The Panther Post
September 23, 2023
Points of #PHMExcellence
Madison MVP's
HELP NEEDED
Important Dates
September 24
PHM Silver Mile 5K
October 1
Riley's Bike-a-Thon 11AM-2PM
October 10
PHM School Board Meeting @ Madison 7 PM
October 14-20
Scholastic Book Fair (more details coming soon)
October 17
PTO Meeting @ 6:30 PM
October 19
Lunch with a Loved One (more details coming soon)
Arrival and Dismissal
Thank you for helping ensure our students are kept safe during arrival and dismissal. It is important that parents remain in their cars at all times. We have three cones numbered 1, 2, and 3 in our carpool designated area. Cars are expected to pull forward into those spots to drop off and pick up students. Please make sure to pull all the way forward to ensure we can maximize our arrival/dismissal space and time. Students should be entering and exiting on the right side of the vehicle. Staff will be encouraging students to open/close doors independently, but will be available if assistance is needed. Students should be unbuckled and ready to exit the vehicle at arrival to cone 1, 2, or 3. If your child needs help buckling up at dismissal, please pull forward into one of the available parking spots.
Students are expected to be in the building by 7:55 AM or the child is considered tardy. If you arrive after 7:50 AM and do not see any staff members outside, please bring your child(ren) to the office (Door A).
5 More School Days
We will begin allowing visitors and volunteers into the building starting on October 3rd. Please remember if you are interested in volunteering in one of our classrooms you MUST complete a background check (see below) and the PHM Volunteer Bullying and Harassment Training for Madison. If you are unsure if your background check is still valid, please call Gina or Patty in the front office.
You have two options for completing a background check.
- Option 1 - Pay $12.95 for SafeVisitor to conduct the background search, which Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation will honor for 3 years. Click here to visit SafeVisitor’s website to complete the online electronic search.
Using this link is the preferred method to reduce search time and fingerprinting requirements. If out of state records are located, additional fees may apply.
- Option 2 - For those preferring not to pay and/or use SafeVisitor’s expedited electronic background check services, Penn-Harris-Madison Schools offers another option to complete the paper Volunteer Background Check form. Click here to fill out the form as a fillable pdf or download and print it.
As always volunteers are needed and appreciated!
Lunch with a Loved One
Scholastic Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair will be during the week of October 14th-20th. If you are interested in volunteering please sign up below. Thanks in advance for your help!
Student Fee Update
Student fees were just uploaded into Skyward. Parents have the option of paying by cash, check, or online. If paying by check make sure the check is made out to Madison Elementary. If you are interested in paying online please follow the directions below.
To get started, follow the following steps:
Step 1: Ensure that you have login credentials to Skyward Family Access
Step 2: Follow this link to e~Funds for Schools
Step 3: Select “Pay for Student Fees”
Step 4: Select “Login to retrieve my information”
Step 5: When prompted, click to sign in to Skyward Family Access
Step 6: Select “Pay for Student Fees”
Step 7: Select your students, add all fees to the cart, then follow prompts to online checkout!
Note: There is a flat fee of $1.50 for payments made when using a checking account. For payments using a credit or debit card, there is a fee of $2.85 for every $100 increment
All student fees are due by March 31st.
Veteran's Day News from Mrs. Dupuis
Greetings from the Music Room!
I am proud to announce that all 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders are invited to perform in this year’s Veterans Day Concert! Please save the date and see concert details below:
When: Friday November 11th (Veterans Day)
12:30-1:30 Performance during the school day where Veterans in our community are invited to attend. Refreshments will be provided.
6:30-7:30- Evening performance for Madison families
Where: Madison Gym
Who: All 1st, 2nd and 3rd Graders (If your child is unable to attend please let me know A.S.A.P)
Attire: Patriotic Clothing (Red, White, and Blue)
Parents: If you are a parent volunteer and would be interested in decorating the stage for the concert it would be greatly appreciated! We already have a lot of decorations at Madison that can be used for this event, but could use some help with making the stage look patriotic! The more red, white and blue the better! Thank you in advance for your support!
This will be a very special event that not only showcases the Musical Talents of our Madison Panthers but will honor the amazing Veterans that so proudly serve our country. If you have any questions regarding this or would like to volunteer in any capacity please send me an email at jdupuis@phm.k12.in.us. Your children are an absolute joy to teach! I’ll look forward to seeing you all at this very special event!
Breakfast and Lunch
Just a reminder that breakfasts and lunches are not free this year and that parents need to apply asap for free lunch and book rental assistance at www.schoolcafe.com if they think they may qualify for free or reduced lunches.
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
Dyslexia Universal Screener
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.
Social Emotional Learning
P-H-M is committed to helping students reach their fullest potential, which includes the whole child! Please visit the PHM website HERE for various valuable parent resources to help you in supporting your child.
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: Julie Mattison
Secretary: Brittany Fox
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