Walt Disney School Update
May 5, 2023
#PHMExcellence
Penn High School was named a Project Lead the Way Distinguished High School. Click to learn more and what it means for students. PLTW is also offered at all three middle schools: Discovery, Grissom, and Schmucker.
Penn's music program is making history with the Penn Band, Orchestra, Choir achieving the State Finals Triple Crown in recent ISSMA competitions. Click for the details.
Congratulations to Grissom Middle School Principal Jennifer Sinclair for being named to the 2023 Michiana 40 under 40 Class sponsored by the South Bend Regional Chamber.
The results are in from Wednesday's Running is Elementary. Congratulations to all the students who participated! It is a tremendous accomplishment to complete a one-mile cross country course race. Click to see the results of the 1st, 2nd, and third place winners of the fourth and fifth grade races.
Welcome Message from Mr. Towner
As you have seen in the upper portion of this newsletter, we have many exciting and excellent things happening in PHM! I want to recognize our students who participated in Running is Elementary, a cross country program open to all 4th and 5th grade students. They raced Wednesday under beautiful, sunny skies! It was exciting to see these students have their first experience in cross country, racing with several hundred other PHM elementary students. All students did an amazing job and we are proud of them. I also thank Walt Disney staff members Ashleigh Heatherly and Kelsey Howard for coaching our RIE students. Their willingness to coach allowed this experience to happen for our students.
As well, congratulations to all third, fourth, and fifth graders, who have now completed ILEARN testing! As a staff, we are so pleased by the outstanding effort we saw in each classroom, and we eagerly await the results!
Lastly, I want to highlight the section noted below regarding the Jeaneane Arter Award. If you and your child have had an outstanding experience with a Walt Disney teacher, please feel welcome to nominate them for this award! Mr. Davidson was the last recipient of the Arter Award at Walt Disney, which was five years ago. (Fun side note: Mrs. Arter was my teacher in fourth grade, at Bittersweet Elementary School...back in 1995!)
Have a great weekend, Dolphins!
- Mr. Towner
The Jeneane Arter Teaching in Excellence Award
The P-H-M Education Foundation is sponsoring the Jeneane Arter Teaching in Excellence Award. The $2,000 award - named after Northpoint Elementary School teacher Jeneane Arter - will be awarded to any current P-H-M staff member who exemplifies excellence in education. The award is underwritten by P-H-M parents Jason and Darla Lippert.
The annual award will be determined based on a current P-H-M student one-page essay of how the P-H-M staff member has made a lasting impact on his/her educational experience. Younger students may have parents/adult help them write the essay, but the essay should be the student’s own words. The essay should contain specific examples of the P-H-M employee’s outstanding service. Please include at the top of the page, the following information:
- Student’s first and last name
- School and grade
- Telephone number and email address (for notification or question purpose)
The nominated P-H-M staff member must be a current employee. The P-H-M Education Foundation will select the recipient of the Jeneane Arter Excellence in Teaching Award through its Grant Committee. The winner will be announced by June 1, 2023.
Essays are due to the ESC by Wednesday May 17, 2023, or may be mailed to the
P-H-M Education Foundation, attention Jeneane Arter Award, 55900 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN 46545. The one-page essay should be either typed or hand written. Electronic submissions will not be considered.
For additional information or questions, please contact Jennifer Turnblom, executive director, at jturnblom@phmef.org or 574-370-1254
Sign up for a Summer Enrichment Academy!
Visual Arts Academy (July 10 – 14, July 17 – 21, or July 24 – 28, 2023) In this award-winning one-week academy, current P-H-M Kindergarten – 5th grade students learn art history, art production and writing through a unique integration program. The program is based at Penn High School and in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame's Snite Museum of Art. Families may select the week that is most convenient for all of their children to attend, regardless of their grade. Click here to register.
Junior STEM Academy - In this one-week academy, current P-H-M K – 5th graders will discover how math and science are applied in the real world. Each week is reserved for specific grades and will be held at Penn High School. Click here to register.
- Kindergarten and 1st grade attend the week of July 24 – 28
- 2nd and 3rd grade attend the week of July 17 – 21
4th and 5th grade attend the week of July 10 – 14
Junior Foreign Language Academy (July 10 – 14) This academy integrates the French language, social studies, culture, visual arts and music into an intensive and enriching learning experience. The one-week camp is held at Penn High School and is open to current P-H-M 3rd, 4th or 5th grade students. Click here to register.
Learn a Foreign Language Academy (June 5 – 16) This two-week academy is open to current 6th and 7th graders. The course will be taught by Penn High School Language teachers who will teach the students how to read, write, and speak in German, Spanish or American Sign Language. Click here to register.
Culture Night - Parents, We Need You!
Kindergarten Registration for Next Year!
Kindergarten registration for the 2023-2024 school year begins this Tuesday, January 17th! If you have a student in your family to register, please contact our office at (574)259-2486, or feel welcome to email Mrs. Caudillo at kcaudillo@phm.k12.in.us. Please feel welcome to share with neighbors and friends who reside within our assigned territory at Walt Disney. We look forward to meeting them!
PTO Update
Lunchtime Visitors
The Lunchtime Visitor Sign up genius has been updated for the second semester. It can be accessed via this link.
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.