ESS hires substitute teachers and aides, along with Exceptional Education Assistant positions.

Can’t make it to one of the Hiring Events listed above. Click here to apply today. Be sure to enter Penn-Harris-Madison in the search box.

Community Connections Fair

Saturday, March 26, 2022

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Schmucker Middle School

56405 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s ENL Services’ is sponsoring the District’s FREE Community Connections Fair!

Come check out what the Mishawaka, South Bend, and Elkhart communities have to offer to your families!

P-H-M is inviting area businesses who want to participate in the Community Connections Fair to sign up. Click here to request a table at the event. 

The Fair will also include cultural performances from P-H-M students and families. Families wishing to sign up to perform, click here.

Flyers about the event are available in the following languages, please click to download and print:

• English
• Arabic
• Chinese
• Spanish
• Gujarati
• Telugu
• Hindi
• Korean
• Punjabi

Bilingual interpreters will be on hand at the event to assist those families who need it.

Come out and enjoy the many cultural performances and student work that will be on display representing countries from all over the world! 

Please join us!

For more information, please contact:

Nicole Parker

P-H-M Elementary ENL Coordinator

(574) 259-2486, Ext. 53261

nparker@phm.k12.in.us

U.S. News & World Report “Best Schools” Designations has recently expanded to include elementary and middle schools. With Penn High School earning a “Best High School” designation for several years, P-H-M now has several elementary and middle schools who also have earned this distinction, including our very own Discovery. We’ve earned the distinction of being ranked #4 among Indiana’s Top Public Middle Schools (data is based on the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years).

 Discovery is ranked #4 among “Best Public Middle Schools” in Indiana, and Schmucker is ranked #96.
 

A total of 10 of P-H-M elementary schools earned the high ranking as a U.S. News “Best Public Elementary School.” See the full ranking list below:

1. Northpoint Elementary​
3. Prairie Vista Elementary
8. Mary Frank Elementary
11. Horizon Elementary
93. Bittersweet Elementary
136. Meadow’s Edge Elementary
157. Elm Road Elementary
177. Moran Elementary
256. Walt Disney Elementary
299. Elsie Rogers Elementary 

Here’s how U.S. News calculated the rankings:

For each state, schools were assessed on their pupils’ proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by state assessment tests. Half of the ranking formula was the results themselves; the other half was the results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are high achieving ones that succeeded in educating all of their students. All data for the rankings are from third-party sources, including the U.S. Department of Education.
 

U.S. News has published state rankings for more than 47,000 public elementary schools and more than 23,000 public middle schools. Most schools with an elementary school ranking offer grades K-5 or K-6, while most with a middle school ranking offer grades 6-8 or 7-8. Some schools with wider grade spans were ranked in both categories.

U.S. News has published an in-depth methodology article that provides more information about the rankings and how they were calculated.
 

Penn High School Robotics Team 135 is pleased to once again offering Next Gen Camps this Fall to inspire elementary and middle school students pursue Robotics. The dates are October 29th & 30^th, as well as three dates in November: Nov. 13^th, 26^th, and 27^th.

Click the images of the flyers below to enroll your student today.

National History Day® (NHD) announced April 20th that the NHD program in Indiana has nominated Discovery History teacher Tanner Givens, for the 2021 Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award in the junior division of the NHD National Contest.

Each of the 58 NHD affiliates across the country may nominate one middle school teacher for this award, and Mr. Givens is the junior division nominee from Indiana. This award is sponsored by Patricia Behring in recognition of the pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students.

To be nominated for this award, NHD states that Mr. Givens demonstrated commitment to engaging his students in historical learning through innovative uses of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in National History Day. 

One national winner in each division will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians, and announced on Saturday, June 19, 2021, at the NHD National Contest Awards Ceremony to be held virtually due to COVID-19. All nominees will receive $500 as a result of their nominations, and the two national winners will receive $10,000. Click to read more about NHD, and the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award.

The letter below was emailed to parents and staff on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021.

Dear Parents,

It has always been our goal to have all of our students with us for in-person learning following COVID-19 safety protocols. Under the guidance of the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) and the St. Joseph County Department of Health (SJCDoH), our secondary schools have either been in hybrid or virtual mode since the start of the school year because of the population size of those buildings. Since September, our elementary schools have been successfully educating students in-person. We’ve also been able to provide a virtual option for any family who was more comfortable with their student(s) learning at home. Through all of these scenarios, we’ve put the well-being and safety of our students and staff first while balancing the guidelines and protocols of federal, state, and local health agencies.

The efforts and precautions we’ve all made to help lower the community spread of COVID-19 have finally paid off! Yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021) the IDOH released their weekly updated County metrics; and St. Joseph County’s weekly 2-metric score has improved to Yellow (click here to visit the IDOH website & view the county metrics map). SJCDoH also sent out a news release yesterday (click here to read it in full) reinforcing the IDOH’s message that “a county must maintain a lower weekly 2-metric score for two consecutive weeks before moving down to a lower Advisory Level.” St. Joseph County’s Advisory Level does remain Orange. 

I am happy to notify our secondary parents that with the approval and permission of SJCDoH and in collaboration with the P-H-M Teachers Association, on Monday, February 8th, I will be recommending to the Board of School Trustees for their approval plans for the phase-in process of transitioning secondary students (grades 6-12 whose parents chose hybrid instruction for the 2nd semester) back into the classroom for in-person instruction working up to 5 days per week. Please note that the transition begins with Mondays as a virtual day for all students and four days of in school instruction. Please click here for a detailed breakdown of the Secondary Return to Learn Transition Plan.

We have developed this plan after many discussions with our Teachers Association and local health authorities. This plan is supported by both parties because of the factors listed below:
 

• Not all secondary students will be brought back all at once; grades will be transitioned back in on a weekly basis. Please click here for a detailed breakdown of the Secondary Return to Learn Transition Plan.
• This is an option only for those middle and high school students whose parents declared them hybrid for the 2nd semester, until SJCDoH increases the allowable capacity in our school buildings.
• P-H-M Administration will meet weekly with SJCDoH for data monitoring of local metrics. Data will continue to guide all decision making. We hope to eventually have all students back in school for face-to-face instruction.
• St. Joseph County, like the rest of the State, is experiencing a decrease in COVID-19 cases. However, we must maintain our risk mitigation strategies to avoid an increase in numbers.
• The federal and state governments are ramping up vaccination efforts and availability. While the IDOH still has not included teachers as part of essential workers or critical infrastructure, the State’s vaccine eligibility based on age groups is moving quickly. SJCDoH continues to support teacher vaccination. 
• SJCDoH encourages social distancing of 6 ft. or more whenever possible, but recognizes and accepts that the Governor’s guidelines for schools are the following:
  • If necessary, a minimum social distancing standard of 3 ft., if everyone is masked and facing the same direction (click to read Executive Order 21-02 (renewed 1/28/21).
• P-H-M continues to track the number of student and staff COVID cases reported to us. The cases are reflected on P-H-M’s COVID Dashboard. A link to the Dashboard is on the homepage of P-H-M’s district website for staff and families to easily find; it is updated daily except for weekends, holidays, and recess breaks. 

We do realize that there are probably students and families who chose virtual learning for a variety of reasons and who may prefer to be back in school with their teachers and classmates. Again, it is our utmost desire as educators to have 100% of our students back 100%. The determination for the possibility for 6-12 In-person students to go 5 days a week and 6-12 Virtual students to return to in-person learning will be based on the metrics, evaluation of internal data, and approval for capacity by the SJCHoD. This will remain to be under review and consideration for any changes to occur no sooner than after Spring Break.

As stated above  and in the Secondary Return to Learn Phase-in Plan, we will be meeting weekly with SJCDoH leaders to monitor and evaluate the community and P-H-M COVID-19 case data. When we can safely return those virtual students who want to return to the classrooms, we will do so as soon as it is permissible by SJCDoH. 

Please direct specific questions about your student and school to your building principal. Secondary principals will have follow-up communications with building specific details of the transition plan.

The Board of School Trustees and I want all our families and employees to know that their safety is at the very forefront of our decision making. We will continue to make decisions in consultation with the St. Joseph County Department of Health.

Please stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Thacker
Superintendent of Schools

Click to read Principal Elizabeth Cunha’s parent email and to fill out Discovery’s Second Semester Parent Questionnaire by Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.

The email below from P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker was sent to parents on Thursday, January 7, 2021.

Back on November 18 when I notified P-H-M secondary families that St. Joseph County Department of Health (SJCDH) was recommending area school districts revert secondary students from hybrid to virtual, I explained that this would only be temporary to cover the time before, during and after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays. This was one of several recommendations that SJCDH made in mid-November in an effort to help lessen the impact of COVID community cases on our local health systems. 
 

I shared with you at that time that it was our goal to bring middle and high school students back to school on the hybrid model beginning Tuesday, January 19, pending SJCDH guidance. This week P-H-M Administration discussed secondary students’ return to school with the SJCDH and I am happy to report that they support the return of our middle and high school students to the hybrid model on Jan.19th.
 

We know that our students receive the most ideal instruction through face-to-face learning. It is in our students’ best interest for their academic success and social emotional well being to receive as much face-to-face instruction as COVID health safety precautions will allow. We are in a position to return to hybrid learning because of the following:
 

• The most common contributors to community spread are social gatherings in which COVID safety protocols are not observed.
• In recent local news reports, SJCDH states local hospitals are in a better position now than they were before Thanksgiving and that the post Thanksgiving surge was relatively modest. SJCDH is relatively hopeful that the post Christmas/New Year’s holiday surge will also be modest.
• P-H-M tracks the number of student and staff COVID cases and actively conducts contact tracing on all cases reported to us. We proactively ask students and staff identified as close contacts to quarantine. The cases reported to us are reflected on P-H-M’s COVID Dashboard; a link to the Dashboard is on the homepage of P-H-M’s district website. The Dashboard is updated daily except for weekends, holidays, and district breaks.
• Most secondary parents support their students returning to the Hybrid model for their students’ academic and social emotional well being.
• All P-H-M parents, at all grade levels, have the option to keep their students 100% virtual. 
• We expect a modest number of secondary families will choose to keep their students virtual, which will further reduce the number of students in the buildings and classrooms.

Secondary principals will be asking their parents to return a survey declaring whether their student will remain virtual or return on hybrid. If you are a parent of a secondary student, please look for that email from your building principal and return your responses as soon as possible. Click to read Principal Elizabeth Cunha’s parent email and to fill out Discovery’s Second Semester Parent Questionnaire by Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.

All COVID safety protocols as laid out in the Staff Return to Learn, the District Overview Return to Learn, and building level Return to Learn plans remain in effect. Among our many protocols, masks will still be required along with social distancing of 6 feet or more whenever possible.

Regardless if your child is virtual, in-person or hybrid, please continue to monitor your child’s health every day using this ISDH screening tool. Please do not send your child(ren) to school if they experience any of the following symptoms: fever or chills, sore throat, uncontrollable or new cough or shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (especially new onset), diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain, headache (especially new onset of severe headache with fever, or new loss of taste or smell). 
 

Also, please do not send your student(s) to school if they have had close contact with a known positive case, including in your own household, or awaiting test results. When you have a positive case (tested or clinical) in your household, the positive case should self-isolate away from the rest of the family members and the family should remain in quarantine. 
 

We also ask all P-H-M staff members to self-monitor their health and practice these same safety prevention guidelines. We continue to record cases of students and staff who are virtual. Therefore, parents should still report to your school principal if your virtual student has tested positive, and staff should also report if they are aware of a virtual student who is positive.

For more information on COVID-19 & P-H-M’s safety mitigation protocols, please visit our Return to Learn page.
 

Stay healthy and well and thank you for your continued flexibility and partnership as we work to provide the best education possible to your students.
 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jerry Thacker

Superintendent of Schools

CLICK HERE to download and print the secondary hybrid model beginning 1/19/21.

Due to the COVID-19 situation, the IHSAA is allowing physicals from the 2019-2020 school year (those physicals dated after April 1, 2019) to carry over to the 2020-2021 school year. Therefore, a student-athlete who played last school year, the physical from last year’s sports season can apply for this coming year’s sports season. However, new student-athletes who do not have a previous physical on file with the school will be required to have a sports physical dated after April 1, 2020 to play for this school year. Click here to access the 2020-2021 form if you need it. Please double check your student’s “Register My Athlete” account to make sure you have a physical on file for your student-athlete; you may have to reload last year’s physical if it’s not showing in your student’s athlete profile. 

Physicals are required to be on file in “Register My Athlete” by Friday, July 24.

Student-athletes are also required to fill out the “2020-2021 IHSAA Health History Update Questionnaire and Consent & Release Certificate.” You can click here to download, print and complete the form. The form must be scanned and uploaded into your student’s “Register My Athlete” account no later than Monday, July 6, 2020. You can also access the IHSAA Questionnaire and Certificate from your “Register My Athlete” account.

Don’t have a “Register My Athlete” account? Click here for information on how to set up an account for your student-athlete. All student-athletes are required to have an account in “Register My Athlete” to manage the upload of all necessary forms and extracurricular fee payments.

Want to help prevent the “summer slide”? Help keep your students motivated with these grade specific lessons:

P-H-M Virtual Learning Summer Resources

Additionally, the IDOE has provided summer resources for parents to use with their children, grades 1^st – 8^th, to help keep their math and reading skills up over the summer.

Parents and students have access to the Lexile® Find a Book tool and the Quantile® Summer Math Challenge.

The Lexile® Find a Book tool helps students create a personalized reading list and then locate those books at the nearest library or bookseller.

The Quantile® Summer Math Challenge is a six-week refresher course for students in grades 1^st – 8^th.

For more information, visit MetaMetrics’ Summer Learning website. 

Penn’s 2020 Football Cheerleading tryouts originally scheduled for late March were canceled because of the school closure due to COVID-19.

The Fall 2020 Football Cheerleading tryouts will now be held

July 13, 14, and 15

4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Penn High School

This will be for all Penn High School grade levels (including entering Freshmen girls).

If you are interested in trying out, please contact Coach Rita Szweda for more details and information at rszweda@phm.k12.in.us.