The Panther Post
December 15, 2023
#PHMExcellence
We are proud to share that two out of the four students named recipients of the prestigious 2024 Lilly Endowment Scholarship are Penn High School seniors! Congratulations to Bella Schaetzle and Jayden Wang! This highly competitive scholarship awards the winners with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship, and a book stipend for the Indiana college or university of their choice! Including Schaetzle and Wang, Penn has had 37 students named Lilly Scholars!
Schaetzle attended Walt Disney, Mary Frank and Discovery. Wang attended Northpoint and Discovery. Congratulations again to these students, their families, and the teachers who educated them! Click to read more.
Important Dates
December 25-January 5
Winter Break-NO SCHOOL
January 15
Martin Luther King Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL
January 18
PTO Meeting @ 1:00 PM
January 19
4th & 5th Grade Ski Trip
February 1
Learning Sphere/Science Fair 6:00-7:00 PM
eLearning 2023
Dear P-H-M Elementary Student and Family,
Another winter is just around the corner and again we must think about the possibility of bad weather, school closings, and lost instructional time. As part of the new Indiana law HB-1093, schools are limited to three days of eLearning. Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation will use, if warranted, three weather related days as needed throughout the year. If additional makeup days are required, they will be added to the end of the school year calendar beginning on June 3. Principals will communicate with parents eLearning expectations and possible calendar adjustments throughout the year. eLearning is designed to be delivered over the internet through a link the school or teacher provides. You will receive a form from your child’s classroom teacher which will include student login information for various websites to be used for eLearning. Teachers will be available by email during regularly scheduled school hours on days when school is closed and eLearning takes place. In the event that your child has an IEP and receives direct service minutes during the school day, the Exceptional Education teacher will contact parents to make alternative arrangements if necessary. Please see the Elementary Technology Instructions for eLearning on the back of this letter. This sheet will provide the instructions that you and your child will need to access the eLearning lessons. Please contact your child’s teacher or principal with questions you may have. For additional information on school closings and delays, visit www.phmschools.org/delaysclosings. Thank you for partnering with P-H-M teachers and schools. Your support is crucial to your student's success, and it is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Dr. Heather Short
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
High Ability Testing
*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.
Please view the PHM High Ability website if you have questions about our identification process. Any additional questions can be sent to Cassie Scarsella at cscarsella@phm.k12.in.us.
Visitors and Volunteers
At Madison we are encouraging all of our visitors to preregister with Safe Visitor for EVERY school event. Pre-registration is available to make the check-in process at the school run faster. Click here to utilize SafeVisitor’s Online Pre-registration process.
What to expect when you arrive at the school:
- All visitors will now be required to present a valid photo ID, which may include a driver’s license, State issued photo ID, or passport every time you enter as a school visitor.
- All approved visitors will have a picture taken at each visit and receive a temporary badge that must be visibly worn at all times.
- All visitors must return to the main office and check-out at the front desk, returning their badge.
As always volunteers are needed and appreciated!
Breakfast and Lunch
An important part of every student's day is lunch! Below are the times in which Madison students will eat:
Preschool & Kindergarten: 11:00 - 11:30
1st & 2nd: 11:30 - 12:00
3rd, 4th, and 5th: 12:00 - 12:30
We certainly encourage student guests for lunch throughout the school year; however, we do ask that you refrain from having lunch with your child until routines and school comfort levels are established. We welcome all guests beginning in October! Meal prices for the school year are listed below:
Student Breakfast - $1.35
Reduced price of $.30 for those who are eligible.
Student Lunch - $2.35
Reduced price of $.40 for those who are eligible
Adult Lunch - $4.50
Please be mindful that the student cafeteria cannot accept debit/credit cards. Below are two links to guide you with payment options:
https://www.phmschools.org/food-service-payment-options
https://www.phmschools.org/pay-meals-online
Parents that think they may qualify for free or reduced lunches need to apply ASAP at www.schoolcafe.com.
Reporting Student Absences
If your child will be absent for any reason, please notify our office as soon as possible! Our office staff records all absences beginning at 8:00 am and must phone any student's home who does not report to school without notice.
Another option is to go to your Skyward Family Access Account and follow these steps:
- Click on the Attendance Tile for the child who will be absent.
- Click on the Absence Requests Tab
- Click Add Absence Request on the right side of the screen
- Enter Start and End Date
- Check All Day if the absence will be the entire school day
- Attendance Reason - Choose from the drop down menu
- Comment - Add any information regarding the absence reason
- Click SAVE in the upper right hand corner
Outside Organizations
P-H-M no longer distributes paper flyers or other promotional items of outside organizations through our schools. Please do not print and send flyers to our schools for distribution.
Instead, we now post digital flyers on our Community Events & Activities section of P-H-M District website at this link: https://www.phmschools.org/community-events-activities (linked below, as well) There is also a link back to this page off all 15 school websites.
The principals promote this link to parents through their school newsletters, as do some of the PTOs.
Helpful Links
The Safe School Helpline® is a confidential way to report student concerns about threats, suicide, drugs, bullying or anything that threatens the safety of our schools. It's Available 24/7. Click to watch a video on how to get in touch with Administration anonymously 24/7/365.
Four Ways to Report to the Safe School Helpline®
Call: 1-800-418-6423 ext 359
Text: TIPS to 66746
Online: SafeSchoolHelpline.com
Mobile App: Download the FREE app from the GOOGLE PLAY STORE and the APPLE APP STORE
The app makes it easy to anonymously report a safety or mental health concern using your mobile device to text, call, or submit an online form.
A Note from PTO
Announcing this year's PTO Officers:
President: Mary Schori
Vice President: Ellen Beehler
Secretary: Abby Lusk
Treasurer: Betsy Bartholomew
More information coming soon !
Madison Elementary Contact Information
Email: lschirripa@phm.k12.in.us
Website: https://madison.phmschools.org/
Location: Madison Elementary School, Dogwood Road, Wakarusa, IN, USA
Phone: (574) 254-2816
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonPanthersPHM