Walt Disney School Update
December 2, 2022
Points of #PHMExcellence
For 27 years, Penn-Harris-Madison Education Foundation has been dedicated to supporting #PHMExcellence by providing access to innovative classroom grants available to all P-H-M teachers and staff to apply. PHMEF grants provide funding for programs that fall outside schools’ budgets.
The application window for the Fall 2022 grant cycle was October. The PHMEF Grants Committee awarded more than $15,000 in this grant cycle. Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom visited schools this week to surprise teachers with the news that their grants were being awarded. Click here to watch the video to see the joyful reaction of teachers and students. Click to learn more about PHMEF grants and see the full list of grants awarded in the Fall 2022 grant cycle.
Want to help support the Education Foundation and #PHMExcellence? The Education Foundation‘s Annual Drive is underway. As a registered 501(c)3 organization, donations are tax deductible. Click here for ways to support the P-H-M Education Foundation.
Welcome Message from Mr. Towner
Dear Parents,
We've had a wonderful week at school, and we have an absolutely exciting week ahead of us! Next week will be "Literacy Week" at Walt Disney. While we focus on literacy continually, next week we will have a lot of fun student activities, which will build excitement for reading, and also help us to share with you ways to support your child's reading at home. Further down this newsletter, I have included several details pertaining to next week! Please feel free to direct any questions you have to me or your child's teacher.
Regrettably, this time of year can be when we see illness peak. I want to share a reminder to please notify us if your child is going to be absent from school. You may do so by calling our school, or by emailing the absence to waltdisneyattedance@phm.k12.in.us . If we do not hear from you, we are obligated to mark the absence as "unexcused".
Lastly, I want to share about an important PHM event that is occurring on December 20th. We will host our annual PHM Teacher Job Fair at Schmucker Middle School from 2-5pm. All who come will have an interview with a PHM principal. At PHM we know that one of the greatest ways we can ensure high quality learning, is to have a highly qualified teacher working with our students. We put great effort into recruiting and hiring talented teachers. If you are a teacher, or know someone who is a teacher, and seeks to work in PHM, please share about our Teacher Job Fair. In the midst of the teacher shortage, we are committed to hiring the best, and we appreciate your help in bringing talent to PHM.
I wish all Dolphins an outstanding weekend!
Mr. Towner
Literacy Week at Walt Disney STARTS MONDAY!
We are very excited for Literacy Week at Walt Disney! Parents - Here is a quick listing of all we will have going on!
1. We invite students to join in these fun dress up days the week of December 5th:
Monday: Reading Jogs the Mind (Dress like Mr. Stanton)
Tuesday: Snuggle Up with a Good Book (Jammie Day)
Wednesday: Reading in a Sweater, What could be better? (Winter Sweater Day)
Thursday: Book Character Dress Up Day
Friday: Read to a Furry Friend (Stuffed Animal Day) (Special Guest Appearance)
2. To emphasize the importance of reading at home, each grade level will have a targeted reading calendar goal for the number of minutes to read during this week. Teachers will communicate to you (and the students) their targeted number of minutes to read at home this week. Students will meet the target will get a piece of duct tape to tape me (Mr. Towner) to the wall!
3. We hope all families will join us the evening of Thursday, December 8th for our Family Literacy Night, Reading in a Winter Wonderland! We will have exciting, literacy-centered activities for students, and a whole lot of information for parents on our instructional practices at school, and how you can extend your child's literacy success at home.
PHM Teacher Job Fair, December 20th
Our goal is to continue to hire the best teachers for our students. We begin our recruitment with our PHM Teacher Job Fair on December 20th, from 2-5pm at Schmucker Middle School. We anticipate hiring in all areas. If you or someone you know is interesting in teaching at PHM, please spread the word!
PTO Update
We look forward to our next PTO event, "Donuts with Dolphins", spread over three mornings on December 19th, 20th, and 21st. Parents of K-1 students may join us on the 19th; 2nd and 3rd parents may join on the 20th, and 4-5 parents on the 21st. We welcome you to come join your student for a donut!
Have students across multiple grade levels? Just come on the date that works best for you!
Community Fitness Opportunities
As the weather quickly shifts from fall to winter, the school district is happy to pilot free fitness opportunities for the P-H-M community. This will take place four (4) days per week at the sites listed below.
Who is eligible to participate: The P-H-M Adult Community and Staff (no students). This includes residents of the school district and non-resident parents/guardians of attending students.
What: Access to walking/jogging tracks, open gym/basketball courts, and weight room
When: Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at the sites listed below. Note: The fitness centers will be closed during designated school recess dates.
Lunchtime Visitors
With Covid restrictions eased, PHM schools are again accepting parent visitors during lunch periods. Please note that space is limited, so we are using the following sign-up genius. It can be accessed via this link.
Our process will be subject to change as we evaluate this rollout. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
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.