At the 2018 Scholastic Art Awards Ceremony over 3,000 works of art were entered this year, from which were selected 800 pieces for the show. Of these, the vast majority are high school student works.  The middle school students’ works make up only about 10% of the accepted works.
Our Discovery 8th grader, Taelyn Thompson, was the only middle school student from our whole district to be accepted for the Scholastic Arts Award Show this year, winning an Honorable Mention Award for her Ceramic sculpture, Njord, the Lord of the Fjord.
Please join me in congratulating her on her success!
 

Congratulations to the Math Counts Team!  A first place team victory included the following DMS students: Jerry Yuan, Hala Ansari, Derick Shi and Maddie Zavada.  Jerry Yuan was also able to  finish 1st individually.  
The following students finished in the top 10 individually: Hala Ansari, Luca Nijim, Matthew Zang, Carl Xu, and Felix Zhang.  
 

All of the hard work and practice really shows.  

On Thursday, March 8, P-H-M’s Forum is sponsoring a districtwide parent meeting on Internet Safety.

According to the Pew Research Center, 94% of teens use their cell phone for their online activity and 71% use more than one social media site.

What do you need to know as parents and guardians to keep them safe online when they’re at home?

Hear from cybercrime and internet safety expert St. Joseph County Police Department’s Officer Eric Tamashasky on Thursday, March 8, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., in the cafeteria of Schmucker Middle School (56045 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka).

This is a districtwide event sponsored by the P-H-M Forum parent group and is open to all P-H-M parents. Because of the nature of Offc. Tamashasky’s presentation concerning the online dangers parents need to be aware of, this event is not suitable for students below 9th grade. Spread the word to other P-H-M parents about this informational opportunity.  

It's not too late yet, but it almost is! Ordering your yearbook by February 27 is the ONLY way to guarantee that your student will get one. We don't order many extras, and once they're gone, they're gone. Avoid having to console a disappointed student in spring and order your yearbook TODAY! With questions, contact Mrs. Ward at DMS (dsaylor@phm.k12.in.us).  Click HERE to order your yearbook now!

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” offering choir, band and orchestra at our three middle schools.

Every P-H-M student who will be attending a P-H-M middle school as an incoming 6th grader in the Fall has the opportunity to join an instrumental music class, which includes either band or orchestra.

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.  Students/parents must click to use this link to sign-up for your appointment at your designated school and date.

“Instrument Selection Night” is when students and families get to make their choice!

At “Instrument Selection Night,” a music professional musician 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.

Please see the dates and times below for your students’ soon-to-be middle school …

Discovery Middle School

Monday, Feb. 26, 2018

Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018

4:30-8:00 p.m.

Grissom Middle School

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018

4:30-8:00 p.m.

Schmucker Middle School

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018

4:30-8:00 p.m.

Click here to learn more about Instrument Night and to make your appointment for designated school and date.

Article written by Melinda O’Malley, Director of P-H-M DVT & Planetarium

On the morning of Wednesday, January 31st, Michiana and all of North America will see its first Super Blue Blood Moon in more than 150 years!

P-H-M families will want to rise early and try to find a nice open viewing area to see as much of  this beautiful “lunar trifecta” as possible. On the morning of Jan. 31^st, the moon will be low on the western horizon–opposite the rising sun when the eclipse begins. Around 5:51 a.m., the left side of the moon will begin to take on a slightly pink color as it moves into the outer edge, the penumbra, of the Earth’s shadow. The moon will continue to move deeper into the Earth’s shadow as it slowly sets.  By 6:48 a.m., viewers in our area will begin to see the Moon’s color changing to a deep red as the Moon moves into the center, the umbra, of the Earth’s shadow. 

Now here’s an explanation of the Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse is why it is so special …

A supermoon is when a full moon occurs during perigee, its closest distance to Earth within its orbit. This makes the moon appear bigger and brighter than normal.

A “blue” moon, despite the name, actually has nothing to do with the color. Instead, it signifies the second full moon within a single calendar month. The expression “once in a Blue Moon” implies something rare. Blue Moons typically happen every two to three years, but double Blue Moons only happen three to five times per century and 2018 we will experience double Blue Moons in January and March! 

Finally, a Blood Moon is often the name given to a total lunar eclipse because the moon appears a reddish color when it enters the Earth’s shadow. The red coloration is caused by sunlight that is refracted, or bent, as it passes through the earth’s atmosphere.

Just as the entire lunar surface is bathed in a “blood red” tint totality begins and the Moon will start to disappear below the horizon. So, make sure to wake up early to beat the rising sun and witness a once in a lifetime “lunar trifecta!”

On Friday, January 19, P-H-M hosted  21 students and seven teachers from P-H-M’s partner school in Anshan, China.

Click to see the picture gallery below. The visit started at Discovery where students, staff and P-H-M administrators attended a kick-off breakfast. The student visitors spent the morning at Discovery sitting in on various classes with their P-H-M host student learning from DMS teachers. Our Chinese visitors even got to experience  an American middle school lunchroom. Our Anshan guests also received some DMS Archer “swag!”

The students and teachers also got to visit classrooms at Grissom and Schmucker Middle schools—giving them a complete flavor of academic life in Penn-Harris-Madison. Click to see pictures from the Schmucker visit; click see pictures from the Grissom visit.

Click to watch the “Excellence Happens Here” video of Discovery Principal Sheryll Harper explaining the value of the cultural exchange program.

Click to see more Excellence Happens Here videos about Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation.

P-H-M has had this partnership with the school in Anshan, China sine 2009. Every other year P-H-M middle school students get the opportunity to visit the school in China and also host Chinese student visitors here.  The next trip to China is planned for  March 27 – April 4, 2019. Click to learn more.

Discovery will be hosting 21 students and 7 teachers/administrators from Anshan, China, January 18-22^nd.  We will welcome our guests Friday morning at an 8:00 AM breakfast here at the DMS cafeteria.  They will then get to spend the remainder of the day visiting our PHM middle schools.  On Friday afternoon at 4:10 PM DMS will host a family get together in our commons for the guests, host families, and other PHM students who have previously traveled to China.  

Discovery Middle School kicked off the holiday season with the Holiday Music Ensemble on Tuesday, Dec. 19, featuring band, choir and orchestra.

The three groups put their musical talents on display for the standing-room-only crowd.

Please see a photo gallery below.

P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker was recognized last night (Thursday, Nov. 30) as Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS) 2017 Outstanding Educator of the Year!

This is the second time Dr. Thacker has received this prestigious honor from his IAPSS peers; the first time was in 2013. He was also named Indiana Superintendent of the Year in 2012 and received the Sagamore of the Wabash in 2014—Indiana’s highest award—from then Governor Mike Pence. He has also been recognized as Alumnus of the Year from both IUSB and Bethel College.

Dr. Thacker began his career in education in Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation as a 6th grade teacher at Madison Elementary School. Having filled a variety of leadership roles at districts across Indiana and Michigan, in July 2006 he returned to the P-H-M schools to serve as superintendent. Under Dr. Thacker’s leadership, the Indiana Department of Education has consistently named P-H-M an “A” Rated School District. The School Corporation now ranks in the state’s top 4% of public school districts with nine Four Star Schools.