Crusader Connection

August 20, 2025

We pray, God of wisdom be with us! 

We praise you for the wonder of our being, for mind, body and spirit. Be with our children as they begin a new school year. Bless them and their teachers and staff. Give them the strength and grace as their bodies grow; wisdom and knowledge to their minds as they search for Truth; and peace and zeal to their hearts as they develop as disciples.   

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread to joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. Help each of us work towards Your Hope in all we encounter this school year. In Christ’s Name,  Amen. 

St. Gregory the Great, patron saint of teachers, Pray for us! 

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us! 

In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Mrs. Pendergest

PARENT CHECKLIST AND FORMS TO COMPLETE

To ensure a smooth start to the school year, please submit the below documentation to the school office as soon as possible.

• Log into Option C to Complete:
• 25-26 SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
• 25-26 STUDENT K-8 HANDBOOK AGREEMENT
• 25-26 SKILLS GROUP ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
• 25-26 PHOTO PERMISSIONS
• 25-26 STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC & MEDICAL INFORMATION

eForms Guide for the Parent Portal.pdf

• Request for Medication by School Personnel
• OTC Medication Form
• Prescription Medication Form
• Updated Immunization Records
• 7th Grade: One dose of Meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) and one dose of Tdap vaccine must be administered on or after the 10th birthday
• All Kindergarten and New Families 1-8 MUST complete the following required Medical Forms
• StudentMedicalRecord
• A copy of the most current Immunization Record
• ORAL ASSESSMENT

DISCIPLINE UPDATE

IHM is committed to creating and maintaining a school in which each and every student feels both physically and mentally safe. In order for this to be a reality, IHM will hold three aspects of behavior as non-negotiable & off limits.  

• Violence: Both abusive and non-abusive 
• Direct Disrespect: In all interactions 
• Property destruction/Theft: Including IHM property and the personal property of individuals in the building 



Your new administration is instilling new rules to make this a priority. As with any new policies, it may take some time for students, staff, and parents to get used to the change. Those rules will be communicated by your child’s teacher on the first day of school, and Mrs. Pendergest and Mr. Duncan will also be sharing more information during the beginning of Curriculum Night on 8/27 from 6 – 8 PM. We hope to see you there! 

CURRICULUM NIGHT

Curriculum Night is August 26th for Kindergarten 5-5:45 pm and August 27th for 1st-8th grades 6-8 pm. This is a great chance to learn about your student's teacher and expectations in the classroom.

KINDERGARTEN STAGGERED START DETAILS

Kindergarten will have a staggered start over the first several days of school, August 21-25. This means your student will attend one of those 3 school days from 8:00-11:00 a.m. All Kindergarteners will be together on August 26 with an early dismissal of 11:00 a.m.  The first full day for all Kindergarteners is Wednesday August 27. Your classroom teacher will reach out with details on these procedures this week. 

ROOFING PROJECT UPDATE

The roofing project is still wrapping up on both the main school building and the Kindergarten annex building.  Please be mindful of door access, materials, and work overhead.  Thank you for giving space for them to wrap up as quickly as possible. 

CAFE CORNER

Welcome Back Crusaders! The Cafe Crew has been hard at work getting it all ready to go for you. Please see the attached flier for some reminders about adding money to your account and reviewing the menu. You can add money to your MySchool Bucks Account. Pricing is below.

JON PETERSON SCHOLARSHIP

We are pleased to announce that IHM has partnered with Literacy Link, led by Michelle Orlando regarding Jon Peterson Scholarship applications and billing.  Please reach out to Michelle with questions and documents at jonpeterson@ihomschool.org. If your student receives special education funding through the John Peterson Scholarship, please see the Welcome Letter.

HEALTH AIDE POSITION UPDATE

We are excited to share that Forest Hills is in the final stages of hiring for our Health Aide position. We will provide a staffing update by the end of the week. In the meantime, we are working on a temporary solution to ensure all students receive the care they need. Additionally, Sydney Stewart in the front office will be the point of contact for all medication drop off.

PTO VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

PTO is looking for volunteers! If you're interested in making a meaningful impact, please contact President, Libby Brock at 513-227-3255. Be sure to visit at Back to School Night to be included in their news updates of their many events planned for the year.

HOMEROOM ASSIGNMENTS

Homeroom assignments are available in Option C. If you have trouble accessing this, please contact Sydney Stewart at stewart.s@ihomschool.org.

WE ARE HIRING LONG-TERM SUBSTITURE TEACHERS!

IHM is in need of a few long-term substitute teachers this school year in both Preschool and K-8. If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Kelly Pendergest at pendergest.k@ihomschool.org.

WINTER GALA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Each year, the Winter Gala brings our community together to celebrate and support the heart of our school — our amazing teachers and staff. But this year, the Gala is at serious risk of being cancelled unless we find volunteers to step up as event chairs.  Contact Belinda at 513-328-3532  IHMgala@ihom.org  

SCHOOL MASSES

Join us for the First Mass of the school year, Thursday, August 28th at 8:15 am.

We will offer one all school Mass per week, typically on Thursdays. The schedule may change based on Holy Days and other liturgies. 

FISH FRY LEAD VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Help us keep the tradition alive! The IHM Boosters are seeking a dedicated individual (or a dynamic team of 2) to take charge of the IHM Fish Fry next year. This important role involves ordering supplies, setting up each week, and overseeing the cooking team. This is the first time in 30 years we’ve had this opening, and it’s a critical opportunity to support our IHM community. Many may not know that the Fish Fry is the Boosters' top fundraiser, directly supporting uniforms, equipment, facility maintenance, and more. Without it, we risk having to increase yearly dues and sports participation fees.

WE ARE HIRING IHM FACULTY!

We are looking to hire for our team in the following roles:

• Café Staff, Part time email Food Service Director 
• Certified Educational Assistant(s), Part time email Principal 
• Counselor, Full time email Principal 
• Substitute Teachers, email Principal 

If you know someone who can bring their skills to support our students on campus this year, please encourage them to apply!   

PRESCHOOL IS LOOKING FOR A GENTLY-USED MINI FRIDGE

Preschool is in search of a gently-used mini refrigerator, measuring 3-4.5 cubic feet that has a small freezer space. Please reach out to Laura Case, Preschool Director, at case.l@ihomschool.org if you have something you can donate. 

JOIN US FOR MASS TOGETHER SUNDAY!

What is Together Sunday?

This year, we as a family of parishes are going to make a special effort to invite Catholics who do not attend church regularly to come back to Mass.

Sunday September 14, the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, has been designated as Together Sunday. Personally invite someone back to Mass, pray for that person, and then invite him or her to join us for Mass on Sunday, September 14.

We will have donuts and coffee after certain Masses for Together Sunday.

Carve a little extra time into your Mass schedule to mix and mingle with fellow parishioners!

GA after the 8 am and 10 am Mass (moved from the third Sunday of the month)

IHM after the 9:30 am Mass

SJF after the 9 am and 11 am Mass

RITE OF ENROLLMENT MASSES FOR CONFIRMANDI

These masses are an opportunity for those being confirmed this year to make their own public statement about their desire to be Confirmed. They sign a scroll before Mass and, when called upon, stand up to state their intention to be Confirmed in their Catholic faith.

Fr. Steve will be the celebrant as these Masses. Here are the dates and times where this Rite will take place:

Guardian Angels

- Sept. 6th @ 3:30pm

- Sept. 7th @ 8:00am

Immaculate Heart of Mary

- Sept. 13th @ 5:00pm

- Sept. 14th @ 9:30am

- Sept. 14th @ 11:00am

St. John Fisher

- Sept. 21st @ 9:00am

- Sept. 21st @ 11:00am

CASEY ON THE MOUND!

Archbishop Casey will be throwing out the first pitch at the Cincinnati Reds home game on August 30th . The pitch is scheduled for 6:25 p.m., prior to the game which begins at 6:40 p.m. at the Great American Ball Park. To celebrate the upcoming school year and to recognize your work as leaders of our Catholic schools, you are cordially invited to attend the pre-game festivities as honored guests. You are invited to join Archbishop Casey on the field where you will be recognized before the game around 6:20 p.m. Discounted tickets can be purchase here. $5 of each ticket sale will be donated to the Catholic Education Foundation of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

If you have news to share with our community, please send it to communications@ihomschool.org. Information is due on Friday; the week before you would like the news to be included in our newsletter.

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY SCHOOL

7800 Beechmont Ave.

Cincinnati, OH 45255

513-388-4086

ihomschool.org