From the Office

Dear Parents,

We are officially up and running!  We were so happy to welcome all of our families into the building for Back to School Night! Welcome to all families, continuing and new! We are excited for a great year of learning, faith, and fun!

We kicked off our school year yesterday with an all school prayer service, introducing our school year theme of “My soul magnifies the Lord.” May we “magnify” God’s goodness, kindness and love to our school and parish community and beyond. 

Each week on Wednesday, important communication from the office will come home via the Eagle Express email. Make sure to check for links at the bottom of the email! Forms that need to be returned, and flyers not available electronically will be sent home in your child’s take home folder or in your child’s backpack. IHM communicates primarily through email, so please make you have access to email, and be sure to check your email at least weekly or you will miss information that you will need. If you would like the Eagle Express  sent to an additional email address, please email Mrs. Winter at secretary@ihm-school.org and she will add it to the address book. If you would like something sent in the Eagle Express, please follow the submission guidelines linked below.

I would like to suggest that you take the time right now to make a separate folder in your email program for the Eagle Express emails, and save them as soon as they come, so they will be available when you need to look at them.

I am happy to report that we found a new PE teacher, Mrs. Hollie Whitney! Mrs. Whitney is coming to us from the Sun Prairie Area School district where she spent time as a long-term PE sub for many years.  I have also hired Mrs. Kendra Breunig as our new 4K teaching aide. Mrs. Beunig taught religious education at St. Jerome’s for years and is excited to work with our students.

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.

On behalf of Fr. Chad, the teachers and staff of Immaculate Heart of Mary School, God bless you for choosing Immaculate Heart of Mary School!

God Bless,
Callie Meiller, Principal

Office Reminders

• Please  follow the guidelines for dropping off and picking up students from our back playground for K-8, Door 2 for ECE and 4K. We have a lot of new families, so these first few weeks the line may be a little slow – please be patient! Please do not pull in front of another car in the line, and if you are going to take more than a minute unloading, please park in the parent parking lot behind and between the gym and the church. Student safety is our top priority!
  
• At 3:15 all students should be picked-up, walking/biking home, on the bus, or going to Homework Club or Afterschool. There are no staff members available to supervise children outside of those programs. We understand that parents may occasionally run late – if that is the case please call the school office to let us know. All students still at school after 3:15 will be sent to Homework Club or Afterschool with no parent phone call, parents should pick up from that program, and they will be charged the amount due for the program. If you need to discuss the cost of the program or your situation, please feel free to contact the office.
  
• Picture Day is Thursday, September 16th. Ordering information will be coming home soon! All students will have their pictures taken that day, regardless if you order a packet or not. 4K may have an additional picture day. Uniforms are NOT required on picture day.
  
• Remember, the FACTS withdrawal date for tuition and fees is the 20th or 25th of the month, depending on what you day you chose. All incidental fees (including 4K Wraparound, ECE charges, lunches, field trips, etc.) are withdrawn on the 25th of the month. If you have any questions about FACTS, please call their toll-free number 1-866-441-4637.
  
• FACTs allows you to find staff and family contact information! Log into your account, find “Directory” on the left hand menu, and there are tabs on top for Staff and Students! Parent contact is only shared if allowed in the enrollment form, and is only available to other IHM parents behind a password-protected wall.
  
• Eagle’s Nest Used Uniform Store Hours: 3rd Wednesday from 3:00-3:30 and 3rd Sunday from 9-10 AM. Dates are on the school Google calendar. Uniforms needed!  Our Eagle’s nest is running low on uniforms.  If you have uniforms that your children have outgrown, please send them back to school so we can put them in the Eagle’s Nest for others to enjoy! 

Thank You!

Thank you to all of the families who have decided to send their kids to Immaculate Heart of Mary School! We know we will have a fantastic school year! 

HSA News

The Home and School Association (HSA) at IHM exists to enhance opportunities for all students. Primary functions include organizing/sponsoring special events and fundraising. All parents of IHM students are members of the HSA body. The HSA board meets monthly on second Tuesdays, and will be meeting next on September 14th at 7:00 pm. Please join us! It’s a fun crew and we’re always in need of fresh input. 

Mark your calendars! The HSA Fall General meeting will be on Sept 23rd at 6pm in Marian Hall.  At least one parent per family is required to attend.  Those in attendance will have the opportunity to sign up early for fish-fry shifts. There will be refreshments.  An agenda for this meeting will be shared in a few weeks.

The Scrip Program is used by the HSA for fundraising without selling. The HSA buys gift cards to 1000’s of retail stores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. for a discount, you pay face value, and the difference is split between the HSA and your tuition account! Any family who purchases from our Scrip Program will automatically be entered into a monthly drawing for $50 cash or SCRIP credit.  We will announce the winners in the Eagle Express at the beginning of the following month.

Click here to buy Scrip online:  https://www.shopwithscrip.com/ . If you’re new, click “Join Program” and enter the IHM Code: 26C34L197477. Online orders will be sent home with your oldest child on Fridays as long as you’ve signed the attached release form.

Please see the UPDATED drop off / pick up sheet linked below for the details on where to drop your students for their first days of school!

Please note that at this time we ask that parents not enter the building for any reason, including drop-off, even on the first day, unless they have been invited, are volunteering, or have made an appointment. We found last year when COVID forced us to have this policy that the separation right at the door was much easier on the students and the parents! Bring them up to the door, kiss and hug them and let them come in! We will take care of them from there! Thanks for helping with this!

Email Help

Is someone in your household not getting our emails, even though they are on our list? Try these tips:
1) Check your Spam folder, and change the filters on your email program to redirect those emails to your inbox.

2) If you use Gmail, check your “Promotions” folder, and change your filters.

3) Whitelist email@renweb.com and email@factsmgt.com in your email program.

Did You Know?

If you want to volunteer at IHM School in any way, even as a field trip chaperone, the Diocese requires that all volunteers complete the Online Virtus Program, if you haven’t already. Head to www.virtus.org to register (click on “First Time Registrant” on the left.)

Back to School Night is next Monday, August 31st from 4-6 PM! The flyer is linked below – all levels are welcome, parents and kids! Come for a few minutes to drop off school supplies and say “Hi!” 

Back to School Night is just a quick check in! If you have more questions or concerns that will take more than a minute, please email your child’s teacher (teacher emails are available in the directory on your FACTs Family Portal!) 

The ECE has a parent orientation in their room at 5:00 PM and the Middle School orientation for 6th graders and new 7th and 8th graders is in Mrs. Derk’s room at 5:30. We can’t wait to see you there! If you can’t make it, don’t stress, just send supplies with kids on their first day.