Students Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Walt Disney Elementary School

April 8 Solar Eclipse Information

While the Indianapolis area and south will experience 100% totality for the solar eclipse occurring on Monday, April 8, 2024, the St. Joseph County area will only experience 96%.

The Michiana area will start experiencing darkness at 1:53 p.m., lasting until 4:23 p.m., with 96% totality occurring at 3:09 p.m. and lasting just over 4 minutes.

Click to watch the video below and hear from P-H-M Digital Video Theater and Planetarium Director Melinda O’Malley as she shows us what to expect in our area.

Click here to see a Indiana Department of Natural Resources map of Indiana regions that will experience varying degrees of darkness. Click here to also get more background information on the Great American Eclipse website.

Because the partial eclipse time is occurring around elementary school dismissal times and based on the recommendations of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the IDOE, P-H-M will have an eLearning day on April 8. Click here for more information on that decision.

Thanks to Old National Bank and P-H-M Education Foundation, all students will have a pair of eclipse glasses to use at home when watching the eclipse with their families. The glasses will be sent home the week of March 25 before P-H-M’s Spring Break.

DVT Director Mrs. O’Malley demonstrates how the eclipse glasses should be used.

Mrs. Scoles Wins PHM Impact Award

Teachers whose students have seen significant First Semester growth, achieving individual improvement on their formative assessments over time, are being recognized with the P-H-M Impact Award. It’s quite an honor, and a surprise, to receive this award.

Today Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker visited Walt Disney to congratulate Kindergarten teacher Amy Scoles. Principal Dr. Mindy Higginson helped Dr. Thacker surprise Mrs. Scoles as she was teaching class. Click here to see the photo gallery below of today’s surprise.

Mrs. Scoles’ students had the highest DIBELS growth outcomes in all of P-H-M in grades kindergarten through second grade!

While all P-H-M teachers across the district are dedicated to helping their students achieve personal academic success, we are especially proud of Mrs. Scoles and the other teacher Impact Award winners.

The Impact Awards were first handed out in September 2023 to teachers with the most significant overall student growth during the 2022-2023 school year.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for covering the cost of the awards for purchasing the beautiful crystal awards given to the teacher award recipients.

GYTO Gifts Walt Disney $70,000 Engagement Lab!

Our school has been blessed by being chosen as a “Get Your Teach On” school by the IDOE this school year. Since September, we’ve had a “Rock Your School Day” as a way to engage students and our teachers have experienced informative and transformative professional development sessions.

Today with the help of Principal Dr. Mindy Higginson, Get Your Teach On co-founders, husband and wife team, and reading specialists extraordinaires, Hope and Wade King out did themselves by surprising not only our students, but also our teachers, by gifting our school a incredible Writing Engagement Lab valued at nearly $70,000!

And as you can see below, the teachers were blown away!

Five people in a library, one woman standing while four others sit, all looking towards the camera; they are dressed

People standing in a line at an event, looking to their left, possibly waiting for something or someone.

Party in a room decorated with jungle theme elements.

Two women standing in a kitchen, one holding a cup of coffee, both smiling at the camera, with a group of people behind them.

A group of people gathered around a table adorned with a jungle-themed centerpiece and a cake, enjoying an event in a room

Two people in neon green vests at an event, one holding a phone, smiling and interacting with another person who is also

The Writing Engagement Lab is a visual, 3D immersive experience is designed for creative writing exercises that will capture children’s imagination and spark great educational experiences. The computer, lighting and projector equipment were donated to Walt Disney; and the school will keep this absolutely amazing technology to use with all students, grades K-5th.

Before school started this morning, Hope, Wade and the GYTO crew demonstrated for the teachers all the immersion workspaces that can be used with students: Jurassic Park (as seen above), Harry Potter, Toy Story, Alpert (created by GTO colaborator LaNesha Tabb), Cars, Super Mario Bros., Spy Games, and a Glow Party theme.

People gathered around a table in a room, celebrating an event, with a projection of snowflakes and a castle on the wall

Group of people gathered in a room with a large projection screen displaying an image of animated characters.

A colorful mural on a wall featuring cartoon-like illustrations of a horse and rider, a castle, and a blue sky background.

Two women standing in front of a projector screen, smiling and gesturing as they present to an audience.

An indoor scene with a glowing sign that says 'let's glow', colorful lights and decorations, people gathered around, and a

People in a room with red laser beams on the wall.

Two people standing in front of a projection screen displaying a video game scene featuring Mario and Luigi characters.

People gathered in a room with a jungle background, standing around a table with a cake and a TV displaying an advertisement.

People in a room enjoying a movie night with a large screen displaying animated cars on a city street.

After the teachers got their introduction to their new tool, then the REAL FUN began with the students! There was a quick scene change from the jungle of Jurassic Park theme to the Adventures of Alpert.

Mrs. Scoles Kindergarten class went first. Hope and Wade led/taught them a writing lesson using Alpert. The other kindergarten teachers were also present taking notes as they got to watch a live PD session on how to use the new equipment with students.

Woman standing in front of children, giving a presentation.

Woman in colorful shirt standing on stage with her arms outstretched, smiling at children seated on floor.

Children sitting in a dark room watching something on a screen.

Woman teaching child how to use a whiteboard.

Girl in a black and white cat costume sitting on floor, smiling at camera.

Young boy sitting at a table with a bucket of crayons in front of him, wearing a black shirt and a backwards baseball cap,

Woman in blue dress sitting at table with child, both looking at something on paper, woman holding a purple bucket.

Young girl sitting at table, writing on paper, surrounded by colorful cups and a checkered tablecloth.

Two people sitting at a table in a room.

Young girl writing at table in classroom setting.

Young girl holding a colorful sign in front of her face. The sign has writing on it.

Girl sitting at a table with a colorful drawing on a wall behind her, smiling while looking at the camera.

Two people sitting at a table, looking at a piece of paper. The person on the left appears to be an adult woman and the one

Woman in black hat posing at event, smiling and looking directly at camera.

After the kindergarten run through, it was a quick scene change for Cars for 1st and 2nd graders.

Two people in a room preparing for a party. One person is standing on a table while hanging decorations. The room has a

The man is setting up a projection screen for an event.

Indoor scene of a party with a western theme, featuring a dining table, chairs, and a projection screen displaying a desert

Two photos of a room with a neon sign for Radiator Springs, a large screen displaying the same name, and a small car model

A vibrant children's party room with a Cars-themed projection on the wall and a table set up for guests.

Tabletop display of children's toys and a race car set against a purple backdrop.

Children sitting at desks in a classroom with a colorful background and decorations.

Man in red jumpsuit standing by a table with a model car on it, in front of a projector screen displaying an image of a

Children sitting at tables in a classroom setting, engaged in an activity, likely a craft project, with various materials

Two people are sitting at a table playing a game.

Woman sitting at table with flag in front of her, writing on paper.

Young girl in glasses sitting at a table with a checkered tablecloth.

Little girl sitting at a table with colorful items in front of her.

Two young girls looking at a smartphone in a room with colorful lighting.

A young boy sitting at a table in a room with purple lighting, surrounded by chairs and tables, working on a projector.

Young girl sitting at a table, writing on paper with a pencil, surrounded by checkered flags and a toy car.

Woman and child sitting at a table working on a project.

Two women sitting in a room with purple lighting, one woman is holding a notebook and appears to be writing something down

People gathered in a room, some seated on chairs, others standing, all engaged in conversation.

Two people standing in front of a computer monitor, one woman and one man, both looking at the screen.

Two women posing at a party in a room with colorful decorations and lights.

Representatives from the IDOE and members of P-H-M Administration were also on hand for today’s demonstrations.

GYTO, IDOE, & PHM

2024 Penn Musical, “The Music Man”

Penn’s school musical this year is “The Music Man.”

You won’t want to miss Penn’s talented student performers as they act out the play that follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize – this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef!

This year’s musical also includes the talents of a few P-H-M elementary and middle school students:

Mary Cortes, 5th grade, Prairie Vista Elementary School
Maxwell MacMillan, 5th grade, Mary Frank Elementary School
Anniston Steele, 7th grade, Grissom Middle School
Ezra Carrico, Katherine Hawkins, Benjamin Robertson and Noah Rohde, all in 8th grade, Schmucker Middle School

This isn’t the first year Penn’s musicals have included students from younger grades. In 2016, younger students also participated in “Mary Poppins.” But this is the first year in recent memory to have this many!

Visit bit.ly/PennMusicMan to purchase tickets.

Walt Disney Receives Four PHM Education Foundation Grants

The P-H-M Education Foundation has wrapped up the grant announcements for the 2023-2024 school year; and it’s been a big year with tons of recipients. Walt Disney was the recipient of four grants for the combined total of $4,486.13!

Charlis Cunningham, Franca Peluso Mulhern, and Tom Stanton applied for and received $2,997.96 to purchase supplies to create the “WDES Greenhouse Project.” An outdoor resource area would be built at the school to provide students with learning opportunities through nature. In collaboration with the St. Joseph County Soil and Water Conservation District Environmental Education Coordinator. The Walt Disney Greenhouse will also serve as a conservation project and house sustainable plants. The project will be supported in partnership with McKinley Garden Center.

First grade teacher Trisha Ledy applied for and received $1,028.97 to purchase “Secret Stories” toolkits. The kits will help students help teach students phonics and consist of a book, posters and musical CD that provide opportunities for multiple modes of learning including visual icons, auditory and kinesthetic motor skill movement. This method shares stories while helping students tap into the sounds the letter/letter teams make to facilitate reading skills.

We also applied for and received two EZ Grants:

$184.95 to purchase multi-sensory flashcards for high frequency words
$274.25 to purchase “Morpheme Magic”–reading comprehension program/teaching tools

This cycle the Foundation Grants Committee awarded $42,819.63 in funding to 15 EZ grants and 20 traditional grants.

PHMEF has moved to one grant cycle per school year, now moved to the Fall, to allow teachers and schools time to put their grant dollars to good use right away.

Executive Director Jennifer Turnblom traveled across the district to surprise various grant recipients with the good news of their funding amount. Grants awarded this year cover a wide array of innovative programs and activities from $10,000 to Grissom Middle School to purchase keyboards for the music room to milkweed plants for Madison Elementary so the school could attract monarch butterflies.

Click here to see the photo gallery on the District’s website of the check deliveries or click to follow PHMEF’s Facebook page.

Mr. Serge 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, 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.

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! Check out all the photos of today’s award presentations on Facebook.

Mrs. 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! Mrs. Flanagan’s students really enjoyed getting in on the surprise.

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! Because Mr. Kelver’s wife, Ashley Kelver, also works at Grissom, she was able to be included.

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!

“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

Mr. Davidson Named Top 10 Finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year

The Indiana Department of Education released today (Friday, August 18, 2023) the Top 10 finalists for Indiana Teacher of the Year and Walt Disney Elementary School Music teacher Mr. Robi Davidson was among them!

Superintendent Dr. Jerry Thacker and Board of School Trustees Member Dana Sullivan were touring Walt Disney as part of the beginning of the school year school visits when they learned the news, so they popped into Mr. Davidson’s classroom to congratulate him. Watch the video below.

This is two Fridays in a row that Dr. Thacker has shown up to congratulate Mr. Davidson. Last Friday Dr. Thacker, Walt Disney Principal Dr. Mindy Higginson, and other P-H-M Administrators showed up at Penn Band practice to congratulate him as well when Mr. Davidson made it to the Top 25; last week he was “serenaded” by the Penn High School Marching Band! Take a look.

Mr. Davidson makes P-H-M’s fourth Top 10 Finalist in seven years–John Gensic in 2016, Jeanie Mitchell in 2019, Amanda Fox in 2022, and now Robi Davidson in 2023! And he’s the only teacher from the Michiana area to make it to the Top 10!

In April, Davidson was P-H-M’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. Between his teaching career and his K-12 education, Mr. Davidson has spent almost his entire life at P-H-M! He attended Madison Elementary School, Grissom Middle School and graduated from Penn High School in 2007. He has taught music at Walt Disney Elementary for 11 of his 12 years of teaching. Click here to learn about Mr. Davidson.

The announcement for the winner of Indiana Teacher of the Year is expected to come early to mid September. We believe Mr. Davidson will be the winner!