Looking Ahead to 2015-2016Archived

 

As an “A”-rated school district, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation excels at providing an excellent education for our students! And the 2015-2016 School Year will be no different!

This year P-H-M has several new initiatives:

  • For the first time this year, 2,500 middle schoolers at Schmucker, Grissom and Discovery Middle Schools will receive Google Chrome Books! Last year, all 3,500 students at Penn High School received them. That makes 6,000 students in P-H-M with personal Chrome Books—more than half of our student population!
  • P-H-M’s Transportation Department is utilizing GPS tracking and the latest technology to help parents up-to-date with their child’s bus routing. Through the web-based  infoFinder i  and “Here Comes the Bus” website and smart phone app, P-H-M continues to provide great customer service to our families.
  • 130 Penn High School students are on track to be in the Graduation Cohort of 2019 of the Penn Academy of Early College. In this unique program, Penn High School has partnered with Ivy Tech Community College to offer a selection of courses, including dual credit courses, that can potentially earn a student college credits up to an Associate Degree by the time the student graduates. 
  • P-H-M continues to build community partnerships to help enhance the quality education, resources, along with extra and co-curricular activities we offer to our students. One such partnership is with Teacher’s Credit Union. On August 28, Penn High School’s football field, formerly known as Freed Field will be dedicated as TCU Freed Field. TCU will also work with P-H-M teachers and staff to provide financial education opportunities to our students and families.
  • In keeping with P-H-M’s Vision of Excellence, P-H-M established Exceptional Education, an in-house department whose goal is to provide special education services for students with identified needs. P-H-M’s goal is to provide an inclusive, cooperative, excellent education to ALL our students.
  • 100% of P-H-M teachers are rated “Effective” or “Highly Effective” by the state DOE standards and evaluations. This is because we invest in our teachers and educational staff by offering year round professional learning opportunities. This will continue to be an important initiative of P-H-M.

 

Highlights from 2014-2015:

Here’s a look back at the school district accomplishments achieved by our schools, students, teachers and staff from last school year:

  • P-H-M students perform in the top 5% of all Indiana districts on ISTEP+
  • P-H-M has seven Four Star schools, as named by the IDOE. They are: Horizon Elementary, Mary Frank Elementary, Prairie Vista Elementary, Northpoint Elementary, Discovery Middle, Grissom Middle, and Penn High School.
  • Prairie Vista Elementary School was named a finalist for the 2015 National Blue Ribbon School (announcement to come in the fall of 2015).
  • Northpoint Elementary School was ranked #27 in the nation among 70,000 schools by the organization TheBestSchools.org. Northpoint was cited for its academic performance, the strength and richness of its programs, and for earning National Blue Ribbon School status in 2010.
  • Discovery Middle School Science Teacher Shelia Toth was named P-H-M Teacher of the year and was nominated for 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year (announcement to come in fall 2015).
  • Penn High School Principal Steve Hope was named Indiana District 2 High School Principal of the Year.
  • Penn High School ranks as the seventeenth best high school in the state by U.S. News and World Report, moving up from bronze to silver since the last U.S. News and World Report Ranking.
  • With a 97% graduation rate and a 90-25-90 rating by the IDOE, more than half of Penn High School’s graduating seniors receiving Academic Honors diplomas—a first for Penn High School—with a third earning High Honors, a distinction reserved for those with a 3.5 GPA or higher. Ninety-one graduates received Technical Honors diplomas, a tribute to the strength of the district’s STEM programs. Twelve seniors were named National Merit Finalists. There were 17 valedictorians and two salutatorians. Three seniors have earned coveted appointments to United States Military Academies. The combined value of their collegiate scholarships exceeds $8.5 million!
  • Over the Summer of 2015, Morgan Ludwig and Emma Moon, now rising seniors at Penn High, earned Congressional Award Gold Medals. Moon received her on honor on Capitol Hill from Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN, 2nd District). Ludwig received hers from Walorski at her Mishawaka District Office.  The United States Congress awards medals to ambitious young Americans who set and meet goals in four program areas: Volunteer Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration.
  • Winning works of art by 13 Gold Key Scholastic Art Award winners from Penn were included and judged in the Scholastic Art Awards’ national exhibit.
  • The Black Knights, Penn High’s advanced robotic team, received the prestigious Chairman’s Award at state competition hosted by Indiana FIRST Robotics, then went on to represent Indiana in international competition.
  • The Baker's Dozen, a FIRST Lego League Robotics team made up of Horizon Elementary and Discovery Middle School students, attended the Razorback International Invitational at the University of Arkansas, competing against 71 teams from 31 states and 12 countries. The Baker's Dozen captured 1st place for Robot Strategy and Innovation, and earned a 4th place trophy in the Robot Game competition.
  • Penn High School TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) did very well at national competition in June 2015: Penn’s 9/10 Team was named the Indiana State Champions; Penn’s 11/12 Team 1 brought home the 3rd place trophy in the Problem-Solving Competition; and Penn’s 11/12 Team 2, brought home the 2nd place trophy in the Written Competition. These students are coached by Mrs. Becky Tagliaferri.
  • Penn’s Spell Bowl Team won its 14th state championship with a perfect score of 90. The team is led by Mr. Pete DeKever and its success is based on the hard work of eighteen dedicated team members.
  • Schmucker Spell Bowl Team brought home the Spell Bowl State Championship for the third time in the school’s history. The team is led by Mrs. Sue Dale.
  • The Penn High School Symphonic Winds were awarded 1st place at ISSMA state finals, tying with Carmel. The Penn High Orchestra also did a tremendous job in the competition and judges awarded them a 6th place finish.
  • Penn Boys Baseball won the 4A State Championship and senior catcher Tim Lira was named the L.V. Phillips Attitute Award Winner.  This is the fourth state championship for head coach Greg Dikos, whose other big wins came in 1994, 1998 and 2001.
  • Penn Baseball coach Greg Dikos was named the Indiana Boys Coach of the Year by the South Bend Tribune.
  • Penn pitcher Skylar Szynski was chosen to represent the Chicago White Sox in the 2015 Area Code Baseball Games played in California in August 2015.
  • Penn Varsity Wrestling won the Team State Wrestling championship, after seven contenders advanced to state finals. The team championship is a celebrated first for Penn Wrestling.
  • Kobe Woods earned the Individual State Wrestling championship in his weight class. Penn last had an individual state champion wrestler in 1971.
  • Chase Osborn who earned the Individual State Wrestling Championship in his weight class, was the recipient of the Ward E. Brown Mental Attitude Award, issued by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, and also named MVP of NIC Wrestling.
  • Football coach Cory Yeoman was named Northern Indiana Conference Coach of the Year. He led the Kingsmen through a 12-1 season and on to the Class 6-A semi-state.
  • Penn Boys Rugby won the state championship, while Penn Girls Rugby took second place at the state tournament.  Penn Boys Rugby also competed and placed in the top ten at the national tournament.
  • Penn Softball coach Beth Zachary was named NIC Coach of the year.
  • Penn Girls Soccer coach Jeff Hart was named NIC Coach of the year and District I Coach of the Year by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association.
  • Penn Girls Cross Country coach Josh Fletcher was named NIC Coach of the year.
  • Penn Boys Tennis coach Eric Bowers was named NIC Coach of the year.
  • Penn Boys Golf coach Tony Polizzzotto was named NIC Coach of the year.
  • Penn High School is the Northern Indiana Conference All-Sports Award winner for the 21st consecutive year.
  • Thirty-nine Penn student-athletes signed letters of intent to attend colleges and universities across the country; 12 of them with Division 1 Schools.
  • Glenn Northern, Penn band director and head of Penn’s Fine Arts Academy, was presented Phi Beta Mu’s Outstanding Bandmaster Award by the Indiana Chapter of the International Bandmaster’s Fraternity.
  • Superintendent Jerry Thacker was chosen by Indiana University South Bend to receive the 2015 IUSB Distinguished Alumni Award. He was recognized for his accomplishments at the May commencement ceremony.
  • Sean Galiher, principal of Schmucker Middle School, was named by the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce to the 2015 class of “Forty Under 40” as a young professional who’s making a difference.
  • Tom Hartman, Director of Facilities, was named the 2015 Indiana Support Professional of the Year by IASBO (Indiana Assn. of School Business Officials). 

A Great Start to a New School Year!Archived

Alarm clocks were set early. The weather cooperated beautifully. Children got themselves ready for school while parents snapped photos. Then the yellow buses started to roll and School Year 2015-2016 was underway!

Today was the first day of school for grades 1-12 at Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. We welcomed back more than 10,600 students to our 15 schools. About 700 kindergartners, members of the future Class of 2028, attended orientation sessions with their parents and families getting prepared for their first day tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 20. And close to 800 seniors, making up the Class of 2016, followed a Gold Day schedule at Penn High School.

We want to see all your “1st Day of School” photos. We asked parents, families and high school students to snap, tag ‪and share their pictures on Facebook and Twitter using #‎PHMBACK2SCHOOL. Go to our channels or check out our picture gallery on the home page to get a glimpse.

The start of school also means new faces at the front of the classroom as well! Last week, we also welcomed more than 50 new teachers to P-H-M. Click here to see their friendly faces.

Thank you to ALL our students, parents, teachers and staff for all the great pictures. Here’s to a great year!

Back to School Message From Superintendent RitzArchived

As we start a new school year, we want to share an important video message with you from Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Glenda Ritz. This video message is for all parents and guardians and outlines a revolutionary way to communicate, share education related information, data and learning opportunities with parents, educators and those interested in student learning and parent engagement.

You may have heard that the Indiana Department of Education has partnered with AT&T and N2N Services to develop a mobile application, INschool. The app is available to all Hoosiers at no cost in both IOS and Android app stores. 

Message to Parents

You can learn more about INschool here!

HAC is Live!Archived

Home Access Center – Frequently Asked Questions

Email HAC@phm.k12.in.us for further help
Thre are 6 buttons on the HAC screen. They are:

· Home – which takes you to the Calendar
· Attendance – shows the current month, but the arrows can be used to navigate to other months. Highlighted dates have attendance information. Hovering over any highlighted date will show
the marks that were entered.
· Classes – shows the current classes with their assignments and grades. Notice that you can limit the screen to just one class by choosing a class under “Show” and then clicking “Refresh View.”
· Grades – shows the Report Card during certaintimes of the year. At the High School, the Transcript is available. An dall students can see Test Scores which is a record of standardized
test scores.
· Student Support – shows Discipline entries.
· Registration – shows the Demographic information currently in our system. If anything is incorrect, please notify the school office.

LOGINS & PASSWORDS
· Parents and students have separate logins. The login information does NOT change from one year to the next. If you lose your information, contact your school office or email HAC@phm.k12.in.us.
· Usernames are NOT case-sensitive, but passwords are.
· Students can see only their own information.
· Parents/guardians should see a list of all of their children and can choose which one to view. If this isn't happening, please contact HAC@phm.k12.in.us to get this fixed. You must include the
names and ID's of your students.
· You can change your password. Click on your name in the upper right corner and choose My Account. You will need to enter your old password and then your new password twice.

CHALLENGE QUESTIONS
The first time you log into HAC, you will be asked to set up Security Questions. Be sure you remember the answers. If someone tries to login and enters incorrect information too many times, that person will have to answer one of the questions correctly before trying to access again. If they are incorrect, they will be locked out for a period of time.

EMAIL ALERTS
You can sign up for an email that will alert you with current information. If you sign up, but never receive anything, please contact your school office. It usually means we either have no email address for you or the one we have is wrong or no longer in service. This is available to all parents and Penn High School students. For students the email is sent to their GMail account.

For Alerts from the Gradebook, click on Classes. Then click the checkbox in front of “Alert me if my student receives an assignment average below ___ % or above ___%.” Put a number in one blank or the other. DO NOT put a number in both blanks or you will receive no alerts at all. You will receive an email if there is anything in the system that fits your “rule” at the time the email is sent. For Attendance Alerts: Click on Attendance. Then click the check box in front of “Alert me when attendance is entered for my student.” You can limit the alerts to specific codes if you wish. You will receive an email if there is anything in the system that fits your “rule” at the time the email is sent. You can also see the Alerts by clicking on your name in the upper right corner and choosing “My Alerts.”

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
If the information you see on HAC or in an Email Alert is incorrect, please contact the school office or attendance secretary.

NOTE: A mark of UNC means the teacher has marked the student absent from class. That mark is later updated by the Attendance Secretary to reflect the information received from parents. Please allow at least 24 hours for the Attendance Secretary to make such changes before becoming concerned.

CALENDAR
The calendar you see when first logged into HAC is the Week View and shows assignments on the date they are due. Teachers may also add “Events” as reminders. You can switch to the Calendar view which  shows the entire month. You have th eoption to hide or show individual items. ADDRESS and TELEPHONE INFORMATION

On the Registration tab, you can see the information we have about you in our student information system. If it is incorrect, please notify the school office so that they can update it.
REPORT CARDS on HAC 

The grades you see on the Classes screen are “live” from the teacher's grade book and will typically match what you see on the report card. At the end of each marking period, the grades are finalized and then the Report Card is shown on HAC. This usually occurs a day or two after the report cards are sent home.

Girls grades 3-8 can join the Penn Girls Basketball League!Archived

 

Girls in grades 3 through 8 are invited to be part of a community-sponsored girls basketball league run by PHS girls varsity basketball coach, Kristi Kaniewski Ulrich. 

JUNIOR LEAGUE is for girls in grades 3 through 6.  

SENIOR LEAGUE is offered for girls in grades 7 and 8. 

Sign-up takes place on Sunday, August 30 in the Penn High School Arena from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.​ 

The league begins on Sunday, September 13. 

This is a great opportunity to learn the game, pick up skills, build fitness and make friends! 

Click here to access the informational flyers and the registration form.

 

Athletic Practices to Start Before SchoolArchived

Football, Cross Country and Cheerleading practices will all start in August before the first day of school. Football and Cheerleading starts Monday, August 3rd and Cross Country starts August 13th. Students MUST have a physical on file or bring with them on the first day of practice. See the school Events Calendar on the DMS home page for specific times.

Student Schedules To Be Mailed HomeArchived

Student schedules will be mailed home the week before school starts. Look for important back-to-school information and dates coming to a mailbox near you soon!

7th/8th Grade Open HouseArchived

DMS will host incoming 7th and 8th grade students and their parents on Monday, Aug 24th.  We will begin at 6:30 SHARP, when each student and his/her parents should be in their first period clasroom. We will run a mini-schedule during which teachers will introduce themselves and give you a brief explanation of their classroom and content. Each class period will be 7 minutes long. When the bell rings, you have only 5 minutes to move to your next classroom. Spirit shirts and gym clothes will be available to purchase in the commons afterwards.

At 7:45 parents of 8th grade students are invited to the cafeteria to receive information regarding next spring’s trip to Washington DC.

6th Grade Open HouseArchived

DMS will host incoming 6th grade students and their parents on Monday, Aug 17th.  We will begin at 6:30 SHARP, when each student and his/her parents should be in their first period clasroom. We will run a mini-schedule during which teachers will introduce themselves and give you a brief explanation of their classroom and content. Each class period will be 7 minutes long. When the bell rings, you have only 5 minutes to move to your next classroom. Spirit shirts and gym clothes will be available to purchase in the commons afterwards.

Back to School Information

Girl in school uniform standing next to a yellow school bus.

We’re thrilled to welcome back all of our 11,000+ students and are excited to help all our students achieve Excellence.

 

The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 19, 2026 for grades 1 – 12.

  • All students in 1st through 12th grades will report to their school buildings that day, and all those who are signed up for transportation services may ride the bus that day.  
  • Kindergarten orientation takes place on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 with the first full day of kindergarten being Thursday, August 20th,

BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS:

Check out your school’s calendar (click here for a list of school websites) for the many back to school events starting in early August and mark your calendar to attend!

  • Our elementary schools are hosting many fun Back to School family events starting the week of August 10th. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal. 
  • All three Middle Schools are also planning a Walk-Around on Thursday, August 13th. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal. Make sure you mark your calendar and plan to attend!
  • Penn is hosting a “Walk Around” to help parents and students get familiar with the school:
    • Penn High School’s “WALK AROUND” on Saturday, August 15, from 9 a.m. – Noon gives students a chance to familiarize themselves with the school and find where their classes and activities are located.

The BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION listed below will help P-H-M parents and students get ready for the 2026-27 School Year! 

CONTACTING SCHOOLS OVER THE SUMMER

ENROLLING YOUR STUDENT

BACK TO SCHOOL PACKETS & FORMS

  • Back to School packet & information sheets can be found in ParentSquare under LINKS in the right column
  • Parent/guardians are asked to these three forms in ParentSquare as soon as possible:
    • Photo Consent
    • Mandatory Curriculum Consent
    • Handbook Certification   
  • These forms will be in Skyward Family Access:
    • CHIRP Release
    • Chromebook packet
    • Authorization to administer non-prescription medication at school

Click here for more information on how to login into your Skyward Family Access account

SCHOOL CALENDARS

  • Here is the SY 2026-27 one-page calendar showing “at a glance” the start and end dates, as well as scheduled recess and vacation dates.
  • Calendar of activities for 2020-2021 featuring photos from various events and gatherings, including children's sports teams, 
    All P-H-M families are mailed the P-H-M District Activities Calendar early August. It lists key school and district events throughout the year. Click here to access a PDF version.
  • Our online (Google) calendars are the most up-to-date. You’ll find a link to the P-H-M Corporate Calendar posted on the home page of the District website. It’s a Google calendar that can be added to your personal calendar.
  • Each school also maintains an online Google calendar on the home page of each school website that is updated frequently with the school’s scheduled activities and event details. This is also visible in your school’s ParentSquare portal.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

  • All P-H-M schools provide basic school supplies to our students, free of charge. Therefore, our schools do not issue supply lists. You will need to purchase a backpack, water bottle, lunch box, and other items you want your child to have at home or take with them to school. If other specific items need to be purchased for a class or lab, your child’s teacher will inform you after school starts.  

IMMUNIZATIONS AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES

TRANSPORTATION

CELL PHONE POLICY

  • Beginning with the 2026-27 School Year, Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 78 (SEA 78) requires that personal wireless communication devices are powered off and not accessible to students during the school day. 
  • This law is applicable to all levels: elementary, middle and Penn High School. Click here to see the protocols.
  • Principals will also share more information with families in their back to school messages.

FOOD SERVICE

PARENTSQUARE

  • Penn-Harris-Madison uses ParentSquare to send urgent alerts, such as school closings and delays.
  • Click here for instructions on setting up your account.
  • Principals and teachers also use it for non curricular school and classroom communications.
  • Once your account is set up, families can chose their preferred mode of communication for non-urgent notifications–app, text, email, phone. You can also chose to have all communications automatically translated to your preferred first language. Click here for details on how to personalize your account and check your notification settings.

CLOSINGS/DELAYS PROCEDURES

 

PHM's Triangle of SuccessPenn-Harris-Madison’s culture of excellence, what we call #PHMExcellence, is built upon the “Triangle of Success”– linking students, teachers, and parents for the the best outcome for students. Success depends on supportive parents … help us help your children!

PARENTS Click here for ways to stay informed, as well getting connected and volunteering.