Learning, Loving, and Leading through Christ

November 25, 2024

Leadership Team Updates

Dear St. Alphonsus Families,

Happy Short Week to all of you! Is it Thanksgiving yet? Mrs. Schermetzler is clearly ready for it and we think everyone else is too. Please enjoy some photos of today's Middle School Friendsgiving event. Students enjoyed turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings! Thank you to our fabulous volunteers and to all the parents who contributed items for the students to eat and drink.

Since we do not have school on Wednesday, we will celebrate Mass tomorrow, Tuesday, November 26. Please have students wear their Mass polos that they would normally wear on Wednesdays.

Christmas will be here before we know it, and we wanted to let you know that we have made an update to the school calendar. Friday, December 20 will be early dismissal at 11:30am! Please consider joining us for Las Posadas that morning (details below) and then pick your students up early at 11:30am to start your Christmas break.

Speaking of Christmas, the Scholastic Ornament sale is back! Find more details below about how you can order an ornament with your student's school picture on it.

We will also be hosting a Christmas Spirit Day on Friday, December 6 to raise money for the St. Alphonsus Food Pantry. See more details below! Please note that if your student chooses not to participate in wearing an ugly sweater or Christmas shirt, they should dress in their regular uniform clothes.

Cookie Walk & Poinsettia forms are due tomorrow! More details below, but as a reminder, we ask ALL families to participate in baking cookies for the Cookie Walk. Thank you in advance for your help in continuing this St. Alphonsus tradition! We can also use some volunteers for both of these events (sign-up geniuses linked below).

Please make plans to join us for the Advent Wreath Blessing on Monday, December 2 at 2:00pm in the church. You are welcome to bring an advent wreath from home to be blessed. Please see the invitation below! We will be sharing more about our upcoming Advent activities with you next week!

We are so thankful for all of you and for all of your support. We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgivings!

Best regards,

Ms. Parey, Principal

Mrs. Schermetzler & Mrs. Bruhn, Leadership Team

Important Dates to Remember

11/26

Pizza Fundraiser Lunch

11/27 - 11/29

Gobble Til You Wobble!

No School

Thanksgiving Break

12/02

Advent Wreath Blessing & Prayer Service

2:00pm in the Church

12/05

Christmas Concert

Grades 5K - 3rd

10:30am & 6:00pm

12/06

Cookie Walk Cookie Drop-Off

12/06

Christmas Spirit Day

with Donation, Details Below

12/06

Poinsettia Sale Pickup

3-6pm

Community Room

12/07 & 12/08

Cookie Walk! After All Masses

Community Room

12/20

Las Posadas

8:00am in the Church

12/20

Early Dismissal, 11:30am

Merry Christmas!

12/21 - 01/05

Christmas Break

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Quick Scheduling Note for Guitar & Ukulele Club

Due to the K5-3rd Grade Christmas Concert, Mrs. Greco will not have Guitar and Ukulele Club after school on Thursday, December 5th. Our final two meetings of the school year will be on Dec. 12th and 19th.

Out of Uniform Dates - 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:

12/06

Christmas Spirit Day!

Help us raise money for the St. Alphonsus Food Pantry. See details above!

12/12

Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 12/11 (receipt required)

12/13

Last Friday of the Month

Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass

12/20

Dress UP for Las Posadas and the last day of school!

We are so pleased to be partnering with Character Kids to bring you a spring musical theatre opportunity for kids in 1st thru 5th Grades. All of the details can be found at this link! The cost is $154 per student.

Give Back To Your Favorite Catholic School Teacher!

In honor of Catholic Schools Week, January 26 to February 1, 2025, Catholic Financial Life is celebrating by holding our annual Give Back Contest!

Catholic school teachers serve an important role—to prepare the next generation for future success and reinforce Catholic values that will help children mature into Christ-like individuals. They help their students to live their faith beyond the walls of school buildings and navigate the intersection of faith and culture. So much of what teachers do has a profound impact on the lives of students.

How It Works

Nominate a Catholic school teacher here for a chance for them to receive a $500 cash prize in addition to a $4,000 donation to their school. Submission deadline is January 3, 2025. Voting will take place from January 13-17, 2025, on Catholic Financial Life’s website.

We've Made Some Updates to the School Store!

We have added long sleeve Carolina Blue polos to the school store and are making a few other items "approved" for Mass so you can have a lot of options to keep your student warm in church in the coming months. We 've also added a sweater option to the store! Please refer to the Visual Guide sent out in previous newsletters to help you understand what is and is not allowed to be worn at Mass. You can also view a PDF here.

In addition, we have added some items for Christmas, including some items for Grandparents (pictured)! Please check out the store here and cross off some early gift shopping!

The drop dead date for Christmas orders will be December 6. This would guarantee you will have your items by our last day of school before Christmas break, Friday, December 20.

December Lunch Menu

Service Program Donations Needed

Staff Wishlists Now Available!

Are you looking for a unique way to gift your teachers & staff this holiday season? Why not buy them something off their Amazon wishlists?

Home & School asked teachers to make a wishlist of items they'd love to have in their classrooms or as gifts for themselves. You can check these wishlists out below. Don't see your child's teacher? Encourage them to make one! We will continue to share these throughout the month of December, and will add new ones as they are created. If a teacher opted not to share a wishlist, we have included a list of gift cards they might like to receive.

4K Miss Greupink's Wishlist

5K Mrs. Domzil's Wishlist

She also likes gift cards for The Hair and Body Shoppe, Target, Kwik Trip and McDonald’s.

1st Grade Mrs. Ramion likes gift cards to Target, Amazon and Hobby Lobby.

2nd Grade Mrs. Frank likes gift cards for Amazon, Walgreens, Target, or Hobby Lobby.

3rd Grade Ms. Temple likes gift cards from Amazon, Target, and Starbucks!

4th Grade Mrs. Gutche's Wishlist

She also likes gift cards for Disney, Culver's and Noodles & Co.

6th Grade/MS ELA & Literature Ms. Jaeckels' Wishlist

7th Grade/MS Math Ms. Morrison enjoys gift cards to Target, Starbucks, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble!

8th Grade/MS Science & Social Studies Mr. Kneifl's Wishlist

Music Mrs. Greco's Wishlist

Art Mrs. Hoeppner's Wishlist

PE Mr. Gutche likes Menards, Qdoba, Subway, or restaurant gift cards!

Learning Support Mrs. Bruhn's Wishlist

Library Mrs. Schermetzler's Wishlist

She also likes gift cards for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or local bookstores so she can buy books to enjoy, and she loves plants!

SCRIP Makes $en$e

Let RaiseRight help you with your gift card purchases this holiday season!

Need some $10 gift cards? We have Arby’s, Cousins Subs and Culver’s and Bath & Body Works for immediate purchase!

Need gift cards for your employees? There are many options from American Express to Zappo’s!

Thinking ahead to your Spring Break? Disney cards (and other hotel chains) are available to order.

Either place an order through the RaiseRight app or call Vickie Major at 414-704-0526 to order!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Learn more about the SCRIP program

Learn how to download the app and get started

Learn how to shop with the app

Signing up for SCRIP is easy!

The enrollment code for new families is 2DB1B8CC1943. You can also check out our Enrollment Forms and FAQ on our school website. If you would like to order via paper order form, you can find that here.

Any questions, please call or email our SCRIP coordinator, Vickie Major at 414-704-0526 or via email here.

Home & School Happenings

Poinsettia Sale Forms are Due Tomorrow!

Don't forget that it's OK if you didn't sell any...you can still order them directly via this order form.

All order forms are due tomorrow, so please turn them in!

Pick up your plants on December 6th in the MPR Community Room between 3:00 and 6:00pm
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 6 to help pick up, unload, organize, & distribute plants. Please note you must be Safeguard certified to volunteer. Check out this link for our available shifts! Kids are welcome to come help!

Cookie Walk Commitment Forms are Due Tomorrow!

Cookie Walk is a beloved St. Alphonsus School tradition. School families bake & sell cookies after all masses on the weekend of December 7 & 8. 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. 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--THANK YOU!)

Scholastic Ornament Sale!

The Scholastic Ornament Sale is back! Order a Christmas ornament or two your family members that has your student's school picture on it.

Orders can be placed here. All orders are due by Sunday, December 1.

Any questions, please ask Mrs. Schermetzler.

Join St. Alphonsus Home & School at the Milwaukee Wave game!

St. Alphonsus Catholic School is the featured organization at the Milwaukee Wave game on January 18 at 6:05pm. We hope you can attend, watch a great game and support St Alphonsus Catholic School!

Please use this link to buy your tickets and we’ll see you at the game! St. Alphonsus School will get a percentage of the money from each ticket sold at this link, so feel free to spread the word & share this with your family and friends. We encourage school families to sit in section 204, 205, or 206, so consider purchasing your tickets in those seats!

Alumni & Parish News

Have Your Family Help Us Light the Advent Wreath at Masses this Advent Season!

Families are asked to light the wreath at each Mass.

If you are interested in signing up, please use this link.

Mark your calendars and join us for our Parish Music Ministry Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 8th at 2pm!

Our theme this year is "Jesus, Hope For the World" and features music from our Adult Choir, Children's Choir, and our Bell Choir. Christmas cookies and refreshments will be provided after the concert in our Community Room. We hope to see you there!

Local School & Community News

Please note that any outside activities are not sponsored or endorsed by St. Alphonsus Parish or School

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.