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Happy Thanksgiving!
Mrs. Sagat is out of the office this week until Thursday, so this is Mrs. Schermetzler checking in! Please feel free to reach out to myself or Mrs. Bruhn if you need anything this week. The easiest way to get a hold of us during a busy school day is via email. My email is aschermetzler@st-alphonsus.org, and Mrs. Bruhn's is rbruhn@st-alphonsus.org.
We have a couple of reminders for you this week:
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There will be no newsletter next week, Monday, November 24, although staff is in the building for conferences. Our next newsletter will be Monday, December 1.
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Speaking of conferences, just a reminder that fall conferences are mandatory. You can find the sign-ups below and can select Thursday, November 20 or Monday, November 24, based on the remaining available slots. If you cannot make these dates, please reach out to your child's teacher to let them know and re-schedule.
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Poinsettia sale forms are due this week! If you have a big truck or SUV, we would also love your help in picking up the plants from Milaeger's on Friday, December 5th. You can find more details, order forms, and a sign-up genius for this below.
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Don't forget to also turn in your Cookie Walk Commitment Forms. 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 and thanks in advance!
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Please make plans to join us for the Advent Wreath Blessing on Monday, December 1 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! We will be sharing more about our upcoming Advent activities with you in our next newsletter on December 1.
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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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Our First Grade Class celebrated All Saints Day earlier this month! You can find a picture and video plus details about this annual tradition below.
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If your child wishes to submit a drawing for the Nativity Coloring Contest to be featured on the Christmas Bulletin, please return the form and drawing via backpack mail by Wednesday, November 19. You can find more details on this in the Parish section of the newsletter.
We also wanted to take a minute to let you know how grateful we are for your support of St. Alphonsus School. We are truly blessed to have an amazing school & family community, and we are so thankful to have all of you here. We wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving and a restful break filled with good food, family, and friends.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Mrs. S
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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.
| | | | First Grade Celebrates All Saints Day | | |
Earlier this month our First Grade Class celebrated All Saints Day!
They held their annual presentation of the saints. Each student selected a saint to dress up as and then learned 3 facts about their saint. They shared their presentation with the entire school! Check out their cute video below by clicking on the large image!
| | November Virtue: Generosity | | |
Thank you for your donations to the St. Alphonsus Food Pantry!
Together we collected close to $450.00! This money will go a long way! The food pantry uses cash donations to buy food in bulk, enabling them to serve even more clients. In addition, they can use monetary donations to purchase things like produce and meat to add to their clients' boxes each month, something that sets our food pantry apart from others. Thank you so much for helping teach our students to live the virtue of generosity. We will have another collection for the St. Alphonsus Food Pantry in December--our annual Christmas Spirit Day! More details can be found below in this newsletter.
As we continue on in the month of November, consider also making a donation to our Girl Scouts' pet food drive this week. You can find more information about this initiative from our Cadette troop below, and thank you again so much for your kindness and generosity this month.
| | Other Important Reminders | |
Parent-Teacher Conferences Start Thursday!
This year's conferences will take place on Thursday, November 20 from 4 to 6pm and Monday, November 24 from 8am to 1pm.
Please sign up with your child's Homeroom Teacher Only. If you have a student in Middle School (Grades 5-8), your child's homeroom teacher will provide feedback from your child's other classroom teachers during your allotted conference time.
Fall conferences are mandatory. If you cannot attend in one of the allotted times, please reach out directly to your child's homeroom teacher directly to reschedule. Please click the links below to sign up!
3K-4th Grade Fall Conference Sign-up
5th-8th Grade Fall Conference Sign-up
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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 | | |
11/19
Dine Out Night
Raising Cane's
11/20
Parent/Teacher Conferences
4-6pm
11/24
No School
Parent/Teacher Conferences
8am-1pm
11/25 - 11/28
Gobble Gobble!
No School
Thanksgiving Break
12/01
Advent Wreath Blessing & Prayer Service
Details Below
12/04
Christmas Concert
10:30am & 6:00pm
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12/05
Poinsettia Sale Pickup
Details Below
12/06 & 12/07
Cookie Walk
Details Below
12/10
Dine Out Night
12/16
Christmas Spirit Day
Details Coming Soon
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 on Monday, December 1
Bring your Advent Wreath to church with us at 2:30pm on 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 remaining Out-of-Uniform Days for November and the days for December:
11/20
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 11/19 (receipt required)
11/21
Last Friday of the Month
Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass
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
| | | | Lunch Menus for November & December | | |
Dine Out Night at Raising Cane's
Wednesday, November 19th is Dine Out Night at Raising Cane’s and we hope to see you there!
Dine in or carry out from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Greendale location, 5250 South 76th Street. Be sure to show our flyer (on your phone or printed) and 15% of the sales will go to support St. Alphonsus. You can also order online and use our code RCFUND96 to be sure our school gets credit for your order. Remember to get a receipt (one per child) so that your student can be out of uniform the following day.
Come support our school and let Raising Cane’s do the cooking!
Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around.
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The Poinsettia Sale is back and orders are due by Friday, November 21!
It's the mooooost wonderful time of the year! Aka time to think about purchasing your poinsettias in the Home & School Poinsettia Sale to benefit our school. Check out all the details below and print an order form here. A printed copy of the order form was also sent home last week.
Here are a few other reminders about the poinsettia sale:
- Pick up your plants on December 5th in the Community Room between 3:00 and 5:00pm
- Return your payment to the school office in a sealed envelope marked Poinsettia Sale, Attention Erin Kenth.
We are also in need of helpers on December 5 to help pick up, unload, organize, & distribute plants. Check out this link for our available shifts!
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It's time to think about Cookie Walk!
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. If you have ever wondered, "How can I help Mrs. Schermetzler out?" (haha), here's your chance. Please participate by baking cookies and volunteering for this event.
You can get a copy of the Commitment Form here and a paper copy was sent home with your students last week. 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!)
| | 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. Alphonsus Parish is hosting a coloring contest for Advent this year!
See the instructions below and fill out the entry form. Turn entries into your classroom teacher by November 19. The winner will be put on the cover of the Christmas bulletin!
For questions, please contact Rachel Kroes, our Associate Director of Child Ministry.
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TRIVIA NIGHT IS BACK!
Join us on November 21st and 22nd!
Reserve your table for 8-10 people for a walk down memory lane. It will be the "Best of Trivia Night" as we ask questions from our 20 years of archives. Yes, St. Al’s Trivia Night is 20 years old, and there has been no inflation either! The cost is still $10 per person.
There will be door prizes and a 50/50 raffle to raise money for our Human Concerns groups around St. Al’s.
Email Vickie Major here with questions or to reserve your table.
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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:
- November 18 at 10 a.m.
- December 2 at 10 a.m.
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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
- 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.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Schermetzler!
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