Eagle Express 2/24/21

From the Office

Dear Parents,

Spring Break is getting closer, and we know parents and families are planning for travel in the upcoming weeks. We are asking our families to follow the CDC guidelines for quarantining after travel. Please remember that if you plan on your students being virtual, you need to alert their teachers AT LEAST two days ahead, the more lead time they have, the better:

  • Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel. Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
  • If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
  • If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
  • Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.
  • Watch your health: Look for symptoms of COVID-19.

Getting tested after travel is especially important if you did any of these activities that put you at higher risk for COVID-19:

  • Going to a large social gathering like a wedding, funeral, or party.
  • Attending a mass gathering like a sporting event, concert, or parade.
  • Being in crowds like in restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters.
  • Taking public transportation like planes, trains or buses or being in transportation hubs like airports.
  • Traveling on a cruise ship or riverboat.
Thank you for following these guidelines and working together to keep IHM healthy and in-person!
To our Spanish-speaking parents: We wanted to let you know that if you call the school office, it will not always be possible to speak to someone who speaks Spanish. I am learning Spanish but am not totally proficient, and Mrs. Winter does not speak Spanish. If you need to communicate with us in the office (for example, if your child will not be at school and you need to let us know by 8:30 AM), there are a few options:
  • Email is easiest on a daily basis, as we can Google Translate what you have written and our reply.
  • Call on Wednesday or Friday between 9-11 AM, when Monica Connolly sits at the desk. Monica does speak Spanish.
  • Communicate with another Spanish-speaking family who can then relay a message to us.
  • Send in a message with your English-speaking child.

Last Chance to help Save Lives! We are having a blast practicing our jumping skills and raising money to help kids with sick hearts. We are extremely proud of our families for supporting this service-learning program. Thank you all! Our Kids Heart Challenge event is March 11 and our final week of donations is NEXT WEEK. If you haven’t had the opportunity to take the challenge or raise donations, there’s still time! We’re getting closer to our goal of 50% of our students taking the heart healthy challenge. Here’s how you can help:

  • Register and choose a challenge online at http://www2.heart.org/goto/IHOM or search, “Kids Heart Challenge” in your app store. (Get free wristband)
  • Complete Finn’s mission. (Get Limited Edition Agent KHC)
    Have fun while saving lives!
After March 1st, students in Kindergarten through 8th grade will be going to the Music Room and to the Computer Lab for class, instead of the teacher coming to their classroom. They will contiue to be cohorted with their own class, and rooms will be cleaned between groups. The Middle School will also begin to switch classrooms, as in a typical year. Middle School parents should have received an email with a more detailed explanation last week.
Spring Conferences are scheduled for Thursday March 25th, and in a typical year they would be student-led conferences. We need to adjust for this year, like so many other things, so this year Spring Conferences will be by Teacher Request only for all levels. Watch for an email from your child’s teacher if they would like to request a conference for that day. Conferences will be virtual on Zoom. If your child’s teacher did not request a conference with you but you would like one, please feel free to email them and they will schedule with you!
I would like to encourage you, if your child forgets something in the morning, to refrain from delivering it to school unless it truly is a need (eyeglasses, for example). Rest assured that we have extra gloves, hats, hot lunch, etc. to provide for students. We also want to work with our parents to provide logical and appropriate consequences for forgetting items at home. A day that you need to eat hot lunch at school even if it’s not your favorite, or play on the black top because you forgot your snow pants, is often all that is needed to remember in the future! Thanks for your support!
Catholic Schools provide a firm foundation for the growth and development of your child. Pray for a year filled with faith and learning. Let us be a community of service to one another and to our world.
God Bless,
Callie Meiller, Principal

Office Reminders

  • The IHM federal tax ID number is 39-0828125
  • If you are running late, you can continue to drop your child off in the back of school until 8:30 AM. The door by the kitchen/office is open until then. Please do not have students ring the doorbell in the morning to enter the school building until after 8:30.
  • If you need to find out how much you paid in tuition or child care last year for tax purposes, please follow these steps:

    -Log into your FACTs tuition account
    -Click the “View Details” link just to the right of “Payment Plan & Billing”.
    -Use the drop down menu to make sure the box below the words Transactions says “All”.
    -Click the box “View Payment Summary”. The screen will give you a total of what you paid in each category.
    -If you need more help, please email Bernie Heit at bheit@ihmparish.org

  • Current ECE and K-7 families will be charged a non-refundable re-enrollment fee of $75 per family on the February 25th FACTs account, unless we have heard from you that your plans have changed for next year.
  • If a student has been exposed to a positive COVID case, IHM requires 10 days of quarantine from school or proof of a negative COVID test taken the 7th day after exposure, as long as the student is totally symptom-free. We will also support families who choose to keep their children home for the full 14 day quarantine, which the CDC recommends is still the safest course of action.
  • If your child is home because they are sick, we encourage them to rest and recover. Teachers ask that they not log into their classes if they do not have the materials. Thank you for keeping sick kids home to recover!
    If your child will be home for more than a few days, you can request virtual learning materials. Teachers need at least 2 school days to prepare materials. Please contact the teacher directly if you need materials.
  • Use this site to order IHM Spirit Wear: https://ihm.socceretcdirect.com/index.php?route=common/home Click on “School Delivery” under Delivery Method, orders will be delivered to IHM, and we will send them home with your child as soon as we receive them! Quick Tip: If you add your name to the bottom of the order, where it says “Name if applicable,” it will add your child’s name to the piece of clothing.
  • Mrs. Walters could use some more small paper lunch bags! If you can help by donating some that would be much appreciated! Just send them in with your student! Thank you!

Thank You!

 Thank you to all of the parents who are working our Fish Fries this year, even though it is not a requirement! We appreciate your dedication and hard work to helping IHM run our fantastic Fish Fry!

HSA News

HELP! We need more volunteers for the fish fry this Friday. We also need help Thursday night with prep. To sign-up for the event on Friday, February 26, please visit: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f044aa4ab2da4fa7-carryout.

The 2nd half of the HSA Fee for our K-8 families that is normally charged in February will be moved to March starting this year, in order to not be the same month as our Re-enrollment fee. Grades K-8 can expect a $60 fee in March.

Did You Know?

Although we love and trust our students, it is required that parents communicate with school about absences, vacations, and virtual days! It is very important that you notify the school office or your child’s teachers by 8:30 AM each day that your child will be gone if they are ill, or at least two days ahead if they will be gone for more than one day for vacation. You can call and leave a message on the Absence Line (608-222-8831, press 1) or email secretary@ihm-school.org, and Mrs. Winter will share it with the teachers.

This week’s links

In your child’s backpack

 Nothing from the office, but check to see if the teachers sent anything!