With the Wednesday, January 6, 2016 public release of the 2015 ISTEP+ results, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation saw a jump in its ranking among Indiana’s 293 public school districts. With a 81.4% pass rate for ELA (English/Language Arts) and a 78.0% pass rate for Math, P-H-M ranks 10th in the state! The District’s 2015 overall combined pass rate for both subject areas is 72.1%.  

Another highlight from the 2015 ISTEP+ results for P-H-M … the School Corporation saw an increase in score variance. In grade 3, the variance between P-H-M’s scores and the state’s increased to 19.6 points; in grade 8, it goes up to 25.1 points. This shows that the younger a student enters the P-H-M education family, and the longer they are taught by P-H-M teachers, the better the students do!

Superintendent Jerry Thacker keeps the district’s focus on excellence in education, and acknowledges the partnership that makes it possible. “We commend our students and teachers, along with our parents for their concentrated hard work and dedication; that is the ‘Triangle of Success’ we tout at P-H-M.”

This link takes you to the full story of how P-H-M students fared on the 2015 assessment, including access to data charts that display individual school results.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER FOR THE YOUNG AUTHOR’S CONFERENCE! The registration deadline has been extended until Friday, Feb. 26. 

Calling all young authors and their parents!

P-H-M’s annual Young Author’s Conference will take place Saturday, March 12—and you won’t want to miss it.

The morning program will be full of engaging activities, fun entertainment and creative challenges—along with opportunities to learn and share.

We are pleased to host guest author Laura Purdie Salas. Salas will be on hand to share her published work and her love of writing, and to encourage students to produce their own poems and stories.

Meet Mrs. Salas now in this brief video, and preview two of her popular books in these videos: A Leaf Can Be and BookSpeak!

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU EXPECT?

Get ideas!  Parents will hear from Kathy Higgs-Coulthard, the director of Michiana’s Writing Center and also an instructor at St. Mary’s College. Higgs-Coulthard supports writers and writing events in the community, and will share tips with parents on how to do the same in their own families.

Get inspired!  Students will share their own written work with other students in small groups, getting feedback and giving encouragement and gaining confidence in their ability to create.

Get the giggles!  The Roz Puppets will be sure to make you laugh. Big puppets with big personalities, their performances delight “children of all ages.”

ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

• WHO: Students from Kindergarten through 5th grade, and one parent from each family

• DATE: Saturday, March 12, 2016

• TIME: 8:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

• LOCATION: Schmucker Middle School, 56045 Bittersweet Road.

• DIRECTIONS: Enter at the traffic signal, park in front, use main entrance.

• COST: $5 per student, payable upon registration

Watch for conference information that your student will bring home from school, then send back the registration envelope with your payment promptly. If you need another copy of the registration form, contact the school.

THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26.

QUESTIONS?  Please contact Ms. Lisa Duerksen at lduerksen@phm.k12.in.us

Registration for kindergarten students for the 2016-2017 school year will begin at each P-H-M elementary school on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. This registration opportunity is for youngsters who live within the P-H-M district and who will be five years old on or before September 1. A parent or guardian must appear at the school in person to register their child.  

Parents, before you go to the child’s school, please visit the district’s kindergarten registration page to:

• Learn more about the registration process
• See what documentation you must provide
• View and download copies of the necessary forms

We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2029!

Penn-Harris-Madison will be performing computer network maintenance on February 12, 2016 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. to upgrade our current internet services. During that time, access to P-H-M online services, including P-H-M hosted websites, Canvas, APlus and Plato will be unavailable. This network maintenance is necessary in order for P-H-M to continue to offer excellent technology online service. We appreciate your patience.

Parents of 3rd through 8th graders and Penn sophomores, the Indiana Department of Education has released the testing windows for ISTEP+ and IREAD for the 2015-2016 school year. ISTEP will begin in late February and IREAD in mid-March. Part 1 of ISTEP will be done with paper/pencil and Part 2 will be done online. 

New this year:  In preparation for 2016 ISTEP+, the IDOE has now made ISTEP+ “Experience” available through Pearson, allowing students and parents to experience various technology-enhanced item types that will appear on the ISTEP+ Part 2 assessment as often as they like from home, at school, or on mobile devices. “Experience” is presented via the Pearson online platform (TestNav 8) that will be used for ISTEP+ online testing, as well as IREAD-3 online testing. P-H-M families can access ISTEP+ “Experience” through the P-H-M District website, as well as through the link provided on the RESOURCES menu of every school website.

Indiana Statewide Testing of Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+ ) Grades 3-8, and 10*

                                                                           Window Begins                                              Window Ends

ISTEP+ Part 1 – paper/pencil                        February 29, 2016                                          March 11, 2016
(Applied Skills)

ISTEP+ Part 2 – online                                    April 18, 2016                                                  May 6, 2016
(Multiple-choice & Technology-Enhanced Items)

*New this year, high school sophomores will be required to take ISTEP

Indiana Reading And Evaluation Determination-3 (IREAD-3) Grade 3

IREAD-3                                                           March 14, 2016                                               March 18, 2016

For more information on the state assessment testing windows, please visit the Indiana Department of Education website, www.doe.in.gov/assessment.

The Panther Pack members for 2015-16 completed the application process and selections were made. The overall goal of the Panther Pack is to build leadership skills by serving. Panther Pack Members organize the food drive each holiday season by promoting, collecting, and sorting items to assist families in our community. Members serve refreshments at our Grandparent Presentation of the K-3 Musical each year. Panther Pack students also work hard near St. Patrick's Day organizing the Logan Nose On Sales. Throughout the year you will find them impacting younger students as they interact at various grade levels. The Pack is responsible for setting "school spirit days" to positively build energy in our school. Recent spirit days included wearing all blue and pajama day. 

Conference time is communication time. It can be hard as a parent to know what to expect at a conference. First of all remember that you and your child’s teacher have the same goal—helping your child grow academically and socially. Your child’s teacher will share student progress and enlist your help. During this time you and the teacher will explore together areas they excel at and in what areas they need assistance. Together you may make an action plan to help your child. The chart below gives a checklist of things that may help you explore what is best for your child or may identify areas that could become part of the action plan. Be sure to end the conference by scheduling a way to follow up and measure progress. You can read more by viewing this PTSC page from our newsletter. 

Conference forms home with students October 12.

Forms should be returned to teachers by October 14 to confirm appointment times.

Speak Up is a national research initiative that seeks to gather widespread input on the topic of educational technology.  

Each fall the Speak Up survey is posted online so students, parents, teachers, school staff, and the general public can share their views on technology in schools. 

The Speak Up survey has three primary objectives:

• To provide a means for local schools and districts to easily and effectively listen to and act upon the ideas of their stakeholders
• To provide a conduit for the voices of education stakeholders, most notably students, to inform national and state policies and programs
• To stimulate new local discussions around the use of technology within education.

Survey results are typically released in February, and are important to those who shape educational policy, direct school finance, create curriculum, and implement technology in our schools.

Penn-Harris-Madison participates in the survey in part because we are recipients of a Digital Learning Grant that helps to fund our technology.  

Another reason we support Speak Up is because the results can be helpful in the development of our formal technology plans. Each P-H-M school develops and follows a 3-year technology plan that outlines its goals for educational technology and directs how resources may be spent to achieve those goals.

Here’s a link to learn more about the SPEAK UP survey and the agency that conducts the research, Project Tomorrow.  Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Speak Up here.

Or, you may want to just jump right in and take the survey!

Parents and community members CLICK HERE to TAKE THE SPEAK UP SURVEY NOW

The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete and you will not need to create an account. The survey will be open until December 18 and the link on this webpage will remain active until then. 

P-H-M staff and students will have opportunities to take their version of the Speak Up survey at school / at work through arrangements made in the coming weeks.

The Madison PTO met with new principal Ryan Towner early in August setting plans and expectations for life and learning for our students. One event they discussed was the Riley Bike-a-thon. Madison Students began a partnership with Riley Children’s Hospital 26 years ago. Dr. Marilyn Mitchell had not written the following statement at that time but its meaning was already written on the hearts of one of our long-standing Riley Bike-a-thon Chairs, Annette Wisler and former principal Mr. Cyril Cole.

Caring is our ability to recognize and respond to the needs and suffering of others. An important part of our internal compass, it includes the ways we show kindness, compassion, and empathy to the people in our lives.   –Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD

It was their goal to nurture caring in the lives of students at Madison School and in our community. How? They found the perfect project, Riley Children’s Hospital. As they met they literally gave feet to the project determining that students would pedal their bikes one crisp fall morning in an effort to raise money for suffering, hurting children. The date was set, neighbors contacted and made aware that their mile would be closed to traffic for student safety. Volunteers were stationed at each corner to mark the miles on student pledge cards. Grandparents, friends, and other family members pledged cash for each mile rode during the three hours set aside for the event. Prize money was donated by First Source Bank for top riders and most money collected. Excitement was high that first year and 206 students raised $3,080.00. But the event only whet the appetite for those involved to continue to do more. And students have done just that – raising more donations each year with hearts that care. Through the years it became Madison families and Madison students that were suffering and Riley met their need.

While our enrollment has decreased, student giving increased each year, last year our caring students collected $5,213.71.

In 26 years Madison School has collected just over $92,000.00. This year it is our dream to invite anyone who has participated in past Madison Bike-a-thons to bring your families and join the caring students of Madison; to walk or ride and give, so we may reach our goal of total contributions equaling $100,000.00 or more. One thing is certain if we don’t meet it this year – we will next year!

We really hope to see many former Panthers, teachers and families. Together we can do amazing things! We ask former students and staff to donate $5.00 or more to participate.

This year we invite you to:

• Save the date: October 3, 2015
• Put on your shoes or bring your bike to walk or ride from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
• Pledge a student or make a donation to Riley Children’s Hospital – Pledge sheet
• Spread the word and get other former students involved
• Show that you have learned to care too!

• 

At Madison School we care about you and your family. Now and again you may be contacted by the school office regarding your child’s attendance or an illness. Occasionally your child’s teacher may contact you to share what your child accomplished in class or a new skill they have mastered.

Sometimes you will want to share things with us about your child. A family experience that may affect their day or, you want to discuss ways you can invest your time to help them grow academically or socially this year. On those and other occasions, please feel free to contact us. Our contact information may be found under the SCHOOL INFO tab on the web page under MEET THE MADISON STAFF.