Dear Parishioners,

Our IHM Elementary School is beginning this year with an enrollment of 256 student learners in grades K- 8. Last year our enrollment for K-8 was 254! IHM school enrollment is mildly increasing. There is no virtual learning this year. Masks are being worn, unless there is a doctor’s letter stating that the masks should not be worn.

Our wonderful Pre-K program is at capacity with 19 student learners, and we have a waiting list for Pre-K.

This year we opened a second kindergarten classroom, keeping small classroom size of 14 and 15. There is only one classroom for first grade of 20. That first grade teacher does have an aide. Pre-K and kindergarten both have aides as well. The third grade is only one classroom of 22, but all other grades are two classrooms to achieve the best of learning with small classroom size. There are approximately anywhere from 15 to 16 in each of these classrooms.

Every year the faculty gets together to pray about the new school year and develops a THEME for the year. This year 2021-2022 the theme is:

CHANGE THE WORLD WITH KINDNESS!

Each teacher is responsible to set before the student learners in their classroom this idea for the year and to help them daily to be so kind to one another. In one instance a fifth-grade boy heard that one of his classmates did not own a football. He went home and asked his parents to help him be kind to his classmate by getting him his own football! Of course, the parents agreed. This young man then explained to his teacher what he wanted to do for his classmate and the teacher gathered all the students in the classroom to sign the football and then presented it to a wildly happy boy!

Many blessings,
Father Jim