Wednesday, August 22 was the First Day of School for grades 1-12.

As could be expected, there was a lot of excitement and smiling faces as students were welcomed back to class by teachers, principals, administrators and staff. We all love our students and are so happy to have them back. Here’s to another #PHMExcellence school year! Get a snapshot of the First Day of School in P-H-M in the video below. Our Bobcats are about 1:10 into the video …

P-H-M’s annual Community Tailgate to kick off the start of the Penn Football Season will once again be held at the TCU Freed Field, South End Concession Stand Plaza.

The Tailgate is hosted by Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and the Penn Boosters Club for all P-H-M families and patrons to enjoy.

So come out early to the football game, grab a hot dog and catch up with old friends! Then stick around to cheer on the Kingsmen as they take on LaPorte in the season Home Opener!

Friday, August 30
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
TCU Freed Field, South End Concession Stand Plaza

Tickets $4.00 (payable at the event) includes:

• Bratwurst or hot dog

• Potato Chips

• Cookie

• Drink

On Saturday, July 20th the P-H-M DVT and Planetarium (housed right here at Bittersweet) hosted “Imagine & Explore: 50th Anniversary, Apollo 11 Moon Landing.”

It was a truly unique experience for families and people of all ages. Upon arrival, visitors were greeted by telescopes set up so that patrons could view the sun using special filters to ensure eye safety.

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Inside visitors saw the brand new planetarium show “Imagine the Moon” and they also had a chance to view P-H-M Air & Space Museum, which has artifacts on loan from NASA, Johnson Space Center, and the Smithsonian, including artifacts that have been on the Moon!

The cafeteria and gym had hands-on STEM activities for everybody. Everything from liquid nitrogen demonstrations to 3D printing. 

The Digital Video Theater (DVT) & Planetarium is an outstanding educational resource to P-H-M schools and the greater St. Joseph County community, supporting learning across the curriculum and at all grade levels. The facility hosts nearly 50 informative and entertaining public shows each year, with topics ranging from Astronomy to Rock & Roll. These shows are offered at a nominal cost and are also open to members of the general public.

To see the full photo gallery on the District website, please click here.

Sign-up for the Penn Girls Basketball Leagues will be from noon-to-2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25.

The Junior League is for grades 3-6, and the Senior League is for grades 7-8.

Both the Junior League and Senior League start on Sunday, Sept. 8. The Junior League ends on Sunday, Nov. 10, and the Senior League ends on Sunday, Nov. 17.

• Click here for information on the Junior League.
• Click here for information on the Senior League.

Students in grades 3 – 8 participated in the ILEARN assessments earlier this spring. Since ILEARN is a new test, the results with proficiency levels and final scores will not be available for schools until August 15. 

In accordance with Indiana Code 20-32-5.1-12(d), parents and schools have an opportunity to request a rescore for any open-ended item(s) to which students responded on the ILEARN assessment.

Requesting a rescore is optional and is not a requirement for scoring your student’s test.

The P-H-M ILEARN Rescore Request window will be open from Monday, July 15 – Friday, July 26. Parents or guardians who wish to view students’ response images and scoring rubrics must complete P-H-M’s online form to schedule an appointment at the Educational Services Center for the window of dates listed above. Please click here if you wish to make an appointment. The State is not providing a separate online portal this year for parents to access this information.

If you wish to make an appointment, please note during the appointment, the parent or guardian will ONLY be able to view the following: 

• an image of your student’s response to each open-ended item
• a sample of student responses for each score point
• the scoring rubric to help decide whether to request a rescore for that item

Important Information about the rescore process:

• The rescore request, if desired, will be submitted by P-H-M on behalf of the parent or guardian
• Requesting a rescore may result in an increased or decreased score
• A rescore request cannot be reversed
• A rescore request can only be submitted once

Again, requesting a rescore is optional and is not a requirement for scoring your student’s test.

Parents/Guardians who wish to view students’ ILEARN response images and scoring rubrics, must click here to make an appointment for Monday, July 15 – Friday, July 26.

The Bobcat family came together for one of its own at the close of this school year.

Fifth grader Alex Deranek was diagnosed with Stage 4 Chronic Kidney Disease, Cystic Dysplasia, Grade 3 Hydronephrosis, Hyperphosphatemia, Metabolic Acidosis, Polyuria & Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in March of 2018. With his small kidneys barely functioning at around 20%, Alex is scheduled to undergo a kidney transplant over the summer at Riley Children’s Hospital (Indianapolis). Alex’s father is expected to donate one of his kidneys for the transplant. The surgery will have the Deranek family (Mom, Dad, Alex and younger brother) effectively living in Indianapolis for the summer.

To help the family offset their expenses; Alex’s fifth grade teacher Mrs. Michelle Leniski organized a school fundraiser selling T-shirts in Alex’s honor. The “Bittersweet Strong” shirts were designed by a group of teachers. Elephants are Alex’s favorite animal, AD are Alex’s initials, and the Bobcat paw—of course represents the Bittersweet Family—is in the location of where an elephant kidney would be.

Today (Wed., June 5) on the last day of school, the Deranek family came in for a schoolwide assembly so that the Bittersweet community could send them off with well wishes, love and support (many students, teachers and staff were wearing their “Bittersweet Strong” T-shirts). P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker even stopped by to lend his support to Alex and his family.
Mrs. Leniski also gave Alex a “Sunshine Box” full of “Get Well Soon” gifts that staff donated. The box was filled with things that the Deranek family could do and use while recovering at Riley.

Today was a shining example of how we as a school community can pull together to support one another!

The Food Service Department of the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is participating in the Summer Food Service Program for Summer 2019.

FREE MEALS will be available to children 18 years of age and under, or persons more than 18 who are determined by a state or local public education agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who participate in a public or non-profit private school program established for the mentally or physically disabled. 

The program will operate Monday through Friday. All sites will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2018.

Please click here for more information and a complete list of sites and dates.

Kids Club 2019 Summer Program registration opens soon! Click here for more information and registration.

Full-day childcare is offered at two locations (Prairie Vista and Walt Disney 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 five days a week. All children not currently enrolled in Kids Club are required to pay a $25 registration fee along with a non-refundable $100 activity fee deposit.

Click to download a copy of the registration form.

Locations:    Prairie Vista Elementary School
                       Walt Disney Elementary School

Dates:          June 6 – August 20, 2019
                       (closed July 4)

Times:          6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Questions: If you have questions about Kids Club Summer Session,
                       please call Binti Shah at (574) 258 – 9514 or
                       Ashley Stoffl at (574) 258 – 9587

Saturday, May 4

8:30 a.m. – Noon

Penn High School

Register online today! Early Bird Registration is available until Sunday, April 21 ($20 for adults, $10 for students)!

Do you like bubbles? Well, if you do, you’ll enjoy the Silver Mile Bubble Bash!  

Highlighted changes for this year’s event:

• Earlier start time, 8:30 a.m.
• 1.5 mile and 5K route options
• Lower early bird prices:$20 for adults, $10 for students
• The school with the most participation will win a Gaga Ball Pit or 9 Disc Golf Baskets ($2,500 value)!
• And more bubbles!

Missed out on all the bubbly fun last year? Don't let it happen two years in a row! Watch the video and see how much fun you and your whole family will have …

The Student Talent Show starts at 9 a.m.

The Health & Fitness Expo will be in the cafeteria where everything from free health screenings by presenting sponsor Saint Joseph Health System to numerous businesses showcasing their health-related items will be offered.

And don’t forget about the Silent Auction!

The Silver Mile Run is the largest fundraiser for the P-H-M Education Foundation and all the proceeds go towards providing innovative P-H-M teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development, and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Click here to take advantage of early bird registration and for more information on the Bubble Bash.

With music education programs at all grade levels (K-12), Penn-Harris-Madison has been named  one of 2019 Best Communities for Music Education for its outstanding commitment to music education. P-H-M is one of only 623 districts nationwide and 12 in Indiana to receive the honor from The NAMM Foundation. 

The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. The BCME award acknowledges the commitment of P-H-M’s music teachers and administrators in the District’s 11 elementary, three middle schools and Penn High School.

In our elementary schools, music class is part of the regular curriculum following state standards. Students are instructed in both vocal and instrument classes. Beginning in 6th grade, P-H-M students at our three middle schools (Discovery, Schmucker and Grissom) have the opportunity to choose choir, orchestra or band as their music elective. Students at Discovery also have the option of choosing Piano Lab. 

Penn High School offers the Fine Arts & Communication Academy as part of its unique academy structure. The seven academy design provides Penn students with relevant and meaningful coursework taught in smaller, supportive environments where each student is known well by his teacher and peers. Nearly a third of Penn’s total 3,500 students are enrolled in the Fine Arts Academy with the majority being involved with music programs, either Choir, Orchestra, Band or another music program.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, P-H-M answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood.

Beyond the Northwestern research, other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, as well learning how to give and receive constructive criticism to excel.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation serves more than 11,100 students in 11 elementary schools, three middle schools and Penn High School. The School Corporation has consistently received an “A” rating from the Indiana Department of Education since 2011. With the release of the Spring 2018 ISTEP+ results, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation ranks in the state’s Top 5% of public school districts for grade 10 ISTEP+ results and in the Top 6% for grades 3-8. Northpoint is Indiana’s #2 public elementary school and Discovery ranks #3 out of the state’s public middle schools. Penn High School ranks in the Top 5% of all Indiana public high schools and has a 97% graduation rate, exceeding the state’s graduation rate. P-H-M’s “Triangle of Success” connects students, teachers and parents for excellence in education. 

About The NAMM Foundation: The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.