and older will ultimately help school districts return to near normal, pre-pandemic operations of educating students. We hope that parents, guardians, and families will also personally consider getting vaccinated to help our greater community, state and country. Thank you for being valued partners.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Almost a year to the date Indiana schools shut down (P-H-M schools shut down on March 12, 2020), P-H-M teachers and staff got a literal shot in the arm and marked a major step forward in our fight against COVID-19.

On Monday, March 8, 202, Meijer Pharmacy set up a vaccination clinic inside the Main Arena at Penn High School and administered 1,170 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. 

Every P-H-M teacher and staff member who wanted to get the vaccine was able to do so. 

The vaccines were made available under the federal allotment of vaccines through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. The White House announced that the federal allotment would be open to educational staff at schools so teachers and staff could receive the vaccine, especially in states where educational staff had not been included in the first responder group. P-H-M Human Resources reached out to Meijer as word spread that they were working with Indiana schools to set up on-site vaccination clinics.

We are so thankful to the team at Meijer and to EVERYBODY at P-H-M who worked so hard to make this event happen on very short notice. 

Jenni McCarthy, a kindergarten teacher at Bittersweet Elementary said “I honestly have to say that it was fantastic when I found out that we could get them right here at school. I didn’t have to go anywhere. I didn’t have to sign up on any list, I didn’t have to do anything. It just goes to show that Penn-Harris-Madison is a great place to work because they always think of their employees first and are trying to make sure that we are safe to be back in the classroom.”

In addition to the over 700 P-H-M staff members who received a vaccine, we also reached out to area schools to make doses available to others as well. P-H-M felt it was important to share any extra vaccines with educators and staff from other school districts and private schools within P-H-M’s boundaries so that no vaccines would be wasted. 

Dr. Jerry Thacker, P-H-M’s superintendent of schools said “…this just has a tremendous positive impact on the feeling the teachers, all school employees and the students have with regards to receiving a vaccine. They know they’re going to be safer, so this is the first step in that. It also gives us a barometer of what we need to be doing in the future with regard to reaching out and making sure that we can get our students back [in person].”

Watch the video to get a fuller sense of what the day was like. Meijer will return to Penn Monday, March 29th to administer the second dose. 

To download high-resolution jpg files from the photo gallery below, just simply click the “DOWNLOAD” button on the bottom right-hand corner of the photo while viewing it in the Photo Gallery function. We are happy to provide this service to you, free of charge!

Schmucker Instrument Selection Nights

March 2, 3 & 4, 2021, 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 and the other two P-H-M middle schools Discovery and Grissom.

Every P-H-M 5th grader who will be attending a P-H-M middle school as an incoming 6th grader in the Fall 2021 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!

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. 

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.

Spring Break Kids Club

April 5 – 9, 2021

6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Northpoint Elementary School (Door E)

Cost is $35 per child, per day or $150 per child for the full week. If you are not currently enrolled in Kids Club, you must also pay the $25 registration fee per child. Registration and payment are due, and non refundable, by Tuesday, March 30, 2021. 

Click here for more details and online registration.

Monday, August 31 the P-H-M Board of School Trustees unanimously approved a “Return to Learn” plan to bring students back to the classroom in phases, for those families who want to return to in-person learning, starting in two weeks:

• Mon., Sept. 14, In-Person Learning for Elementary grades, PreK – grade 3
• Mon., Sept. 21, In-Person Learning for Elementary grades 4 & 5 
• Mon., Sept. 21, Hybrid model, a blend of In-Person and Virtual, for Middle and High School students (grades 6-12) 
• Parents at all grade levels will still have the choice to keep their students 100% Virtual if they so choose.

Parents are asked to complete the “Intent to Return Questionnaire” by this Friday, September 11. If you have students at other P-H-M schools, please complete a form for each student at each school. Please reference the emails from those principals shared Wed., Sept. 9 or the school’s website. If you have any questions, please call the school.

Click here to read the Principal’s newsletter that contains the following information:

• Detailed description of the 100% Virtual plan
• “Intent to Return Questionnaire” due Friday, September 11
• Transportation needs & a link to infoFinder to look up your child’s bus stop information if they will be riding the bus
• Before/after school childcare – Kids Club Registration
• “Return to Learn” District Overview for Parents
• Videos highlighting P-H-M’s COVID safety procedures and protocols:
  • • Transportation cleaning & safety protocols
    • Cafeteria COVID safety precautions
    • Custodial COVID cleaning protocols 

Last night (Monday, August 31) the P-H-M Board of School Trustees unanimously approved a “Return to Learn” plan to bring students back to the classroom in phases, for those families who want to return to in-person learning, starting in two weeks: 

• Sept. 14, In-Person Learning for Elementary grades, PreK – grade 3
• Sept. 21, In-Person Learning for Elementary grades 4 & 5 
• Sept. 21, Hybrid model, a blend of In-Person and Virtual, for Middle and High School students (grades 6-12) 
• Parents at all grade levels will still have the choice to keep their students 100% Virtual if they so choose.

All students and staff will be required to wear a mask while at school.

Click to read P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker’s full letter to parents that was emailed Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Below is a graphic of the detailed schedule with school day start and end times. You can click the image below to print it off.

Click Here for the most recent Newsletter that describes what online learning will look like!

The communication below was emailed to staff and parents today:

August 4, 2020

Dear P-H-M Families:

Thank you for your suggestions, concerns, and support offered after my July 30, 2020 communication regarding all students starting school in virtual learning. As you may remember, the St. Joseph County Department of Health medical professionals recommend a virtual start for all county school districts. Your correspondence and communication led to an amended recommendation. Please accept my deepest gratitude for your commitment to the students of the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation.  

Last night, the Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees held a special meeting to discuss and vote on students returning in the fall. The Board approved a plan to begin the school year virtually for the first four weeks of the 2020-2021 school year. P-H-M students will attend school virtually from August 19-September 11. (Please click here to view a recording of the August 3, 2020 meeting and click here for the Virtual Learning Presentation.)

While we want our students to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible, safety is our highest priority for our students, faculty, and staff. We will assess the data daily and the metrics that are provided by the St. Joseph County Department of Health will guide a safe return to in-person learning. We will notify parents no less than 10 business days prior to advancing from virtual learning to in-person learning. Students who have selected the option of virtual learning only will continue in the virtual learning format.

Additional information regarding the virtual learning process, pickup of student materials, schedules, and other pertinent information will be shared by principals soon. Questions regarding the start of the year can be directed to your building principal or by emailing 

Thank you for your continued support and partnership!

Stay healthy and safe,

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Superintendent of Schools