Fourth grade teacher Mrs. Julia Rulli wants all her students to feel valued for their unique gifts believing when children feel loved and respected, they learn and grow to their fullest potential. This is how Mrs. Rulli and her students came up with this year’s classroom theme, “You are Loved!” Mrs. Rulli bought each of her student’s a t-shirt to help remind them of this every day.

Principal Mrs. Amy Fadorsen loved the idea of the shirts so much, that she worked with former Horizon teacher Marci Messer (who designed and printed the t-shirts) to make them available to the entire school. Mrs. Rulli’s students came up with the idea of donating all proceeds from the sale of the shirts to the Early Childhood Intervention Center (ECIC) at the Center for the Homeless in South Bend; they wanted to help the children. Horizon families and staff helped raise $450 to donate to ECIC! 

For Valentine’s Day, Mrs. Rulli’s students paid the love forward by putting together personalized Valentine’s goodie bags for each and every Horizon staff member! They then hand delivered each goodie bag to the staff. What a great way to our staff how they are appreciated, valued and of course LOVED!

Students even made goodie bags for the news crews from WNDU and ABC 57 who visited  Mrs. Rulli’s class today to do feature stories. A story was also later featured on “NBC Nightly News, with Lester Holt, Kids Edition” on February 22, 2024. NBC Nightly News-Kids edition is a digest of the top headlines, broken down for kids to best understand the world today. Click here to watch, scroll to 23:26.

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Every P-H-M 5th grader who will be attending a P-H-M middle school as an incoming 6^th grader in the Fall 2024 has the opportunity to join an instrumental music class, which includes either band or orchestra. “Instrument Selection Night” is when students and families get to make their choice!

Fifth graders at Northpoint, Mary Frank, and Horizon Elementary Schools will attend Discovery Middle School for 6^th – 8^th grades.

Discovery’s Instrument Selection Nights are Monday, February 26th and Tuesday, February 27th.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” offering choir, band and orchestra at Schmucker, Discovery and Grissom Middle Schools.

At “Instrument Selection Night,” a music professional will be available to give students advice about which instrument may be best suited for them. They will be allowed to “try out” instruments from various instrument groups. Click here to download, view and print more information on Instrument Selection Night.

In order to join 6th grade band or orchestra, students must select an instrument that they will learn, practice and perform for the school year. Click this link to sign-up for your appointment at your designated school and date. 

“Captain Jack Sparrow” made an appearance at Penn High School today (Tuesday, January 30) performing the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song for 4th and 5th grade students. This mini concert is a great way to introduce students to instruments they might not be familiar with as they think about what possible instrument they might want to pursue in middle school. In P-H-M middle schools, students can pursue orchestra, band or choir as a Fine Arts elective.

Students got a real treat … the Orchestra’s drummers performed a sown written by Senior Clayton Hopper; it was called “March of the Clumsy.” All the drummers performed it together to demo percussion.

Due to scheduling logistics, only half of P-H-M elementary schools participated traveled to Penn for this year’s show. The other half attended last year. That way every P-H-M student will see the show in either 4th grade or a 5th grade. 

Take a look at the photo gallery below …

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The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation’s ENL Services’ is sponsoring the District’s FREE Community Connections Fair!

Come check out what the Mishawaka, South Bend, and Elkhart communities have to offer to your families!

P-H-M is inviting area businesses who want to participate in the Community Connections Fair to sign up. Click here to request a table at the event. 

The Fair will also include cultural performances from P-H-M students and families. Families wishing to sign up to perform, click here.

Bilingual interpreters will be on hand at the event to assist those families who need it.

Come out and enjoy the many cultural performances and student work that will be on display representing countries from all over the world! 

Please join us! Click here to download and share the flyer.

For more information, please contact:
Rylee Jacobson
P-H-M Elementary ENL Coordinator
(574) 271-8598, Ext. 50913
rjacobson@phm.k12.in.us

Boys in grades 2nd to 8th are invited to participate in “Back to School” Basketball League at Penn High School.

2nd – 6th grade League

DATES: September 24th; Oct. 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd 29th

LOCATION:

• 2nd-4th, Penn Fitness Center
• 5th-6th, Main Arena/West Balcony/Aux Gym Time

TIMES:

• 2nd-4th, Sundays, Noon – 4:00 p.m.
• 5th-6th, Sundays, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

COST: $99

Click here to register online.

7th & 8th grade League

DATES: September 10th, 17th, 24th; Oct. 1st, 8th

LOCATION: Penn High School

TIMES: Sundays, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

COST: $79

Click here to register online.

Questions? Please contact the League Director Coach Smith if you have any questions at jsmith5@phm.k12.in.us

Penn Girls Basketball Head Coach Kristi Ulrich is once again offering a fall youth basketball league 

The “Junior” League is open to girls in 3rd – 6th grades. The “Senior” League is for student-athletes in 7th & 8th grades. All those participating in the ”Senior” league MUST live in the P-H-M District or attend a P-H-M School.

Sign-ups are on Sunday, September 10  from 12 – 2 p.m. in the Penn High School Main Arena. Enter Door D. 

The League runs September 17th – November 12th with a single elimination tournament for all age groups.

All games will be played on Sundays at Penn High School in the Main Arena, Auxiliary and West Balcony courts. Tournament times may vary on Nov. 12th.

Weekly Game Times are:

• 3rd & 4th grades: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• 5th & 6th grades: 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
• 7th & 8th grades: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Click here to download the PDF with more information and to register.

The 2023-2024 District Activities Calendar was mailed to the homes of P-H-M families the last week of July.

The calendar provides key dates for testing, recess breaks, and school specific events (for the schools that provided the information).

You can click here to view a PDF copy of the calendar. You can also view a one-page of the 2023-2024 school calendar that shows the school year at a glance.

The P-H-M District online (Google) calendar is the most up-to-date. You can add this district and any school calendar to your own personal Google calendar.

Each of our 15 schools also maintains an online calendar that is updated frequently with the school’s scheduled activities and event details. You’ll need to visit your school’s website to add that calendar to your personal Google calendar. 

In February, the 5th grade Show Choir performed at St. Paul’s Senior Living Facility. So when the Choir started training for their spring performance, they thought it would be a good idea to invited the St. Paul’s residents to visit Horizon!

So on Thursday, May 11, the Show Choir hosted a special luncheon, prepared by Horizon staff. After the lunch, the residents stayed to watch the 5th grade Show Choir their in-school dress rehearsal of their “Rock On Concert” 

Needless to say the show, under Mr. Jon West’s direction, did NOT disappoint! 

Running is Elementary races were postponed until Wednesday, May 3 due to the weather on Monday, May 1.

The races will still take place at Elm Road Elementary, 59400 Elm Rd, Mishawaka.

WHEN: Introductions start at 2:50 p.m.
Race Order
5th Girls: 3:00 p.m.
5th Boys: 3:20 p.m.
4th Girls: 3:40 p.m.
4th Boys: 4:00 p.m.

PARKING INFO:
South Bend Orthopedics: 60160 Bodnar Blvd, Mishawaka
Grissom Middle School: 13881 Kern Rd, Mishawaka
Shuttles start at 2:30 p.m.

ALL Runners picked up no later than 4:30 p.m. at Elm Road Elementary School. Runners may leave following their run and checking out with the coach.

P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker wrapped up his busy week of surprises this afternoon at Horizon Elementary School by naming Teacher’s Aide Julie Mead as the Classified Employee of the Year. Dr. Thacker and Horizon Principal Amy Fadorsen popped into a kindergarten class where Mead was leading a Reading Learning Club session. Mead was so taken off guard she didn’t realize the award was actually for her until Dr. Thacker said her name. Click to watch the video below, and click here to view the photo gallery on the PHM website.

Mead first came to P-H-M as a parent. All of her three children have attended P-H-M schools and she says grateful for all the opportunities P-H-M has provided for her children and now herself, “Best decision we could have made, not only for our three kids, but for our family as a whole. Not only have they had wonderful educational experiences, but I’ve been able to find a job that is more like a family at Horizon.”

Mead started working at P-H-M in January 2019 as a Universal Substitute at Horizon. A year later she transitioned to a Teacher’s Aide position, staying at Horizon. This school year, Mead has also become an Early Learning Academy Teacher’s Aide–the only ELA Teacher’s Aide at Horizon! 

Mead loves that she’s able to interact with students and staff throughout the building, “The job of a TA is a unique one. You spend so much of your day in small time frames all over the building. I touch each grade level daily. I get to learn about each and every year these students spend in the building and I get to help them year after year grow in their learning.” Mead says she’s found her calling as a TA, “I count it a blessing to be able to help so many all over the building! … There is so much joy in my day to be able to see those little lightbulbs go off above the students’ heads.”

Mead is appreciated not just for the assistance she provides in the classroom, but for what she does  outside the classroom as well. Her list of school activities include: leading staff after school workouts, helping coach Horizon’s “Running is Elementary” teams, taking care of Horizon’s outdoor learning space known as the environmental lab, serving as a school traffic guard through VSS, and organizing a school blood drive for staff and the community.

Horizon teacher Jeffrey Hardman, who nominated Mead, explains how important she is to the building community “Mrs. Mead personality helps lift up those around her. She goes above and beyond what is needed in our workplace. She brings a cheery and secure personality to work each day.” Hardman also states her “positive behaviors have left us all feeling better at the end of the day.”

There were two surprise announcements earlier this week for P-H-M Teachers of the Year. On Monday, April 24, P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Thacker surprised Walt Disney Music Teacher Mr. Robi Davidson naming him P-H-M Elementary Teacher of the Year. The next day (Tuesday, April 25) he surprised Penn High School AP History Teacher and Tennis Coach Mr. Eric Bowers and named him Secondary Teacher of the Year. Julie Mead was named Classified Employee of the Year on Friday, April 28.

The Teachers of the Year and the Employee of the Year awardees are officially recognized at P-H-M’s annual Employee Recognition & Retiree Dinner which will take place Wednesday, May 17th.