Eagle Express Newsletter

November 29, 2023

From the Office

 Dear Parents,

Welcome back to our students from their Thanksgiving break! We hope all of our families had some time to connect with their families this last week. Thanks to everyone who came to their parent/teacher conference. We really appreciate the chance to check with all of you about this blessed partnership we have with you, educating your children! Advent starts this coming Sunday.  As Pope Francis reminds us, "Advent is a continuous call to hope." May you and your family feel the hope of the Advent season!

I'm happy to report that Mrs. Derks' spinal surgery last week went well! Continued prayers for her recovery are appreciated!

Report Cards for Grades K-8 are available today! ECE & 4K will have paper reports in your child's backpack. Grades K-8, log into your FACTs Family Portal to view the report cards (check after 5:00 pm tonight). Mrs. Meiller will also email a copy to your email address.

The IHM Christmas Concert is coming up on Wednesday, December 20th at 6:00 PM for grades K-8. See the flyer linked below for more information! Grade 3K & 4K will have a musical event during January during the school day - stay tuned for more information!

Faith Formation: tonight is our Lay Witness Testimony Night.  We will meet at 6 PM in Marian Hall for snacks and a prayer together before we break off into our designated groups. Our speakers will be Aaron and Avarie Roser.  Come hear their incredible story of embracing the fullness of Christ's love in the Church!

Catholic schools provide a firm foundation for your child's growth and development. Pray for a year filled with faith and learning. Let's be a community of service to each other and to our world. On behalf of Father Chad, Father Bill, Father Mark, and the teachers and staff of Immaculate Heart of Mary School, God bless you for choosing Immaculate Heart of Mary School!

Peace & Blessings,

Callie Meiller, Principal

Office Reminders

Appointments are now required for entry to IHM School. This practice adds an extra layer of security and also helps us make sure we have enough time for you. Please note that this requirement does not pertain to individuals who have established recurring visits or parents picking up/dropping off students during the school day.

Long pants and tights/leggings under skirts are now required until April 1st. Thank you for sending your child dressed to keep warm while they are outside!

IHM Illness Policy:

COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 Communicable Disease/Illness 

Check your student for symptoms daily before school:

• Fever (100° or higher), chills, or shaking chills
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• New loss of taste or smell
• Muscle or body aches
• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nausea or vomiting, when in combination with other symptoms
• Headache, when in combination with other symptoms
• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies), when in combination with other symptom
  *Vomiting and fever may or may not be associated with COVID-19. If your student is experiencing only one of these symptoms, they may return to school once the symptom has resolved after 24 hours without the use of medications.

If one or more of these symptoms are present, please keep the student home. The CDC  recommends testing for COVID-19 with a PCR test or rapid antigen test (home test or administered at a pharmacy or clinic). Please contact the school to report illness and absence, and test results.

Please also keep students with these symptoms home:

• Fever or chills (without other symptoms):  Check temperature with a thermometer. If the temperature is 100 or higher, keep the student home until their temperature remains lower than 100 for at least 24 hours without giving fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
• Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea (without other symptoms) within the last 24 hours. Keep the student home until they tolerate their regular diet and there is no nausea/vomiting/diarrhea for at least 24 hours.
• A rash or communicable infection (such as pink eye, strep throat, mono etc.) Keep the student home from school and call your health care provider for further medical evaluation.

Students can return to school when their symptoms have cleared, according to the guidelines above.

Thank You

Thank you to all of our very giving and generous parents, who choose to send their children to IHM School and often sacrifice, with money and time, to make it happen. 

Giving Tuesday is a worldwide day dedicated to giving back and celebrating generosity. Built on the gratitude felt during the Thanksgiving holiday and following the consumer-centered events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It is also a day where we can affirm our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ by sharing our gifts of love for God and one another.

Out of this generosity would you consider further support of IHM Catholic School, above what you already give?

Our mission statement comes from Jesus’ command to “go make disciples.” Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish School was founded to do just that! For 68 years we have been committed to teaching love of God and love of neighbor as taught by Jesus Christ. Our resolve to know, love, and serve Jesus today has not changed. Our school provides children a safe, diverse, and faith-based quality education in order to make disciples for the Lord and lights to the world. If you have it in your heart and your budget to support IHM School further than you already do, please click here, and know you have our unending thanks: https://ihmcatholicparish.org/giving/.

EdCo (Educational Commission) News       [email protected]

RaiseRight Update

Order Early, Christmas is right around the corner! Friday, DEC 8th is the Last day to ensure your order arrives before Christmas. We are selling every Sunday after the IHM mass through December 17th.

I tried to add money to a reloadable physical gift card and it’s not working. Why?
It usually means you need to buy and register a new gift card. Here are some of the reasons why—you’ll also get an email with an explanation:

• You’ve added money to the same gift card too many times. (This differs for each brand; some allow you to add money up to 99 times.)
• The gift card was purchased more than 12 months ago.
• The gift card had a $0.00 balance for more than 60 days.
• You can also double-check to see if the gift card you are attempting to reload requires overnight processing. This only applies to a few brands, as noted in the General Information available for that brand.

Storybook Theatre “Rapunzel” recordings available for order

To order a DVD, digital file, or thumb drive of “Rapunzel,” as recorded by Any & All Media, fill out an order form by Tuesday, December 5 at https://forms.gle/RcBTPzdXJShwVsDK8 Orders will be billed to your FACTS account. 

SAVE THE DATE! Saturday Dec. 9, 4:00 - 9:00 PM @ Panera Bread Madison - East.  D.C. Fundraising committee is hosting the next share night. 25% of all proceeds benefit the Middle School spring D.C trip! Ordering online or at the kiosk? Used code: FUND4U. Thank you for your support! 

IHM Basketball

Saturday, December 2

9:15     6th Grade Girls at St. Maria Goretti

11:15     7th Grade Girls at Queen of Peace

12:30    5/6th Grade Boys at ALCS

Sunday, December 3

3:00     8th Grade Boys at Queen of Peace

Go Eagles!

This week's links (at the bottom of the email)

December Menu

IHM Specials Classes Update

Christmas Concert Flyer

ECE Hahn's Tree Farm Field Trip Notification

This week's hard copies (in your child's backpack)

Nothing this week

Did You Know?

The Book Fair earned $5,573! That gives Mrs. Winter approximately $3000 to spend on books for the IHM Library and Classrooms. Thank you  to all of the student, parents, and grandparents for supporting our school and sharing the love of reading with all of our students!