Click here to register for eighth-grade summer PE.

Summer PE is both sessions – Approximate dates for 2020 are June 8-26 (Session I) and July 6-24 (Session II). 

4 Hours in the morning, exact times still to be determined. (Summer 2019 times were 8:40 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.).

Eligibility to Register for Summer PE:
Students MUST be a current 8th grade student attending a P-H-M Middle School; 
Or 
Be enrolled as a Penn High School student for the 2020-21 school year. 
 

Students must attend all days of both sessions.

Please see below for the timeline:

• Summer PE Registration Form will be released on the Penn website Monday, Feb. 3, 2020  at 9:00 a.m.

• Feb. 3 – Feb. 14, 2020: Fill out the online registration form AND make the $50 payment in the Penn High School Bookstore to secure a spot.

• 200 Spots Available. First Come, First Serve! A student does not secure a spot until both the online Registration Form is filled out & $50 Fee is paid to the PHS Bookstore. Students on the Free/Reduced Lunch Program do not pay the fee, but will be required to confirm  their interest in order to secure a spot.

• Feb. 14 @ 3:00 PM: 8th Grade Summer PE registration and payment acceptance CLOSES!

• A confirmation letter will be immediately provided from the Bookstore after payment is received and student spot is guaranteed.

• After all available spots are filled, students will be placed on a wait list. Refunds will be issued for any student still on the waitlist on May 15, 2020. 

• Summer PE transportation is provided for students residing within the P-H-M District. 

*Fees must be paid by check, cash or money order. No credit cards, over-the- phone, or online payments can be processed. No Refunds will be given after May 15, 2020!

Questions? Please contact:

Shannan Lindzy, Summer School Coordinator

slindzy@phm.k12.in.us

(574) 258-9506

Penn High School Counselors will be coming to Discovery on Monday, Dec. 2, 6;00 p.m., for an 8th grade Parent Info Night explaining the course selection and scheduling process for this year’s current Archer 8th graders, next year’s incoming Penn Freshmen Class, and  future Class of 2024.

The students will be touring Penn High School during a school day during the week of November 18.

At the upcoming Parent Info Night, Penn Counselors will cover how students and parents should fill out the Pink Course Selection Sheets and the deadline of when the sheets will be due back to the students’ Discovery Counselors.  Penn’s Counseling Center staff will also be available to answer any questions parents may have.

Parents and students are also encouraged to visit Penn together for the upcoming Penn Showcase on Monday, Dec. 9, 6 – 8:00 p.m. Click here for more details. The Showcase is designed to help incoming parents and students learn about all Penn has to offer, from Academies, to classes, and even extra-curricular activities. It also helps current 9th, 10th, and 11th graders and their parents make educated decisions about the pathways they should be following and the classes in which they should be enrolling.

ILEARN is Indiana’s standardized test. It is an online computer adaptive assessment designed to measure students’ proficiency of the Indiana Academic Standards in Grades 3–8. At the high school level, students enrolled in Biology and U.S. Government take ILEARN as End-of-Course-Assessments (ECA).

Last school year (2018-19) was the first time ILEARN was administered. This year it will be administered again to students in the spring.

What does it mean that the test is computer-adaptive? 

Every time a student answers a question, his or her response helps determine the next question presented. The difficulty of the test will adjust to each student’s skills, providing a better measure of what each student knows and can do.  For more information, click here to visit the IDOE website. 

Because the ILEARN test is online it has built in tools for students to use while testing:

• Built-in glossaries allow students to select unfamiliar words and read their definitions.
• Glossaries are available in English, Arabic, Burmese, Mandarin, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
• Students are provided with authentic tools, such as spell check, a dictionary, and a thesaurus for use when responding to the writing task.
• The Desmos calculator (provided for Mathematics Grades 6–8) is available for students to practice using free of charge at: desmos.com.
• Spanish translations (stacked over the English version) are available for Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

Online resources parents can use at home to help prepare their students

• Indiana’s Released Items Repository allows students to interact with released items and try some of the tools and features:  https://login12.cloud1.tds.airast.org/student/V367/Pages/LoginShell.aspx?c=Indiana_PT
• Indiana’s ILEARN Portal provides information and resources for understanding the assessment at: https://ilearn.portal.airast.org/
• The ILEARN for Families website answers questions about ILEARN:  https://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/ilearn-families

Student ILEARN reports

• Reports provide a scale score as an indication of overall student achievement in a grade level, as well as several subscores.
• Parents and guardians may request rescores of open-ended items through the local school. 

Questions?

Contact INassessments@doe.in.gov

On Sept. 12, students & counselors from PHM's three middle schools, Discovery, Grissom and Schmucker, attended an anti-bullying conference sponsored by St. Joseph County Medical Society. Hear from those who attended & learn what messages & lessons they're bringing back to their schools to help ensure #PHMExcellence is taking place in the way students treat each other …

P-H-M’s annual Community Tailgate to kick off the start of the Penn Football Season will once again be held at the TCU Freed Field, South End Concession Stand Plaza.

The Tailgate is hosted by Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and the Penn Boosters Club for all P-H-M families and patrons to enjoy.

So come out early to the football game, grab a hot dog and catch up with old friends! Then stick around to cheer on the Kingsmen as they take on LaPorte in the season Home Opener!

Friday, August 30

5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

TCU Freed Field, South End Concession Stand Plaza

Tickets $4.00 (payable at the event) includes:

• Bratwurst or hot dog

• Potato Chips

• Cookie

• Drink

Tuesday, September 3
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Penn High School CPA

Topic: High in Plain Sight: Current alcohol, drug and concealment trends and identifier

What are the current trends are among teenagers when it comes to drugs and alcohol? Learn how these dangerous products can be concealed and the important identifiers to keep your middle and high school students safe. For more more information on Officer Galloway’s presentations, please click here to visit his website.

This presentation was arranged by P-H-M’s Safety and Security Department and is open to all parents (grades 6-12), districtwide, along with staff who wish to attend. Click here to download and share the PDF of the event flyer

The purpose of each Middle School Task Force (MSTF) to provide the school constituency the opportunity to have input into the school’s decision making process, toward the achievement of school-wide goals for school improvement plans related to student safety, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Restorative Practices. 

As part of our “Triangle of Success” connecting students, teachers and parents, we invite all Penn-Harris-Madison parents/guardians of their respective middle schools (Discovery, Grissom, and Schmucker) to apply to serve as a member of the MSTF as we work to build a strong community-parent-school partnership.

MSTF members will:

• Enhance communication between the principal and school patrons.
• Serve as a sounding board for new ideas.
• Help the principal anticipate and/or identify community concerns and potential solutions to those issues.
• Assist with planning issues surrounding the implementation of change.
• Assist with developing School Improvement Plan Goals related to safety and/or behavior as well assist and support the school to reach these goals.

The MSTF will hold a minimum of one meeting every month (with some exceptions) during the 2019-2020 school year. More frequent meetings are held in September due to School Improvement Plan deadlines. Additional meetings may be scheduled as the need arises.

HOW TO APPLY

For those parents or community members interested in applying, please click here for a full description of the Middle School Task Force. 

Click here for the application packet for Discovery’s Middle School Task Force.

Students in grades 3 – 8 participated in the ILEARN assessments earlier this spring. Since ILEARN is a new test, the results with proficiency levels and final scores will not be available for schools until August 15. 

In accordance with Indiana Code 20-32-5.1-12(d), parents and schools have an opportunity to request a rescore for any open-ended item(s) to which students responded on the ILEARN assessment.

Requesting a rescore is optional and is not a requirement for scoring your student’s test.

The P-H-M ILEARN Rescore Request window will be open from Monday, July 15 – Friday, July 26. Parents or guardians who wish to view students’ response images and scoring rubrics must complete P-H-M’s online form to schedule an appointment at the Educational Services Center for the window of dates listed above. Please click here if you wish to make an appointment. The State is not providing a separate online portal this year for parents to access this information.

If you wish to make an appointment, please note during the appointment, the parent or guardian will ONLY be able to view the following: 

• an image of your student’s response to each open-ended item

• a sample of student responses for each score point

• the scoring rubric to help decide whether to request a rescore for that item

Important Information about the rescore process:

• The rescore request, if desired, will be submitted by P-H-M on behalf of the parent or guardian
• Requesting a rescore may result in an increased or decreased score
• A rescore request cannot be reversed
• A rescore request can only be submitted once

Again, requesting a rescore is optional and is not a requirement for scoring your student’s test.

Parents/Guardians who wish to view students’ ILEARN response images and scoring rubrics, must click here to make an appointment for Monday, July 15 – Friday, July 26.

In March, Discovery Principal Sheryll Harper announced that she was retiring after 32 years with P-H-M, 23 years as principal of Discovery. Click here for more information on Principal Harper’s impact on Discovery.

On June 6, Principal Harper helped Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker introduce Discovery teachers to Elizabeth Willkom-Cunha. Her administrative appointment is scheduled to be approved by the Board of School Trustees at the June 17th Board Meeting. Her first day will be July 1, 2019.

Mrs. Willkom-Cunha has served as Principal of the Nuner Fine Arts Academy in South Bend since July 2016.

Mrs. Willkom-Cunha's educational career began in Miami-Dade Public Schools in Florida. She served as an Assistant Principal at Fulford Elementary School in North Miami Beach, Florida, 2015 to 2016. Before becoming Assistant Principal, she was an Instructional Teacher (4th Grade General Ed/Special Ed Inclusion) 2010 to 2012.

From 2012-2015, Mrs. Willkom-Cunha served as an Exceptional Student Education/Special Education (ESC/SPED) Chairperson. She also served as the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) Coordinator/Instructional Coach for two years, 2013 to 2015.

Mrs. Willkom-Cunha began her career as an Instructional Teacher (SPED Inclusion and Self-Contained) at Fienberg-Fisher K-8 Center in Miami Beach, 2005 to 2010. Prior to becoming a teacher and after getting her degree in psychology from Notre Dame, she worked as a counselor at the Indiana Boys Juvenile Corrections Facility in South Bend for two years.

Mrs. Willkom-Cunha has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame, a M.S. in Education – Integrating Technology in the Classroom from Walden University (Minneapolis), and a Ed.S. in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University (Davie, Florida).

Mrs. Willkom-Cunha has also served as an Adjunct Professor at IUSB, an ELL online teacher for students in China, and was recently recognized among Michiana’s “40 under 40” Class of 2019.

This will be a homecoming of sorts for Mrs. Willkom-Cunha; she went to Schmucker Middle School and is a 1998 Penn grad. She and her husband William have three young children.

A “Meet and Greet” will be scheduled closer to the start of the school year so that parents and your students can meet Mrs. Willkom-Cunha.

This year Penn High School started a new tradition with graduating seniors … Senior Parade!

Members of the Class of 2019 went back to the halls of their former elementary schools to say "Thanks" to their teachers & inspire future Kingsmen!!! All in all, about 300 seniors will visit their former P-H-M elementary schools … all 11 schools today & tomorrow (June 4 and June 5)! Click to see the full photo gallery of the Senior Parade at Norhpoint on Penn’s Facebook page.

A group of students also made a special stop at Discovery today (June 4) to drop in and surprise their former principal, Mrs. Sheryll Harper. Students wanted to deliver a special heartfelt thanks to Principal Harper as she enters in to retirement at the end of this school year. Nearly 100 students, one by one, handed Principal Harper a single long stem rose … that’s eight dozen roses!!! Click to see the full photo gallery below. After students hand delivered their roses, they posed for a group picture with Mrs. Harper and then went inside their old middle school to find their former teachers and thank them for helping them get to where they are today!

Mrs. Harper came to P-H-M in 1987 and taught music at Grissom Middle School for five years. She served as principal of Elm Road Elementary from 1992-1996. In 1996, she was asked to open the newest middle school, Discovery, where she has served as Principal for the past 23 years. Principal Harper is retiring after 32 years! Watch the tribute video below that was made for Principal Harper’s retirement reception.

Principal Harper has left an indelible mark on our school and all of our Archers will miss her dearly … CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RETIREMENT PRINCIPAL HARPER!