Grissom placed 7th out of 25 teams in the Junior Class 2 Area Competition on November 1. Only eight16 teams are moving on to the Spell Bowl State Championships on Saturday, November 11.

Congratulations to our Mr. Josh Kelver, our Guardsmen Spell Bowl team, and the other three teams for representing P-H-M well!

• Discovery: Class 1 Junior Champions with the highest overall score in their class, with 6 perfect spellers and 2 near perfect spellers

• Schmucker: placed 7th out of 39 teams, with 16 teams moving on to the Class 1 Junior Championship

• Penn: finished in 2nd place with five perfect spellers

Now that's how you spell #PHMExcellence!!!

Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker awarded three more P-H-M teachers with the Impact Award today (Monday, October 2). Dr. Thacker visited Walt Disney Elementary, Elsie Rogers Elementary and Grissom Middle School. Awards handed out this time around were to the following teachers:

• Matt Serge, 3^rd grade teacher at Walt Disney
• Kara Flanagan, 1^st grade teacher at Elsie Rogers
• Josh Kelver, 8^th grade ELA teacher at Grissom Middle School

The P-H-M Impact Award is presented to educators who have helped their students achieve individual academic growth on their formative assessments over time. All P-H-M teachers across the district are dedicated to helping their students achieve personal academic success. The P-H-M Impact Award is shining the spotlight on those teachers who are showing the most significant overall student growth during the 2022-2023 school year. They are prime examples of how our teachers and students achieve P-H-M Excellence!

Dr. Thacker popped in and surprised the teachers with the help of the school principals, Disney’s Dr. Higginson, Elsie’s Christy Campbell, and Grissom’s Jenn Sinclair. Dr. Thacker was also joined by P-H-M administrators Assistant Superintendent Dr. Heather Short and Director of Professional Development Dr. Lavon Dean-Null.

Josh Kelver had the highest growth class section in 8th grade ELA across P-H-M (15% higher than the second highest class)! Mr. Kelver’s class went from 8% proficiency at the beginning of year, to 75% proficiency on ILEARN. That’s the highest average growth across all 8th grade P-H-M ELA teachers! Mr. Kelver’s wife, Ashley Kelver, also works at Grissom, so she was able to be included in the the surprise. Check out all the photos of today’s award presentations on Facebook.

Matt Serge was recognized for having the highest growth in ELA of all Title I 3rd grade teachers in P-H-M! Mr. Serge’s class went from 9% (Clear Sight) to 55% proficiency on ILEARN; that’s 21% higher than average Title I proficiency growth!

At Elsie Rogers, the team caught Kara Flanagan completely off-guard. The students really got into the surprise. Flanagan had the highest growth of all P-H-M Title I first grade teachers! 90% of her students had average or higher growth for their overall Dibels composite growth; and 58% of her students were in the “above average” or “well above average” categories!

We thank the P-H-M Education Foundation for covering the cost of the awards.

There are more P-H-M teachers to recognize in the days, weeks and months ahead!

As part of the annual statewide College GO! Week, Grissom Middle School has taken their commitment to promoting higher education to new heights. With a dedicated team of students and counselors, the school has been actively participating in this event by creating daily features for WGMS, along with hosting engaging activities and giveaways to inspire students to pursue a college education.

Each day during College GO! Week, the WGMS morning show has been the talk of the school. The talented student crew has been diligently producing informative and entertaining segments about the benefits of attending college. These segments cover a wide range of topics, from highlighting area schools to asking what colleges staff members attended to asking fellow students what their dream college is, the goal is to show how attainable college success is.

But the excitement doesn't stop with the morning show. Grissom's dedicated counselors have been hard at work as well. They've been conducting special lessons in advisory classes focused on what students need to know about college. These lessons are designed to empower students with the knowledge and tools they need to pursue higher education successfully.

As College GO! Week continues, the students and staff at Grissom Middle School are excited to see the positive impact their efforts will have on inspiring a new generation of college-bound individuals. 

For more updates and highlights from Grissom Middle School's College GO! Week celebrations, be sure to tune in to WGMS's morning show!

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

This year’s annual Community Tailgate will be a great way to kick off the return of the Backyard Brawl between the Kingsmen and the Mishawaka Cavemen. 

All fans are welcome, Cavemen and Kingsmen! There’s plenty of food for fans on both sides.

Gates open at 5:00 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the South End Zone, near the Zolman’s Tire & Auto Care South Concession Stand.

As stated in Board Policy 9130, parents are welcome to provide feedback related to curriculum materials.  The information submitted on this form will be directed to the building principal.

Click here to fill out and submit Instructional Material Feedback form.

The School Counseling Office at Grissom helps students make good choices (academically, personally, and socially) as they learn and grow.

To contact Grissom’s Counseling Office, please call the main line at (574) 968-9628 and ask to be transferred to the Counseling Office, or press the prompt to be directed to the Guidance Office.

You can also click here to fill out an online Appointment Request for during school hours.

Contact Your Counselor

Amy Murray: Students last name H-O. 
Click here to send an email.  

SKYWARD

Students and parents are encouraged to check SKYWARD weekly to keep progress of grades.

Please visit the P-H-M website for the Parents Guide to Technology and more information on logging on to Skyward.

If you need assistance with your account, click here to email P-H-M Technology Department.

21st Century Scholars Program

After the passage of House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1449-2023, 7th and 8th grade Hoosier students who are financially eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch will be automatically enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars Program. Parents and guardians of eligible students no longer need to complete an application for their students to participate. However, if students do not receive Free and Reduced Price Lunch, but meet the income guidelines, parents or guardians can enroll them from the time they enter 7th grade to June 30 of their 8th-grade year. 

Students who are automatically enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars program must meet all requirements to obtain the scholarship upon graduation.

Please click here for more information on the 21st Century Scholarship website.

LearnMore Indiana

LearnMore Indiana, Indiana’s Pre-K College connection, supports and encourages lifelong learning for all Indiana citizens. Up-to-date materials, helpful checklists and other valuable resources and tools provide parents, students, school counselors and others with information about every aspect of education from early learning, to K-12, to college and careers. Check out this great website! www.learnmoreindiana.org

Great Homework Help at Night

STUDENTS: if you need help with Math or Science homework, please try the “Homework Hotline” at 1-877-ASK-ROSE. 

It’s a FREE SERVICE from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.  Our students in the past have found it very helpful, or try their website at  www.askrose.org. They are open 5 PM – 10 PM (ET), Sunday through Thursday.

Be Safe!

Students are encouraged to talk to a trusted adult if they know someone who is having suicidal thoughts. Click here for resources students can use to talk/text with a trained professional.

Crisis Text Line: text “HOME” to 741741 to connect with a live volunteer Crisis Counselor and talk about your thoughts and feelings.

The school incident report is to be completed within 30 minutes of any and all threats or code of conduct violations that involve any violations of the 5772 Weapons guidelines to include the possession of a firearm in or on school property, in or on property that is being used by a school for a school function, or on a school bus is a felony (I.C. 35-47-9-2) and is prohibited by Board policy. Possession includes storing the firearm in a personal vehicle while on school property. This prohibition applies to all students including those who have a personal protection permit to carry a handgun. The term “weapon” means any object which, in the manner in which it is used, is intended to be used, or is represented, is capable of inflicting serious bodily harm or property damage, as well as endangering the health and safety of persons. Weapons include, but are not limited to, firearms, tasers, handguns, stun guns, guns of any type, including air and gas-powered guns (whether loaded or unloaded), knives, razors, clubs, electric weapons, chemical weapons, metallic knuckles, martial arts weapons, ammunition, and destructive devices (bomb, incendiary, grenade, Molotov cocktail, rocket, with a propellant charge of more than four (4) ounces, etc.). Any student who has reason to believe that a person has or will violate this guideline shall report to the school principal or the supervisor of the activity immediately. The report should include as much detail as possible concerning the person(s) involved, the weapon, the location of the person(s), and how this information was obtained. Details of the incident must be included in the incident report to be shared with the Director of Communications.

Fall