From the Desk Dr. Soto Kile
Welcome to Elm Road Elementary. I appreciate the hard work that has gone into making our virtual start a success. Parents, staff, and students have worked very hard on their lessons this school year. I see students logging in each day and completing the reading, writing, and math lessons. We look forward to a great school year. We are enjoying "seeing" your faces each day!
Notes from the Office
- If you have a new address, please provide the office two current proofs of residency: one utility bill (NIPSCO, I & M, etc) and your new rental/lease/mortgage bill.
- All changes to your phone numbers or email addresses need to be kept updated as well.
- Although this email will be used mostly when we return, you MAY report an absence if your child is ill/absent during virtual learning. Please report all absences by 8:30 a.m. elmroadattendance@phm.k12.in.us
Technology Help
- If you have a technical concern with your Chromebook, please email, chromebooks@phm.k12.in.us
After Hours Academic Support
In order to provide students with after hours academic support during virtual learning, we are piloting a P-H-M homework help desk. We have assembled a team of elementary, exceptional education, and content specific secondary teachers who will be available via email from 7:00-9:00 pm, Monday-Thursday. These help desk teachers will be responsive to student and/or parent emails, providing specific academic support as needed. This might include responding to an email or even an interactive Google Video Hangout to provide academic guidance. Additionally, the help desk teachers will communicate back to the student's regular teacher related to what supports were provided so we can work collaboratively, creating the best possible virtual learning environment for our students.
Students and/or parents can contact the after-hours homework helpdesk by emailing homeworkhelp@phm.k12.in.us starting on Monday, August 24th.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
1. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and mental health are paramount, especially right now. P-H-M is committed to supporting students through weekly SEL lessons so we can intentionally teach students the skills they need to thrive both now and in the future. The SEL lessons also provide a time to help build and maintain social relationships, even in a virtual world. SEL lessons will be delivered by your student's classroom teacher one time per week starting the week of August 24, 2020. The SEL lessons will begin with an overview of SEL and the lesson framework. Then, in the coming weeks we will move into discussing some ways to manage stress and practice cognitive flexibility.
For additional information on stress management or hotlines, please review the information and resources below:
- Stress Management Techniques
- Coping with stress during COVID-19
- Anticipatory Grief
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (Call 911 for emergencies): The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress. The lifeline can assist with crisis prevention for you or your loved ones.
- Safe School Helpline-1-800-4-1-VOICE x359: The Safe School Helpline is a 24/7 communication service that empowers school administrators to make proactive decisions as well as creating reporting responsibilities for students, parents and community members to share in the maintenance of a safe learning environment. This is monitored around the clock so reports can be addressed in a timely manner.
2. P-H-M will have a Diversity Superintendent's Advisory (SAC) for the 20-21 school year in order to provide the school constituency the opportunity to provide input toward the achievement of district-wide goals for valuing and celebrating diveristy as well as working to end racial injustices and discrimination. We invite parents/guardians who have a current P-H-M student to apply if they are interested. Applications will be accepted through Friday, August 28, 2020 until 4:30 p.m. Please use this link to find out more and to access the application.
3. Due to COVID-19, we understand that family financial situations may have changed. Health and human services information and resources are available in St. Joseph county and available by calling 2-1-1 or (866) 211-9966 or at this website.
4. We all need a break sometimes, including our students. That is why a "Virtual Chill Space" was created to help support students during their virtual learning time breaks. The "Virtual Chill Space" includes several activities, such as exercise and movement, relaxation, mindfulness, reading, art, games, dancing, puzzles, etc. to help elementary and some middle schoolers "chill" for a set amount. It is intended to be a short break if a child needs it. Many of the sites are linked using Safe YouTube to limit ads and comments, but parent/guardian supervision on the internet is always advised. It certainly is not required and is a parent/guardian option that was created as a resource for your consideration during this time, so please feel free to explore this site (LINKED HERE) to see if this is something you might be interested in using with your student.
_________________________________________________________________
Jennifer Sears, Ph.D.
Director of Social-Emotional Learning & Mental Health
Psychologist
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
Library Lines
Music at Elm Road
Hello! Good to meet you all! My name is Mr. Marks, and I am now the music teacher here at Elm Road! Some of you may remember that I actually taught music here during the 2016-2017 school year while the teacher was out on an extended maternity leave. Since then I have been teaching music all over the PHM district, including Grissom Middle School and at four different elementary schools! After working in so many different environments, I can definitely say that I am happy to be returning to Elm Road. I had a great year when I taught here before and knew that I would really love an opportunity to come back long term.
While we are doing virtual learning, remember that students will have to log into their Google Classroom for PE and Music to access their assignments. There will be two lessons for each subject that students should complete by the end of each week. Thank you for your support and I can't wait to get to know you!
Miss Peluso's Reading Corner
Welcome back, Eagles! My name is Miss Franca Peluso and I am excited to join Elm Road as the Title I Reading Specialist. This will be my 7th year of teaching, all in PHM schools, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with you and your child(ren) this year. I love reading and believe in building a strong foundation in literacy development to help students grow and reach their full potential. In addition to my time at Elm Road, I am also an adjunct professor and assistant tennis coach at Saint Mary’s College. My fiance, Pat and I have a puppy named Kerry and we love to take her for walks on campus and on trips to visit our family at the lake.
As we begin this new school year in a virtual setting, I want you to know that we are all in this together! Teachers are learning, parents are learning, kids are learning- you are not alone!
We will begin sharing digital Title I resources in the coming weeks in order to provide additional support for students and families. You will have access to digital books, read alouds, instructional videos, and practice activities.
We encourage reading practice at home to help foster a love of literacy! Make this time fun by reading together with your child. You can share reading by taking turns reading pages or chapters- children develop a love of reading as they listen to a family member read to them. If your child struggles with reading, audio books are a great option to help build vocabulary and reading fluency.
Remember, we are here to support you and your family so please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions. I am looking forward to SOARing with the Elm Road family this school year!
Miss Peluso
Title I Reading Specialist
574-259-3743
What's Happening in Gym
Welcome back and a warm welcome to new students/families to Elm Road School! I am excited to be back for another fantastic year of fitness. I would like to introduce/welcome back Sarah Sime to the gym at Elm Road. She will be teaching our kindergarten gym classes this year. I will be teaching first through fifth grade. For the first nine weeks we also have a student teacher from Bethel University, Miss Hope VanProyen. Many students have had the opportunity to meet Miss Hope during the last several school years as she has completed many hours of field experience here. Miss Hope even taught some lacrosse lessons last year to second graders since she plays lacrosse at Bethel. Miss Hope is an awesome addition to our PE team at Elm Road!
Our view at Elm Road is that physical education is much more than recess, more than a time to play. It’s a time of learning. Our first goal is to help children improve their movement skills. In addition to helping children become more skillful, we attempt to make them feel good about themselves as movers so that they’ll feel more confident to participate in physical activity outside of school. If children are given a good foundation of skill development, cognitive understanding and positive attitudes towards physical activity, they’ll be on their way to becoming adults who desire the benefits of a physically active, healthy lifestyle. Your child’s classroom teacher will inform you of their specific days and times for physical education.
In order to provide the best possible experience for your child, open communication and cooperation is a necessity! We have listed several items that will help promote increased effectiveness in physical education classes:
Help your child(ren) understand that physical education is a class to learn as with any other subject area. Encourage him/her to have a serious attitude and to try his/her best!
Physical activity must be done regularly to achieve health benefits. Therefore, your child’s participation is important. Please encourage your child to complete his/her PE assignments every week. Your child will receive our two PE lessons on Monday and need to have them completed by Friday. Experts recommend 60 minutes of physical activity every day for elementary students! This means in addition to our lessons, we hope they are finding time to move throughout the day especially considering all the screen time they are currently encountering.
Please encourage your student to dress appropriately for physical activity while participating in the activities we have planned for them. For comfort and safety purposes, he/she should have a pair of securely fitting tennis shoes. Crocs, sandals or slip on shoes are not safe or effective for fitness.
Please feel free to contact Mrs.Sime (ssime@phm.k12.in.us) or Mrs. Parisi (dparisi@phm.k12.in.us) if you have any questions throughout the school year.
So far we have covered what physical education is and introduced students to fitness activities, warm ups, and cool downs.
The Elm Road PE teachers have enjoyed meeting/seeing your child(ren) through the videos they have posted on our seesaw assignments and during virtual class meetings.
Debbie Parisi, Sarah Sime, and Hope VanProyen
We are Elm Road Eagles
Website: http://elmroad.phmschools.org/
Location: 59400 Elm Road, Mishawaka, IN, USA
Phone: 574-259-3743
Twitter: @elmroadES