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Dear St. Alphonsus Families,
Happy Monday and welcome to a short week for your students! Our staff is looking forward to our upcoming in-service days: on Thursday, we will be meeting for curriculum training and planning, and on Friday, we have an all-staff retreat with Father Kevin. We hope you will get to enjoy a nice long weekend with your families!
Today we want to talk to you about safety in our main carline, both in the morning and in the afternoon. The below information applies to the students who are dropped off and picked up in the carline outside the gym doors.
- As previously mentioned several times, the carline exit is one way. Please exit onto Churchway and do not drive back across the parking lot to exit on Loomis. Going forward, violators will be tracked and receive written warnings.
- Our afternoon carline has gotten particularly chaotic as cars pull around each other. The carline is meant to work like a drive-through. Please wait to pull away from the curb until after the car in front of you pulls forward and away.
- Starting today, students will be exiting only at the gym doors and will be standing in grade lines for dismissal. Staff will fill four cars at a time. Those four cars will pull away and the next four cars will pull up.
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Please pull forward as far as possible after the auction winner (carline pass) has pulled away. You do not need to leave that space open after the winner has left the carline. Pulling all the way up will ensure the line moves quickly. Please do not stop farther down the sidewalk, as students will no longer be waiting there. You must pull all the way up to the gym doors and then wait for the cars in your group to pull out before leaving. Safety is paramount to us and staff has witnessed several near misses in the lot in the last few weeks. Please, be patient and wait the extra few seconds for the car in front of you to leave.
- Students will only be allowed to enter their cars from the sidewalk. They will not be allowed to walk around to the other side of the car.
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For indoor dismissal, the neon-colored placards with your last name are REQUIRED. It is hard to see who is in what car in the rain, and we may not always recognize every car. Please keep your placards in your car at all times so that we do not have to ask you to roll down your window. If you do not have your placards, please contact the school office for new ones.
Please share this information with your family members who may also pick up your students. If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact Ms. Parey directly at tparey@st-alphonsus.org.
Some other news:
Don't forget that a new Safeguarding session here at St. Alphonsus has been added for Thursday, October 10. This is a great opportunity for you to complete safeguarding requirements ahead of Trunk or Treat, at which all adults handing out candy/hosting a trunk must be safeguarded. In addition, please remember that if you want to help out at school in any capacity, attend field trips, or coach athletics, you MUST be safeguarded. There are NO exceptions to this rule. Check out the information below to sign up!
Our Glow Run kicks off today! Remember that the Glow Run is replacing the Fun Run this year--same concept, just a different type of run. Any students registered by tonight get an out of uniform day tomorrow! We thank you for your enthusiastic support of our school! The Glow Run this year will help us cover the cost of the pour and play surface on the new playground. You can read more details below.
Make plans to join us for the Pet Blessing this week, Wednesday, October 2 at 2:15pm in the Mary Courtyard. The blessing takes about 30 minutes, so please note that the back carline gates will not be open until 2:45pm. You can find more details about this event below, and thank you to Mrs. Domzil for putting it together for us!
With that, we wish you a great week! As a reminder, you can always find an archive of our school newsletters on our website here. This is the first stop for you for information about what's going on at school!
Best regards,
Ms. Parey, Principal
Mrs. Schermetzler & Mrs. Bruhn, Leadership Team
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Glow Run Pledging Now Open! | |
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Pledging is now open for St. Alphonsus Catholic School’s Glow Run!
St. Alphonsus Catholic Schools Glow Run kicked off today with a pep rally and video in their classrooms. If you haven’t already, please register your children on mybooster.com. All students registered by today, September 30th will earn an out-of-uniform day on October 1st!
After you’ve registered, you’ll have access to information for Facebook, text and email to help you connect to sponsors. These templates are ready to send to family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and local businesses who can make a pledge to help us reach our goal of $20,000.
The Glow Run will take place on October 9th in the gym. St. Alphonsus families are invited to come out and cheer our students on. We ask that parents stay on the bleachers at all times for the safety of our students and staff.
Grades 3K - 1st will run at 9:00am
Grades 2nd - 4th will run at 9:45 am
Grades 5th - 8th will run at 10:30am
Thank you to our amazing Glow Run sponsors!
Platinum:
Cousins Subs
Oak Creek Wood Products
Gold:
Educators Credit Union
Silver:
Biltrite Furniture
Bronze:
Schlossmann’s Honda City
Ricely Restaurant Group
Help is Needed to Promote the Glow Run after Masses!
With the Glow Run fast approaching, we are asking for a few families to volunteer after each mass the weekend of October 5th and 6th at a Glow Run donation table that will be set up in the gathering space.
Parishioners are able to make donations to the Fun Run, and we’d love to have some families there to explain what the Glow Run is and answer any questions.
We ask that there is at least one adult, but children are welcome! Thanks for your help! Click this link to sign up.
Help is Also Needed to Distribute Prizes after the Glow Run!
We are also looking for volunteers to sort and distribute prizes after the Glow Run. All volunteers must have completed the Milwaukee Archdiocese Safeguarding requirements. Click this link to sign up, and thanks in advance for your help!
If you have any questions, please contact Fun Run chair Olivia Hartley.
Thanks in advance for your support of our school!
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Why SCRIP (RaiseRight) Makes $en$e!
A testimonial from a grandparent:
We have been using SCRIP to support our grandchildren's Catholic school education since our first granddaughter was in kindergarten and now she's in grad school! At first, we only bought grocery and gas cards. After discovering how easy it was, we started buying from other retailers. Now that there is an App and reloadable gift cards, it's rare to buy something without using SCRIP.
SCRIP is so easy to use and the bonus days are especially nice when you earn so many extra SCRIP dollars for the school. The older grandchildren appreciate the Starbucks and Kwik Trip gift cards, and even the younger grandchildren are requesting gift cards now. SCRIP is so simple, and the benefits for the school are so great. A little SCRIP here and a little SCRIP there add up to a big benefit for your family and the school. Besides, who doesn't like getting a gift card?
Stop at the SCRIP table at church and chat with us, or check out these videos for How to Get Started:
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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Important Dates to Remember | |
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10/02
Pet Blessing
Details Below
10/03 & 10/04
No School
Teacher In-Service
10/09
Fun Run (aka Glow Run)
Details Above
10/09
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
10/09
Pizza Fundraiser Lunch
10/12
Pack the Church
4:30pm Mass
Details Below
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10/16
Grandparents' Day
Details & RSVP below
10/23
Dine Out Night
Qdoba
10/25
Trunk or Treat
Details Below
11/4
Home & School Meeting
6:00pm Community Room
11/6
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
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Join us for Grandparents Day!
Grandparents Day is coming up on Wednesday, October 16 and we would love to have you join us! Both grandparents and grandfriends are welcome!
Check out all the details on the flyer below and here is a downloadable copy of the RSVP form, which will also be sent home with students today.
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Safeguarding Session Available at St. Al's: Thursday, October 10!
Do you still need to get safeguarded so you can host a trunk at Trunk or Treat, volunteer in the classroom, or attend a field trip? If so, there will be a safeguarding session held here at St. Alphonsus on Thursday, October 10 at 6:00pm in the Community Room. This will be the last Safeguarding session available at St. Alphonsus until after Thanksgiving.
Please remember that you are REQUIRED to be safeguarded if you would like to volunteer for St. Alphonsus School events or in your child's classrooms, AND if you would like to atten any field trips as a chaperone. There are NO exceptions to this rule, so get your Safeguarding requirements done now!
If you cannot attend this session, there are other sessions available at many area parishes. Any Safe Environment session counts!
To register or learn more about the Archdiocese Safeguarding Program, please visit their website here. Registration is available on the left hand side of the page, and instructions are attached here. You can also reach out to our Safeguarding facilitator, Karen Farrell, here.
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Pack the Church - October 12
Student Lectors & Gift Bearers Needed!
Join us for Pack the Church on October 12 at the 4:30pm Mass. Come on out and wear your St. Alphonsus spiritwear or mass polos so parishioners can see all the wonderful families who attend our school.
Do your students in grades 2-8 love to read at mass? Consider signing them up to lector at this mass! Our fall dates are now available here. We will also need gift bearers.
Students practice with Mrs. Schermetzler on the Friday before weekend masses.
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Out of Uniform Dates - October
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 October:
10/01
Out of Uniform if registered for the Glow Run by today, September 30
(teachers will receive a list of registered students)
10/10
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 10/09 (receipt required)
10/24
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 10/23 (receipt required)
10/25
Last Friday of the Month
Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass
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Update to October Lunch Menu: please note that on October 11, there will be no hot lunch service or milk available for the students. All students will need to bring a cold lunch and drink that day. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes. | |
Our Next Pizza Lunch Fundraiser of the Year is Wednesday, October 9!
Order forms were sent home last week and are due by THIS Wednesday, October 2 in the morning. Please note that there is NO HOT LUNCH OR MILK served on this day, so if your students are not ordering the pizza lunch you will need to send a cold lunch. LATE ORDER FORMS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED--NO EXCEPTIONS. We are held to tight deadlines by the vendor and must have the order forms by Wednesday morning! You can find a copy of the form here.
We could also still use a few volunteers to help serve the pizza lunch to students. This is an easy one hour commitment! You can sign up here.
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The School Store Remains Open!
We are so pleased to be able to offer you a new online school store! Here, you will find everything from uniform shirts to spiritwear and more. All the items listed in our school store are uniform-code approved, and the school store will stay open all year long, with some new items being added throughout the year!
If you have not yet purchased your Mass Polo (grades 5K-8) or required gym uniform (grades 5-8), please make sure you do so ASAP. These are required items for the dress code this year.
The store has a fast turnaround and will be open all year. Orders will turn around within two weeks and always be dropped off at school for you to get. St. Alphonsus Catholic School will also get $1-$2 per item for anything you purchase from the school store (except on the required items) so it's an easy way for you to support our school! Visit the store at this link.
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Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Warrichaiet, PowerSchool Manager | |
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Welcome to Staff Spotlight!
Each week we will be highlighting a member of our staff so you can get to know them better. This week we are featuring Mrs. Kristina Warrichaiet, who works in our school office!
Mrs. Warrichaiet is a part-time PowerSchool manager in the school office and member of the School Advisory Commission. A proud St. Alphonsus alum from the class of 1999, she has been part of the St. Al's community for years, and has children attending here, in 6th and 3rd grades.
Mrs. Warrichaiet enjoys connecting with students and staff daily, especially chatting with kids in the office. Outside of school, she loves cheering on her boys at sporting events, playing pickleball, and reading - currently Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
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Battle of the Books is Back for Grades 4, 5 & 6! | |
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Battle of the Books is Back!
This is a lively academic competition that improves reading comprehension, builds vocabulary, introduces students to new books & authors, and teaches teamwork, commitment, & sportsmanship. The program culminates in a tournament on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 with other area Catholic Schools. This year, St. Alphonsus is HOSTING the tournament, so even if your students don't end up being our tournament battle team, they will be actively involved in helping us put on the tournament. It is a great time to join!
How It Works
Teams of three students each from Grades 4, 5, and 6 read 45 pre-assigned books (15 books each) from October to March. Titles are from varying genres with a wide range of reading levels and subjects. Teams will gather after school once or twice a month for practice battles and to determine St. Alphonsus School’s Tournament Champs (one team per grade level). The Tournament Champs will go to the program-wide tournament in April.
Practice Schedule
The practice schedule/time commitment is progressive. We will meet once per month until January, when we will start meeting twice per month to have practice battles.
Meetings will be held after school in the library from 3:00-3:30 on the following dates:
- October 16
- November 13
- December 11
Meetings will be held after school in the library from 3:00-4:00 on the following dates:
- January 22
- February 5 & 19
- March 5 & 19
- April 2 - finalists only
Tournament
The 2024-2025 Battle of the Books tournament will be held on April 9, 2025 here at St. Alphonsus. More details & an opportunity to join the planning committee will be provided soon!
The permission slip and more info can be found here and students will also bring home a paper copy this week! Permission slips are due back by Friday, October 11. Because we are hosting this year and need to have our teams set, late permission slips will not be accepted.
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Please join us for our third annual Trunk or Treat, on Friday, October 25th from 6:00pm- 7:00pm.
Kids are invited to wear their Halloween costumes as they go car-to-car trick or treating in our school parking lot! Siblings and family are welcome--this is a great event for the whole family!
We are SO excited to be hosting this event again and would love to have your support in hosting a Trunk!
What does it take to host a Trunk?
****All adults handing out candy must be safeguarded.****
- Arrive 45 minutes before the event begins to set up
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Decorate your trunk (check out Pinterest for some fun ideas!) with child appropriate decorations
- Supply and hand out candy to kids that trick or treat from your trunk
- Be able to stay the entire event 6:00pm- 7:00pm
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Remember this is a family friendly event, no alcohol please
It's going to be a great night! Use this link to sign up to host a trunk. Trunks must be signed up by October 16. Please list all adults who will be handing out treats at your vehicle so we can check their safeguarding status.
Please note that if you are just planning to attend the event with your children to trick or treat, and you do not plan to volunteer, host a trunk or pass out candy, the safeguarding requirement does not apply.
For questions, please contact Dawn Eisold or Tricia Williams, our Trunk or Treat chairs.
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The St. Alphonsus Athletics Association is excited to announce that basketball sign-ups are now open!
Sign-ups will continue through the end of the month. If your child in grades 5-8 is interested in participating in basketball this year, please make sure to complete the registration process by October 1st.
You can sign up via this link.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for your child to stay active, learn teamwork, and have fun!
For any questions, please contact Athletic Director Nick Warrichaiet or check out the Athletics page on our website. Go Cougars!
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The St. Alphonsus Grand Raffle has returned!
If you'd like the chance to win $15,000 now's the time. 1 in 10 people will at least double their money with the opportunity for even more.
If you're interested in supporting St. Alphonsus, there are three ways to get your raffle tickets:
- Pick them up from the raffle table (feel free to take as many tickets as you would like) after any Mass
- Stop by the parish office and pick the up from our receptionist
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E-mail the parish here and we will make arrangements to personally deliver them to you
The tickets can then be returned in the same three ways.
Remember, you don’t have to buy them all yourself, and for this raffle to be a success we’ll need your help selling them to friends, family members and co-workers. The proceeds of the raffle will go directly to St. Alphonsus’ operational budget that helps us be the thriving parish and school we are.
Please support this fundraiser as it will help us achieve a balanced budget this fiscal year--thank you!
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Are you an Unconfirmed Catholic Adult? Want to prepare for this Sacrament?
We have a way to help you take this next step on your faith journey! Sister Eileen facilitates our Adult Confirmation program, which begins October 24th!
Ponder, pray, and then contact Sister Eileen via email or phone: 414-421-2442.
We are eager to assist you!
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Kinship Food Pantry Volunteer Opportunity
Join the parish Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry Karen Farrell at the Kinship Food Pantry on October 26, 2024 from 7:30 to about 11:30am.
We will be gathering cooking oil for this date. If you are able to, please donate cooking oil (canola, olive or avocado cooking oil in a medium or small size bottle). Please bring your donations to school (there will be a box outside the office for collection).
If you are interested in learning more, or to sign up, please check out the sign up genius.
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It's Open House Season for Catholic High Schools! | |
Please note that any outside activities are not sponsored or endorsed by St. Alphonsus Parish or School | |
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It's Open House Season for various Catholic high schools in our area. Be sure to check out the following flyers from our local Catholic high schools:
Catholic Memorial High School - Waukesha
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Marquette University High School - Milwaukee | |
Catholic Central High School - Burlington | |
St. Thomas More High School - Milwaukee | |
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St. Thomas More is excited to invite you to our 2024 Open House!
Sign-up now as spots will fill up fast!
The 2024 St. Thomas More Open House will be on: Monday, October 21st from 4:30-8:00pm.
At the STM Open House: You will get a small group tour of the facilities from STM students, parents, and faculty. You will receive information on admissions and financial aid, and meet the faculty, staff, and athletics coaches. This is a great way for your family to see all the wonderful things STM has to offer.
To RSVP, please click here.
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St. Thomas More High School Has Also Opened Applications for 2025-2026 School Year!
STM is excited to announce that they are now accepting applicants for the 2025-2026 school year. Please click here to start your application now.
Applicants can track their admissions progress in real-time using the STM Admissions Checklist. In order to receive an admission decision, applicants must complete the following steps on the STM Admissions Checklist:
- Request sixth and seventh-grade report cards from your current school
- Request sixth and seventh-grade standardized test results from your current school
- Request the Teacher Recommendation Form from an English, Math, Science, or Social Science teacher
- Take the High School Placement Test (more information to come on the test)
- The STM Admissions Committee will not make a decision until all paperwork is submitted on behalf of the student
Report cards, standardized test scores, and the Teacher Recommendation Form can all be requested online. Simply go to this link and click "Start" next to each item on the student's Checklist. You will be asked for the name and email address of the teacher or staff member who you would like to submit the requested information on your students behalf.
FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS ARE ALSO OPEN
Families may also fill out the application for financial aid now. To begin the financial aid application, please visit this link. Students who do not complete this application are not eligible to receive scholarships from St. Thomas More. This financial aid application is separate from applications for Milwaukee/Racine and Wisconsin Parental Choice Programs, which will be available in February 2025.
If you have any questions about St. Thomas More, the application process, or anything else admissions-related, please contact Tony Mane, Director of Admissions, at 414-481-8370 x127 or via email.
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Please note that any outside activities are not sponsored or endorsed by St. Alphonsus Parish or School | |
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The Greendale Health Department also asked all educators in the area to share some information about pertussis/whooping cough:
The State of Wisconsin has seen an increase in pertussis/whooping cough cases. In Wisconsin, it is currently ten times higher than last year at this time and is also nationally high.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services has issued a press release September 19, 2024, which you can view here.
For detailed information on pertussis, please visit this link.
The best way to prevent the illness or reduce the severity of the disease is vaccination.
- Children should receive 5 doses of DTaP vaccine from age 2 months to 6 years
- Adolescents ages 11-12 should receive one dose of Tdap vaccine
- Adults who have never had a pertussis vaccine should receive one dose of Tdap vaccine
- Pregnant people should receive Tdap between 27-36 weeks of pregnancy, during each pregnancy, to protect the newborn before they are old enough to get the DTaP vaccine
- Check with your healthcare provider if you or your child are due for a vaccine
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Check the Wisconsin Immunization Registry using these instructions
Taking the following daily actions can also help stop the spread of germs:
- Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds
- Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth
- Stay home and away from others if you feel sick
- Avoid being around others who are sick
- Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze and encourage children to do the same
If you have any questions, please call the Greendale Public Health Department at 414-423-2110.
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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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