Disciple Dispatch

Welcome back! We hope you had a fun and restful break. Can you believe it's 2026! It's wild, but we only have 5 more months of this school year! It will be June before you know it! Pictured above, our 5th graders enjoyed their first week back out at the Franciscan Life Process Center for their winter farm week! A week full of fresh air, farm chores, hiking, baking, cooking and learning about habitats. What a blessing the farm is to our students!

Enrollment For 2025-26

Current IHM families - mark your calendars! Beginning of February enrollment for the coming 2026-2027 school year begins. 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 accont.

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

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!

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.

Shakespeare & Tech Workshop & Showcase

Grades 6–12 | FREE Event | RSVP Required

Inviting aspiring actors and aspiring tech & crew students

No memorization required

Event Overview

6th-12th grade students are invited to attend a two-day Shakespeare Workshop and Showcase designed for students interested in acting, technical theatre, and backstage crew work. Students may focus on acting, tech, or both.

Location

Aquinas Performing Arts Center – Circle Theatre

1703 Robinson Rd. SE

East Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Event Dates & Times

Friday, January 16 | Workshop Day: 5:00–8:15 PM

Students will rotate through workshop sessions led by experienced instructors in acting and technical theatre.

Workshop Schedule

• Option A: 5:00–6:30 PM
• Break: 6:30–6:45 PM
• Option B: 6:45–8:15 PM

Students will select two of the three options below (one per time block):

1. Shakespeare Acting: Monologues & Sonnets - Explore language, rhythm, and performance techniques
2. Shakespeare Scene Work - Collaborative acting using short scenes
3. Tech & Crew Workshop - Hands-on exploration of lighting, set/props, and costumes
4. (Students may rotate through multiple tech areas depending on instructor availability.)

Saturday, January 17 | Showcase Night: 4:00–6:00 PM

Students will flex their creative muscles as actors and tech students work together to present scenes, monologues, and sonnets. Families are invited to attend and enjoy the showcase.

• Actors may have multiple opportunities to perform, depending on participation numbers
• Tech students will support lighting, set, and backstage elements

Performance Materials

All performance materials will be provided.

Cost & Registration

This event is FREE.

RSVP required to ensure appropriate grouping and materials.

RSVP: Mr. Nate Topie - njtopie@gmail.com

Come explore Shakespeare - onstage or behind the scenes!

Looking Ahead...

• 1/15 - Preschool Open House 5:30 - 6:30 pm
• 1/16 - Spelling Bee 1:30 pm
• 1/16 - 2nd Quarter Ends
• 1/19 - MLK Day - No School
• 1/20 - 3rd Quarter Begins
• 1/21 - Home & School Meeting 8:00 am in Hands Room
• 1/24 - Killgoar Winter Social in IHM Gym 6:00 pm
• 1/26 - 1/30 - Catholic Schools Week
• 1/27 - Catholic Bee 1:30 pm in DeMazenod Room
• 1/28 - Prayer Partner T-Shirt Day
• 1/29 - Catholic Schools Week Teacher Luncheon
• 1/30 - $1 Jeans Day and Winter Pep Rally
• 2/7 - Guys and Dolls Dance
• 2/12 - Parent Teacher Conferences
• 2/13 - Parent Teacher Conferences

From the Principal's Desk

Happy New Year! I pray you all had a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and break and have experienced many blessings as we have celebrated the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It was so nice to have some time away with family and the chance to take the rest we so often miss out on! It sure what a quick week here as we got back into the swing of things! Kids are ready to learn and joyful! Father Troy talked at school Mass about making sure our hearts are not hardened to bettering ourselves. That we bring our hurts to Jesus and let Him help us to learn and grow. That's a great reminder this time of year as so many start "New Year's Resolutions." 

We received our Accreditation report back and our scores were wonderful! We will use that data to identify areas to improve our school. But what a wonderful affirmation we have received from the team regarding our focus on Mission and the amazing community we have here. We are truly blessed! I have gotten personal notes from members of the accrediting team affirming so much of what we are doing here and telling me what a special place it is. Thank you for all you do to make this a special community of faith and purpose.

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Mrs. Holly Lake

Grand Rapids Catholic Central

West Catholic Future Falcon Webpage

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