The Panther Post
February 23, 2023
#PHMExcellence
#PHMExcellence
Penn High School's beloved and hard working Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Cates was recently named 2024 National Coach of the Year by the National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA). This is just the latest in a string of honors. In 2022, Penn's program led by Coach Cates was awarded with a NHSSCA Program of Excellence School designation! Coach Cates is a mentor, motivator, and great role model for students; he's one of Penn students' most beloved adults! Click here to learn more about Coach Cates.
Important Dates
March 4th-8th
Dr. Seuss Week (see below)
March 4th-13th
Basketball Intramurals-Boys in 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade
March 7
PTO Family Skate Night 6:00-8:00 PM
March 13
Spring Picture Retake Day
March 15
PTO Meeting @ 1 PM
March 19-28
Roller Skating @ Madison
March 29-April 5
Spring Break-NO SCHOOL
FIRST-IN District Robotics Competition, March 2 & 3
The 2024 FIN Mishawaka FRC District Event will once again be held at Penn High School. If you've never been a spectator at a Robotics Competition, you don't know what you're missing! So come out and cheer on Penn's Teams 135 and 328 as they take on other Indiana high schools. The two-day event is Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3 in Penn’s Main Arena. No tickets needed, the event is FREE! Click here for more details.
The Music Man, March 1st - 3rd
You can spend the entire weekend at Penn if you want, after the Robotics tournament, you can take in a musical too! Visit bit.ly/PennMusicMan to purchase tickets for Penn's annual student musical (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Info for Registered Families, Books & Bots, Saturday, March 2nd
Registration has now closed. The "Books & Bots" event will start at 9:15 a.m. in Penn’s Fitness Center. There will be the three rotations at three locations within Penn High School. Families and students will visit each station for 45 minutes, with a 15 minute break in between. The rotations will be an author visit, reader’s theater, and fun with the bots! Next Gen (the bots area) will be open until 1:00 p.m. Registered participants will receive a S’more with confirmation details the week of February 26. You and your student’s rotation schedule and starting location will be provided in the S’more. If you have any questions after receiving the email, please contact ccussen@phm.k12.in.us.
Please enter Door D. Parking is available in the front of Penn, at Schmucker Middle School, and in the parking lot near River Valley Church. Click here to access a Penn Building Map. Once inside Penn, look for “Books and Bots” signage and please arrive at your room between 9:00-9:15 a.m. With record attendance expected, plan plenty of time to park and walk to your designated area.
Remember parents can purchase Carolyn Crimi books online ahead of time from Better World Books and bring them to the event. Click here to preorder your student(s) books.
Don't forget to bring your gently used books to donate and support Better World Books' mission of providing books to children around the world. A collection box will be set up near Door D.
Intramural Afterschool Activities
All 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students are invited to participate in basketball intramurals this school year. Intramurals will take place immediately after school and students will be dismissed to their parents/guardians promptly @ 3:30 PM. Permission slips will be sent home before each session. Please see the schedules below.
Boys Basketball March 4th-7th, 11th-13th
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
Helpful Links
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.
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.
2023-24 PTO Officers
President: Mary Schori
Vice President: Ellen Beehler
Secretary: Abby Lusk
Treasurer: Betsy Bartholomew
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