On Friday, November 17, 2023, we hosted our Peer Leader Friendsgiving party!

The Peer Leader program partners Exceptional Education students with General Education students as a way to build friendships and understanding.

Our wonderful staff and parent volunteers brought in traditional Thanksgiving food that contributed to the feel of this being a special event.

A great time was had by all who attended, view the pictures in the photo gallery below!

Discovery’s Spell Bowl team finished 1st in the Class 1 Junior Area Competition on November 1. Discovery Spell Bowl students had the highest overall score with 6 perfect spellers and 2 near perfect spellers. The Spell Bowl State Championships will be held Saturday, November 11.

Congratulations to our Archers and the other three teams for representing P-H-M well!

• Discovery: Coach Susan Berger; Students: Lauren Arevalo, Lucie Arevalo, Abigail Kang, Hisham Khan, Samia Majeed, Abhijay Masetty, Sujay Patel, Allison Paul, Pariyansh Pelia, Haidyn Reed, Jack Richmond, Vihaan Shah, Xiaohe Wang, Aashna Wilkes, and Ella Yu
• Grissom: placed 7th out of 25 teams in the Junior Class 2 competition, with eight teams moving on

• Schmucker: placed 7th out of 39 teams, with 16 teams moving on

• Penn: finished in 2nd place with five perfect spellers

Now that's how you spell #PHMExcellence!!!

Today (Friday, September 15, 2023) Penn-Harris-Madison’s Learning Division awarded their first Teacher Impact Awards. New this year, the P-H-M Impact Award is being presented to educators who have helped their students achieve individual academic growth on their formative assessments over time. All P-H-M teachers across the district are dedicated to helping their students achieve personal academic success. The P-H-M Impact Award is shining the spotlight on those teachers who are showing the most significant overall student growth during the 2022-2023 school year (Round 1 of Awards). These teachers are prime examples of how our teachers and students achieve P-H-M Excellence!

With the help of Principal Elizabeth Cunha and Assistant Principals Troy Kauffman and Kevin McMillen, Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Heather Short, Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, Ryan Towner, and Executive Director of the P-H-M Education Foundation Jen Turnblom surprised 7^th grade teacher Emma Zerfas while she was teaching Math Class. Her students were overjoyed for her! Zerfas students had the highest consistent 7th grade Math growth of all 7th grade Math teachers in P-H-M’s three middle schools. Zerfas’ students averaged 47% growth in proficiency; the average P-H-M proficiency growth was 28%. Click here to see photos on Facebook.

Dr. Thacker and team also gave two awards to 5th grade co-teaching team of Lexie Banks and Erin Horvath at Mary Frank. With the help of Principal Christie Heerschop, Dr. Thacker was also able to surprise Banks and Horvath. Banks and Horvath had the two highest Math growth scores for 5th grade in P-H-M. Banks’s Class went from 3% proficiency at the beginning of 2022 school year (Clear Sight), to 97% proficiency on the Spring 2023 ILEARN. Horvath’s class went from 5% to 90% proficiency. Banks’ class had a gain of 94% and Horvath’s 85%! The average 5th Math grade gain across P-H-M 5th grade was 50%.Click here to see photos on Facebook.

As a side note, Horvath’s classroom was Dr. Thacker’s room when he taught at Mary Frank!

P-H-M is grateful to the Education Foundation for covering the cost of these beautiful awards. 

The Teacher Impact Awards are also a testament to the hard work and outstanding learning and comprehension of our students and the support they receive from their families. That’s P-H-M’s Triangle of Success!

This was only Round 1 of surprising teachers with the Impact Awards. There are many P-H-M teachers to recognize in the days, weeks and months ahead!

Boys in grades 2nd to 8th are invited to participate in “Back to School” Basketball League at Penn High School.

2nd – 6th grade League

DATES: September 24th; Oct. 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd 29th LOCATION:

• 2nd-4th, Penn Fitness Center
• 5th-6th, Main Arena/West Balcony/Aux Gym Time

TIMES:

• 2nd-4th, Sundays, Noon – 4:00 p.m.
• 5th-6th, Sundays, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

COST: $99 Click here to register online.

7th & 8th grade League

DATES: September 10th, 17th, 24th; Oct. 1st, 8th

LOCATION: Penn High School

TIMES: Sundays, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

COST: $79 Click here to register online.

Questions? Please contact the League Director Coach Smith if you have any questions at jsmith5@phm.k12.in.us

This year’s annual Community Tailgate will be a great way to kick off the return of the Backyard Brawl between the Kingsmen and the Mishawaka Cavemen. 

All fans are welcome, Cavemen and Kingsmen! There’s plenty of food for fans on both sides.

Gates open at 5:00 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the South End Zone, near the Zolman’s Tire & Auto Care South Concession Stand.

As stated in Board Policy 9130, parents are welcome to provide feedback related to curriculum materials.  The information submitted on this form will be directed to the building principal.

Click here to fill out and submit Instructional Material Feedback form.

Please click here to review Discovery’s “Return to Learn” plan prepared by Principal Elizabeth Willkom Cunha in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This is a working document and updates could be made depending on the latest COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker sent a letter to secondary parents on Feb. 4, 2021 notifying them of the District’s phased in approach to returning Secondary students back to In-person learning. Click to view the Return to Learn Transition Plan.

Frequently Asked Questions and other helpful information for P-H-M families regarding the 2020-2021 school year can be found on the P-H-M website at www.phmschools.org/returntolearn.

The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is a nationwide organization that recognizes outstanding middle school students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship. Being a part of NJHS encourages students to develop strong leadership skills, build a commitment to community service, and strive for academic success. It’s a great opportunity for students to grow personally and make a positive impact on their school and community.

Visit www.njhs.us/about to learn more about the program.

Check ParentSquare to find out how to get involved in NJHS at Discovery Middle School.

School Trips for FREE! 

2025-2026 

Before you know it, your child may have the awesome opportunity to travel in middle school to Washington, DC in 8th grade, or Europe and/or Asia in 7th/8th grade. The cost of the DC trip is approximately $1,146, but the PTO runs a fundraiser that can help get your child there or on another school-sponsored trip! Using RaiseRight, the average Discovery family earns $25/month, which can almost completely cover the cost of the 8th Grade Trip to Washington, DC during the time that you have at DMS to participate in RaiseRight. In the last 12 years, DMS families have purchased over $2,815,000 worth of gift cards and earned $193,000 in FREE money! 

What is RaiseRight? 
A way to fundraise by using gift cards where you’re already shopping. It’s easy and rewarding! How Does it Work? 

Buy physical gift cards, eGift cards, and/or reloadable gift cards at full face value on the RaiseRight app or online at www.RaiseRight.com. Easily pay online through a secure ACH transaction or with a credit or debit card and earn a rebate between 2% and 20% that immediately goes toward funding your child’s DMS Trip Account (90%) and funding the PTO (10%). Use your full-price gift cards for your everyday shopping. 

Here’s a short video https://youtu.be/lPD4jn7FYvY that shows how the RaiseRight app works right on your phone! You can buy and scan e-cards at a restaurant or while in line to check out.

Where do I sign up? 

1. Fill out this form https://forms.gle/3iZJYcyJPj3GHn3z7 so we know who gets your rebates. 
2. Join our program by creating an account* on the RaiseRight app or online at RaiseRight.com. Our enrollment code is 7A84L4BB37615. The platforms work interchangeably. 
3. Link your bank account to enroll in online payments. Once you do this, you can elect to pay via secure ACH transaction (29 cents per order), via debit card (1% fee per order), or via credit card (2.6% fee per order). The PTO does not accept checks for RaiseRight payments. 

*Note: Only Parents can have RaiseRight accounts for their students. You are welcome to take orders from grandparents, family, and friends, but all orders and payments must be made through the parent’s account. All funds raised in your child’s trip account need to be used for Discovery trips. The account savings can be passed on to a sibling at DMS or gifted to a friend if not used by the end of 8th grade. 

Have a question? Contact the RaiseRight Coordinator, Elizabeth Cichowicz at ema817@aol.com