#PHMExcellence is more than just academic excellence; it's also kindness, empathy and helping others. Year round, but especially during the holiday season, our schools find creative ways to engage students in community activities teaching them the importance of giving back. Here are some examples:

• At Northpoint, students collected nearly 2,000 boxes of cereal for an area food bank.
• At Grissom, student food drives help keep the schools' food pantry well stocked for students & families in need.
• At Penn, teachers collect student donations for Riley Children's Hospital for the best "Turkey Legs!"

#PHMExcellence is about giving thanks! Penn-Harris-Madison is thankful for all our students, families and staff. We wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

We have entered our winter season with snow and weather that can cause delays or closings. To make sure you are getting accurate, up to date information, please make sure you have school messenger.

School Messenger is an automated phone calling, texting and emailing service. It is our primary means of notification. PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE for steps on how to update your contact information & set your notification preferences in the parent portal InfoCenter. Please note that parents cannot select the option not to receive a phone call; parents can only select not to receive a text message or email. Parents can change their options to receive text messages or emails as many times as they wish. To update your phone number and email address, please contact Elm Road. You will not be able to change it in School Messenger.

*This testing impacts all kindergarten students and many second and fifth graders*

In accordance with Indiana law, we are required to have an identification process in place to identify High Ability students. According to the Indiana Department of Education, ‘“High ability student” means a student who: performs at, or shows the potential for performing at, an outstanding level of accomplishment in at least one domain when compared to other students of the same age, experience, or environment; and is characterized by exceptional gifts, talents, motivation, or interests.’

Indiana requires the screening of all kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade students who are not previously identified as High Ability. A student may be labeled as High Ability in Language Arts and/or Math.

PHM uses two nationally-normed assessments to identify High Ability students: CogAT and NWEA. CogAT - Cognitive Abilities Test - testing will be done during the month of December. CogAT is an aptitude test that measures a student’s problem-solving skills and thinking abilities. There is no preparation that can be done for this test. Students will participate in a practice test to familiarize them with the type and format of the questions.

Depending on your child’s results and grade level, he/she may participate in NWEA testing in February. That information will be forthcoming.

December 8th, the Boling Mobile Unit will be at Elm for students who failed their vision screener and have a permission slip signed to get an eye exam.