Walt Disney School Update
October 14, 2022
Points of #PHMExcellence
P-H-M Board of School Trustees and Administration is committed to academic excellence and supporting our teachers inside the classroom with a multitude of supports. To help attract, retain and reward P-H-M teachers, the Board Monday night (10/10/22) approved the financial increases below making P-H-M teachers the highest paid in the area!
7% salary increase for eligible teachers
Qualifying 2021-2022 teachers receive a $600 stipend
This is why P-H-M is able to attract the brightest, the best and most experienced. In fact we've had 8 Top 10 Indiana Teachers of the Year since 2008--most recently Mrs. Amanda Fox from Elsie Rogers. We've had one Teacher of the year in 2011.
Have a friend or family member that wants to join the P-H-M family? Have them contact P-H-M's Human Resources Department at phmhumanresourcesinfo@phm.k12.in.us.
Welcome Message from Mr. Towner
Dear Walt Disney Families,
Today our third graders when to camp...Camp Read-A-Lot! This was an amazing event with each third grade classroom filled with camping tents, "fire pits", smores, and lots of reading! To quote one of our third graders, "This is the best day of school I've ever had!"
Joining our third graders for Camp Read-A-Lot were two special guests: School Board President Chris Riley and Dr. Lavon Dean-Null, Director of Professional Development (and a former Walt Disney principal). Mr. Riley and Dr. Dean-Null were our guests readers. We are very grateful to have such a supportive school board and administration. They support our school very well, and I'm grateful for their many contributions that help our teachers and students. Mr. Riley's own children went to Walt Disney, and he often shares how special Walt Disney is to him.
It all goes to show how powerful a school community can be. When we all contribute to a strong school community, we all get to enjoy the many rewards and benefits of it. I thank our third grade teachers: Miss Keough, Mrs. Ludwig, Mr. Serge, and Mrs. Macht for planning such a fun day.
Thank you, parents, for your continuous partnership and support. Camp Read-a-lot is one example of the many ways our teachers and staff work relentlessly in pursuit of each students mastering the state standards, while having fun as a community of learners. We know that our students are capable of incredible things, and it's a joy to work with your students toward this important goal.
Have a wonderful weekend!
- Mr. Towner
PTO Updates
Join us for Trunk or Treat on October 28th! More information to come next week!
Our next PTO meeting is on Thursday, October 20th, at 3pm, in the Walt Disney IMC. All parents and teachers are invited!
STILL ACCEPTING CANDY DONATIONS!
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!
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.