Parents, show your support for P-H-M’s middle school leadership AND help raise money for Discovery!

At the P-H-M Education Foundation’s 20^th Anniversary Gala on April 23, P-H-M principals will perform Vaudeville-style acts, competing against other P-H-M school teams. 

All the acts will be unique and definitely entertaining, but only one team—the one with the most votes—will win the PHaMmy award!

Here’s how you can help raise money for your school:

• Votes cost $10 each and you can cast multiple votes between now and the evening of the Gala.
• 50% of what each team raises will go directly back to that team’s schools!
• The first 100 votes for each team will be matched dollar for dollar by Gary Fox of Crowe Horwath.   (Mr. Fox is P-H-M Board of School Trustees President and an Education Foundation Board Member.)
  
   

Do DMS principals Sheryll Harper and Troy Kauffman (and their talented teammates) deserve your vote?

You bet they do! Just watch the video.

►START VOTING TODAY & give TEAM FOUR a head start! Follow these easy steps:

1. Click "Browse, Bid and Buy – View Items"
2. ​Click "Register” to create a Gesture account 
3. Vote for TEAM FOUR  (Auction Item #104)

Check here daily to see how the votes are coming in, and which team’s in the lead!

►WATCH LIVE STREAM OF THE GALA PERFORMANCES (Sat., April 23, 7:30 p.m.) on the Penn News Network—then vote again! Votes will be tallied and a winner announced at the end of the evening.

►PARTICIPATE IN THE SILENT AUCTION at the same “Browse, Bid and Buy” page where you cast your votes. Check out the many attractive items being offered, then stay on top of the bidding to get what you want and benefit the Foundation.  

The P-H-M Education Foundation has many reasons to celebrate its 20 years of service to the P-H-M community.  Since 1996, the Foundation has distributed more than $520,000 to our schools and classrooms via innovative teaching grants. The Foundation also uses proceeds to underwrite district activities with widespread impact such as “Running is Elementary” and the “Summer Visual Arts Academy.”  Its mission: To support excellence in education.

 A vote for TEAM FOUR is a vote for excellence in education!

Remember that we will be having school on Friday, April 29 as it’s a make up day for the February 25^th snow day. At DMS, it will be a GOLD day. See you then!

Parents, as your 5^th graders prepare to enter middle school at Discovery, don’t forget to change your school code at Martin’s Supermarkets. This will shift your Martin’s Advantage Points to Discovery Middle School. You can do this online at https://martins-supermarkets.com/saving-rewards/advantage-card or stop by the customer service counter at your store.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation learned today (Thursday, March 24, 2016) that it has been honored with the “Best Communities for Music Education” designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. P-H-M is just one of 13 Indiana school districts and 476 districts across the country receiving this prestigious award in 2016.

The Best Communities Music Education (BCME) designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

Districts that have been recognized by the NAMM Foundation are often held up as models for other educators looking to boost their own music education programs.  The BCME award acknowledges the commitment of P-H-M’s music teachers and administrators in the District’s 11 elementary and three middle schools and Penn High School.  One of the reasons why Penn’s music program is so strong is because of the music programs at Discovery, Schmucker and Grissom Middle Schools. All students have the opportunity to choose choir, orchestra or band as an elective starting in 6^th grade. In our elementary schools, music class is part of the regular curriculum following state standards. Students are instructed in both vocal and instrument classes.

Thursday’s news of the BCME award comes as Penn High School’s Jazz I Ensemble is preparing to perform and compete in the prestigious Savannah Jazz Festival competition coming up March 30 – April 1. Penn’s Jazz Ensemble I is just one of 12 high school jazz ensembles to qualify for this event. Penn Jazz I was selected by audition as a finalist and will have the opportunity to work with some of today's best jazz musicians and educators as a part of a three-day workshop and competition.

The accolades go on and on for Penn’s Fine Arts program … you can read more about them by clicking here. Ticket information for upcoming spring 2016 Fine Arts performances click here.

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. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, school districts have submit answers to a detailed survey. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.  For more information about the NAMM Foundation or the BCME award, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation will hold two upcoming Special Meetings to interview the four candidates interested in filling the Board of School Trustees vacancy created by the resignation of Harris Township Trustee, Mr. Larry Romero on February 8, 2016.

The two meetings will be held on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 and Wednesday, March 2 at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the Educational Services Center, 55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka. The meetings are open to the public and anyone is welcome to attend. 

Board President Gary Fox has called the Special Board Meetings and will lead the interviewing of the four candidates.

The four Harris Township candidates are:
1. Mrs. Angie Gates, Granger
2. Mr. Terry Miller, Granger
3. Mrs. Carole J. Pascarella, Granger
4. Mrs. Clare Roach, Granger

The P-H-M Board will hold a third Special Meeting on Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 8:00 a.m., in the Boardroom at the ESC, to appoint the newest Board member. This meeting is also open to the public. Whoever is selected will serve the remainder of Mr. Romero’s term, which runs through December 31, 2018.

Penn High School volleyball coach Sarah Hendricks—who has won a state championship as a coach and a player—will conduct a Spring Volleyball Clinic for students in Grades 6-7-8 on five Saturdays in April/May. Clinic hours will be from 4-7 p.m. and clinic dates are April 16, 23, 30, and May 7 and 14.

Click this link for the registration form.

Note that the Feb. 16, 4:30 p.m., deadline to apply for this vacancy has passed and the application materials are no longer available online. 

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is seeking applicants for the position of Harris Township Trustee (Seat 6) on the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation Board of School Trustees. The Board will appoint a Trustee to serve in the vacancy due to Mr. Larry Romero’s recent resignation. Mr. Romero and his family will be leaving the P-H-M community and relocating out of state. Mr. Romero’s resignation is effective February 8, 2016. The newly appointed trustee will complete Mr. Romero’s term of office from March 2016 to December 2018. The appointee may run for election for the ensuing four-year term with elections taking place in November 2018.

Applicants for the position of Harris Township Trustee shall be registered voters, at least twenty-one (21) years of age or older, and shall be a resident of said township – Harris Township – for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date of the appointment.

Click here to download an application packet (This link has been disabled). Applications may also be obtained at the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s administrative office: Educational Services Center, 55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, Indiana 46545. Office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  

Application deadline is Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. Please note the ESC is closed on Monday, February 15 in observance of President’s Day.

Interviews will be held in the Board Room at the Educational Services Center. The Board will take action to appoint the new Trustee at a Special Board Meeting.

One of just 200 Indiana schools to receive the designation School of Promising Practice, Discovery Middle School is being recognized for its “effective implementation of the promising practice of Student Centered Instruction.”

Principal Sheryll Harper explains, “At Discovery we pride ourselves on being a very student-centered school. Students ALWAYS come first! Teacher-leaders consistently identify and develop best practices in all classrooms. Classrooms are engaging places where we make learning visible. Collaboration among students and among staff is a common practice at Discovery.”

She continues, “We believe that one of the best ways for us to represent this engaging learning environment is through our practice of student-led conferencing. When students analyze their learning goals, they begin to monitor and celebrate their own growth. This exemplifies the power of student voice at our school.

“The proof of our success lies within our students' high standardized test scores AND in their performances here every day!”

IDOE’s letter of commendation announcing the award states, “Identified programs, like Discovery’s, are student-centered and focused on positively impacting students through innovative programming and activities that provide a high quality learning environment and experience. By highlighting these practices an opportunity for educators to network with one another will be created – allowing educators to learn about best practices that are taking place throughout our great state.”

State Superintendent Glenda Ritz’s message, imprinted on the school’s award certificate, is clear and emphatic: “Thank you for making it happen!”

More information can be found at the Department’s website: www.doe.in.gov/outreach/promising-practices. 

Click here to Connect to Learn360

The Indiana Department of Education released 2015 school accountability grades today and all 15 of Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s schools earned an “A”! The final grades were approved unanimously by the State Board of Education during the January 26 Board meeting.

“This straight ‘A’ report card is a result of the hard work and dedication from principals and teachers to the staff, students and families at all of our schools,” said P-H-M School Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker. “This latest achievement is a result of our District’s commitment to excellence.”

Last year, 13 P-H-M schools earned an “A.” With Madison Elementary and Elsie Rogers Elementary each moving up from a “B” to an “A,” all 15 P-H-M schools (11 elementary, three middle and one high school) have now earned this top recognition from the IDOE. Out of 2,095 schools across the state that got a letter grade, only 123 schools saw their letter grades go up in this latest ranking.

A spreadsheet reflecting the final school grades as approved by the State Board of Education is available through this link, http://www.doe.in.gov/news/indiana-department-education-releases-2015-accountability-grades.

On January 6, 2016 the IDOE publicly released the 2015 ISTEP+ results. With an 81.4% pass rate for ELA (English/Language Arts) and a 78.0% pass rate for Math, P-H-M ranked 10th in the state among 293 public school districts. The District’s 2015 overall combined pass rate for both subject areas is 72.1%

Click here for more information on P-H-M’s 2015 ISTEP+ results.