A Brighter Future for Students with Learning Differences

St. Lawrence Elementary School and OptimALL

In the heart of Price Hill lies St. Lawrence Elementary School, a safe and inclusive Catholic school serving students in Cincinnati’s inner-city. It's the kind of school every parent would like for their child to attend. When you step through its doors, you're immediately welcomed into a warm, friendly environment, where colorful student artwork adorns the walls.

But the transformation happening here runs deeper than what meets the eye. This transformation is not only reshaping the lives of students; it’s a testament to the power of collaborative partnerships. This year, St. Lawrence introduced OptimALL, an intervention program which brings crucial educational support to students with diverse learning needs. This transformative program is made possible by generous donations to CISE-SGO (Scholarship Granting Organization) . . .

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WELCOME TO CISE QUARTERLY

From Phil McHugh

CISE President & Executive Director

The school year is well underway, and CISE is providing resources to a record number of students. This year, we have nearly 2,300 elementary school students in our ten CISE-supported elementary schools and 460 CISE students in local Catholic high schools.

In this edition of CISE Quarterly, we are excited to share our partnership with OptimALL at St. Lawrence Elementary School. OptimALL provides intervention specialists and resources to serve students with exceptional learning needs, allowing each child to receive the individual attention they deserve. While we have just launched this partnership, we are excited about the early results. I hope you enjoy this story.

We are also pleased to spotlight Katie Puthoff, our principal at Holy Family Elementary School. A school principal faces many challenges on a daily basis, and Katie brings a servant leadership approach to her role. She promotes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of her teachers and staff. This leads to a highly engaged team that can nurture and educate our students to perform at their best. Thank you to Katie and the entire team at Holy Family; you are making a difference!

Lastly, we are in the middle of our CISE Annual Campaign to raise the necessary resources to support our students and schools. If you have not alread, please consider making a donation to CISE. Ohio residents can receive a tax credit for donations to our CISE–SGO (Scholarship Granting Organization). Additional information about our SGO is available in this newsletter.

It is through your generosity that CISE continues to grow. Thank you for partnering in our mission.

In gratitude,

Philip R. McHugh

President & Executive Director

FROM OUR SCHOOLS

Meet Principal Katie Puthoff

Holy Family School

My name is Katie Puthoff and I am the Principal of Holy Family School in Price Hill. Catholic education has always been a huge part of my life and is something I am very passionate about. I attended grade school at St. Michael in Sharonville, went on to high school at Mount Notre Dame High School, and then continued my Catholic education at the University of Dayton for both my undergraduate and masters degrees. Go Flyers! After graduating from UD, I then taught middle school for 9 years prior to becoming Principal of Holy Family.

I feel so blessed to be able to work at Holy Family. The community of students, families, and staff here is one of the best things I have ever gotten to be a part of. I always say that there are truly no words to describe the support this community provides one another- it's something you feel the moment you step in our building. This is my 6th year as Principal of Holy Family and I truly love what I do . . .

More About Katie

CISE UPDATES

A New Playground!

This past weekend was the official ribbon cutting for a brand new playground at St. Lawrence Elementary School. Thanks to the generosity of longtime CISE donor, Nick Ragland, 55 preschoolers will enjoy a new, safe playground, The smiles on the children's faces say it all!

Staff Updates

Welcome Mike Kennedy

Mike Kennedy has joined CISE as Director of High School Scholarship Programs. The High School Scholarship Program has grown in numbers and complexity and Mike’s skill set is a strong match for addressing this welcomed challenge. The financial management of the Program, formerly led by Frances Dudley, who has moved on from CISE, will be overseen by Mike. Jessica Beck will grow in her role from Grade School Administrative Assistant to working with both the grade schools and high schools.

Meet Mike

Mike recently retired from Fifth Third Bank after more than 20 years serving in various leadership roles in the Wealth & Asset Management division, including leading the bank’s investment management and trust businesses that serve not-for-profit entities and private and corporate foundations . . .

More About Mike

Special Thank-Yous

We want to take a moment to say thank you to these friends who have gone above and beyond in their support of CISE. We are better together!

Tom Hurley (CISE Committee member) and Amanda Bentley Fessler (both work for Merrill Private Wealth Management). Thank you for donating furniture for the new CISE office space.

Matt Grever (CISE Board member). Thank you for providing space to store the above donated furniture until moving day.

Louise Stakelin & Tricia Castellini Headley (CISE Board members). Thank you for organizing and hosting the Sip & Shop event at the Hyde Park J. McLaughlin in September.

Jen O’Brien (wife of CISE employee, Sean O’Brien). Thank you for hosting a Sip & Shop event in October at the Remington Room.

CISE Has Moved

CISE is excited to make the move to a newly renovated floor in the Archdiocese building. We outgrew the seventh floor office space and have now moved to our new home on the fifth floor, which we continue to share with the Catholic Schools Office. It's the same building, just 2 floors down.

Our heartfelt thanks to all who made this move possible, especially the furniture donation from Merrill Lynch. We look forward to welcoming you into our new space soon!

DONOR SPOTLIGHT

Meet Carol & Dick Stevie

Unwavering CISE Supporters

Originally from East Price Hill, Carol attended St. Lawrence Elementary School (a CISE-supported school since 2012.) Dick is originally from Northern Kentucky and was also educated in Catholic schools. Dick and Carol met at a Thomas More University fraternity party.

In 1997 Carol joined CISE as the first full-time Executive Director since CISE was established in 1980. When she came on board, it was just her and an administrative assistant. That first year, Carl Lindner donated $1.5 million to CISE to begin a technology program in the CISE-supported schools. The following year $1 million was donated by a foundation to increase enrollment . . .

More About the Stevies

IN THE NEWS

Non-Catholic in a Catholic School: Forming New Apostles

National Catholic Register article featuring CISE

Written by Susan Klemond | August 21, 2023

When international student Chelsea Su began studying at Academy of the Holy Family in Baltic, Connecticut, in 2016 as a high-school freshman, she had never seen a religious sister and didn’t understand why anyone would devote much time to spirituality or rely on Jesus.

Su’s family hadn’t practiced a religion while she was growing up in Shenzhen, China, but the now-22-year-old soon found peace in the chapel of the Catholic secondary day and boarding school for young women run by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church.

“I could just sit and think,” she said. “No matter what’s going on outside, it’s very quiet inside. It felt like I could just pour my heart out there.” . . .

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EVENTS

We Are Really Excited!

Yes, it's five months away, but we are so excited to announce the next CISE Party will be held at the home of FC Cincinnati, TQL Stadium at the Pitch View Club!

Watch for more details early next year. It's going to be an awesome event that you don't want to miss.

Please, contact Kelly Camm to learn about how you can be a sponsor for Party at the Pitch.

Fall Sip & Shop Events Were A Big Success

Thank you to all who came out to support CISE.

Thanks to the wonderful staff at J. McLauglin in Hyde Park for hosting a fabulous night of shopping where CISE received 15% of the sales. CISE earned over $2700 from this event!

The October Sip and Shop event at the Remington Room in Montgomery had a great venue and delightful shopping with over 20 vendors. Profits from the event ticket price were donated to the CISE tuition assistance program! Thank you!

If you are interested in hosting a fundraising event for CISE, please contact Kelly Camm to learn about how to make that happen.

Tune In for CISE - Mark Your Calendar

CISE is taking to the airwaves with two radio interviews on "Driving Home the Faith" with Fr. Jack Rob on Sacred Heart Radio. Join us as Phil McHugh dives into what's happening at CISE, sharing insights and updates that you don't want to miss.

Mark your calendar for these important dates.

November 13 at 4:05 pm - Get ready to catch the latest happenings at CISE

December 4 at 4:05 pm - Tune in for another engaging discussion about CISE.

Listen live at 740AM or 910AM, or download the Sacred Heart Radio App.

BE IN THE KNOW

Convert your tax dollars into scholarship dollars when you donate to CISE-SGO.

What is an SGO?

Scholarship Granting Organizations are quite simple, they are nonprofit organizations that do the following two things: 1. raise scholarship funds from donors and 2. disburse scholarship funds for students, kindergarten to grade 12.

How does it work?

Contributions up to $750 for individuals or $1500 for married couples filing jointly to CISE-SGO are eligible for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on Ohio income tax returns.

Why should I donate to an SGO?

Tax credits are more valuable than tax deductions. A tax credit reduces the income tax liability of the taxpayer. A tax deduction reduces a taxpayer's taxable income.

Donate to CISE-SGO

Learn More

Look for your next CISE Quarterly newsletter on

February 6, 2024.

Visit CISEKids.org to learn more about our mission in action.

Donate to CISE

513-263-3471