Nearly 200 third, fourth, and fifth grade students participated in P-H-M’s 31st annual Elementary Spell Bowl on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Each of the 11 elementary schools fielded three six-person teams (plus one alternate) representing grades 3, 4, and 5.

This year’s winners were a mixture from the schools:

3rd Grade Winners:

• 1st place– Prairie Vista with 24 points, coached by Ms. Shannon Sherman

Adrian Cooray, Katie Kuzmic, Maddie Kuzmic, Kelsey Meyer, Joshua Oh, Anabelle Rebolloso, and Brooqlin Vargas

• 2nd place- tie Northpoint and Walt Disney with 21 points each
• 3rd place– Horizon with 20 points

4^th Grade Winners:

1. 1st place- Walt Disney with 28 points, coached by Ms. Christine Austin
2. 2nd place– Northpoint with 27 points
3. 3rd place- Mary Frank with 24 points

5^th Grade Winners:

• 1st place- Northpoint with 29 points, coached by Mrs. Charity Ford and Mrs. Jen Payne
• 2nd place– tie Prairie Vista and Walt Disney with 28 points each

Bella BauerMatias DahlLibby EshowskyAnsar FitwiMichael GreenleeLorelei MurrayLia Pinckert

• 3rd place– Bittersweet with 27 points

The teams spend weeks preparing for Spell Bowl with their teacher coaches. They may study word lists, learn about derivations (e.g., Latin roots) and rules (e.g., capitalization, pluralization), and how to spell correctly under pressure.

The format of the Spell Bowl is more like a written test. The emcee reads a word and uses the word in a sentence, the students listen and then write it on paper within a 15-second time limit. The students’ written entries are reviewed by a panel of judges and then their score is posted in front of the audience. Each correct word spelling is worth one point.

The annual event is held in Penn High School’s Center for Performing Arts to not only accommodate all the student teams, but also their fans—family, friends and other staff from their home schools.

Mrs. Anne-Marie Reininga, P-H-M’s K-5 High Ability Coordinator, manages the Spell Bowl and works to assure that it is a positive and enriching experience for students. Academic competition can give students confidence, increase their motivation to sharpen their skills and abilities, and expand their opportunities to receive recognition.

Kids Club will be open for Spring Break 2017!

WHEN: Monday, April 3 – Friday, April 7

                 6:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

                *House of Bounce Carnival Day on Friday, April 7

WHERE: at the Mary Frank Elementary School location

                    13111 Adams Road, Granger (Entry through Door H) 

COST: $25 per child, per day + $10 activity fee per child

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Payment due Monday, March 27

                                                         Click here to download and print the registration form

Questions? Please contact Kailey Campanaro at (574) 258-9514 or Ashley Stoffl at (574) 258-9587 or click here for more information about P-H-M’s Kids Club program.

THE DEADLINE IS NOW EXTENDED TO WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1!

P-H-M’s annual Young Author’s Conference offers an opportunity for all P-H-M elementary students in grades K-5 and their parents to meet and learn from a well-known children’s author.

This year’s guest author Judith L. Roth has written three children’s picture books (Goodnight Dragons, Julia’s Words and Cups Held Out) and a middle school novel-in-verse, Serendipity & Me. A native of California, Roth has been a resident of Indiana for almost 30 years now. Inspired by a love of music, Roth also writes some poetry. Her love of writing began with her love of reading when she was a student herself at the age 10. Roth is hoping to inspire other budding young authors like she once was!

While students are meeting with their peers, parents will attend a special presentation by Penn High School English teacher and Writing Coordinator, Mrs. Mary Nicolini, who is a recent recipient of the University of Chicago’s Outstanding Educator Award.

The Young Author’s Conference is sponsored by Corporations for Education, a division of the P-H-M Education Foundation.

DATE: Saturday, March 11, 2017

TIME: 8:45 – 11:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Schmucker Middle School, 56045 Bittersweet Road

COST: Just $5.00 per child; the registration fee is used for conference expenses. Checks should be made payable to: YAC. Cash is also accepted. 

REGISTRATION: The deadline for registration is now Wed., March 1, 2017.  Please make sure you return the registration packet and fee to the front office by March 1. Please contact your child’s school, if you did not receive one. We require that at least one parent accompany their student(s) to the Conference. However, keep in mind that students and parents will separate for a portion of the day.

CONFIRMATION: Participating students will receive additional information prior to the conference through their home school the first week of March.

QUESTIONS: Please click here to email Lisa Duerksen.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” offering choir, band, orchestra and even piano at our three middle schools.

Every P-H-M student who will be attending a P-H-M middle school as an incoming 6th grader in the Fall has the opportunity to join an instrumental music class, which includes either band or orchestra.

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.  

“Instrument Selection Night” is when students and families get to make their choice!

At “Instrument Selection Night,” a music professional musician will be availability 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.

Please see the dates and times below for your students’ soon-to-be middle school …

Schmucker Middle School

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Wednesday, Feb. 22

4:30-8:00 p.m.

Click here to learn more about Instrument Night and to make your appointment for designated school and date.

Registration for kindergarten students for the 2017-2018 school year will begin at each P-H-M elementary school on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. 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.

Penn-Harris-Madison has 11 elementary schools, each offering full-day kindergarten. You may use the P-H-M Street Guide and the District Map to verify which elementary school serves your neighborhood. 

Registration will take place at the schools during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in most cases. The offices at Elsie Rogers Elementary School and Moran Elementary School will take registrations from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Please note a parent or guardian must appear in person to register their child and will need to bring following documentation:

1. Child’s original birth certificate

2. Two proofs of residency (e.g., recent lease/rental agreement and current utility bill showing address)

3. Immunization records

4. Any legal documents related to child custody, restrictions, or restraining orders

Click here to download and print the required registration forms and for other important kindergarten registration details.

When the general election takes place Tuesday, November 8, 2016, Prairie Vista will house a polling center, as it has in the past.

Voters should park in the north lot, near the portable classrooms. Voting will take place in the portable classrooms. Voters will not be allowed access into the school building. 

Other P-H-M schools that will serve as voting locations in this fall’s election are Penn High School, Schmucker Middle School, Mary Frank Elementary School, Meadow’s Edge Elementary School, and Walt Disney Elementary School.

Of course registered voters may only use the polling location that serves their precinct, based on home address.  Here is a link to the precincts maps and polling location information provided by St. Joseph County.

After years of planning and fundraising, Prairie Vista’s tennis courts are back open!

Yesterday (Thurs., Sept. 22), students came out and enjoyed Tennis “Fun Day” as part of Prairie Vista University, an after-school enrichment program. See the full photo gallery below.

The South Bend Racquet Club provided the lessons and Urban Swirl donated frozen yogurt treats to help cool the students off.

Tennis “Fun Day” was a great way to celebrate the year-and-a-half long and $36,000 in fundraising project. It was a proud moment for those who had volunteered either their time in planning and/or clean-up, as well as those who contributed financially.  

The surface of all four courts had become “unplayable” because of extensive cracking. The costs of maintenance and repair had greatly increased since Penn-Harris-Madison first built the courts. Thanks to some dedicated Puma parents and community support private dollars were raised for the project, helping the School Corporation to bridge the funding gap. The goal … to have the courts resurfaced to tennis competition grade!

Now Prairie Vista students will be able to learn to play tennis as part of the PE curriculum and also have access to the courts as a part of after school programs. 

As a community project this means members of the Granger community and neighbors of the school will also be able to use the courts to play tennis. The upgraded courts will also make it possible for USTA to hold small, entry level tournaments at our school. Penn High School’s girl’s tennis team also plans to hold a free beginners tennis camp during the summer.

Project Financial Support

Lead Contributors ($10,000+)
UTSA Midwest, Northern Indiana Section
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation

Major Contributors ($500+)
Steve and Lisa Gerber

Robert and Jan Hoenk

Dave and Jen Ludwig

Rolan and Cynthia Pascual

Chris and Cindy Shepherd

Ironwood Family Dentistry

JSK Development, Inc.

Lionshead Specialty Tire & Wheel, LLC

P-H-M Education Foundation

Prairie Vista PTO

Prairie Vista and its neighboring community are very grateful for the many additional donors and volunteers, too numerous to list here, that made this project possible.

We are extremely grateful to all of those who have donated their time in planning and cleanup hours, as well as funding to this project. This project is a perfect example of P-H-M’s “Triangle of Success”—connecting, students, teachers and parents to make remarkable things happen in our school district.

We also thank Leslie Coatings, an Indianapolis firm that specializes in the resurfacing of outdoor sports facilities, for performing the work and doing such a wonderful job.

Thursday, Aug. 25 was the first day of school for P-H-M’s littlest students … kindergartners!

District wide, there are nearly 800 kindergartners in all 11 of P-H-M’s elementary schools.

This year Prairie Vista has 85 new little “PUMAS” beaming with PUMA PRIDE!

All of our teachers were so pleased by this year’s kindergarten class. All the students are quick learners, well behaved, polite, funny and of course … cute!

Scroll through the pictures below to see how they spent their first day! You can also check out our district photo gallery of the first day of kindergarten.

Penn High School’s state championship girls basketball program will conduct a community-sponsored girls basketball league for girls in Grades 3-8.

Sign-up is on Sunday, Aug. 28 in the Penn High School Arena from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Junior League is for girls in Grades 3-6, and the Senior League is for girls in Grades 7-8.

• Click here for the Junior League (Grades 3-6) schedule and registration information.

• Click here for the Senior League (Grades 7-8) schedule and registration information.

The league begins on Sunday, Sept. 11. 

*Adobe Acrobat Reader will be required to view PDFs. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, please visit Adobe’s website at this link www.get.adobe.com/reader/ to download your free version. If you need more help with basketball registration, please contact Kristi Ulrich at kulrich@phm.k12.in.us