GMS Honors Veterans

Grissom Middle School held a Veterans Day celebration on Friday, November 10th, 2023, to honor and express gratitude to our veterans. The event was a heartfelt tribute to those who have served in the armed forces.

The ceremony featured a patriotic songs performed by the school's choir and orchestra, creating a fitting atmosphere for the occasion. Students and staff gathered in the school's cafeteria to pay their respects and recognize the sacrifices made by veterans.

During the event, veterans from the local community were invited to stand and be recognized.

The Veterans Day celebration at Grissom Middle School served as a meaningful opportunity for students to learn about and appreciate the sacrifices made by veterans and to express their gratitude. 

Grissom Spell Bowl Team Heading to State Championship

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!!!

PHM 2023 Secondary Spell Bowl Teams

Mr. Kelver Receives P-H-M Impact Award

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, 3rd grade teacher at Walt Disney
  • Kara Flanagan, 1st grade teacher at Elsie Rogers
  • Josh Kelver, 8th 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!

Grissom Middle School Celebrates College GO! Week

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.

WGMS

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.

Grissom Counselors and Principal

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!

students holding Grissom Swag

“Back to School” Boys Basketball League

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

2023 Community Tailgate

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.

PTO Meeting Minutes

Please Click the Date to view the PTO Meeting Minutes

Current Years Minutes

8-1-17

9-19-17

11-13-17

12-12-12

05/14/18

Minutes from 2016-2017

1-12-17

1-30-17

2-27-17

3-27-17

4-24-17

Back to School Information

Girl in school uniform standing next to a yellow school bus.

 

We’re thrilled to welcome back all of our 11,000+ students and are excited to help all our students achieve Excellence.

The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 19, 2026 for grades 1 – 12.

  • All students in 1st through 12th grades will report to their school buildings that day, and all those who are signed up for transportation services may ride the bus that day.  
  • Kindergarten orientation takes place on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 with the first full day of kindergarten being Thursday, August 20th,

BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS. MARK CALENDAR & ATTEND! 

  • Our elementary schools are hosting many fun Back to School family events starting the week of August 10th. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal. 
  • All three Middle Schools are also planning a Walk-Around on Thursday, August 13th. Be on the lookout from communication directly from your school principal. Make sure you mark your calendar and plan to attend!
  • Penn is hosting a “Walk Around” to help parents and students get familiar with the school:
    • Penn High School’s “WALK AROUND” on Saturday, August 15, from 9 a.m. – Noon gives students a chance to familiarize themselves with the school and find where their classes and activities are located.

The BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION listed below will help P-H-M parents and students get ready for the 2026-27 School Year! 

CONTACTING SCHOOLS OVER THE SUMMER

ENROLLING YOUR STUDENT

BACK TO SCHOOL PACKETS & FORMS

  • Back to School packet & information sheets can be found in ParentSquare under LINKS in the right column
  • Parent/guardians are asked to these three forms in ParentSquare as soon as possible:
    • Photo Consent
    • Mandatory Curriculum Consent
    • Handbook Certification   
  • These forms will be in Skyward Family Access:
    • CHIRP Release
    • Chromebook packet
    • Authorization to administer non-prescription medication at school

Click here for more information on how to login into your Skyward Family Access account

SCHOOL CALENDARS

  • Here is the SY 2026-27 one-page calendar showing “at a glance” the start and end dates, as well as scheduled recess and vacation dates.
  • All P-H-M families are mailed a District Activities Calendar early August. It lists key school and district events throughout the year.
  • Our online (Google) calendars are the most up-to-date. You’ll find a link to the P-H-M Corporate Calendar posted on the home page of the District website. It’s a Google calendar that can be added to your personal calendar.
  • Each school also maintains an online Google calendar on the home page of each school website that is updated frequently with the school’s scheduled activities and event details. This is also visible in your school’s ParentSquare portal.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

  • All P-H-M schools provide basic school supplies to our students, free of charge. Therefore, our schools do not issue supply lists. You will need to purchase a backpack, water bottle, lunch box, and other items you want your child to have at home or take with them to school. If other specific items need to be purchased for a class or lab, your child’s teacher will inform you after school starts.  

IMMUNIZATIONS AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES

TRANSPORTATION

CELL PHONE POLICY

  • Beginning with the 2026-27 School Year, Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 78 (SEA 78) requires that personal wireless communication devices are powered off and not accessible to students during the school day. 
  • This law is applicable to all levels: elementary, middle and Penn High School.
  • More information on how this new law will be implemented will be shared with families before the start of the school year.

FOOD SERVICE

PARENTSQUARE

  • Penn-Harris-Madison uses ParentSquare to send urgent alerts, such as school closings and delays.
  • Click here for instructions on setting up your account.
  • Principals and teachers also use it for non curricular school and classroom communications.
  • Once your account is set up, families can chose their preferred mode of communication for non-urgent notifications–app, text, email, phone. You can also chose to have all communications automatically translated to your preferred first language. Click here for details on how to personalize your account and check your notification settings.

CLOSINGS/DELAYS PROCEDURES

 

PHM's Triangle of SuccessPenn-Harris-Madison’s culture of excellence, what we call #PHMExcellence, is built upon the “Triangle of Success”– linking students, teachers, and parents for the the best outcome for students. Success depends on supportive parents … help us help your children!

PARENTS Click here for ways to stay informed, as well getting connected and volunteering.