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.

During a normal school year, Penn High School students enrolled in Childhood Development classes would be offering two unique programs for preschoolers in our community, Playschool and Toddler Time.

However due to COVID suspending these programs for the time being, Penn Child Development teachers Mrs. Kylee Wetzel and Ms. Rachael Meyers have created lessons that children can do in their own homes. 

The Penn High School Early Childhood Education Classes are offering free eLearning lessons to children in the P-H-M community within the age ranges of 1-10 years old.

Children can participate at home with a caregiver, or during the school day via Google Meet with the Penn student facilitating the lesson.

Please fill out the Enrollment Form by Friday, Jan. 15 in order to participate.

Please contact Kylee Wetzel at kwetzel@phm.k12.in.us for any further information.

The Indiana State Department of Health last updated the COVID-19 School Attendance Quick Reference Guide for parents and schools on December 4, 2020.

PLEASE NOTE: For families who are not able to isolate from everyone else at home, the start date of quarantine is determined by last date of exposure to a positive or untested person; this may be after the ill person completes their 10 days of isolation.

Click the image below to download and print.

This resource is also provided in the District Overview Return to Learn Fall 2020 document, under “Important Links at the end of the document. 

The communication below was emailed to staff and parents today:

July 30, 2020

Dear P-H-M Families, 

We have been communicating regularly with medical professionals at the St. Joseph County Department of Health (SJCDH) and receiving guidance regarding the status of coronavirus activity and community transmission in making decisions regarding the safest model for curriculum delivery. The current thresholds for consideration by SJCDH strongly recommend that St. Joseph County Schools open in a virtual learning environment.

They also provided guidance on extracurricular and co-curricular activities. Those programs are being monitored and are under review.

The administration will recommend to the P-H-M Board of School Trustees at a School Board meeting on August 3, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. that all students participate in a virtual learning environment from the first day of school, August 19 through October 22. During the established virtual learning period, we will continue to collaborate with the SJCDH regarding further discussions and recommendations.

Prior to October 22, and the decision to return students to in-person instruction, we will ask parents which option they will be choosing by providing a parent survey. Parents will not be bound by their previous choice.

When we return, we will continue to offer two options: in-person or virtual instruction. 

• On October 27 (or when the SJCDH deems it appropriate) students who are enrolled in the in-person program will return to school.
• On October 27 students who are enrolled in the virtual learning program will continue with virtual learning.

Established metrics, provided by the SJCDH, will determine when it is safe to return to in-person learning. Families will be given a two week notice of any changes to return to in-person learning.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. 

Please stay safe and healthy!

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Superintendent

The communication below was emailed to staff and parents today:

Friday, July 17, 2020

Dear P-H-M Families,

As we continue to develop our school specific plans, we would like to share an update with you. We continue to receive great questions and feedback from our families that have assisted us in developing a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The FAQ has been posted to our Return to Learn page. 

Answers to the two most frequently asked questions:

• Per the St. Joseph County Health Department Public Health Order, staff and students are required to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth and social distancing will be maintained when possible.
• Students and staff who test positive will quarantine for at least 10 days from the date symptoms began AND remain fever-free for 72 hours (without use of fever reducing medication) before returning to school. Click here for the Indiana State Department of Health guide for parents related to student screening and quarantine/isolation guidelines. 

Penn High School Information

Previously, I shared with you about the two different options that parents can choose to have their students educated this fall.  However, based on stakeholder feedback, students at Penn High School specifically will have additional virtual options to choose from.  Principal Sean Galiher will share a separate survey with Penn High School families today and we ask that families complete that survey by July 24th.  

Next week, we will also share each school’s specific Return to Learn plan. This communication will outline school specific details including arrival procedures, the learning environment, lunch, school dismissal, as well as other important information.

PHM will ensure the guiding focus remains on the health and education of our community and we will continue to follow state and local guidance as we evaluate COVID-19 and our return to learning. 

Stay healthy and well,

Dr. Jerry Thacker, Superintendent
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

The communication below was emailed to staff and parents today:

Thursday, July 10, 2020

Dear P-H-M Families,

I recently sent you information on our plan to Return to School and a survey regarding choices between Face-to-Face Learning and Virtual Learning. Thank you for your valuable feedback. Based on the responses that you provided, we are making positive changes to some of our Education Options, primarily Virtual Learning at the secondary level. Since we want to share those modifications late next week, we are extending the timeline to complete the survey to July 27.

Before you receive more comprehensive information, here is a list of answers to the most frequently asked questions.

• Per the St. Joseph County Health Department Public Health Order, staff and students are required to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth whenever social distancing cannot be maintained. Click here for the Indiana Department of Education Back to School Face Covering Guidance for Families.
• Students and staff who test positive will quarantine for at least 10 days from the date symptoms began AND remain fever-free for 72 hours (without use of fever reducing medication) before returning to school. Click here for the Indiana State Department of Health guide for parents related to student screening and quarantine/isolation guidelines.
• Virtual students may participate in available Honors, Dual Credit and AP classes. Additional information will be shared next week.
• Virtual students may participate in extracurricular activities.
• Virtual teachers will differentiate for high ability students.
• Virtual students may participate in available electives.
• Students may continue to bring lunch with them to school.
• We are asking parents to make a semester commitment when choosing face to face or virtual instruction.

We will also share more comprehensive information on school safety protocols, individual school plans, and an FAQ document to keep you updated.

• Indiana State Department of Health FAQ
• Indiana Department of Education FAQ
• Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation FAQ – coming soon!

We will continue to follow state and local guidance and if the number of cases of COVID-19 reaches a level where local and state officials determine that school cannot meet in person, eLearning would resume. This would be similar to last spring with some improvements based on the parent feedback we received. We tested some new educational models during online summer school and feel confident that if we have to return to eLearning, we can continue to provide a quality education while also offering social emotional support.

Stay healthy and well,

Dr. Jerry Thacker, Superintendent
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

Want to help prevent the “summer slide”? Help keep your students motivated with these grade specific lessons:

P-H-M Virtual Learning Summer Resources

Also, the IDOE has provided summer resources for parents to use with their children, grades 1^st – 8^th, to help keep their math and reading skills up over the summer.

Parents and students have access to the Lexile® Find a Book tool and the Quantile® Summer Math Challenge.

The Lexile® Find a Book tool helps students create a personalized reading list and then locate those books at the nearest library or bookseller.

Beginning the week of June 1st, Bittersweet parents are encouraged to come to return school materials and also pick up their child(ren)’s belongings that remain at school. Our goal is to use a procedure that maximizes the safety of all parents and staff.

Please use the following schedule:

• Monday, June 1st:
  • Grades K – 2, pickup between 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
  • Grades 3 – 5, pickup between 11:00 – 2:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 2nd:
  • Grades 3 – 5, pickup between 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
  • Grades K – 2, pickup between 11:00 – 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 3rd:
  • Pickup for those unable to come June 1st or 2nd
  • 8:00 – 2:00 p.m., all grades K – 5

* Those with students in both grade groupings may pick up belongings with the younger students group time.

* Items still remaining in the building on Friday, June 5th that have not been picked up will be donated (unless a parent has contacted our office)

When you come to school, the following procedure will be utilized:

• Please come drive the lane that is used for bus drop off outside the main entrance.
• Place a sign in the window with your child(ren)’s name, grade, and teacher written on the sign.
• Remain in your car while in line, Bittersweet staff will greet you and radio other staff inside the building to bring your child(ren)’s pre-bagged belongings to you in line; and place these items on a table for parents to retrieve.
• If you are returning library books or textbooks and curriculum materials, please let staff know and follow their directions.
• Chromebooks do not need to be returned at this time.

Thank you for following these guidelines to help this process be efficient and safe for everyone!

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

It started out as a simple idea to raise money and has grown into an annual tradition that gets bigger and better every year. This year was no exception as our “Bobcat Blitz” eclipsed MORE THAN $15,000 in funds raised!

All the proceeds go to support our positive rewards programs, Art Smart, teachers’ needs, and other programs that fall outside the traditional education budget.

The Bobcat Blitz is a walk-a-thon on school grounds in which students are asked to raise money from sponsors. This year we stepped it up a notch by adding a color run portion!

Students who raised $40 or more earned a color change cup; $50 also earned a color run t-shirt, and $60 or more landed the students a chance to have a silly string showdown with the staff.

More importantly EVERY student was permitted to take part in the color run portion whether they raised money or not. We believe that group participation is important and that physical exercise in a fun environment is beneficial to everyone.

Great job Bobcats!

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!