P-H-M’s Annual Community Tailgate is a long-standing tradition that brings families, students, staff, and community members together to show their Penn pride. The event is held before the Penn Football home opener and is a chance for everyone across the district to connect, celebrate, and support the Kingsmen.

This year’s home opener will be “The Backyard Brawl” against Mishawaka on Friday, August 29th, 2025. Click here for game ticket info.

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 at the Yeoman Family Plaza.

Friday night marks the 67th meeting between Penn and Mishawaka. Penn leads the all-time series 49-16-1. 

Penn-Harris-Madison invites students, families, alumni, and community members to celebrate Homecoming 2025 on Friday, September 26, 2025 courtesy of the PHM Education Foundation.

The annual celebration includes the Homecoming Parade on Bittersweet Road in front of Penn High School, showcasing student groups, athletic teams, school clubs, and community organizations, followed by the Penn Kingsmen football game against South Bend Adams at Everwise Freed Field.

This is an event for the ENTIRE community and will have activities for people of all ages. Mark your calendars and plan to join in the fun! More details will be shared closer to the date.

Today, the top 10 students with the most reading minutes in January had the honor of unveiling Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine—a brand-new addition to the Elsie Rogers Elementary library designed to inspire a love of reading.

The book vending machine is part of an exciting literacy incentive program, where students earn special tokens to “purchase” a book from the machine. The best part? The books are theirs to keep, encouraging a sense of pride and enthusiasm for reading. The criteria for earning tokens are still being finalized and will be shared with students soon.

This wonderful initiative was made possible through funding from the P-H-M Education Foundation, which provided the vending machine, valued at up to $7,169, to enhance literacy opportunities at the school.

With the tagline “Feeding Your Mind One Book at a Time,” this book vending machine is set to make reading more exciting and accessible for the Elsie Rogers community!

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Due to the absence of local, state, or national elections on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, all P-H-M schools will be in session on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.  P-H-M will no longer have a Recess Day on this date.

As a result, the last day of school for students will now be Thursday, June 5, 2025. This is one day earlier than previously scheduled. P-H-M Teachers Association worked collaboratively with the District Administration to make these calendar changes.

Indiana law requires schools to be in session for 180 days each year. If necessary, P-H-M can utilize up to three weather-related eLearning days, as permitted under Indiana law (HB-1093). If additional makeup days are needed, they will be added to the end of the school year, following the new last student day, Thursday, June 5, 2025. Currently, no eLearning days have been called.

The new 2024-2025 school year calendar is posted on the P-H-M website, click here to view the updated calendar.

Excitement filled Elsie Rogers Elementary today as Jennifer Turnblom, Executive Director of the PHM Education Foundation (PHMEF), visited to surprise teacher Hollie Truckowski with a grant award. Ms. Turnblom presented Ms. Truckowski with a check for $7,169.00 to fund the purchase of a book vending machine for the school.

The vending machine will be part of an incentive program designed to encourage literacy and student engagement. Students will have the opportunity to earn tokens, which they can use to select books from the vending machine. Each book is theirs to keep, promoting a lifelong love of reading. The vending machine will feature PHMEF branding and will be placed prominently in a high-traffic area, such as the school library or lobby, to maximize visibility and accessibility.

This innovative project underscores the commitment of Elsie Rogers Elementary and PHMEF to enhancing learning opportunities and fostering a culture of reading. Congratulations to Ms. Truckowski and the Elsie Rogers community on this exciting addition to the school!

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The jungle came alive at Elsie Rogers Elementary School as students performed the beloved Disney musical, The Jungle Book KIDS. In a special daytime performance, 3rd-5th grade students were treated to a showcase of talent, humor, and energy.

Tomorrow, younger students in K-2nd grade will have their chance to experience the magic during another daytime performance.

Evening shows are scheduled for November 21st and 22nd at 6:30 p.m., giving families and community members an opportunity to enjoy the production.

Based on the classic Disney animated film, The Jungle Book KIDS follows Mowgli, a young boy banished from the jungle by the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan. With the help of his loyal panther friend, Bagheera, and the fun-loving bear, Baloo, Mowgli embarks on an unforgettable adventure. The story is filled with colorful characters, jazzy musical numbers, and exciting challenges, from a sly snake named Kaa to a wild encounter with King Louie and his band of monkeys.

Elsie Rogers’ student performers have embraced the vibrant energy of the jungle with enthusiasm and charm, making the show a delight for all ages. The cast features a variety of roles, allowing many students to shine, whether as main characters or as members of the lively jungle ensemble.

Elsie students performed their first “off-Broadway” production in November 2022, putting on Seussical The Musical. Thanks to a grant from the P-H-M Education Foundation, we were able to purchase some of the equipment to make these productions possible.

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Second-grade students from Title 1 schools had a creative and educational adventure as part of the Young at Art program this week. This program aims to blend literacy and artistic expression for Title 1 schools. Hosted at Penn High School, the event provided a unique opportunity for young learners to connect with older peers through a series of interactive and engaging activities.

The photos in this story are from Tuesday, November 19th when Elsie Rogers visited, but over the course of the week there were many classes from different schools who came to Penn.

The day kicked off with a painting session led by Penn High School art students, where the second graders created cloud-themed artworks. This creative exercise set the stage for the next part of their journey — a storytime session with Penn English classes. The high school students read an engaging story about clouds, sparking curiosity and imagination among the younger learners.

Building on their newfound knowledge, the Elsie Rogers students reflected on what they learned from the story by expressing their thoughts through writing. This meaningful combination of art and literacy helped reinforce their learning and encouraged self-expression.

Additional activities added further excitement and hands-on experience. Students designed shoe prints and explored cloud types by identifying them on a mural crafted by the high school art students. Each station offered a chance to learn, create, and collaborate in a welcoming and stimulating environment.

Young at Art continues to exemplify the power of creativity in education, fostering connections between younger students and their high school mentors while integrating literacy and artistic skills in a memorable way.

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Our kindergarten students embraced the fall season with a month-long pumpkin adventure! Throughout October, these young learners explored everything there is to know about pumpkins. This hands-on learning experience sparked creativity and curiosity, as each student had the chance to decorate their very own pumpkin in a way that reflected their unique style.

But the real highlight of the pumpkin project happened on November 1st, when students were given the chance to launch their decorated pumpkins into an open field using a “water balloon launcher”  The children excitedly waited their turn before catapulting their pumpkins through the air!

The activity was not only a unique way to end their pumpkin studies but also brought lots of laughter and excitement as students cheered each launch.

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At our school, outstanding bus behavior doesn’t go unnoticed! Each month, students who display exceptional conduct on the school bus are awarded golden tickets for their efforts. These tickets are entered into a drawing, where winners are selected for a special treat—a breakfast with the principal!

The Rockstar Bus Behavior Breakfast is a fun and meaningful way to encourage students to show respect, kindness, and responsibility while traveling to and from school. Winning students get to enjoy a delicious breakfast and spend time with the principal, who shares encouraging words and celebrates their commitment to positive behavior.

In addition to rewarding good behavior, students are instructed on good table manners including how to be friendly with others who are sitting at their table, even if they have never met before.

If your child didn’t get selected this month, it’s okay because this is a monthly activity and they may get picked next month!

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Penn-Harris-Madison is thrilled to announce that Kathy Green, a dedicated P-H-M bus driver for over 22 years, has been named the Culver’s Bus Driver of the Month for October 2024!

While today’s presentation was made at Elsie Rogers, Kathy drives a bus for Bittersweet, Elsie Rogers and Schmucker Middle School and is beloved at each school.

Kathy’s long-standing commitment to safety and her warm, friendly atmosphere on the bus have earned high praise from parents across the district.

We’re grateful to Culver’s and the P-H-M Education Foundation for supporting this monthly recognition, which celebrates the vital role our bus drivers play in the community. Thank you, Kathy, for exemplifying #PHMExcellence on the road every day!

You can nominate your favorite bus driver here, phmexcellence.com/PHMBusDriverNomination.

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