Eagle Express Newsletter September 27, 2023

From the Office Dear Parents, You may have seen the “Handle With Care” letter in the media from two Missouri teachers that reads:  “If your family is experiencing diffiulties at home, we would like to provide additional support at school. We understand that you are not always able to share details and that’s okay. If your child is coming to school after a difficult night, morning, or weekend, send us an email that says “handle with care.” Nothing else will be said or asked. This will let us know that your child may need extra time, patience, or help during the day.” We invite our parents to use this system to communicate to teachers. Of course, we handle with care every day, so this will let us know to handle your child with extreme care! Because your Incidental Fees on FACTs will be coming out this week, I want to remind parents that if you arranged for special pricing for any of our programs in the past, please do not assume that that will carry over to this year. Those arrangements need to be renewed every year. Contact me if you need to request special pricing on IHM programs. In the next few weeks, IHM teachers will be teaching the Diocese of Madison personal safety program “Circle of Grace” to Grades K-8. There is a letter and FAQ about the program linked below, as well as an “opt out” form. Please let me know if you have any questions about the program! Parents, you are welcome to to stay afterschool to use the playground with your children. We ask that if you plan on staying please follow these guidelines:  The playground opens after all students have been picked up and the teachers go back inside. Please keep your kids with you, on the parking lot between the “pick up zone” and the gym, until the playground opens. Teachers need to discern who is there with a parent, and who is still waiting for a ride. If students are waiting with their parents, it makes the teachers jobs a lot easier! We ask that no bikes cross the car line, including parents! Bikers should ride along the side of the blacktop by the playground to avoid crossing the car line. Please do not cross lines of cones with your car. They are there to protect students that may be in the area. Thanks for your help with keeping pick up safe and following the guidelines! As a reminder, if your child has an appointment and has to leave early, come late, is sick or going on vacation and won’t be coming at all, please email Mrs. Winter at secretary@ihm-school.org and/or your child’s teacher or call the school Absence Voicemail (608-222-8831, press 1) before 8:30 AM on that day, or before. If you know your child will be gone more than one day, one call or email is enough, but if you did not communicate multiple days off, please continue to contact us every day until your child is back. 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 The School Office is closed daily from 11:30-12:00 for Mrs. Winter and Mrs. Meiller to eat lunch and supervise the lunchroom. If you are not expected, you may need to wait if you ring the doorbell at the time. If you call, please leave a message. We would appreciate if you are picking up a child for an appointment, to please do do before 11:30 or after 12:00. Thank you! Wednesday, October 4th is the feast of St. Francis! To celebrate, IHM will be offering a Pet Blessing at pickup that day. We hope to see you and your pets just before pickup at 2:45! Remember to send in your gently worn coats, hats, mittens, gloves and snow pants (sizes infant to adults) for Koats for Kids.  You may drop these items off in the barrels in the church or school through Friday October 6th.  Thank you so much for making this winter a little warmer for those in need! If your child is playing volleyball this fall, a $50 volleyball fee will be withdrawn on Oct. 25th unless you have requested a scholaship. 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 Many thanks to the Edgewood High School students, included alumna Lauryn Matenaer, who visited IHM last week for “Edgewood in the Community” Day. They helped us with stamping books, reading to students, and lots of other important tasks! Thanks!

EdCo (Educational Commission) News       edco@ihm-school.org Sign up for your shifts for our Fabulous Fish Fries here: https://ihmfishfry.my.canva.site/ Fish fry dates are February 16, March 1, and March 15, 2024. Three shifts are required for two parent households, and two shifts are required for single parent households. If you missed last Thursday’s EdCo General Meeting, don’t despair! You can still view the slide presentation (see attachments). Email edco@ihm-school.org with any questions.  If you’d like to be on the planning committee for Storybook Theater’s “Rapunzel,” please attend our planning meeting on Monday, October 2nd at 6pm, in the IHM Library. Raise Right: Quarterly earnings emails will only be sent to those who have earned enough rebates to pay their $225 EdCo fees and have started to earn rebates toward their tuition. If you would like to know how much you have earned, please email RaiseRight@ihm-school.org after the 15th of Sept, Dec, & March. In June we will email all participants with their rebates and what will be credited or debited from their account.

IHM Volleyball Saturday, Sept. 30 8:00       5/6 Girls GREEN at Sacred Hearts 9:00       8 Girls at St. Dennis 11:00     8 Girls at St. Dennis 11:00     5/6 Girls WHITE at Abundant Life Go Eagles!

This week’s links (at the bottom of the email) October Menu EdCo General Meeting Slideshow Circle of Grace Letter, FAQ, and Opt-out form This week’s hard copies (in your child’s backpack)  Nothing this week

Did You Know? Sr. Sue is running the IHM Student Council again this year! Congratulations to the new Student Council members: Owen Brown  AJ Burch Oscar Clemens Cora Eisele Alaina Engelhart Audra Engelhart Michaela Ericson Molly Hartung Julia Hartung Jack Hodkiewicz Ayla Jarecki Collins Kundert Cooper Kundert Robin Meiller Tyson Meiller Eli Regner Jack Spannknebel Britney Stainbrook Emily Tomev

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