December 18, 2024

Dear Father Allouez Catholic School Families,

Happy New Year to you all and welcome back! This past Monday was Epiphany Monday which celebrates the manifestation of the Lord through the Magi (3 Kings). It is through this wonderous occasion that God reveals His Truth to us all through Jesus and makes Him known to the world.

As we continue into 2025 and the remainder of the school year, it is important to remember that at the end of the month, we will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week. Which is a week-long celebration of what it means to be a Catholic School and why they are so important! More information will be forthcoming about this week – we look forward to celebrating not only our Catholic school, but Catholic Schools all over the world!

Next week, our 7th graders will be heading north to Camp Tekakwitha for their annual retreat. Similar to what the 6th graders did, the students will be staying overnight at the camp where they will engage in a host of activities and winter fun to help build their class community all while having a lot of fun in the process. We are still seeking another chaperone or two to spend the night – this is an integral part of the process, so please consider doing so if you are the parent of a current 7th grade student.

Thank you all so much for such a great first half of the school year – I am very excited to see what happens in 2025 with all of you and the students and staff here at Father Allouez Catholic School!

Upcoming Important Dates

1/8/25 – STAR Testing begins

1/16-1/17/25 – Camp Tekakwitha for 7th grade

1/20/25 – NO SCHOOL (Teacher In-Service Day)

1/27/25 – 2025-26 Registration Begins

1/29/25 – CSW All-school Mass & CP Carnival

Winter Sports

What a great season of basketball it has been for our Girls and Boys teams here at Father Allouez! All of the student athletes have played with tremendous effort, sportsmanship, and skill! A special thank you to all of the coaches who helped to make them better athletes all around and to all of the fans who have come out to support them! This week, there are home games for the 6th grade boys against OLOL at 5PM and for the 5th grade boys against SJB at 6PM on Thursday. We also have a host of away games on Thursday: G2 team plays at Providence at 4:30PM, B1 at NDDP at 5:30PM, and our 5th grade girls at NDDP at 6:30PM. Go Wolves!

Peace,

Mr. Francis Dempsey

Principal, Father Allouez Catholic School

Stay in the loop by following our Father Allouez Facebook pages! Make sure to check out the FACS Fundraiser page for updates on school events and here, and join our private FACS Parents group  here for community news and conversations. You'll find lots of great updates on both pages, so don't miss out!

January Lunch Menu (RES Campus) Click here.

January Lunch Menu (SMS Campus) Click here.

Make Lunch Payments Online

You are now able to make lunch payments online through PowerSchool! 

Directions on how to do this are located below

English Click Here.

Spanish Click Here.

If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Gierczak, Food Service Administrative Assistant.

Resurrection Students are eligible to take hot lunch for $3.85/day and an extra entrée for $2.65/day! If the entrée is not to their liking, they can always sub a turkey and cheese sandwich for it. 

Any Middle School Student that is feeling extra hungry can always purchase an extra entrée in addition to their lunch, just let your Teacher know in the morning to mark it on the lunch sheet.

Tuition and Fees Policy Reminder

Gratitude is extended to GRACE families who are current with their tuition, fees and lunch accounts. 

In case of accounts that are not up to date, 

• re-enrollment (or admission/enrollment of siblings new to GRACE) for 2025-26 will not be permitted
• 8th and 12th grade students will not be eligible to participate in class trips, parties and graduation events. The only exception is the eighth grade retreat as long as the retreat fee (if required) is paid.

Please contact finance staff at the GRACE Riverside Office if you have any questions or to make a payment to update your account: 920-499-7330 option 3.

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Tuition Tax Credit Information

Tuition tax credit information is available to GRACE families online via GRACE’s enrollment management system, TADS. 

• The TADS Household Paid Tuition Tax Report will provide a breakdown of payments made for the specified household’s tuition account during the tax year. 
• When gathering information for tax preparation, GRACE families are to access their online TADS account | select Billing | Billing Account Number | Reports | Household Paid Tuition Tax Report | enter the tax year (i.e. 2024) and submit. A quick link also appears at the Billing Accounts – Tuition & Fees screen to access the Household Paid Tuition Tax Report. 

If you have questions or require assistance, please call TADS Family Support at 800-477-8237 or GRACE at 920-499-7330, option 2.

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Academic Calendar 2025-26

We are pleased to share the Board-approved GRACE academic calendar for the 2025-26 school year which is available at gracesystem.org | About GRACE | Calendar (direct link to the one-page summary).  

Please note that Christmas break will be extended to two full weeks due to the timing of Christmas and New Year’s Day. To ensure the school year does not extend further, schools are open and classes will be held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and on Easter Monday.



Looking ahead, we anticipate returning to our traditional schedule with these days off in the following school year, along with a shorter Christmas break.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we adjust to this unique calendar.

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GRACE Academic Calendar 2024-2025

Volunteer Hours Tracking Reminder

As outlined in this year’s Family Enrollment Contract, each K-8 family is required to complete 5 volunteer hours in support of the school fundraiser (unless you opted for the $250 buyout). If you completed these hours for last week’s fundraiser, please log them in our tracking Track It Forward, within the next 30 days—no later than Monday, December 9, 2024.

First Time Using Track It Forward?

Each family’s login is tied to the primary email listed in their TADS account. Families not already enrolled in Track It Forward should have received an email from "Volunteer Tracking" (do-not-respond@trackitforward.com) with instructions on activating your account. If you did not receive this email, need to update your email on file, or are unable to access Track It Forward, please contact us at facstracking@gmail.com.

For more details on how to sign in and log your hours, visit our service hours tracking page: Click here.

School Communications

We utilize BrightArrow to send school communications and texts.

Not receiving texts?

To receive text messages through BrightArrow, you need to opt in. You can opt in to text messaging at any time by sending the word Yes or Sí to the short code 79041. Once you opt in, BrightArrow will send you a confirmation to your phone number.

If you are not receiving school communications, please contact the school office. Thank You!

>>>BOY’S MIDDLE SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE

All boys interested in participating in a Spring Middle School Volleyball League are invited to sign up. Practice will start in mid-February and the season ends in mid/late March. All practice and game dates and times will be scheduled in early February. Email jeffrey.m.dow@gmail.com to sign up or if you have any questions.

More information on the Boy's Middle School Volleyball League can be found here.

>>>FUTURE TRITONS BASEBALL CLUB

The Future Tritons Baseball Club is looking to fill some open roster spots for its upcoming 2025 Spring/Summer season.

8U - Looking for 2-3 more kids (Coach/Machine Pitch)

10U - Looking for 1 more kid

11U - Looking for 1 more kid

12U - Looking for 2-3 more kids

13/14U - Each team is looking for 3-4 kids or we will have a split team

Future Triton Baseball players receive Jersey top, Hat, Bat bag, Open Gyms with Notre Dame High School Baseball staff & players, and play in 4-6 tournaments during the season.

Any questions or to sign up - please contact Head Varsity Baseball Coach Jared Barker - jwbarker03@gmail.com

>>>NOTRE DAME ACADEMY ANNOUNCES ITS 2025 MUSICAL: "FREAKY FRIDAY"

Freaky Friday, a modern musical based on the classic novel and beloved films will hit the NDA stage this winter. This hilarious, heartfelt, energetic, and moving musical will open your heart to the magic of contemplating life from a different perspective. The show will be performed in the NDA Auditorium and will run approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Musical Performances:

Thursday, January 23rd at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, January 24th at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 25th at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 26th at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online, Click here to purchase tickets.

Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for students/children.

There will also be tickets available for purchase at the door one hour before each performance.

Click here to see details on why School Reviews Matter.

Providing Vibrant Quality Catholic Education