Walt Disney School Update
May 12, 2023
#PHMExcellence
Penn's Unified Sports is a collaboration between the IHSAA & Special Olympics Indiana that allows students with and without intellectual and physical disabilities to compete alongside one another. The Unified student-athletes would love to have the support of the entire PHM Community next Saturday, May 20 as the team competes and hosts the IHSAA Sectional Tournament for the very first time! The event starts at 10:00 a.m. at TCU Freed Field. Click to watch this video to gear up for all the excitement! Tickets are available at the gate; because this is an IHSAA event, tickets are $7. Let's come together as a community to support these incredible athletes and show the other participating schools what #PHMExcellence and Penn Pride is all about!
And if you are still looking for summer camps and activities for your students? Your children can participate in the first ever Unified Track Summer Athletic Camp. Click here for the full list of Kingsmen Athletic Camps and here for the full list of PHM academic and extracurricular camps, including Robotics and Summer Kids Club.
Welcome Message from Mr. Towner
This is a time of year where we have so many exciting things going on that bring our community together in celebration.
First, I'd like to give a big thank you to our PTO. They DELIVERED for our staff, as we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. Three catered lunches in one week - incredible, and I speak for all teachers and staff in saying "Thank you!" Of course, while mentioning Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to thank our teachers! They come to work each day and pour their whole self into educating our students. Our teachers are full of passion, and I am so happy each of them is a teacher at our school.
We also have an exciting event coming up this week - International Culture Night! This is a proud Walt Disney tradition, and what makes it great is the participation of our families and broader community. Please take a look at the promotional video below, and plan to attend! If you would like to be part of Culture Night and feature your family's culture at a booth, please contact Mr. Davidson at rdavidson@phm.k12.in.us . We'd love to have your participation!
Have a great weekend, Dolphins!
- Mr. Towner
The Jeneane Arter Teaching in Excellence Award
The P-H-M Education Foundation is sponsoring the Jeneane Arter Teaching in Excellence Award. The $2,000 award - named after Northpoint Elementary School teacher Jeneane Arter - will be awarded to any current P-H-M staff member who exemplifies excellence in education. The award is underwritten by P-H-M parents Jason and Darla Lippert.
The annual award will be determined based on a current P-H-M student one-page essay of how the P-H-M staff member has made a lasting impact on his/her educational experience. Younger students may have parents/adult help them write the essay, but the essay should be the student’s own words. The essay should contain specific examples of the P-H-M employee’s outstanding service. Please include at the top of the page, the following information:
- Student’s first and last name
- School and grade
- Telephone number and email address (for notification or question purpose)
The nominated P-H-M staff member must be a current employee. The P-H-M Education Foundation will select the recipient of the Jeneane Arter Excellence in Teaching Award through its Grant Committee. The winner will be announced by June 1, 2023.
Essays are due to the ESC by Wednesday May 17, 2023, or may be mailed to the
P-H-M Education Foundation, attention Jeneane Arter Award, 55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN 46545. The one-page essay should be either typed or hand written. Electronic submissions will not be considered.
For additional information or questions, please contact Jennifer Turnblom, executive director, at jturnblom@phmef.org or 574-370-1254
Sign up for a Summer Enrichment Academy!
Visual Arts Academy (July 10 – 14, July 17 – 21, or July 24 – 28, 2023) In this award-winning one-week academy, current P-H-M Kindergarten – 5th grade students learn art history, art production and writing through a unique integration program. The program is based at Penn High School and in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame's Snite Museum of Art. Families may select the week that is most convenient for all of their children to attend, regardless of their grade. Click here to register.
Junior STEM Academy - In this one-week academy, current P-H-M K – 5th graders will discover how math and science are applied in the real world. Each week is reserved for specific grades and will be held at Penn High School. Click here to register.
- Kindergarten and 1st grade attend the week of July 24 – 28
- 2nd and 3rd grade attend the week of July 17 – 21
4th and 5th grade attend the week of July 10 – 14
Junior Foreign Language Academy (July 10 – 14) This academy integrates the French language, social studies, culture, visual arts and music into an intensive and enriching learning experience. The one-week camp is held at Penn High School and is open to current P-H-M 3rd, 4th or 5th grade students. Click here to register.
Learn a Foreign Language Academy (June 5 – 16) This two-week academy is open to current 6th and 7th graders. The course will be taught by Penn High School Language teachers who will teach the students how to read, write, and speak in German, Spanish or American Sign Language. Click here to register.
Culture Night - Parents, We Need You!
Kindergarten Registration for Next Year!
Kindergarten registration for the 2023-2024 school year begins this Tuesday, January 17th! If you have a student in your family to register, please contact our office at (574)259-2486, or feel welcome to email Mrs. Caudillo at kcaudillo@phm.k12.in.us. Please feel welcome to share with neighbors and friends who reside within our assigned territory at Walt Disney. We look forward to meeting them!
PTO Update
Lunchtime Visitors
The Lunchtime Visitor Sign up genius has been updated for the second semester. It can be accessed via this link.
Outstanding Academic News
- As reported by the IDOE similar schools summary, Walt Disney is in the top 6.7% of schools that are similar in size and demographics, as measured by ILEARN. Of 127 similar schools, we outperform 118 of them. Our focus is of course on outperforming everyone, and being the best!
- Walt Disney continues to beat state averages on the IREAD-3 assessment, and we have returned to pre-Covid performance for our students in third grade. Walt Disney is the only school in the state where minority subpopulations and ENL subpopulations have outperformed the overall school performance on IREAD-3 (as well as beating the state overall passing percentage!) Our free/reduced subpopulation always outperforms the state for that category by nearly 10%.
- PHM is in the top 3.67% of school corporations in the State of Indiana!
Free Covid Tests - While Supplies Lasts
Skyward Family Access
If you have questions about Skyward Family Access, please email them to familyaccess@phm.k12.in.us and we will be glad to assist you!
Pictures from Around the Pod
Free/Reduced Meals and Textbook Assistance
We want to remind all parents that free/reduced meals and textbook assistance is available for eligible families. An application can be completed for this program online, by following the link below. As well, we are happy to provide a paper copy upon request.
School Fees are Due March 31st
For information on school fees, or to proceed with paying your child's school fees, please follow the button below.
Food Services
To access accounts digitally, go to https://www.phmschools.org/pay-meals-online to access our School Cafe program online.