Back to school immunization requirements for 2015-2016

The first day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 19 and that means along with school supplies, parents also need to make sure their children are up-to-date on their immunizations.

A record of your child’s immunizations are due to your student’s health office on or by the first day of school. All P-H-M schools are open to the public beginning Wednesday, Aug. 5 (7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.). You can drop off the records at the schools between Aug. 5 and Aug. 19.

Please find the list of required immunizations by grade levels listed below …

For incoming Kindergarten students:

  • 3 Hep B
  • 5 DTaP (4 doses are acceptable if the fourth dose was administered on or after the 4th birthday)
  • 4 Polio (the 3rd dose must be given on or after the 4th birthday and at least 6 months after the previous dose with only one type of vaccine used, all OPV or all IPV. Final 4th dose must be given on or after the 4th birthday and administered at least 6 months after the previous dose).
  • 2 MMR
  • 2  Varicella
  • 2 Hep A

 

Additional immunizations needed for incoming 6th grade students:

  • 1 Tdap (Tetanus & Pertussis)
  • 1st dose of MCV4 (Meningococcal conjugate)
     

Additional immunizations needed for incoming 12th grade students:

  • 2nd dose of MCV4 (Meningococcal conjugate)


Immunizations may be obtained from your family doctor, St. Joseph County Health Department, or other area clinics. Please call the school health office for resources.

For more information on state immunization requirements, please visit the P-H-M Healthcare Services webpage on our site.

 

Posted July 17, 2015 – 9:00 a.m. EDT

Keep Them Reading This Summer!

   

Keep Them Reading This Summer!

 
 

Check out these summer reading programs to keep your kids reading all summer long!

 
Barnes and Noble: Reading Journal
 
Pizza Hut: http://www.bookitsummer.com/                                                           
 
 
 
And check out the local libraries who are offering many summer reading programs as well!
 

IREAD 3 Results

95% of our 3rd grade students passed the IREAD 3 assessment during the 2014-2015 school year!  

Spotlight on Elsie Rogers

The Board of School Trustees chooses to meet at various P-H-M schools throughout the year. On May 11, their regular business meeting was hosted by Elsie Rogers Elementary School. Principal Christy Campbell and her staff arranged for a number of students and parents to be on hand and they shared some of the school's initiatives with board members and others in the audience.  Here is a link to a video that highlights some of what makes Elsie Rogers a successful learning community! 

Summer Visual Arts Academy is open to all elementary students

The 2015 Summer Visual Arts Academy is offered to all P-H-M elementary students – at no charge!

 

The Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame and Penn-Harris-Madison are teaming up to offer an extraordinary week-long summer learning experience for our students!

This exciting 2015 Visual Arts Academy will integrate art history, art production, and writing into a week-long, intensive and enriching learning experience that will challenge children to “think outside of the box.” Students will create works of art inspired by pieces in the Snite Museum’s collection as well as learn about museum objects through tours, reading and writing. A highlight will be a field trip to the Snite Museum of Art that all students will take, one day of the week.

P-H-M teachers, the Snite Museum's Curator of Education, and an Artist-in-Residence will lead this learning experience! Click here to watch the Visual Arts Academy.

Each five-day session is designed for a single grade level so children will interact with those of the same age, and the material and activities will be developmentally appropriate.

The Academy hours are 8:00 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Here are the scheduled dates for each grade level:

Kindergarten: June 8 – June 12, 2015

2nd Graders: June 15 – June 19, 2015

4th Graders: June 22 – June 26, 2015

1st Graders: July 6 – July 10, 2015

3rd Graders: July 13 – July 17, 2015

5th Graders: July 20 – July 24, 2015

The 2015 Visual Arts Academy will be held at Penn High School. Families are to provide daily transportation to and from Penn High School. Enter through Door C.

On the day of the field trip, P-H-M will provide school bus transportation from Penn to the Snite Museum and back to school before parent pick-up.

 

Registration for the Visual Arts Academy is now closed. If you have quetsions about your child's attendance, please contact the P-H-M Learning Division at 258-9588.

  •  

Positive tips on testing

Lately a lot of attention has been focused on state-mandated assessments.There is talk about what is being tested, how tests are administered, and how the results are used. The good news is that Penn-Harris-Madison has a long history of doing well on standardized testing, performing in the top 5% of districts statewide on ISTEP. This success depends largely on the Triangle of Success that connects parents, teachers and students working together to accomplish great things.

More good news: Parents can do a lot to help their students do their best when testing!  Know that standardized tests align with learning goals, or standards, that are being taught throughout the school year. Trying to study hard or “cram” at the last minute will not give your student an advantage. Instead, the best test preparation on the home front is your calm attitude and active support. That includes allowing for proper rest and good nutrition, and providing daily encouragement.

Facing challenges and learning to manage stress is a necessary part of growing up to be happy, productive and resilient. Parents can model those qualities for their children – and that’s just as important as any lesson learned in the classroom!

Immunization requirements for 2015-2016 school year

Your child’s health is important to us. It is well known that healthy children are in a better position to take advantage of the educational opportunities presented to them than children who are physically or emotionally struggling.

Immunizations are used to protect your children against certain diseases as well as other children in the school. Under Indiana Public Law, when a child enrolls in school his/her parent/guardian is required to furnish written proof that a child is fully immunized as required by the Indiana State Department of Health. Parents must furnish immunization paperwork to the school health office before the first day of school, which is August 19, 2015.

Immunizations may be obtained from your family doctor, St. Joseph County Health Department, or other area clinics. Please call the school health office for resources.

Minimum Immunization Requirements for 2015-2016 School Year

  • 5 doses of DtaP/DTP/DT or 4 doses are acceptable if the fourth dose was administered on or after the fourth birthday

  • 4 doses of Polio-the 4th dose must be on or after the fourth birthday and at least 6 months after the previous dose or another dose will be required or 3 doses are acceptable if all are IPV or all are OPV and the 3rd dose was given after the 4th birthday and at least 6 months after the previous dose.

  • 3 doses of Hepatitis B

  • 2 doses of MMR- on or after the first birthday

  • 2 doses of Varicella (chickenpox)-on or after the first birthday and separated by 3 months or written physician documentation of the month and year of disease.

  • 2 doses of Hepatitis A

Questions about immunizations can be directed to the school health office.