Question 1

What time does school start?

Accepted Answer

The students come into the school beginning at 7:40 AM and go straight to their classrooms. The bell rings and classes begin promptly at 7:55 AM.

Question 2

Can I eat lunch with my child? What time is lunch?

Accepted Answer

Guests are welcome if there is room. Special tables in the lobby are allocated for guests. Any lunch guest must be listed in the student’s emergency information and they must sign in and provide their drivers license to have a name badge printed.
Lunch times are as follows:
Preschool 10:05-10:35
Kindergarten 10:10-10:40
1st Grade 10:30-11:00
2nd Grade 12:15-12:45
3rd Grade 11:40-12:10
4th Grade 11:55-12:25
5th Grade 11:10-11:40

Question 3

What do I need to do to pick up and drop off my child at school?

Accepted Answer

If you drive your child to school, please make sure you follow the pick-up and drop-off procedures. This helps to ensure the safety of the students. Student drop-off begins at 7:40 a.m. Students arriving earlier than this will not have access to the building (except those participating in KidsClub). The front doors are programmed to unlock at 7:40 AM. Students who arrive after 7:50 AM must be accompanied by an adult and signed in at the front office. The front doors are programmed to lock at 7:55 AM. If you need to accompany your child into the building, please park in the lot between Horizon and Discovery and then cross your child safely to the building. Car-riders enter and exit at door B which is on the East side of the building. Use the entrance between Horizon and Discovery. Cars should line up along the curb, as far forward as possible to avoid excessive traffic backup on Brummitt Rd. Always follow the instruction of the staff traffic directors. Children should enter/exit cars quickly from the curbside in the designated area, and parents should never exit their vehicle while in the line. Cars must stay in line! Please be patient and do not pull around other cars that are waiting to drop off children. This creates a dangerous situation. Double parking is not allowed. Students are issued a unique car rider number. Please make sure the number is visible when pulling up to the curb at pick-up. Without this car tag, you will be required to pick up your child in the school office. Students are dismissed at 2:15 PM and all car riders must be picked up by 2:25 PM.

Question 4

What happens if my child will be a bus rider?

Accepted Answer

You will receive a letter from the PHM Transportation Department which will let you know where the pick-up/drop-off point for your child will be and the school bus number. If you have any questions regarding transportation, contact the transportation department directly at (574) 258-9565.

Question 5

What do I do if my child is sick or has a doctor/dentist appointment?

Accepted Answer

If your child has an appointment during school hours, please send in a note or email the teacher. You will need to come into the office and sign your child out, and also sign them back in if they return to school the same day. If your child is sick, please call the school prior to the start of the school day, from 6:00 A.M. - 7:55 A.M. and choose option #1 for attendance. Also, when your child returns to school, you will need to send a note to the office explaining their absence.

Question 6

How do I gain entry to the school during normal hours?

Accepted Answer

School office hours are 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. When you arrive, find the intercom to the right of the doors at the main entrance. Press the button to alert the office and they’ll unlock the door. Once in the office, please sign the appropriate clipboard and have a photo name badge printed. There are four clipboards:
Purple - Volunteer Sign-In/Out
Yellow - Visitor Sign-In/Out
Green - Student Sign-In
Red - Student Sign-Out

Question 7

How do I pay for lunch?

Accepted Answer

Each child is given a lunch card that they will use to buy food from the cafeteria. PHM recommends parents create an account at schoolcafe.com to pre-pay for meals online using a debit or credit card (Visa/MasterCard). By setting up an account, you can also track your student’s lunch account balance, set low balance email alerts and set up automatic payments. If you prefer to pay the school via cash or check (payable to P-H-M Food Service Dept), please write your child’s name and “lunch money” on the envelope. Remember to specify either “meal account” for full meal purchases only, or “ala-carte account” to allow the purchase of snacks.

Question 8

What does IMC, LGI and ELA stand for?"

Accepted Answer

IMC is the Instructional Material Center or the school library. When you come out of the school office, it is the room with the windows, straight ahead and to the right of the foyer. LGI is the Large Group Instruction room and it is located around the corner from the gym. This room is used for various purposes including things like Kindergarten orientation, Art Smart presentations and PTO general meetings. ELA is the Extended Learning Area which is the space outside the classrooms for each of the grades 1-5 where you can find closets and bathrooms. There is no ELA for Kindergarten but each classroom has a single restroom and a designated space for the kids to hang their coats.

Question 9

Will my child check out books from the school library?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The maximum number of books is listed below for each grade: Kindergarten - one paperback book from special shelves and two phonics books Grade 1 - one book (hard cover and/or paperback) and two phonics books Grades 2 and 3 - two books (hard cover and/or paperback) and two phonics books Grades 4 and 5 - three books (hard cover and/or paperback), phonics books are optional but only if desired Kindergarten and Grade 1 students check out books for one-week period. Grades 2-5 check out books for a two-week period. If a child has an overdue book, or has reached their limit of books, they will not be able to check out any more on their Library day. No fees are charged for overdue books; only for lost or damaged books. 
Books may be turned in any day of the week. It is best to get your child in the routine of placing their books in the Library tote as soon as they arrive at school. On the day your child visits the Library, books are due by the start of school at 7:55 AM.

Question 10

How do I communicate my child’s teacher?

Accepted Answer

Check with your child’s teacher to determine the best way to communicate with them regarding your child. Many teachers prefer email but also use a folder which is given to the students at the start of the school year. Any notes, forms, lunch/other money should be sent in an envelope with the specific purpose clearly labeled on the front, including your child’s name and teacher name. You can also contact them by calling the school office and they will direct your call. The telephone number of Horizon is (574) 679-9788. To contact anyone in the PHM school district by email, use their first initial and then their last name followed by @phm.k12.in.us. For example Mrs. Tressa Decker is TDecker@phm.k12.in.us.

Question 11

What do I need to do to volunteer in a classroom?

Accepted Answer

At the beginning of the school year, the PTO will send out a list of volunteer opportunities and the teachers will also ask for volunteers in the classroom. However, before you can participate, you must fill out two forms: the Volunteer Intake Form and the Permission Form for a Criminal Background Check.

Question 12

What will I be doing when I volunteer?

Accepted Answer

You don’t need any teaching experience or special training to volunteer in a classroom. Some teachers will ask parents to provide a list of dates and times you are available to come into the classroom. From this they can create a parent helper schedule so you know in advance when you are needed.
Some of the things that parents help the teachers with are listening to the kids read a book, watching them write their numbers/letters or completing an activity. These are usually all done outside the classroom at a table in the corridor or ELA so you can give the child your individual attention. Classroom volunteers may also help to paint, cut paper, glue things together, etc.
Please consider volunteering in the classroom. The kids love it when their moms/dads come in to help and are always eager to show them their work and introduce them to their friends. Please remember however, that it is not possible to bring other children with you when you volunteer.

Question 13

How often do I have to complete the PHM background check?

Accepted Answer

Once you complete the background check, you should not have to complete another one as long as you have students at Horizon.

Question 14

Can I bring in treats when my child has a birthday?

Accepted Answer

Parents should NOT send birthday snacks to school. Student birthdays are not celebrated in classrooms. Instead, we celebrate all student birthdays once per month with a Monthly Birthday Celebration in the cafeteria. On student birthdays, the child will have their name announced on the morning news & will receive special recognition in their classroom, but no individual parties or snacks are permitted. Contact the school office directly with any questions or concerns regarding treats. Thanks for your cooperation!

Question 15

What is Kid’s Club?

Accepted Answer

Kids Club is a before and after school program from 6:30 AM - 7:50 PM and 2:20 PM - 6:00 PM. Kids eat breakfast in the mornings and have a snack in the afternoon. Time is allotted for homework and then other activities including group games, crafts, use of the playground, gym, computer lab, and free time. There are many different board games, puzzles, Legos, and dolls for the kids to play with in the cafeteria. They also have movie Friday, where the kids watch a movie on the big screen in the LGI. Find out more online at https://www.phmschools.org/kids-club.

HORIZON ELEMENTARY PTO

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