Learning, Loving, and Leading through Christ | |
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From the Desk of Mr. Johnston | |
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Dear St. Alphonsus Catholic School Families,
Our students are still very busy around the school this week as Spring rolls on!
On Thursday, some of our students went over to Harbor Village Retirement Community to talk and play games with the residents there. It was a great opportunity for our students to serve others in the community by bringing some fun and cheer to the residents! This week we also had some students take field trips to the Milwaukee Public Museum, and more.
Then there are plenty of other activities coming up, with the Father Daughter Dance tonight, our all school Clean Up Day next Friday, the 4th and 5th grade Spring Concert next week and more!
Speaking of fun events, I want to point your attention to the section below about the Fun Fair coming up on May 12th. This year there will be some new things at Fun Fair and some of our old favorites as well. In order to make such a large event happen, it takes many people volunteering. I would encourage anyone who has not yet signed up to find a way to volunteer for Fun Fair and help make this fun evening a success! There are plenty of opportunities for everyone to help out. Thank you!
In addition, we are announcing the date for our Cougar Outdoor Extravaganza today, and you may notice it is later than in years' past. There are a few reasons for this, outlined below, so please be sure to check out those details. We will have more info on COE in the coming weeks.
Lastly, I want to point your attention to the reminders about Safe Environment training, volunteering and keeping our children safe as we are in the midst of the Archdiocese’ Safe Environment Awareness Week.
Have a safe and enjoyable weekend,
Russ Johnston
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Important Dates to Remember | |
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05/01 - 05/12
STAR Testing Dates
05/03
Grandparents/VIP Day
05/04
4th & 5th Grade
Spring Music Concert
6:00pm
05/05
All School Community Clean-Up
05/11
First Stage Field Trip
Grades 1-3
05/12
Fun Fair
Details Below
05/12
4th Grade Madison Field Trip
05/12
Dress Down Day for MACC Fund
Details Coming Soon!
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05/21
Girls on the Run 5K
AmFam Field, 10:00am
05/23
State of the School
6:00pm Community Room
05/24
First Communion Celebration Mass
Brunch Following (2nd Grade)
06/01
8th Grade Graduation Trip
Graduation Photo with Cap & Gown
06/03
Graduation Mass & Ceremony
06/06
Cougar Outdoor Extravaganza
Details Below
06/07
Last Day of School
10am Dismissal
Have a great summer!
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Cougar Outdoor Extravaganza is coming!
Cougar Outdoor Extravaganza Day is coming! This year's event will be held on Tuesday, June 6. This is later than in past years, and there are a couple of reasons for this.
First, we need to make sure we hit all of our instructional minutes for the 2022-2023 school year. Second, we need to work around the schedules of Mr. Gutche and Mrs. Schermetzler, who are only at St. Al's during a limited number of days each week. And finally: the weather! In the past, we have held this event during the week leading up to Memorial Day weekend, and every year it is freezing! We hope that by holding it later this year, we will have a warmer, nicer day!
Other things you should note: This year's event will be a true "field day." This means no inflatables (and hopefully less injuries!). And yes, this also means our 8th grade class will have already graduated by this time. But have no fear: our 8th graders are welcome to come back and join us on Tuesday for the event. They can even choose to volunteer instead of play if they want to, and get ahead on needed service hours for confirmation! We will have a special permission slip and instructions for them next week.
Lunch this year will again be Cousins Subs, and Mr. Gutche and Mrs. S have a lot of fun things planned for the day. Look for more information, lunch order forms, 8th grade information, and volunteer sign-up next week.
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SCRIP introduces TRIP Bucks!
TRIP Bucks are back for the SCRIP program! What are TRIP bucks?
You can order gift certificates to give to your favorite staff and teachers. Staff can then order whatever they want from SCRIP program. This is a great gift idea for the end of the year or Staff Appreciation Week next week.
All you have to do is fill out the attached form and send a check made out to St. Alphonsus SCRIP. SCRIP coordinator Vickie Major will send certificates back to you. You can then gift them to whichever staff and teachers you choose.
Also, don't forget to buy and use SCRIP cards for upcoming Dine Out Nights! You can buy Cousins' Subs Gift Cards through SCRIP and then use them at Dine Out Night so school gets a double dip.
Want to learn more about SCRIP? Check out the information on our website here. For questions, please contact Vickie Major.
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Last Call! A Livestream Volunteer is Still Needed for 8th Grade Graduation. Pretty Please Consider Helping Us Out!
This year’s graduation ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 3rd at noon and will be livestreamed! We’re looking for a volunteer to help run the camera--in hopes that the eighth grade families can enjoy the ceremony, we would love to get a volunteer from another grade.
The person who takes care of this for the Parish will have everything set up and ready to go, but we need a volunteer to be there that day to run the camera. The commitment is about two hours. We've been assured that this is super easy and basically just involves zooming/moving the camera from time to time.
For more information or if you’re able to help please contact Kyla Mrazek. Thank you for considering!
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Mrs. Hoeppner is Seeking Yarn!
If you or any of your family members have any yarn lying around...Mrs. Hoeppner would love to have it become part of the St. Alphonsus Art Studio!
Please send yarn donations to school, Attn: Mrs. Hoeppner. Thank you!
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School Supply Ordering is Now Open!
Believe it or not, we are already beginning our preparations for next year, and it's already time to think about school supply lists.
We have once again partnered with 1st Day School Supplies to create our school supply kit. We've locked in your supplies at pre-inflated prices, saving you money! That’s why this year's theme is, "Buy early and save up to 30% compared to back-to-school shopping at Walmart, Target or even Amazon."
Order your school supply kit here today and save time and money. Orders will close on June 30!
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Fun Fair is right around the corner!
Fun Fair Volunteers still needed!
We are looking for help to set up and assist the evening of Fun Fair. Since a specific grade is not hosting the event this year, we appreciate all help. It’s a great chance for students to earn service hours too! Please consider volunteering to make this event a huge success! Sign up with this link.
And check out all the details for Fun Fair this year below!
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Safe Environment Awareness Week 2023 | |
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The Archdiocese of Milwaukee recognizes April 23rd –April 29th as Safe Environment Awareness Week. Each year in the month of April, which is recognized around the country as child abuse prevention month, we dedicate a week to elevating the general awareness of the Church’s efforts to keep our children safe.
We want people to know that we are committed to maintaining safe environments in our parishes and schools through adult child abuse prevention training; criminal background checks for all clergy, volunteers working with minors, and employees; safety training for children in each grade level; and adhering to all mandatory reporting requirement laws.
We encourage you to recognize and remember Safe Environment Awareness Week by saying the Prayer for Healing for Survivors of Abuse, which can be found here.
You can also help keep your children and teens safe online by following the tips outlined here:
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Did You Know…
All clergy, employees, and volunteers are required to meet all of the requirements of safe environment certification. Certification includes participating in training on recognizing signs of abuse and neglect, identifying grooming behaviors, training in maintaining boundaries, and mandatory reporting; reviewing the Code of Ethical Standards and the Social Media and Digital Communication Policy, and undergoing a criminal background check. Certification is required prior to beginning ministry and subsequently every five years.
YOU MUST BE SAFEGUARD CERTIFIED to participate at school in ANY volunteer or chaperone capacity. This means before you go on field trips or before you volunteer for school events, you must have completed all of your safeguarding requirements. You can check in with Ms. Parey in the office to check on your certification by emailing her here.
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Staff Appreciation Week is Next Week! | |
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Staff Appreciation Week is Coming Soon!
Staff Appreciation Week is coming up next week! May 1st through May 5th is when we will be celebrating our fantastic St. Alphonsus teachers and staff with a one of a kind Cinco de Mayo fiesta!
We still need a few more volunteers to help us out during the course of the week. You can sign up to volunteer at this link.
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Remember that you can also write thank you letters to staff to be delivered to them next week. You can get creative or use our template here. Please put the notes in your child's backpack, sealed in an envelope to keep it a secret and label it "Staff Appreciation c/o Mindy Wilke." We will be delivering their letters with a small gift on Tuesday, May 2nd.
Don't forget about encore teachers, teaching assistants, office staff, librarian, lunch staff, Cougar Care, and the maintenance crew! We would love to see their mailboxes flooded with letters and drawings telling them how awesome they are. Not sure who is who? Check out our Staff Directory here.
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Dine Out Night at Red Robin!
Next week is our next Dine Out Night - at Red Robin! This is a new restaurant for us this year and we hope it will be a popular one.
Join us Wednesday, May 3rd from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Greenfield location, 7575 Edgerton Avenue. Our school will receive 20% of any orders that mention St. Alphonsus, so be sure to bring a copy of this flyer or show it on your phone when you order. For online orders, see the flyer for instructions and be sure to put "St. Alphonsus Home and School" in the Special Instructions section.
Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around!
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Dine Out Night Restaurants for 2023-2024
Do you or someone you know own a restaurant or food-related business that might want to partner with us for a Dine Out Night next year?
We will soon begin booking our events for the 2023-2024 school year and would love to support businesses that are connected to our St. Alphonsus family. Our Dine Out Nights are very well attended and drive additional business to the restaurants that are featured - a win for everyone!
If you know of someone that might be interested, please reach out to Kyla Mrazek so we can talk further.
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Our Girls on the Run team has been working hard all season and it's almost time for their big event!
They will be running the 5K on Sunday, May 21 at American Family Field starting at 10:00. We would love for families to come cheer us on!
Check out these photos of them practicing indoors during the colder month of May. Rain or shine these girls are giving it their all!
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The Pioneer Day Tradition Continues!
Recently, our 4th grade class celebrated Pioneer Day, a long-standing tradition here at St. Alphonsus. We have spent all year learning all about our great state of Wisconsin--our symbols, regions, and of course, history. In honor of that, Pioneer Day is a day to celebrate how children would have learned and gone to school in 1848.
We did many fun things! We copied and recited Bible passages, did a scavenger hunt to celebrate the importance of nature, made our own butter, and had a Pioneer-style picnic lunch! It was a great day to celebrate our great state!
--Mrs. Gutche, 4th Grade Teacher
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Area Sports, High School, & Summer Camp News | | |
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Summer Spanish Lessons!
The entire family can ‘Soak up SPANISH’ this summer! This June, Futura is offering learning opportunities for both youth and adults! Live virtual theme-based classes make learning fun and engaging!
Full course descriptions are available on their registration site. Join the fun today, and enroll online here.
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Pius XI Announces their Summer Basketball Camps! Click on the flyer below for the link to register. | Pius is also offering some additional summer camps, please check out the flyer below for more info! | | | |
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RETIREMENT BY DESIGN Presentation with ReAnn Holmes, CFP, AAMS and Mathew Kuhnau, AAMS
Translate your vision for retirement into tangible goals! You’ll learn investment strategies to help design the retirement you want. The presenters will also discuss how you can add flexibility to your strategy to help you handle unexpected events and how you can keep your strategy on track. There will be time at the end of the presentation for your specific questions.
ReAnn Holmes and Mathew Kuhnau are Edward Jones Financial Advisors serving the Greendale/Franklin area.
Save the Date - Thursday, May 11, 2023
St. Alphonsus Community Room
9:00-10:30 a.m. or 6:00-7:30 p.m. (Same presentation will be at both times.)
Please register to assist with seating at 414-421-2442 or via the QR code above.
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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 5:00pm Wednesdays.
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