Good News to All PCSC Educators

Today, our office received a letter from the Indiana Department of Education informing us that Plymouth Community School Corporation has met all Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives on the Spring 2007 LAS Links exam. Limited English Proficient (LEP) students had to meet or exceed three specific benchmarks to attain this status.

· 57% exceeded state standard scale score points on the LAS Links exam.
· 67% achieved a Level 5 for a second time on the LAS Links exam
· 9% moved from a Level 4 or lower to a Level 5 on the Spring LAS Links exam.

We tip our hats to all teachers who work with the attitude that “all students can learn.” Your hard work and persistence is making a difference. Secondly, we also need to congratulate our Limited English Proficient students. They are attaining an education while working diligently to learn a new language. All of Plymouth needs to be proud of this accomplishment.

2 Hour Delay

There is a 2 hour delay on Monday, December 17 for Plymouth Community School Corporation.

Holiday Concert Cancelled

Plymouth High School's Band and Choir Concert scheduled for Sunday, December 16, is cancelled due to the large amount of snow that fell last night.

Winter Break

On Monday, December 24, 2007 through January 4, 2008, school will not be in session due to winter break.

On January 7, 2008, the elementary schools, Riverside, and Lincoln Jr. High will not be in session due to a teacher work day.

Plymouth High School students WILL have school that day.

Blog Bits

LJH Band Concert

The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade band concert at Lincoln Junior High has been rescheduled for December 19th at 7:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Gym.

Blog Bits

ISTEP Scores

ISTEP scores are scheduled to be sent home on December 17, 2007. Parents of Plymouth students in grades 3-10 will receive a copy of the ISTEP Student Report as well as a letter explaining the scores. If your child falls into the Did Not Pass performance level, you will be contacted by your child’s teacher or counselor to take part in the development of a Student Growth Plan. This plan is instrumental in developing strategies for improved student achievement. Do not hesitate to contact the school if you do not get a report or a phone call as the partnership between teacher, child, and parent is the instrument to successful academic growth.

Blog Bits

Cancellations:

The PHS 9th grade boys basketball with Glenn has been cancelled for this evening.

The PHS boys and girls swim meet at Warsaw has been cancelled for this evening. It will be rescheduled for December 20, 2007.

BPA study sessions at PHS for this evening have been cancelled. The BPA meeting scheduled from tomorrow at 7:15 a.m. in Room 122, will be moved to Friday, December 14, 2007, at 7:15 a.m.

Blog Bits

Cancellations:

The Webster Elementary Music Concert is rescheduled for December 12, 2007. Practice will be at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow and the concert will be at 6:45 p.m.

School Closed

With ice still covering many country roads and temperatures hovering near freezing, Plymouth Schools are closed on Tuesday, December 11, 2007.

The Jefferson music concert for tonight is cancelled.

The Plymouth Schools Holiday Party is postponed until Thursday, December 13, from 3:30 - 5:30 in the high school's Red Rock Cafe.

Other cancellations or postponements will be posted on this site today.

Plymouth Schools on 2 Hour Delay

Due to current weather conditions, Plymouth Community School Corporation will be on a 2 hour delay.

Cancellation

Lincoln's 7th & 8th grade basketball game against Triton which was scheduled for tonight is cancelled.

Cancellations

Adult Basic Education of Marshall County has cancelled GED Classes for tonight.

The PEA/Administration Discussion Meeting for tonight has been cancelled.

The Webster Elementary School Holiday Christmas program is cancelled for tonight and rescheduled for Wednesday, December 12, 2007.

Closed Monday

Black ice continued to create problems for children on the way to school. For this reason Plymouth Community Schools are closed on Monday, December 10, 2007.

School Delayed on Monday

With black ice forming on the county and city roads this evening, we find it prudent to activate a two (2) hour delay for Monday, December 10. Please be careful as you drive the roads Sunday evening.

Music Concert

The Music Concert for grades 6,7, and 8 from Riverside Intermediate School and Lincoln Junior High School has been cancelled for this afternoon. Plans are to hold the concert next Sunday.

Blog Bits

If there is a weather delay on Friday, December 7, 2007, students at all Plymouth Schools will stay in school the rest of the school day. If there is not a weather delay, students will be released after lunch for the scheduled in-service day.

Si hay un retraso por causa del tiempo el viernes, 7 de diciembre del 2007, los estudiantes de todas las escuelas de la Comunidad de Plymouth permanecerán en la escuela el resto del día de la escuela. Si no hay un retraso por causa del tiempo mañana, los estudiantes saldrán de la escuela después del almuerzo como se había sido programado por ser un día de servicio de las maestras.

Blog Bits

With approximately 5 inches of snow on the ground this morning at 5:45 a.m., we decided to call a two hour delay for Plymouth Community Schools. At approximately 8:00 a.m., we decided that the roads were clear enough to proceed with school. Nothing appeared on the blog this morning because I did not have the passwords at home. That will be remedied for the future.

Also, for your reference we call WTCA, WNZE, WKVI in Knox, WNDU South Bend channel 16, and WSBT South Bend channel 22 to list delays or cancellations. By calling WSBT, our delays and closings are also on Sunny 101.5 FM and 99.9 FM. There have been several requests to also put delays and cancellations on B100 and Pulse FM. As soon as we receive confirmations back from the two radio stations, we will also have our cancellations on 100.7 FM and 96.9 FM.

Blog Bits

In-Service 1/2 Day

Friday December 7, 2007, is scheduled as a corporation in-service day.

All Elementary, Riverside, and LJH students will be dismissed at 12:20 p.m.

PHS students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Ashley Shaw is the new band director at Lincoln Jr. High. She comes to us from Bethel College. Her parents reside in Elkhart, and she has 2 sisters and 1 brother.

Ashley states that she was looking for a community supportive of and enthusiastic for the arts. She believes Plymouth to be the perfect place to fulfill this desire.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Alison McClarnon has been hired as a Title I teacher at Washington Elementary. She received her degree in elementary education from Indiana University.

Alison grew up in Bourbon, and as the mother of a young son, she enjoys this type of community. She also loves the diversity in Plymouth Schools and wants to help change the lives of all the young students in her classroom.

Blog Bits

Holidays for Plymouth Schools

On Thursday, November 22nd and Friday, November 23rd, school will not be in session due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Blog Bits

Bus Accident

Bus 33 was sitting at the intersection of State Road 17 and State Road 8 last night. Two cars collided and one ricocheted into the bus. The one student on the bus was not injured and neither was the bus driver. The bus is drivable, however, it will need to be inspected before it can be put back into service. The bus garage is working on that right now.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Ariel Budnik is another of our new English teachers at Plymouth High School. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago Northwestern.

Ariel is very pleased to be a part of a community which places great value on education. She is excited to be able to work not only with the students, but also parents, fellow teachers, and administration to help all students succeed.

Blog Bits

On Friday, November 9, 2007, Plymouth High School students ONLY will attend ½ day.

Plymouth High School students will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m.


Lincoln Junior High, Riverside Intermediate and all elementary schools will attend a full day on November 9th.

Blog Bits

Re: In-Service ½ Day


Wednesday November 7, 2007, is scheduled as a corporation in-service day.

All students in the Plymouth Community School Corporation will be dismissed at 12:20 p.m.

Blog Bits

New Staff

James Condon is our new principal at Plymouth High School. He holds degrees from Ball State University and Western Illinois University.

He and his wife, Lori, have three children. Jim is very happy to be a part of Plymouth Schools, because he believes PCSC is a progressive school system striving for excellence in everything.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Jennifer Ross is teaching Kindergarten at Menominee Elementary this year. She is a graduate of Indiana State University.

Jennifer has two daughters. She taught last year in Plymouth and is excited this year to be teaching All Day Kindergarten.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Heather Bontrager has filled the role of our Elementary Media Specialist. She is a graduate of IUPUI with a degree in English Education and is currently finishing her master’s in Library Science.

Heather and her husband, Ken, have two children. She is excited about being a part of a school system that strives for excellence and looks forward to getting kids excited about literacy and learning.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Martha Kay Bugher has joined our English Department at Plymouth High School. She graduated from Indiana University-Kokomo.

Martha is enjoying the challenge of moving from teaching middle school students to high school. She and her four children are excited to be a part of our beautiful community.

Blog Bits

The PHS Band’s morning rehearsal was cut short today because of an odor that seemed to be the same hydrobromic acid released by Indiana Heat Transfer two weeks ago. The band students were taken inside immediately and all are reported to be fine. We have been in contact with the Plymouth Police Department and IDEM and both are very concerned about this situation. IDEM has ordered Indiana Heat Transfer to install a scrubber that will take care of the problem.

Principals in all other Plymouth Schools will check the air quality before sending their children to recess. If there is a problem, it is easily detected and students will be kept inside. We believe, however, that the traffic pattern of the acid seems to be isolated over Plymouth High School’s north parking lot.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Ashley Ranae Boardman is our new Art teacher at Plymouth High School. She received her degree in Visual Art Education from Indiana University.

Ashley was raised in Bourbon and loves the small town community atmosphere and all the wonderful opportunities Plymouth has to offer. Teaching in a school where "success is proven year after year and creativity is abundant" is very exciting to her.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Natasha Norris is teaching Kindergarten ENL

at Menominee Elementary. She is a graduate

of Indiana University South Bend.

Natasha was born and raised in this community.

She is very proud to be able to continue to teach

and learn in Plymouth.

Blog Bits

Update

We have recently spoken to Plymouth Police who have informed us that the odor was from Indiana Heat Transfer on West Harrison Street.

Once again, the irritation was from a release of a bromide acid which is a lung and eye irritant but is not toxic.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has been notified and is investigating the issue.

At this time, we feel convinced that the air is clean thus allowing schools to have practices and any scheduled games tonight.

Plymouth Schools is very appreciative of the immediate response of the Plymouth Police Department on this situation and their willingness to help us make a decision for the welfare of our students.

Blog Bits

About 9:00 a.m. the high school notified the central office that band students were complaining about irritating air quality in the high school’s north parking lot. Parents were notified, the nurse attended to students, and with permission from parents, some students were allowed to go home. The Police Chief, Jim Cox, indicated that a Plymouth factory was emitting a chemical that would only cause irritation of the nose, eyes, and throat. In order to safeguard our students, we are keeping them inside the rest of the day. Chief Cox said a representative of IDEM has been called to investigate the situation.

Blog Bits

School Board Meeting
On September 6, 2007, the Board of Trustees met in regular session. In addition to the regularly scheduled items, the Board conducted a hearing on the 2008 budget. The Board conducted a second hearing on the 2008 capital projects and a third hearing was held on the 2008-2017 bus purchase plan. The Board accepted two transfer tuition students and heard a facility update. The Board will meet on September 20, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the Washington Elementary School.

PHS Girls Golf Team
Congratulations to the Girls Golf Team for their NLC Championship. Next on the agenda - the IHSAA Sectional.

Pride of Plymouth Marching Band
The band competed last Saturday evening in its first competition at Goshen High School. The students won 3 caption awards and finished in 2nd place by one half a point.

Blog Bits

At approximately 12:10 this afternoon, students reported to a teacher assistant that they had seen a man with a rifle on the Washington playground. The teaching assistant made the report to the principal.

All students were withdrawn from the playground. The doors to the building were locked. Police were notified. The Plymouth police searched the area and investigated the sighting. After interviewing the students, police concluded there was no person with a gun on the playground.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Dan Funston is our new principal at Lincoln Jr. High. He was formerly principal at John Glenn High School. Dan holds degrees from Tri-State University and Indiana University.

He and his wife, Heidi, are the parents of three children. Dan is very pleased to be a part of Plymouth Schools because they pursue excellence in everything.

Blog Bits

New Staff

Joan May has been hired as the resource teacher at Jefferson Elementary. She received her bachelor’s degree from Wheelock College and her master’s from Indiana State.

Her husband, Ron, is president of Ancilla college, and they have three grown sons. Joan enjoys working with children and finds schools to be exciting, vibrant places to work.

Board Meeting

The Board of Trustees met in regular session on August 16, 2007. In addition to regular business, the board reviewed the extra-curricular financial reports, heard a report on the opening of school (see below), heard a strategic plan update, and acknowledged student activity requisitions. Upon conclusion of the regular meeting, the board conducted a budget workshop. The advertised levy for calendar year 2008 will be approximately $400,000 smaller than the levy advertised in 2007. This is due to an increase in state aid and miscellaneous revenues. The next board meeting is scheduled for September 6th at 7:00 p.m. At that meeting the board will conduct a hearing on the proposed 2008 Budget, 2008 Capital Projects plan, and 2008 Bus Purchase Plan.

Opening Week of School

School opened on August 15. One thousand thirty-three elementary students were registered. Five hundred sixty-five students were registered at Riverside Intermediate. Lincoln Jr. High had registered five hundred twelve students, and one thousand eighty-four students were registered at Plymouth High School. The numbers still include some no-shows. Official count day will be the third Friday in September. Adjustments will be made to the bus routes through the first two weeks of school to balance loads and pickup spots. If you have any questions about transportation issues, please contact Rick Scott at 936-3115.

Plymouth Schools Closed Today

Plymouth Community Schools are closed today. There was no power at Menominee Elementary. There were several spots in the district where light poles or trees were blocking roads.

PHS Distinguished Alumni Award

Max Frederick (Fred) Kehoe was born February 13, 1928 to Goldie and Pius Kehoe. A natural athlete, Fred was a three-sport athlete at Plymouth High School, earning eight varsity letters. He lettered two years in football, led the team in scoring and rushing his senior year, and was named to the All-Conference Team. He lettered in basketball two years and led the team in scoring his senior year; he was named All-Sectional and All-Conference. He also lettered in track, participating in pole vault, high jump and 880 relay. Fred graduated from PHS in 1946.

Fred then attended Ball State University where he was also a three-sport athlete, a rare achievement. He lettered four years in football and led the team in rushing and touchdowns all four years. His 14 TDs during his senior year and 30 career TDs remained a BSU record for more than 30 years. He established records for most points in one season (84) and career points (156). During Fred’s senior year, he led Indiana colleges in scoring and was named to the All-State Team, and was halfback for the only undefeated, untied football team in BSU history. As a junior, he tied for second in the state in scoring with 11 TDs. He lettered two years in basketball and was the starting guard his senior year. He also lettered two years in track. Fred graduated in from Ball Sate in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He also has an M.A. degree from Indiana University (1956).

After graduation, Fred was hired by Plymouth High School as an Assistant Coach in Football until being drafted into the United States Army. While in the Army, he played football for two years and was the starting halfback at Ft. Knox for an undefeated team. He was team Captain and led the team in scoring. As starting halfback for the 29th Regiment for an undefeated team, he led in rushing and scoring. His football team was 2nd Army Champions. Fred also played basketball at Ft. Knox, and taught and coached basketball and track in the American Independent School on Okinawa.

Following his military experience, Fred returned to PHS as Assistant Coach from 1952-55 and coached an undefeated junior high football team (1953). Fred was named Head Football Coach at PHS from 1956-58. He also served as Head Golf Coach for two years and Basketball Coach for one year. He then went to Ball State University where he was Assistant Football and Offensive Backfield Coach from 1958-1970. He was also Freshman Coach for Basketball for one year and Baseball for 4 years. He was Offensive Coordinator in charge of recruiting in football for nine years.

Fred’s exceptional coaching honors include: record of 14-2-1 as Head Football Coach for Plymouth High School, coaching Bill Nixon (PHS football team captain) and Steve Yoder (head basketball coach for Ball State and Wisconsin University) from 7th grade through high school. While at Ball State, he coached halfbacks Jim Todd and Amos Van Pelt who became professionals in the NFL. Ball State’s 1965 team was undefeated and played in the Grantland Rice Bowl (tie game with Tennessee State). The 1967 team also played in the Grantland Rice Bowl. He left coaching to become Assistant Athletic Director for BSU from 1970-1982. He was also Associate Professor of Physical Education for 20 years (1968-1988).

After his retirement from Ball State, Fred taught golf at the United States Golf Academy (1988-1994) in Plymouth, IN. Recognized for his outstanding accomplishments in sports, Fred is a Charter Member of the Ball State University Hall of Fame and a Member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame. His achievements, however, extend to community and volunteer service as well. He received an Indiana Angel Award (sports category), the Bill Shuman Outstanding Volunteer Award (Heart to Heart Crisis Pregnancy Center, Muncie, IN), and was presented a key to the City of Muncie for outstanding dedication to the church, Ball State, and citizens of Muncie. For 12 years, Fred was President of Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship International, a regional speaker and committee member. He was a keynote speaker for Plymouth Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast.

Fred married Barbara Drake (daughter of Walter and Della Drake) of Plymouth in 1953; they have four children: Steve (wife Amy), Jama (Bigger, husband John), Doug (wife Laura), and Julee; they have nine grandchildren. He is an avid golfer, enjoys time with his family, and now cheers for his grandchildren’s sports participation.

Blog Bits

LJH Principal
The Board of Trustees appointed Dan Funston as principal of Lincoln Junior High. Dan has served as a middle school and high school teacher in Northern Wells Community Schools. He has served both as the assistant principal and principal at John Glenn. Dan’s official duties will begin July 1, 2007.

All Day Kindergarten
At a special meeting last evening the Board of Trustees voted to initiate All Day Kindergarten in the Plymouth Community Schools. The Elementary Leadership Team will begin planning immediately for the implementation of the program. Please watch this website and local media for details as they become available.

Honors at PHS

Sunday, May 20, 2007, Plymouth High School inducted eight members of the senior class into the Academic Hall of Fame. To qualify for the hall of fame, students must take at least eight trimesters in the respective department, maintain at least an A average in that department, and be a graduating senior in good standing. Congratulations to the following for their hard work and dedication in their respective fields.

Heidi Keiser – Science
Brendan Fox – English and Social Studies
Eric Beck – Math
Sanchara Ballog – Vocal Music
Meredith Barron – Physical Education
Ryan Carlberg – Performing Arts
Derek Harrell – Agriculture
Audrey Kelly – World Languages

Teachers were also honored Sunday at the National Honor Society Induction. Six were nominated for Teacher of Excellence. They include Mark Wagoner, Cindy Wagoner, Monty Peden, Donna Chaney, Dena McLochlin, and Allison Hargrove.

Congratulations to Allison Hargrove the Teacher of Excellence recipient for the 2006 – 2007 school year at Plymouth High School. Allison, a first year teacher at Plymouth High School, was the student choice for this award. Allison’s rigorous curriculum and amiable personality has immediately made her a student favorite. Good job, Allison! The Plymouth School Corporation is proud to have you on our staff.

Blog Bits

We received word this morning that Angela Hissong, pre-school teacher at Washington Elementary, has been named Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year for the Plymouth area. Congratulations to Angela for the great accomplishment!

ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE CLASS of 2007

The following PHS senior athletes were named to the All-Conference Academic Teams for the 2006-2007 school year. We are very proud of our athletes and their work on the field and in the classroom. Also, kudos to their parents and coaches for helping these fine young men and women balance their time on the playing field and in the classroom.

Heidi Keiser Golf, Basketball, and Tennis
Meredith Barron Volleyball, Basketball, and Track
Brendan Fox Cross Country, Wriestling, and Track
Byron Faulstich Basketball and Baseball
Jason Renz Football, Basketball, and Baseball
Jacob Palmer Tennis, Basketball, and Track
Michael Hooker Football, and Track
Chad Clinton Football, Basketball, and Baseball
Elaine Hessel Basketball and Track
Alex Morris Football and Track

Blog Bits

As a young teacher in 1979, I was introduced to Mr. Richard Benefiel. I developed an immediate respect for the man, not because he demanded it, but because of what he stood for. Rigidly organized, a strict disciplinarian, but most importantly his students could play music and the loved every minute of every song. He rarely smiled, but when he did, his students knew that they had played the piece to perfection. From his marching shows at football games, to his jazz bands, and to the Big Red Band Variety Show, everyone in town knew that when Mr. Benefiel took the podium, he stood for excellence.

When I heard that he had passed away, I was deeply saddened. Plymouth has lost one of the finest teachers to have ever graced our classrooms. I'm going to the Variety Show this weekend and had planned to all along. It's what you do in Plymouth on the first weekend in May. And when the overture sounds and the lights come alive, there will be a smile on my face in the back of the darkened house. Not just because my two children are in the show, but the evening promises to bring back great memories of Mr. Richard Benefiel. A good friend, a fine father, and a tremendous teacher. We're going to miss you, Dick. We're going to miss you!

Blog Bits

For the 4th year in a row, the Destination Imagination Team from Lincoln Junior High has qualified to compete in the Destination Imagination Global Finals tournament to be held in Knoxville, Tennessee in May. This year’s structural problem is called Card-DI-ology. The students are required to build a structure entirely of glue and cards (from a deck of playing cards). Thus far this year’s structure has held 512 pounds.

Members of the team include Riverside students: Danielle Krou and Adam Kolacz, and Lincoln students: Monica Weaser, Victoria MacLain, Jacob Segraves, Michael Gray, and Cassie Gaines. Managers for this year’s team are: Denise Benczik, Jennie Mikesell, Ryan Benczik, Sarah Benczik, and Steve Benczik.

Congratulations to students and their coaches for a job well done.

Wellness at Town Hall Meetings

PASS is sponsoring two Town Hall Meetings on the subject of Wellness. On Monday, April 30, information and time for input will be given on the school’s Wellness Policy. The Town Hall Meeting will be in the Educational Room at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center at 7:00 PM.

The second Town Hall Meeting will feature a panel of health professionals to discuss childhood obesity and nutrition in our schools. It will be held, May 15, at 7:00 PM. Once again, it will be held in the Educational Center at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.

PASS stands for Plymouth Achieving Stronger Schools. For more information on PASS, contact Tim Peters at tmapeters@comcast.net.

Blog Bits

Some have expressed concerns about computer usage at Riverside Intermediate. Mrs. Burroughs sent the following letter to all parents:

Dear Parent,

A couple of weeks ago we dealt with an incident of students accessing inappropriate web sites at school on classroom computers. A television station interviewed me at the time about this subject. As a parent, you may have questions about the procedures in place at school to ensure Internet safety for your child. That is the reason for this letter.

All Plymouth Community Schools, including Riverside Intermediate School, follow safety guidelines and have systems in place to safeguard our children. We all have a “Computer Use” policy/agreement that is signed by each student and parent at registration each year. We have security filters and firewalls on all of our computers and servers that are constantly monitored to try and keep out inappropriate sites. Students are only to use computers under supervision of an adult. In short, we are taking all known precautions.

On the other hand, we have some very technically knowledgeable students in our classrooms of today. Some of them have found a way to access other servers from our computers. Some of them have found ways to dismantle some of our filters. We deal with these students as these problems are encountered.

I hope this answers the questions you may have at this time. If not, please contact me at school.

Sincerely,
Donna Burroughs, Principal

Our technology department is updating the filter system continuously. We are also reviewing computer use procedures throughout the district.

KUDOS ABOUND

BAND
The Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands performed at Logansport High School recently and both groups received gold ratings. The Wind Ensemble was in Group I which requires the most difficult literature for high school students. The bands have now completed the year with gold ratings in every ISSMA event area, earning them the prestigious banner of excellence for the 2006-07 school year.

JANE WILLIAMS
Jane Williams was recently named the Regional Food Service Worker of the Year by the Richard Lugar Foundation. Jane has brought many changes and excitement to the high school cafeteria.

KATHY RICHTER
Kathy Richter, high school English teacher, was awarded the Most Valuable Member of the four-year Online Writing Project by the Indiana Writing Project. The high school English Department also presented their four-year writing curriculum which received praise from English teachers throughout the state.

SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM
Jon Tyree and Camden Robertson became the first freshmen from Plymouth to qualify for the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Cameron Capper also qualified in Congress making the 12th member of the PHS Speech and Debate Team to qualify for this summer’s national tournament.

Blog Bits

Just a reminder

The last school day for all Plymouth Community School students will be May 30, 2007.
The last day for teachers will be May 31, 2007.

Blog Bits

Academic Superbowl Winners

Congratulations to Plymouth High School’s Academic Superbowl Teams for a strong showing at our final area competition. The students put in large amounts of their own time studying and spent many hours competing and should be recognized for their hard work and commitment.

Results were as follows:

Social Studies- 2nd
English- 3rd
Math- 2nd
Fine Arts- 1st- Kayla Hassett, Nikki Chalk, Nathan Dubinin, and Kaylee Kopetski
Science- 1st - Brian Kunze, Robbie McClellan, Kailyn Dodson, and Scott See
Interdisciplinary - 4th

Blog Bits

Choir Concert
The high school choir and Crimson Connection performed Sunday afternoon in the auditorium. The selections were a combination of traditional and up-beat songs. The concert was enjoyed by all in attendance.

Thank you to Mrs. Glaub and the students for the hours spent in preparation.

Congratulations
Congratulations Mr. McKenzie! The National Forensic League is proud to announce that David McKenzie has earned a fourth diamond. Mr. McKenzie attained a total of 11,661 points on April 7, 2007. Under Mr. McKenzie’s instructions, his students have earned over 116,610 credit points. In June, Mr. McKenzie will receive special recognition at the Lincoln Financial Group, NFL National Tournament for his dedication and training effective leadership skill. This year’s tournament will be held in Derby Wichita, Kansas, June 17-22. Over 2,700 students and 1,500 coaches will be in attendance. The National Speech Tournament has been held continuously since 1931.

Thank you Mr. McKenzie.

Blog Bits

Kindergarten Round-up

This year’s new Kindergarten Round-up was a success as 157 eager children and their parents attended the new format Wednesday evening. Using this number as a predictor, we can look for approximately 314 students in kindergarten next year. As for all-day kindergarten, we won’t know anything until the legislative session ends.

If you missed the roundup here is what you can do:

Jefferson: Please bring your child in. Someone will help you with the necessary forms while your child is being screened. (574) 936-2443

Menominee: Call or come in during the school day. Mr. Dunn will go through the forms with you and your child will be screened. (574) 936-2001

Washington: Contact the school to make an appointment for the parent and child. You will be helped with your forms while your child is screened. (574) 936-4072

Webster: We welcome you and your child any time during the school day. You will be helped with the forms while your child is being screened. (574) 936-2520

Blog Bits

Some have questioned why we allow people to comment on the blog under the anonymous label. The purpose of our blog is to share information about the district and create discussions among community members regarding the events and issues in our district. When viewing newspapers and other organizations we see that the use of anonymity in blogging and communication has created a wider variety of discourse. Unfortunately, there are those who tear people down and use inappropriate language while hiding behind the anonymity. It is very difficult to give credence to those comments and on occasion, we have removed those from the blog. By the same token, there are those who express their opinions, even though they disagree, and attach their name to their comments. We respect those individuals for their courage.

Pep Band
There have been several comments on the blog about our High School pep band. We want to improve in every aspect of the district. If you have constructive ideas on how to improve the pep band, please feel free to forward those to Mrs. Wagoner at cwagoner@plymouth.k12.in.us or share your constructive comments on the blog.

Speech & Basketball Team
We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of both organizations. Students and staff members involved in both organizations work many hours throughout the year improving their skills and preparing themselves for the tasks at hand. Students involved in both organizations have demonstrated what can be done by today’s students when provided structure and direction. Congratulations again to the team members, staff members, parents, and all those who supported our speech and basketball teams throughout the year.

Blog Bits

PHS Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame

Nominations are now being accepted at Plymouth High School and until April 15, 2007, for the PHS Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Award which will be presented at the 2007 Alumni Association Banquet on June 15, 2007.

After all nominations are received, the committee will review the nominations and select a PHS alumnus who has made a significant contribution in his/her field or has been of exceptional service to his/her profession either locally, statewide, and/or nationally.

A nomination form may be obtained at PHS, Marshall County Historical Society, WTCA, Plymouth Library, Chamber of Commerce, Marshall County Convention and Tourism Bureau or from any committee member. A form also appears in THE PILOT-NEWS.

The Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame committee members are Richard Tobias, PHS Principal; Larry Pinkerton, retired PHS principal who originated the award in 1984; Jack Greenlee, Class of 1947; Sally Johnson Greenlee, Class of 1966; Larry Holloway, Class of 1962; Beverly Kelso Brummett, Class of 1965; Mary Lee Williams Rudd, Class of 1951; Karen MacLain Liedtky, Class of 1977; and Jane Faulstich Nelson, Class of 1985 and Laura Jeffirs Kruyer, Class of 1988, PHS teachers and co-chairpersons.

Previous winners of the award are Major General Larry N. Tibbetts, Class of 1952; James L. Parsons, Class of 1933; Dr. Foster and Louise Link Montgomery, Class of 1930; Commodore Schuyler F. Heim, Class of 1902; Mearl D. Strombeck, Class of 1918; Walter A. Glaub, Class of 1932; Charles O. Glaub, Class of 1935; Noble E. Kizer, Class of 1919; Lt. Col Lewis L. Hawkins, Class of 1948; Donald R. Minix, Class of 1940; Florence Hoham, Class of 1922; George F. Stevens, Class of 1920; Dr. Edith Boyer Schuman Tackitt, Class of 1923; Dr. Ruth Mangun Holland, Class of 1942; C. Arthur Thomas, Class of 1926; Dr. M. Sue Pifer, Class of 1957; Marshall F. Kizer, Class of 1925; Dr. James Harley Kellar, Class of 1939; Frederick C. Morrow, Class of 1941; Robert L. Hileman, Class of 1940; Scott Skiles, Class of 1982; Lester D. Read, Class of 1943; Francis Wilson Johnson, Class of 1933; Clifford Linedecker, Class of 1950, and Don Aker, Class of 1949.

A display of Hall of Fame winners is visible in the north lobby at Plymouth High School.

There are many PHS graduates who qualify for the award. Please consider someone and submit the nomination. Nominations not selected are kept permanently to be reviewed for the following years.

For further information, call:
Jane Nelson or Laura Kruyer, PHS, 936-2178

Blog Bits

Plymouth High School L.E.A.D. (leaders eliminating alcohol and drugs) held their Annual Senior Citizen’s Prom on March 21, 2007 in the high school cafeteria. Residents from the Shady Rest Home, Pilgrim Manor, Miller's Merry Manor, Maria Center and Catherine Casper Home were in attendance.

Attached is a picture of the King (Johnny Morlock) and Queen (Barbara Borskie).

Two Championships on Saturday for Plymouth

Basketball Championship
Plymouth's basketball team won the AAA State Title Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It was Plymouth's second basketball championship for Plymouth and coach Jack Edison. Plymouth jumped to an early lead and ended the game with a 72-61 win over Evansville Bosse. At the game's end, Jason Renz won the Mental Attitude Award. It was a great day for Plymouth's players, coaches, cheerleaders, pep band, parents, and fans.

Speech Championship
Plymouth's Speech Team won the AA State Title Saturday just seven miles south of Conseco Fieldhouse at Southport High School for the 10th time in the last 11 years. Declan Fox and Lizzie Brown won state championships in their events. Eight other Plymouth speakers finished in the top six. Congratulations to the speakers, coaches, and all of their loyal fans.

Blog Bits

Indoor Track Success
Two PHS students participated in the State Indoor Track Meet in Bloomington last weekend. David Burroughs and Daniel Neidlinger qualified for this state meet with their scores at regional contests at Culver Academies and Huntington. Daniel Neidlinger placed 10th in the state on the distance race. David Burroughs placed 2nd in the state and set a new school record in the long jump. He jumped 22’11”. The first place winning jump was only a half inch longer. Congratulations David and Daniel!

Poetry Reading Success
Nancy Tyree, PHS junior, placed 2nd in the state at the Poetry Out Loud contest in Indianapolis. The contest was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. She received a $100.00 price for placing second. The school will receive $200.00 for the high school library for her second place finish. Great job Nancy!

Blog Bits

Weekend for Champions
This Friday and Saturday, 35 speech students from Plymouth High School will be participating in the State Speech Tournament at Southport High School. At the same time, our boy’s basketball team will take on Evansville Bosse for the Class 3A State Basketball Championship. Our students are able to participate consistently at the championship level because of the preparation and hard work of our Speech and Basketball staff and students with great support from the community. Go Pilgrims!

Future Thoughts
Next year’s Kindergarten class will graduate in 2020. Our task is to prepare students for the future. As a result, schools are undergoing changes. These changes reflect our changing world and the impact of technology. The magnitude of this challenge is presented in a short video prepared by Karl Fisch and updated by Scott McLeod. Please view, “Did You Know”. https://breeze5.umn.edu/didyouknow/ Please share with your thoughts with us after viewing the clip.

Congratulations BPA

Congratulations to BPA for an outstanding performance at State Leadership Conference. The entire club performed well in their competitive events and continued to carry on the excellent PHS Business Professionals of America tradition. Two students advanced to National Leadership Conference May 9-13 in New York City.

Financial Math and Analysis Medalist- Bailey Capper-8th Place
Payroll Accounting- Kami Pfledderer-8th Place
Extemporaneous Speech- Mat Tinsley-4th Place
Prepared Speech- Kayla Dalton-8th Place
Interview Skills- Bailey Capper-State Finalist-4th Place
Small Business Management Team- Bailey Capper, Alex Eads, Alex Starr, Tom Young (All Sophomores)-State Finalist-5th Place
Web Design Team- Brian Kunze, Michael Roach, Joe Scott, Bryan Towne-State Finalist-7th Place-State Finalist-7th Place
Parliamentary Procedure Team- Keshia Carnegie, Paschina Carnegie, Devan Garcia, Ashey Gyberson, Brandon Himes, Chad Montgomery-7th Place
Advanced Accounting- Mat Tinsley-4th Place (Advances to National Leadership Conference)
Desktop Publishing- Bre Britten-16th Place, Alex Starr-11th Place, Bri Garland-1st Place (State Champion by a landslide, Advances to National Leadership Conference)

2007 Kindergarten Round-up

Plymouth Community School Corporation will host the annual Kindergarten Round-up on April 11, 2007 in all Plymouth Elementary Schools.

There will be two sessions. Parents and children need only attend one session. The 1st session is at 1:30 p.m. The 2nd session is at 6:00 p.m. Each session should last no longer than one hour.

Please bring an original copy of your child’s birth certificate, immunization records, and a social security number. The schools will make copies of the originals. For Spanish speaking Kindergartners and parents, interpreters will be available. During the hour-long Round-Up, parents will meet with administrators and fill out registration forms; children will meet with Kindergarten teachers for screening.

In order to be eligible for Round-Up this year, your child needs to be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2007.

For those unsure of which building their child will attend, please call (574) 936-3115 and ask for the transportation department.

Requests for morning or afternoon sessions of kindergarten can also be made at this time.



Las escuelas de la Corporación de Plymouth van a tener su junta annual este 11 de abril, para los padres de los proximos niños que van a entrar a kinder en todas las primarias de Plymouth..

Habrá dos sesiones. Los padres y los niños solo necesitan asistir a una sesión. La primera sesión es a la 1:30 de la tarde. La segunda sesión es a las 6:00 de la tarde. No durará más de una hora cada sesión

Por favor traiga una copia original de la acta de nacimiento, los registros de la inmunización, y el número del seguro social del niño. Las escuelas harán copias de las originales. Intérpretes estarán disponibles para los padres y niños que solo hablan español. Durante la junta de una hora, los padres conoceran a los directores y llenarán formularios de inscripción; niños estaran con maestros de kinder para un examen pequeño.

Para ser elegible para la junta de padres e hijos este año, su niño tiene que haber cumplido 5 años en o antes del 1 de Agosto de 2007.

Si usted no sabe a cual escuela su niño asistirá, por favor llame al (574) 936-3115 y pregunte por el departamento de transporte.
Las solicitudes para sesiones de la mañana o de la tarde de kinder se pueden hacer también en este momento.

Two Hour Delay

Plymouth Schools and St. Michael's will operate on a two-hour delay on Friday, March 2. The alternative schedule will be used for Kindergarten. High winds and snow starting around 6:00 AM created a need for this delay.

Blog Bits

Three Art Show Winners Named

Vickie Cook and Judy Harness are proud to announce three Plymouth art students that have been named finalists in the Symphony in Color contest. They are: Alexsia Ramirez, Jefferson, Caleb Bunton, Washington, and Shawnee Buchert, Webster.

Students listened to the music performed by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and created artwork that illustrates the rhythm and movement of the music. The 100 finalists work will be on exhibit at the Indiana State Museum from March 31-May 15, 2007.

Each year, more than 35,000 elementary school children throughout Indiana participate in Symphony in Color, an enrichment program offering a unique blending of two disciplines: symphonic music and visual art.

The program culminates in a juried exhibition in both the Hilbert Circle Theatre and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The 2007 exhibit will be at the Indiana State Museum due to construction at the IMA. There are 100 finalists and 36 blue ribbon winners selected each year. One entry will receive the Pacini Award and will be displayed in the Hilbert Circle Theatre for an entire year.

Under the direction of a teaching professional, children interpret recorded selections of symphonic music through their personal artistic creations. For additional information on this contest, see the following website, http://www.symphonyincolor.org/.

Blog Bits

Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program Winners

Recently, Lilly announced four Plymouth teachers as recipients of the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program. Michele Holloway and Deb Wise were announced as first-time winners. Judy Harness and Vickie Cook were announced as second-time winners.

The Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program began in 1987 and is committed to help Indiana become an even more rewarding arena for seasoned teachers and other education professionals. The program supports creative projects that are personally renewing and intellectually revitalizing. While personal renewal is the main goal of this program, applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how their proposed projects will affect their students' engagement in the learning process.

Michele Holloway and Deb Wise wrote a proposal entitled, "O-Live! Live Strong! Live Well! Live Long!" They describe it as a study of the Mediterranean diet and Italian lifestyle. They plan to spend most of July in Italy investigating olive oil production, taking cooking classes, hiking in the Dolomites, and seeing the sights. Viva Italia!

Judy Harness and Vickie Cook’s proposal was entitled, “Both Sides of the Santa Fe Trail!” They will travel the Santa Fe Trail to examine the westward expansion from the pioneer woman’s perspective as she endured the trek west for new beginnings, from the American Indian woman’s perspective as settlers invaded and seized her land, and how the two cultures modified each other’s art and traditions.

Congratulations Michele, Deb, Judy, and Vickie! Enjoy your summer adventures! We are all very proud of you.

Principal for a Day

Greg Jaggers was Principal for a Day with Cathy Deardorf at Plymouth High School Greg is a business consultant and a motivational speaker.

If you would like to be involved in Principal for a Day next year, contact Dan Tyree at dtyree@plymouth.k12.in.us.

Plymouth Schools are Closed Today

The conditions have not improved enough to transport students this morning. Plymouth Schools are closed today.

Plymouth Schools on 2 Hour Delay

Due to the fog, Plymouth Schools will be on a 2 hour delay. Kindergarten will be on the delay schedule. Conditions will be re-evaluated at 8:00 AM.

Principal for a Day

During our 7th Annual Principal for a Day, Rusty Nixon spent his day at Riverside Elementary with Donna Burroughs and Jeni Hirschy. Rusty is a freelance writer and the baseball coach for Ancilla College.

Blog Bits

School Board Highlights

Last evening the board met in regular session at Jefferson Elementary. In addition to its regular business, the Board of Trustees heard a report on the Jefferson School Improvement Plan from Mr. Remenih. A great number of Jefferson staff were present and the board greatly appreciated their efforts and their presence at the meeting. The board approved summer school programs for the coming year. Course offerings will include economics, government, U.S. history, biology, algebra, geometry, credit recovery language arts, jump start language arts, and jump start math at the high school. There will be a 4 week jump start program at Lincoln, migrant jr. high and high school program at Lincoln, and 1 section jump start program for students entering grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 at the elementary. Federal breakfast and lunch programs will be offered at both Lincoln and Washington. Exact dates for summer school will not be established until there is a break in the weather. The board scheduled executive sessions for staff evaluations on March 8th, March 12th, and March 15th. The next regular board meeting will be held March 22nd at 7:00 p.m. at Lincoln Junior High.

Blog Bits

The New 3R’s

Dr. Ernest Morrell is an assistant professor in the Urban Schooling division of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the UCLA. He suggests that the 3 R’s, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, are no longer enough. Now, schools must also ensure the fundamentals of the New 3R’s to educate all students in the Information Age. So, what are the New 3R’s? They are Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships.

Rigor is more than memorizing, reciting, and restating. Students must become adept at deep understanding, applying knowledge, solving problems, and analyzing.

Relevance includes relating to student interests and needs, involving them in real-world situations and contexts, and linking them to a global economy and democratic life.

Relationships ensure that each student feels connected, that educators care about students and provide a student-focused environment, and that there is support for struggling students.

Dr. Morrell is one of the new speakers for the HOPE Foundation’s Failure is Not an Option Institute. HOPEfully, we can all agree that in Plymouth Schools Failure is Not an Option!

Make-up Times and Dates

In discussion with PEA, children will attend school all day this Friday, weather permitting, and Monday, President's Day. A summary of make-up days is as follows: February 19, April 6, May 25, and May 29. There will be no in service day, Friday, February 16, students will attend school the entire day.

Closed on Valentine's Day

Due to the inclement weather, Plymouth Schools will be closed February 14.

Plymouth Schools are Closed Today

Plymouth Schools will be closed today. Road conditions will continue to deteriorate throughout the day. All evening activities are cancelled.

Blog Bits

School Board Highlights
In addition to its regular business last Thursday evening, the Board of Trustees honored those who volunteer their services to the school district. They also adopted the school calendar (a link below will take readers to the 2007-2008 calendars). The next regular school board meeting will be February 15, 2007 at Jefferson Elementary at 7:00 p.m.

Legislative Priorities
Each long session, several bills are introduced that will impact education. The following are priorities for our district as legislators conduct their work:
a) During the first half of calendar year 2007, there is a 95 million dollar shortfall in the appropriation for state support of schools. The impact to Plymouth Community Schools will be a $360,000.00 shortfall during the first six months. Previous legislatures have corrected the shortfall prior to building the new budget. We encourage our legislators to do the same.
b) The 2% circuit breaker goes into effect during calendar year 2008. We have viewed various studies regarding the impact of the circuit breaker on Plymouth Community Schools. One study suggests the impact will be as little as $5,000.00, while other studies put the impact near $250,000.00 shortfall each year. The $5,000.00 shortfall is based on the assumption that accessed valuation will grow at the rate of 25% per year. We believe that the actual growth factor is much less. Legislation is needed to replace lost revenues to maintain the level of services that we currently have.
c) Textbooks – there will be bills introduced to provide free textbooks for all students. We think this conceptually, is a good idea. The bill that has been currently introduced, funds textbooks at $95.00 per student; our current fees average $120.00 per student. That current level of funding would require Plymouth Schools to dip into the general fund monies approximately $122,500.00 per year. We believe the highest priority for our legislature should be to fully fund the cost of books for those students who are on free/reduced lunch. The state currently refunds the local district at 58% of the cost.
d) Increase in school support - We are a growing school district. Our health insurance, utility costs, and cost of labor are increasing. The governor has recommended a 3% increase in state funding. The Department of Education has recommended 4%. We believe we can live within those recommendations.
e) Full day kindergarten – There is a lot of discussion of full day kindergarten in the legislature. Two bills have been introduced. The one in the house requires every district will offer full day kindergarten with no corresponding funding. The one in the senate phases in full day kindergarten and its funding over a period of time. We have several students who currently participate in extended day or full day kindergarten activities. Our staff sees a great need for many of our students. We support full day kindergarten as long as the requirements are fully funded and full day kindergarten is optional for parents.

Miscellaneous
Please check out the Plymouth Speech and Debate blog. It is highly animated. Former team member Heidi Dickson is in charge of maintaining the site.

Weather Button
A weather button has been added to our blog. A double click on the weather button will lead to a site containing current weather conditions. Office Manager, Amy Pratt, installed the feature on the Plymouth Truth.

Blog Bits

2007-2008 School Calendars

The 2007-2008 school calendars for the Plymouth Community Schools are available online. Please visit the following site http://www.updatesoftware.com/plymouth/?cat=225&Type=0&ssec=0.

Blog Bits

Educator Stephen Peters has tracked the main influences for students throughout the years and his findings should have important implications for educators and parents. His findings might just explain why “kids aren’t like they used to be.” According to Peters, in the 1960’s the top five influences in a child’s life in rank order were (1) home, (2) school, (3) church, (4) peers, and (5) media.

The 1980’s brought about changes in our society and culture, and with those changes, came a new order to what influences students. The top five influences in the 1980’s in a child’s life in rank order changed to (1) school, (2) church, (3) media, (4) family, and (5) friends. Most noticeably the disintegration of the family had a major impact on our children in the 1980’s, but fortunately, school and church continued to provide strong influences on our children.

As we’ve reached 2007, we now see an even greater change in what influences children. The top five influences in a child’s life in rank order now reads (1) friends, (2) media, (3) school, (4) church, and (5) family.

So, as parents and educators, what can we derive from the changes that have taken place in the last 40 years? First, we can try our best for our families, schools, and churches to regain the major influences on our children. Second, we can’t hide our heads in the sand and wish for the good old days to return. That probably isn’t going to happen. Third, we need to recognize the powerful influences that the media and our children’s friends have on them. Since we can’t completely control our children’s lives, we need to steer them towards appropriate media and friends who will be positive influences on them.

As an educator and a parent, the importance of programs such as peer mediation, peer tutoring, and peer mentoring is very clear. If these programs aren’t in every school, they should be. If we can’t be the ones that influence our children, then let’s direct them to sources of influence that promote positive messages for them as they think their thoughts, choose their actions, and live their lives.

Stephen G. Peters speaks nationally for the Hope Foundation. He has also authored the book Do You Know Enough About Me to Teach Me? His work helps frame the research behind the six principles of effective schools in Alan Blankstein’s book, Failure is Not an Option. To read more from the Hope Foundation visit www.hopefoundation.org.

Stay Tuned for Tommorrow's Announcement

Current forecasts show the snow ending at 12:00 PM this evening. The highway departments should have ample time to open the roads. In addition to monitoring temperatures, our transportation team will be driving the roads in the morning. If an announcement is needed, it will be on the TV and radio stations shortly after 6 AM.

Make-Up Days

The two cancelled days will be made up on April 6 and May 25. All future cancelled days will be added to the end of the year. Thank you for your patience.

Plymouth Schools Closed

Plymouth Schools will be closed today.

Feb. 6, Plymouth will be on a 2 Hour delay

Projected wind chill is -20 tomorrow morning. Plymouth Schools will be on a 2 hour delay. The 2 hour delay Kindergarten schedule will be followed. Please monitor tv channels (16 and 22 ) and local radio stations for further updates.

Blog Bits

Do Students Just Want to Have Fun?

In a perception survey conducted by Victoria Bernhardt, ten thousand students were asked, “What has to be in place for you to learn best in the classroom?” Overwhelmingly, the top three answers included, (1) the teachers show that they care for me as a person, (2) the teachers make sure I learn, and (3) the teachers assign work that is fun.

So, what does fun mean? Does it mean that teachers have to be a stand-up comedian to reach children? Do teachers have to dress up in costume to teach a Civil War unit? Or maybe fun means that the only successful teachers are ones that play fun games in class.

Fortunately, Bernhardt was forward-thinking enough and also surveyed students’ on their perception of what fun meant. According to Bernhardt’s survey, fun had two distinct definitions. First, fun is a class where the teacher provides rigorous work for his/her students to be engaged in every day. Secondly, fun is a class where each student can point to, touch, or hold a product as the direct result of the rigorous work that was assigned by the teacher.

So, if that’s all it takes, let our children have fun.

Victoria Bernhardt speaks nationally for the Hope Foundation. Her work is part of the research that supports the six principles of effective schools in Alan Blankstein’s book, Failure is Not an Option. To read more from the Hope Foundation visit www.hopefoundation.org.

School is Closed Today

Plymouth Schools are closed today.

2Hour Delay

Due to the wind chill factor, Plymouth Schools is on a 2 hour delay. Kindergarten will run on the 2 hour delay schedule.

Early Dismissal

Due to deteriorating road conditions, Plymouth Elementary Schools and Riverside Intermediate School will dismiss at 12:45 PM. Lincoln Junior High and Plymouth High School will dismiss at 1:00 PM.

2 Hour Delay

Plymouth Schools are on a two hour delay. Kindergarten will run on the alternate schedule.

Could Video Games Become the Latest Teaching Tool?

Indiana University is receiving a grant to enhance student learning through video games. After reading the article , please share your thoughts.

Why Wellness Programs?

Please read: A Supersize Problem , to gain insight into the need for wellness programs in our schools.

Blog Bits

School Board Meeting
The Board of Trustees met in regular session on January 18, 2007. In addition to their regular business, the board heard a report on the Menominee Elementary School ISTEP scores and the implementation of the school improvement plan. The board approved the offering of an Advanced Life Science Plant and Soil course at the Plymouth High School. This course will be offered through the Ag Dept. but qualifies for the Core 40, the Core 40 with academic honors and the Core 40 with technical honors diplomas as an elective and as a directed elective course. It will also be recognized as a career academic sequence, a career technical program, or flex credit course. The conflict of interest statements were signed by administrators and school board members and were approved for certification with the state board of accounts. The board heard first reading on the revision of board policies or new board policies. The next regular scheduled board meeting is February 8, 2007 at 5:30 p.m.

Winter Board Member Academy
School board members and administrators from around the state, including representatives from the Plymouth Community School Corporation, attended the Winter Board Academy at downtown Indianapolis Westin Hotel on January 19, 2007. This seminar sponsored by the Indiana School Boards Association introduced new school board members to the many facets of boardmanship ship along with reinforcing these principles to numerous veteran board members and school administrators who attended. Topics, including school budgeting, policy development, boardmanship, collective bargaining, conducting effective meetings, legislative process, and legal aspects, such as the Open Door Law, and the General School Powers Act, were presented by the ISBA staff. Dr. John Ellis, Executive Director of the Indiana Association Public School’s Superintendents, brought an update on the changing role of the public school superintendency. A panel of experienced board members shared their views on the functions of the school board. Local board member and administrator attending were Melissa Christiansen, and Dr. John Hill. The ISBA is a non-profit organization with 290 member schools, including every school board in the state.

Blog Bits

The Indiana Legislature is now in session. It is critical for all of us to know the activities of that body. Two valuable sources of activity in the legislature are the Indianapolis Star and “taking down words”. We suggest you spend a few minutes each day reviewing those sites for information.

Blog Bits

Business Professionals of America are Successful at Competition

The PHS Chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA) once again turned in a championship performance at District Leadership Conference this past weekend in Warsaw. The team had 10 first place winners, 8 second place winners, 1 third place winner, and 6 fourth place winners.

1st Place winners include the following: Mat Tinsley (2 events), Sam Faulstich, Bri Garland, Bailey Capper, Brian Kunze, Bryan Towne, Paschina Carnegie, Keshia Carnegie, and Brandon Himes.

2nd Place winners include the following: Kami Pfledderer (2 events), Alex Starr, Nick Houin, Kayla Dalton, Josh Knill, the Administrative Support Team (Kayla Dalton, Sam Faulstich, John Montgomery, and Evan Skirvin), and the Small Business Management Team (Bailey Capper, Alex Eads, Alex Starr, and Tom Young).

The 3rd Place winner was Kelsey Heisler.

4th place winners include the following: Joe Scott, Alex Eads, Bre Brettin, John Montgomery, Nick Houin, and Mike Houin.

The PHS chapter also had 15 members receive medallions for their scores in Open Events. A total of 22 members will now advance to State Leadership in Competitive Events.

BPA is coached by Chad Miley, Shari Bloom, and Janice Curtis.

Textbook Adoption

Plymouth Schools will adopt textbooks in reading and handwriting this year to be used for the next six years. A committee of 12 teachers and 8 community members will evaluate the state-approved textbooks and then submit a recommendation to the school board. Tentatively, the public will have the opportunity to review textbooks from April 7 through April 19. Tentatively, the board is set to act on those recommendations April 20. Specific dates will be set by the board as the committee advances through the process.

Teacher representatives and community members on the committee include the following:

Teacher
Janet Marshall
Alice Huff
Cathy Szklarek
Angela Becktel
Julie Good
Tami Greenlee
Hillary Hopple
Carla Lange
John Premetz
Patty Welch
Fay Smith
Kelly Reinholt

Community
Marie Dylag
Lara Bachtel
Stacy Hildebrand
Karen Barden
Tammy Houin
Ida Martin
Erin Houser
Greg Jaggers

Blog Bits

PHS Principal Selection
We thank all of those staff members and community members who have either participated in the focus groups or have sent emails and letters providing input for the characteristics of the new principal at Plymouth High School. You have provided hundreds of characteristics. We have synthesized those into the following:

Plymouth Community Schools seeks candidates who -

1. Can lead and motivate staff and students.
2. Has a vision for the future of educational pursuits and can sell that vision to the school community.
3. Communicates with various audiences in both the written and spoken word.
4. Has a heart for children as exhibited in his/her interest in their lives and concern for their well being.
5. Possesses moral character beyond reproach.
6. Is positive.
7. Understands curriculum and instruction, the primary business of the school.
8. Possesses a strong work ethic.
9. Understands the role of technology as a teaching and learning tool in the future.

We will be accepting applications from candidates until February 2, 2007 or until a candidate is chosen for the position.

Again, we thank all of you for your input.

Blog Bits

Wellness Advisory Board Reports

Monday, January 8, the Wellness Advisory Board met and heard reports on youth obesity and diabetes from Dr. Joel Schumaker, non-food rewards from Karen Richey, cultural nutritional needs from Julie Morgan and friends, exercise in the classroom from Lisa Jones, and the state requirements for the hot lunch program from Gloria Burnam.

The statistics given by Dr. Joel Schumaker were staggering. We all agreed that a partnership between parents, school, and the medical community is the only way to address this problem. To get an idea of the national concern for youth obesity and diabetes you can click and read: www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_youth.shtml

The Wellness Advisory set their activities for the rest of the year.
February: PASS is working on a community meeting with the focus on wellness.
March: Evaluation of the policy and guidelines.
April: Revision to the policy and guidelines.
May: Mrs. Letsinger is tentatively planning a Wellness Fair.

Future publications will feature a summary of information presented by Julie Morgan, Karen Richey, Lisa Jones and Gloria Burnam.

Blog Bits

Graduation Rates
The state of Indiana has redefined the method for calculating the graduation rate. Based on the new formula, the graduation rate for the class of 2005-2006 at Plymouth High School is 81.3%. 3.4% of the class of 2005-2006 earned a GED diploma, however, under the rules, those students are not counted in the graduation rate. In addition, .4% of the class earned a special education certificate. The completion certificate does not count in the graduation rate. .4% of the students have completed all the courses for graduation, but have not passed the qualifying exam. 2.6% of the class of 2005-2006 are still involved in school. 11.9% of the class of 2005-2006 were drop-outs. The department of education has also provided a breakdown of 2005-2006 graduation rates by sub-groups at Plymouth High School. 89.1% of those students on paid lunch graduated, while only 69.7% on free/reduced lunches graduated. The district is working on a plan to improve graduation rates over time. If we wait until the high school years to intervene, it is too late. This is why our staff is working hard to help all students be at reading level by the end of their 3rd grade year. At other levels, there is a focus on our reading to learn, writing, and problem solving skills.

Blog Bits

Board Highlights
The board of trustees met in regular session to conduct its organizational meeting last evening. Amy Pratt administered the oath of office to Melissa Christiansen and Larry Pinkerton. Todd Samuelson was elected President of the Board, Frank Brubaker Vice-President, and Ron Gifford Secretary. Kandi Tinkey was appointed Treasurer and Lori Vanderweele Assistant Treasurer. The board established blanket bonds for its school employees. The board compensation was set at $2,000.00 for 2007. Larry Pinkerton was appointed to the Superintendents Advisory Committee. Joe Morris was appointed as the legal counsel for the Plymouth Community School Corporation. The legislative liaison for the board of trustees is Ron Gifford. Frank Brubaker will serve as the board member on the Student Services Committee. The board adopted a schedule of meetings for the 2007 year. (That schedule will be posted on the corporation website next week.) A report on standardized test scores was given by Dan Tyree. The board approved donation reports for the buildings. Dr. Hill provided a facility update. The board approved affidavits for payments for the building projects. The next regularly scheduled will be held on January 18th at Menominee Elementary. Dr. Hill provided the board a report of the end of the year transfers, updates on the selection of the high school principal, and the review of human resources policies and procedures. The board also reorganized as a board of finance. Todd Samuelson was elected President, Ron Gifford was elected Secretary. During the 2006 calendar year, the corporation earned $461,163.29 on its investments. Prior to adjournment, the board of finance reviewed the corporation’s investment policies.

AED’s
Prior to the Christmas break, the district purchased AED’s (defibrillators) for each building. Principals, head custodians, and nurses received initial training. Other staff members will be given the opportunity for CPR certification and re-certification during the coming months.

Legislation
The legislative session is coming up. Please watch this website to see how proposed legislation will impact the Plymouth Community Schools.

2nd Community Focus Group

Plymouth Community Schools will hold its 2nd Community Focus Group on January 10, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. in the board room at 611 Berkley Street, Plymouth. The purpose of the community focus group is to seek input from community members on the development of criteria for the selection of the new high school principal. A similar community focus group was conducted last month. The selection process began January 2, 2007 and will conclude in April, 2007. Patrons who cannot attend the meeting and would like to contribute to the process can mail comments to Plymouth Community School Corporation, 611 Berkley Street, Plymouth, Indiana 46563 attention Dr. John Hill, or may email comments to jhill@plymouth.k12.in.us.