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Welcome to the Season of Advent!
The season of Advent is here. December is a busy time, and often I think Advent is overlooked--this season of quiet, expectant hope. In an ideal world, you would light your advent candles around the family table, together--maybe with soft Christmas music playing and the glow of twinkle lights nearby. In an ideal world.
But we don't live in an ideal world, and never are we more reminded of this during Advent and the leadup to Christmas, when often we feel exhausted, harried, and overwhelmed. So let me take a moment to remind you then, that there are no perfect days in Advent. It is one of the things we can learn to love about this season, one in which the world collectively holds its breath. We are waiting for a reprieve, for a miracle, for good tidings of great joy. "A thrill of hope...the weary world rejoices." And indeed, we will. But first, we have to wait. So light those candles and stop waiting for the perfect moment. Traditions & rituals are meant for ordinary, exhausting days, when you feel like you don't have any magic left. This season of waiting reminds us that God looked around and he too said, "I know. I'm sorry. Hold on for just a little longer." And so we spend Advent waiting. And we light the candles while we do.
St. Alphonsus School will again be celebrating the season of Advent in various ways. You can find a flyer below that lists many of the school activities we have going on this season. Our picture at the top this week is this year's Advent flyers, which will be placed in all classrooms. If you would like a copy for yourself, please email Mrs. Schermetzler who will send you a PDF you can print at home.
We have a couple of other important reminders for you this week:
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We are trialing a new visitor system in the school office over the next few weeks! This is a computerized system that performs on the go background checks and prints visitor badges with photo ids. You will need to bring your drivers license with you the first time you check in using this new system!
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Mrs. Pagac, our Cougar Club Director, has asked us to remind you about making changes for Cougar Club attendance. For the safety of our students, all Cougar Club cancellations must be submitted to Mrs. Pagac and the school office before we will send a student to the carline. Even if a student says they are carline, if they are listed on the Cougar Club roster for the day they will be sent to Cougar Club unless you have notified both Mrs. Pagac and the school office that they should be sent to carline. For safety reasons, we cannot just take the word of our students regarding pickup, even if it is an older student. Proper cancellation procedures must be followed--thank you for your cooperation on this.
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Please make plans to join us for the Advent Wreath Blessing this afternoon at 2:30pm in the church. You are welcome to bring an advent wreath from home to be blessed. Please see the invitation & details below!
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Don't forget to also turn in your Cookie Walk Commitment Forms, due tomorrow. As a reminder, we ask all families to participate in this tradition so that we have enough cookies to sell--this is a very popular event for parishioners to support our school. More details below! Cookie Walk drop-off is during morning carline on Friday; please do not send any cookies prior to Friday as we do not have the long-term storage space. Thank you!
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Unfortunately, sick season is upon us! We wanted to take a minute to remind you of the illness policy for St. Alphonsus School, as well as how you can let us know of your student's absence. Please see this information below.
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Congratulations to Mrs. Hoeppner, Mrs. Gutche, and Ms. Jaeckels who each recently won another round of grants from the Whitnall Rotary Club! They will be using their funds for some nice upgrades in their classrooms!
- In years' past, we have shared teacher wishlists with you, and we will continue that tradition again this year. Teacher wishlists and a list of their favorites will be included in next week's newsletter for your convenience.
I hope this Advent season that you too can feel a tiny thrill of hope in a weary world.
Mrs. Sagat
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St. Alphonsus School Illness Policy
Per the St. Alphonsus Family Handbook (page 21):
Sick children may not be kept in school. When a child becomes ill, the parent or guardian will be contacted to provide transportation home and to ensure that someone is at home to care for the sick child. A child must always be picked up if he/she vomits or if they have a temperature/fever of 100 or above. In the event of a fever, the child may not return to school until they are fever-free for a 24 hour period, un-medicated.
Need to report a student absence? Absences can be reported in two ways:
- Call the office directly at 414-421-1760. Listen for the prompts and leave a message.
- Email our Attendance Secretary. The email address is attendance@st-alphonsus.org.
Emailing a student's homeroom teacher is NOT sufficient notice of absence or tardiness. All absences, early dismissals, or tardies need to be reported to the office.
You can also find this information on the homepage of our website under the Announcements section. In addition, the absentee reporting information is also located on the Contact Us page.
| | | | Fire Safety Contest Winners! | | |
Congratulations to Eva & Jacob in 3rd Grade who were the Fire Safety Contest Winners!
Eva & Jacob were the St. Alphonsus winners for the Greendale Fire Department's annual Fire Safety Contest! They were picked up by the firetruck and got to have lunch at the fire station with all of the other winners!
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on their fire safety plans. We enjoy a very special relationship with the Greendale Fire Department so we are always very happy to have students participate in this fun event.
Congrats, Eva & Jacob!
| | Winter Extracurricular Sign-Ups Now Available! | | |
Sign Ups for our Winter Extracurricular Activities are Now Available!
Please check out the flyers below and click on this link to sign up. We would love to see Stage Stars get going here at St. Al's, so if you have a student who loves theatre, consider signing them up! Physical flyers will also be sent home this week.
| | December Virtue: Gratitude | | |
December's Virtue is Gratitude!
Our all-school virtue for the month of December is gratitude. The definition is "thankful disposition of mind and heart," and what better time to practice gratitude than during this season of giving.
We will spend lots of time talking with students this month in classrooms, during Mass, and on the announcements about what gratitude looks like. Advent is a wonderful time to practice gratitude in the silence of our hearts!
| | Other Important Reminders | |
The Library is Looking for A Shelving Volunteer!
Mrs. Schermetzler is looking for help in the school library! She needs at least one volunteer who will come in for about an hour at a time once a week and re-shelve books that students have returned. Please note this is not a student-facing volunteer opportunity--you would just be shelving books while she gets other things done. This is a great job for someone who likes to listen to podcasts or audiobooks while tackling chores! If you are interested, please reach out to Mrs. S. directly and she will fill you in about timing and availability.
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School Office Supplies!
The school office can always use some help keeping office supplies stocked. Please check out our Amazon wishlist to see some of the supplies that are always needed.
Thank you for your donations!
| | | | Important Dates to Remember | | |
12/01
Advent Wreath Blessing & Prayer Service
Details Below
12/04
Christmas Concert
10:30am & 6:00pm
12/05
Cookie Walk Dropoff!
Details Below!
12/05
Poinsettia Sale Pickup
3-5pm, Community Room
12/06 & 12/07
Cookie Walk
Details Below!
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12/10
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
12/16
Christmas Spirit Day
Details Below!
12/18
Las Posadas
Details Below
12/19
11:30am Dismissal
12/22 - 01/02
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!
No School
Christmas Break
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Join us for our Advent Wreath Blessing this afternoon!
Bring your Advent Wreath to church and join us at 2:30pm this afternoon, Monday, December 1. We will host a short prayer service and together we will bless all the wreaths present.
Although they will be sitting with their classes, you are welcome to have your child bring up your family's wreath during the blessing.
If you are able to remove the candles from your wreath, please leave them at home and bring just the wreath itself.
We hope you can join us!
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Out of Uniform Dates - November & December
We thought it might be easier for you to have a list of days that are Out-Of-Uniform either with a pass or with special circumstances for the whole month, so here are the Out-of-Uniform Days for December:
12/11
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 12/10 (receipt required)
MONDAY 12/15
Wear jeans or joggers with your Unity Shirt!
Surprise! Uniform pants are not required today!
TUESDAY 12/16
Christmas Spirit Day
Details Below
THURSDAY 12/18
Dress UP for Las Posadas!
Wear your Christmas best!
If you choose not to dress up, please wear your uniform
FRIDAY 12/19
Last Friday of the Month
Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass
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SHOPPING FOR CHRISTMAS? Don't forget to use RaiseRight to purchase all those gift cards!
If you haven't started saving towards your tuition, now is a great time! SCRIP/RaiseRight offers so many gift cards to use for gifting or shopping. Does your company give away gift cards for year end bonuses? Start here!
SCRIP is an easy way to earn money for our school and tuition credit for yourself! We are excited to again be offering SCRIP for the 2025-2026 School Year. Please scan the QR code and fill out the SCRIP enrollment form & agreement below to get started. For questions, please contact our SCRIP coordinator, Michael Wusterbarth, via email here.
SCRIP Enrollment Form
SCRIP Agreement
Find our more information about SCRIP here!
Learn more about the SCRIP program
Learn how to download the app and get started
Learn how to shop with the app
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Cookie Walk Commitment Forms are due TOMORROW! Drop your cookies off on Friday morning in carline!
Cookie Walk is a beloved St. Alphonsus School tradition. School families bake & sell cookies after all Masses on the weekend of December 6 & 7. You can find more details below.
We ask ALL school families to participate by committing to bake at least 4 dozen cookies or holiday treats.
You can get a copy of the Commitment Form here. All families who return a form will be entered to win an Out-of-Uniform pass for their child.
We are also in need of volunteers to help us tray cookies, decorate the Community Room, and sell cookies after all Masses. Please check out our sign-up genius here--kids are welcome and encouraged to help! (Please note if you signed up to volunteer via your Cookie Commitment Form, we already have you noted as a volunteer and you do not need to sign up again--THANK YOU!)
On Friday, you will drop your cookies off in the morning carline!
One of our helpful volunteers will grab your cookies from you and put them on a cart. Please remember that we are not able to return tupperware or other containers, so please bring your cookies in a container you do not need back. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Schermetzler.
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Box Tops is an Easy Way to Earn Cash for Our School!
Check out the flyers below and scan the QR code to get set up to earn money for St. Alphonsus. Even small bits really add up each month!
| | | | Local High School & Alumni News | | |
St. Thomas More High School Presents "A Christmas Chaos" - December 13 & 14
Looking for some laughs this holiday season? Then come on down to St. Thomas More High School to see their performance of Michael Wehrli's A Christmas Chaos!
This might not be the yuletide carol you're used to, but it is sure to leave you ho-ho-ho-ing with delight! Plus, see former Cougars Abby A (St. Al's Class of 2023) as Charity/Mary and Stuart T (St. Al's Class of 2022) as Scrooge. Performances are December 13th at 7pm and 14th at 2pm. Tickets will be available at the door.
We hope to see you at this Holly Jolly show!
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St. Thomas More also has a unique theatre opportunity for students in grades 2nd through 5th!
Participate in their spring musical The Little Mermaid. Please check out all the details and print the necessary registration form here. There will NOT be auditions.
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St. Al's Women's Group Hosts Family Friendly Event!
The St. Al’s Women’s Group is hosting a family friendly celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas and the New Evangelization!
Want to learn more? Join us for a whole parish, family friendly event in the Community Room from 5:30-7p.m. on Friday, December 12th. We will pray, learn about the apparition, kids will be able to create a craft, and adults can gather in fellowship. If you are able, we'd love to share snacks. We will have a pizza arrive during our time together. If you would like to help defray the cost of the pizza, donations are welcome!
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Join the St. Alphonsus Moms Group!
Looking for other Moms to share in your journey of faith and motherhood?
Come to the Wiggle Room above the church at 10:00. Moms are welcome to bring their little ones with them!
We would love to get to know each other better and help one another grow in our faith. Motherhood isn't easy. Let's share the load! Contact Darleen Zelinka with any questions.
First Semester Dates:
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Join the St. Alphonsus Women's Group!
So... who is in your tribe?
We all need one! Why not make St. Alphonsus' Women's Group YOUR tribe?
This group is a little different than the Moms Group. This group is comprised of women of all ages and backgrounds. We meet to pray, discuss and enjoy life! Contact Maggie Ensing for more information!
Check us out:
- December 12, 2025 - Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, details above
- January 24, 2025
- February 14, 2026
- March 21, 2026
- April 25, 2026
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Do you have items for the newsletter? To submit them or for questions and submission guidelines, please contact Amy Schermetzler.
Please note that submissions are due by 12:00pm Fridays.
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