Thanksgiving Recess – No School on November 24^th and 25^th. 

PTO Meeting at 2:30 pm on November 15^th.

Student Council will be having their Annual Food Drive, November 1^st – 11^th. 

Please send in nonperishable food items that will be donated to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. The class with the most donations will win a slushy party!

Wednesday, Aug. 24th was the first day of school for Penn-Harris-Madison students grades 1-12. P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and School Trustee Board Member Larry Beehler toured Elm Road with Principal Dr. Lisa Soto Kile on the first day talking with students and teachers.

This year, approximately 10,800 students will be attending P-H-M’s 11 elementary and three middle schools and Penn High School.

This year we have 517 high flying “EAGLES” at Elm Road.

Scroll through the pictures below to see how they spent their first day! You can also check out our district photo gallery of the first day of school.

Penn PALS Community Preschool will be having an Open House on Friday, September 2, 2016 at Bittersweet, Elm Road, Elsie Rogers and Mary Frank Elementary Schools.  Open House begins at 9:00 a.m. for students enrolled in the morning session and 10:15 a.m. for students enrolled in the afternoon session.  There will be a short presentation during each Open House session given by the Penn PALS preschool staff.   We look forward to seeing you and your child at our Open House! 

Engaging, enriching—words that describe the 2016 Visual Arts Academy. 

Excited, enthralled—the reaction of so many of the children experiencing this unique summer program.

Now in its fourth year, over 800 children in grades K-5 are taking part in the 2016 Visual Arts Academy.  

The Visual Arts Academy has been nominated to receive the designation of “Promising Practice.” That distinction is granted by the Indiana Department of Education to programs that use innovative approaches to deliver educational benefits. Once “Promising Practices” are identified, other Indiana districts may choose to initiate similar programs for the families they serve.

The Visual Arts Academy represents an innovative partnership developed by Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame. The Academy features art making and writing through the examination of original works of art from both the Snite Museum and museums around the world.

It is comprised of six one-week programs, running from June 6 through July 15, 2016. Each week students from a different grade level experience a diversely rich curriculum that focuses upon the creation of an identity as an artist with words as well as images.

Each day students work with the visiting artists and art teachers in art making, elementary writing teachers for writing workshop and visual thinking strategies, multi-media experience to learn about art mediums such as glass blowing or architecture. Students also spend one day at the Snite Museum.

Since its inception, the vision and mission of the Visual Arts Academy has been shared by a core group of teachers and administrators at P-H-M and Notre Dame. Under the leadership of Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kay Antonelli, the group created the curricula “from the ground up” and provided the professional development for all teachers who participate during the Academy. Over 25 elementary writing and secondary art teachers are serving in the Academy this summer.

Thanks to the financial support of these contributors, the Visual Arts Academy is provided for all children free of charge.

• 

  The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County ($50,000 grant)

• The P-H-M Education Foundation

• Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

• The Snite Museum of Art

• The Law Offices of May, Oberfell, Lorber

• And various other contributors

CANVAS is an online communication platform that connects students, parents and teachers. CANVAS has boosted the success of P-H-M’s Chromebook program in middle and high school, and most of our users have given it a “thumbs up” this year.

Starting June 6, 2016, P-H-M’s CANVAS users will see a new and improved “dashboard” when they log on. In addition to the new look, the user will have new options for organizing and viewing CANVAS content. We think the changes being made to the user interface will merit two thumbs up!  

Parents and students, watch the video below for an overview of the changes. 

The URL (web address ) to CANVAS is not changing. You will find it at the same location, or by using the same link or shortcut, as you have used in the past. 

• Click here to go to the CANVAS login page now, or copy/paste this address into your browser bar: https://phm.instructure.com/ to go there. 

Your login information will not change. Your CANVAS login is the same as your HAC (Home Access Center) login.

• Contact the school office or email the HAC helpdesk HAC@phm.k12.in.us if you need help setting up your account. 

Visit the Canvas Help Page for additional resources and information.

Running Is Elementary, now in its 8th year, took place Monday, May 2, 2016, on the 1 mile cross-country course located behind Elm Road Elementary School. The 700 student-athletes ran on wet ground under cloudy skies, but their spirits were warmed by the hundreds of spectators cheering them on. Enthusiasm for this event—including student participation and family support—grows every year!

This exciting program gets its momentum from the schools’ running clubs, formed early in the spring and led by staff who act as coaches for the fourth and fifth grade boys and girls who choose to participate. The clubs meet, run and train for several weeks ahead of the public RIE event in May. On that day the students, in their colorful team T-shirts, gather at the start line, eager to give the rugged course their best effort. Superintendent Jerry Thacker and TCU’s Chris Griggs-Huppert signaled the start of the first heat, with P-H-M Board members and patrons starting the other heats.

Every student, from the first to cross the finish line to the last, is cheered on. Some even have companions or support runners who help them keep the pace and finish the race.

One goal for all involved is personal fitness—a healthy pursuit made all the more fun since RIE takes place as outdoor recreation among friends.  Some youngsters with a bent for running set speed goals as well. One fifth grader finished the mile with a remarkable time of 6:04! 

Running Is Elementary is sponsored by Corporations for Education, the corporate arm of the P-H-M Education Foundation.  Much credit also goes to Horizon Elementary P.E. teacher and RIE coordinator Cindy Batalis, who, along with her committee and many volunteers, works hard to make the event safe and successful.

Here is a photo gallery from this year’s event for you to enjoy! 

Parents, show your support for P-H-M’s elementary school leadership AND help raise money for Elm Road Elementary School!

At the P-H-M Education Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Gala on April 23, P-H-M principals will perform Vaudeville-style acts, competing against other P-H-M school teams. 

All the acts will be unique and definitely entertaining, but only one team—the one with the most votes—will win the PHaMmy award!

Here’s how you can help raise money for our school:

• Votes cost $10 each and you can cast multiple votes between now and the evening of the Gala.
• 50% of what each team raises will go directly back to that team’s schools!
• The first 100 votes for each team will be matched dollar for dollar by Gary Fox of Crowe Horwath. (Mr. Fox is P-H-M Board of School Trustees President and an Education Foundation Board Member.)

DO MRS. SOTO KILE AND HER TALENTED TEAMMATES DESERVE YOUR VOTE?

You bet they do! Just watch the video.

►START VOTING TODAY & give TEAM FIVE a head start! Follow these easy steps:

1. Click "Browse, Bid and Buy – View Items"
2. ​Click "Register” to create a Gesture account 
3. Vote for TEAM FIVE  (Auction Item #105)

Check here daily to see how the votes are coming in, and which team’s in the lead!

►WATCH LIVE STREAM OF THE GALA PERFORMANCES (Sat., April 23, 7:30 p.m.) on the Penn News Network—then vote again! Votes will be tallied and a winner announced at the end of the evening.

►PARTICIPATE IN THE SILENT AUCTION at the same “Browse, Bid and Buy” page where you cast your votes. Check out the many attractive items being offered, then stay on top of the bidding to get what you want and benefit the Foundation.  

The P-H-M Education Foundation has many reasons to celebrate its 20 years of service to the P-H-M community.  Since 1996, the Foundation has distributed more than $520,000 to our schools and classrooms via innovative teaching grants. The Foundation also uses proceeds to underwrite district activities with widespread impact such as “Running is Elementary” and the “Summer Visual Arts Academy.”  Its mission: To support excellence in education.

A vote for TEAM FIVE is a vote for excellence in education!

Students who will be in 6th grade next year use the "Instrument Selection Night" as an opportunity to handle and test a variety of band and orchestra instruments.  Professional music teachers are on hand to help “pair” each student with an instrument on which they will find great success in their middle school music experience! 

As students are making choices about music classes in 6th grade, it is critical that they be able to try a variety of instruments in order to make an informed decision about what class and which instrument they prefer.

Instrument Selection Nights will be held at each middle school, beginning at the end of February and running through the month of March.  Parents of 5^th grade students need to consider available dates, then choose one night and schedule their visit in advance—which is easily done online. 

►Click here to LEARN MORE and to SCHEDULE your appointment!