Congratulations to Northpoint Elementary 5th Grade teacher Jen Payne on receiving a P-H-M Teacher Impact Award!

Payne was recognized after her students achieved the highest overall growth in the district for Grade 5 Math from Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 3. Her students demonstrated an impressive 133-point growth, outperforming all other Grade 5 Math classes across P-H-M.

Principal Lorraine White and Superintendent Dr. Heather Short surprised Payne and her students with the award, celebrating the impact of strong instruction, student engagement, and academic achievement in the classroom.

The P-H-M Teacher Impact Awards recognize educators whose students demonstrate exceptional academic growth and success. Payne’s accomplishment reflects the dedication and hard work taking place each day at Northpoint Elementary.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for supporting this recognition of excellence in teaching and learning across P-H-M.

Click to see the full photo gallery in Canto.

Northpoint Elementary students reached an impressive milestone during their February Month of Reading, logging more than one million minutes of reading across the school! To celebrate the achievement, students welcomed a special guest on Friday: Dr. Kate Biberdorf, widely known as “Kate the Chemist.”

Dr. Biberdorf brought science to life with a series of high-energy, interactive demonstrations that connected directly to the school’s reading focus. Throughout February, students read her book Kate the Chemist: The STEM Night Disaster, making her visit a meaningful extension of their learning.

During the assembly, students experienced science in action. Demonstrations included building a confetti cannon, creating controlled fire bursts, and launching hundreds of plastic balls into the air using an explosion of water vapor. Each experiment was conducted in compliance with University of Notre Dame Risk Management and Safety guidelines, ensuring a safe and engaging experience for all.

Dr. Biberdorf is the nation’s first Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Notre Dame. Through her work, she aims to change how people see science by making it accessible, exciting, and hands-on. She has appeared on national television programs including The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBC Nightly News, The Rachael Ray Show, StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

In addition to her live demonstrations, Dr. Biberdorf is a bestselling author. Her books include The Big Book of Experiments, The Awesome Book of Edible Experiments for Kids, and It’s Elemental: The Hidden Chemistry in Everything, along with her five-book fiction series featuring “Kate the Chemist.”

Her visit gave Northpoint students the opportunity to see the science they read about come to life, reinforcing the connection between literacy and real-world learning.

Northpoint’s Month of Reading, combined with this interactive experience, highlighted the power of reading to spark curiosity, creativity, and a deeper understanding of the world around us.

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Northpoint Elementary students got an energetic introduction to STEM during a special assembly on January 22 that helped launch their One Book, One School month of reading for February.

The interactive program featured a visiting performer who demonstrated how simple machines can work together in creative ways.

Using balloons, he constructed a working “mouse trap” built around levers, showing students how design, problem-solving, and engineering thinking can turn everyday materials into something surprising and functional. Students were encouraged to predict, observe, and think critically throughout the presentation.

The assembly tied directly to Northpoint’s chosen book for this year’s One Book, One School program, Kate the Chemist: The STEM Night Disaster. Throughout February, all Northpoint students will be reading the same book and participating in related classroom activities that connect literacy with science, technology, engineering, and math.

The month of reading officially begins today, Monday, February 2, and will include lessons, discussions, and family engagement activities centered around the story.

Northpoint looks forward to a month of learning, curiosity, and hands-on thinking inspired by Kate the Chemist.

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Today, Northpoint Elementary, a STEM-certified school, celebrated National STEM Day a day early with a variety of engaging, hands-on learning activities! Students explored science, technology, engineering, and math concepts through creative and collaborative projects.

Throughout the day, students took part in experiments like the Musical Jars Science Experiment, built Pumpkin Catapults, programmed Sphero Robots, designed Creature Catchers, explored the Scientific Method, and even learned about VR technology—and much more!

These experiences showcased Northpoint’s commitment to STEM education and helped students strengthen their curiosity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.

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Second grade students at Northpoint Elementary have been studying the lifecycle of butterflies to start the school year, and their classroom project came full circle this week.

Last week, students carefully observed the stages of transformation. At that time, they had one caterpillar remaining, about a dozen in their chrysalis, and one butterfly that had already emerged.

The anticipation was high as the students waited for more butterflies to spread their wings.

Today, that moment arrived. The classes gathered outside to witness the release of five butterflies they had raised. Some butterflies took off immediately, soaring into the sky, while others needed a gentle nudge to leave their habitat.

A few flew directly to neighboring trees, where students were able to admire them up close before they continued their journey into nature.

This hands-on experience gave students a chance to not only learn about science in the classroom but also to see the beauty of nature firsthand.

Great job, Northpoint! #PHMExcellence

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

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

Gates open at 5:00 p.m. You must have a ticket to the football game to enter. Once inside the stadium head down to the white tents in the south end zone at the Yeoman Family Plaza.

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

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

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

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

Northpoint Elementary 3rd grade students have been learning about life cycles in a hands-on way.

Thanks to the generosity of a Northpoint parent who owns a farm, fertilized chicken eggs were donated to the classrooms. Over the past few weeks, students carefully weighed and monitored the eggs while keeping them in incubators.

This week, the chicks began to hatch. After hatching, the chicks were moved to a holding tank equipped with heat lamps to keep them warm.

Students are now observing the chicks and continuing to learn about their development.

Once the hatching process is complete, all chicks will be returned to the donor’s farm.

Northpoint Elementary students took the stage for a historic moment—performing in the school’s first-ever musical production, The Big Bad Musical!

This courtroom-themed comedy put a creative twist on classic fairy tales. The story follows the Big Bad Wolf as the defendant in a class-action lawsuit brought forward by familiar characters like Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, and more. With each witness taking the stand, the audience is left to decide—is the Wolf really as bad as they say, or is there more to the story?

Students brought the characters to life through acting, singing, and lots of humor, earning big laughs and applause from the audience.

Congratulations to all the young performers, and a special shoutout to the staff and volunteers who helped make this exciting new tradition possible!

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