Disciple Dispatch

Catholic School's Week 2026 Was a Success!

We had a fantastic week, despite the snow day that caused us to miss a few fun things we had planned. We had some super creative "anything but a backpack" items come into school on Wednesday including a wheelbarrow, shopping cart and guitar case. We participated in a beautiful Rite of Exposition and Benediction after our all-school Mass. Each class had fun theme days and the kids got very into it. We had a super fun Pep Rally that ended with a parent victory over the 8th grade! We raised an INCREDIBLE amount of money from our Make A Change Battle - so much so that we STILL haven't finished counting it after 4.5 hours!! So, thank you for your amazing generosity and we will have a winner to announce on Monday! All of the proceeds will go directly to Grand Rapids Right to Life and various pregnancy care centers around Grand Rapids. We are so grateful for our Catholic school and we love spending a whole week celebrating it!

February Hot Lunch Menu

Coordinator and Volunteers Needed!

 After 8 years, The American Heritage Girls are passing the torch of coordinating the IHM Santa Breakfast. Therefore, we are in need of a new coordinator for the Santa Breakfast this year.

We are so grateful for the many years of dedication of the American Heritage Girls to our parish and school community.

This is a great opportunity for our young families and students to get involved! Coordinators can be a group to designate individuals for help with activities and serving. Interested parties please contact the parish office for additional details. Instructions for organizing the event and lining up volunteers are available. Please contact Janet at secretary@ihmparishgr.org!

Parent Teacher Conferences Are Coming Up!

Parent teacher conferences for kids in PK4, Y5 and Kindergarten through 8th grade are optional, unless your child(ren)'s teacher has requested one.

Parent teacher conferences for PK3 are mandatory as they were postponed for this age group in the Fall. Sign up for all the fun below:

Grades K-5 Conference Sign Up

Grades 6-8 Conference Sign Up

Registration for Spring Sports is Open!

Spring sports registration is open until February 15th. This is a hard deadline. Please make sure to register BEFORE that date. Students are allowed to register for ONE sport per season. 

Available sports:

3rd-5th Track (co-ed)

6th-8th Track (co-ed)

5th-6th Tennis (co-ed)

7th-8th Tennis (co-ed)

3rd-4th LAX (boys and girls)

5th-6th LAX (boys and girls)

7th-8th LAX (boys and girls)

5th-6th Baseball

7th-8th Baseball

6th-8th Softball

5th-6th Soccer (girls)

7th-8th Soccer (girls)

Please reach out to Coach Taylor with any questions! athleticdirector@ihmschoolgr.org

Kids Heart Challenge Has Started!

By participating in Kids Heart Challenge, our students will learn how to keep their hearts, bodies and brains healthy while helping kids with special hearts live longer, healthier lives. JUST BY REGISTERING, IHM could recieve $500 towards new gym equipment. So please, sign up today!! Should your child decide to go all in, there are incentives to hit certian donation levels!

• When students reach $150 in lifesaving donations, they will get to 
  Silly String a Teacher!
• Exclusive Vistor Heart Hero = first 10 students who complete 
  Finn’s Mission!
• Top Students in grade sections  K-2 / 3-5 / 6-8 will earn a special 
  Avocado Warmie!

If you have any questions regarding the Kids Heart Challenge, please reach out to Coach Taylor HERE.

Anyone with Marketing Experience?

The IHM School Board is looking for anyone with marketing experience to join the Marketing & Communications Committee. The purpose of this committee is to assist the Principal, Board, and Recruitment Team with planning, creating, implementing, and monitoring a program to market Immaculate Heart of Mary School for image and enrollment. If you are interested, please contact Amanda Solt at amandarsolt@gmail.com 

Souper Bowl 2026!

The Knights of Columbus are back with their Souper Bowl 2026! This is a fun competition between grades to see who can bring in the most non-perishable food items by WEIGHT in ONE DAY! Save the date - Friday, February 6th. The grade that brings in the most donations by weight will receive a pizza party from the Knights of Columbus!

Looking for some service hours? We are looking for a few middle school or high school helpers for the Guys & Dolls dance to set up, help work the dance (making sure snacks/drinks don’t run out), and cleanup after the dance. Neither job will be long! Plan on an hour for setup and cleanup, and two hours for the dance. If you would like volunteer, click below for the Sign Up Genius.

Enrollment For 2025-26

Enrollment for the coming 2026-2027 school year will begin in early February. Current IHM families will have two weeks to re-enroll their children, saving their spot(s) for the coming school year. Two weeks later open enrollment begins for the general public.

Current IHM families with an incoming PreK student should be sure to enroll their child before we open enrollment to new families Do this by clicking "Add a Student" in your FinalSite account.

Details regarding all tuition costs, Disciple Den before and afterschool care, Enrichment programs and the enrollment process coming soon!

Attention Altar Servers: 

You are now able to sign up to assist Fr. Troy with the Stations of the Cross during Lent through the Ministry Scheduler. Look for the Dates of Feb. 20 & 27 and March 6 & 20. If you have trouble signing up, please call or email Janet at the parish office at 616-241-4477 or secretary@ihmparishgr.org  and she will be happy

to add you to the dates preferred. 

Thank you for your stewardship! 

News From IHM Athletics!

Hello Viking Community

It's Super Bowl time! That means it is time for the Fundraiser that started it all!! We are a couple weeks away from the big game and we are once again offering squares and a chance to win $$$ and support IHM Athletics. All transactions will be conducted through the IHM Clover site and payouts will be provided from these funds.  These opportunities help fund IHM Athletics to keep our kids playing sports for free and provide the necessary equipment, uniforms, and facility standards that make IHM a great place to compete and grow our community.

Your donation gives you a chance to win while also providing $5,000 to the IHM Athletic Association. Same rules as prior events apply with the squares being assigned at random as they are purchased. When all the squares are filled, we will blind draw the numbers 0-9 for each side. (Your squares will be sent to you prior to the game) Then you just match the last digit of the score after each quarter to win! We are adding a rotating squares feature this year to give you fresh numbers each quarter!!! This will offer more chances to win, not being stuck with "bad" #'s, and less of the same score in consecutive quarters.

See More details HERE and a sample sheet HERE

Thanks to you, these fundraisers help pay the increasing cost for fall/winter/spring sports. We also use our sponsorships, gate, and concessions to cover the rest of the necessary costs to provide your children the best place to play and best experience. We appreciate all your generosity and support for IHM and the Athletic Association. Please consider participating and feel free to share with friends and family!

We are also looking for more volunteers to become part of the long-standing IHM Athletic Association. Reply back for more info. If you would like to be removed from this distribution list, please let me know!

God Bless and Go Vikings!

-IHM Athletic Association

Munch and Mingle Needs Your Help!

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers led by Kim and Steve Willison who make this community event possible. A lot of work goes into making these donuts available and we are so lucky to have such dedicated volunteers who make it happen! We could always use more help. If you are able, please click the link below and sign up for a spot!

Greetings!



Just a few weeks ago we welcomed in a new year! It’s remarkable how quickly this month has passed, despite the recent challenging weather conditions. For many, January and February can offer a calm period to reset after the busy holiday season. However, for others, the winter months can bring on the “Winter Blues,” affecting both adults and children.

Common Signs and Symptoms:

• Mood changes
• Low energy
• Needing more sleep than usual
• Difficulty concentrating, especially with schoolwork

Tips to Manage the Winter Blues:

• Increase light exposure: Try to spend time outdoors during daylight hours.
• Stay active: Engage in outdoor activities or winter sports as a family to enjoy fresh air together.
• Maintain routines: Consistent sleep and healthy meals help regulate mood.
• Stay connected: Create cozy family moments, such as game nights or

comforting rituals.

Spring will be here before we know it, bringing new activities and opportunities. In the

meantime, enjoy the unique blessings of the winter months.

Happy 2026!

Mrs. Jamie LaFleur

Counselor M.A., L.P.C.

Catholic Central "Downtown Den" Cougar Gear Store Is Open!

The Catholic Central Cougar gear store has moved downtown to be open throughout the winter basketball games. The new store is called “The downtown Den”. It is located inside the gym building to the left. It is packed full of great new gear. Below are the dates it will be open!

Aquinas Women’s Hockey hopes you had an amazing holiday season! We are so excited to invite you to our Kids Night on Friday, February 7th at 2:30 PM at Southside Ice Arena in Byron Center, where we will take on the Davenport University Panthers in an action-packed, family-friendly hockey game!

This night holds special meaning as we will be hosting a special puck drop in honor of Baylor Marco and his family. Baylor was a big sports fan, and we encourage everyone to wear their favorite sports jersey or yellow in his honor. Our team will also be sporting yellow tape on our sticks to show our support throughout the game.

Kids Night Activities Include:

• Kid-appropriate music to dance and jam along to
• High-five tunnels before the game and between periods
• A special appearance by Nelson the Saint Bernard 
• Coloring zone for creative breaks
• A temporary tattoo station for added fun
• Picture zone to capture fun memories
• Post-game autograph session with players
• Limited team photos will be provided for autographs, and extra paper will be available so every child can leave with a keepsake
• School and organization shout-outs between the 1st and 2nd periods
• Please complete the RSVP Google Form if your group plans to attend
• Teacher and staff shout-outs between the 2nd and 3rd periods
• Use the Shout Out Google Form HERE to recognize a difference-maker or hard worker

This promises to be a fun, kid-friendly night full of excitement, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to honor Baylor while welcoming our community to support the Saints.

Looking Ahead...

• 2/2 - Jeans day for students that wore uniforms to CSW Masses
• 2/6 - $1 Jeans Day
• 2/7 - Guys & Dolls Dance
• 2/11 - No All-School Mass (Fr. Troy on retreat)
• 2/11 - Parent Teacher Conferences
• 2/12 - Parent Teacher Conferences
• 2/12 - Laptime and open gym - 10:00 -11:00 am in the gym
• 2/16 - No School - Mid Winter Break
• 2/17 - No School - Mid Winter Break
• 2/17 - All-School Skating Party 1:00 -3:00 pm at GR Skate
• 2/18 - Ash Wednesday
• 2/18 - Home & School Association Meeting 8:00 am Hands Room
• 2/19 - Divine Mercy Kids Club Begins during school recess
• 2/25 - Prayer Partner T-Shirt Day

From the Principal's Desk

Hello IHM Families!

What a GREAT Catholic Schools Week we have had! Thank you to our awesome committee of teachers and staff who planned some fun new things along with some traditions! There is almost always a snow day during Catholic Schools Week, so that was a bummer to miss the Mass at the cathedral with the whole diocese. We rescheduled our Catholic Bee, so we won't miss that! We are still counting all the money raised from the Change War, so that was a great way to raise money for the Grand Rapids Right to Life and various pregnancy resource centers. I am proud to be part of IHM and the Catholic schools!

Blessings,

Mrs. Holly Lake

Grand Rapids Catholic Central

West Catholic Future Falcon Webpage

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