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,
Every year we have an extraordinary opportunity to begin fresh. Summer has been a time to savor the opportunity to reflect on what is behind us, what is before us, and what may lie ahead. As Catholic school leaders, we are called to show our children something different, something more than the world has to offer. It very simply comes down to the mission for all of us to grow in our relationship to Jesus Christ. With this in mind, I am so pleased to announce that this year our school theme will be service. The Bible verse that will help focus our work this year is: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10. We will use this year to ask questions about what are our gifts and how we can use them to serve others around us. A great example of this is the new Serve logo created by our talented art teacher, Mrs. Hoeppner! We will use this logo in various ways throughout the year to reinforce our theme.
As we begin this new year, my prayer is that you will join me in thanking God for the gift of education. Please join me in praying and showing our gratitude to God for our dedicated and hard working teachers who will not only teach but minister to your children in their education. I ask you to also pray for our school. God is generous and we believe that God’s grace and spirit will inspire us to build His kingdom. You are a vital part of your child’s education and we look forward to your presence and participation in our school!
Don't forget that we are holding a drop-off for the Uniform Closet THIS SUNDAY, August 27, after the 9am and 11am Masses. Stop by the community room to drop off any clean, gently used uniforms you'd like to donate and we will collect and organize them for families to shop on Monday evening at Back to School Night. The uniform closet will also be open to families on three Fridays this fall for you to drop in and stock up. At the same time on Sunday, we will also be collecting for the Health Room Drive that was cancelled earlier this summer. As a reminder, we are looking for brand new underwear and socks in sizes from 3T through 2nd Grade (7/8). We will also be collecting gently used, clean joggers & sweatpants for those same sizes. There will be a table for these donations in the Community Room on Sunday.
I also look forward to seeing all of you in person at our Meet and Greet Night on Monday, August 28th from 3:00-7:00 pm! Enter through the church doors into the gathering space and then join us in the Community Room to get your student's school picture taken, shop the Back to School Used Uniform Sale, fill out important health and school forms, volunteer for upcoming Home & School events, and more. After that, you can go visit with your child's teacher and drop off their school supplies in their classroom. Please feel free to come and go anytime during the 3-7pm time frame!
Attached is a school picture order form, or you may place your order online here. Please be sure to check out additional important info below about the first few days of school, the Fun Run, lots of great stuff from our Home & School Association, and more!
Yours in Christ,
Mr. Russ Johnston
Principal
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Upcoming Dates to Remember | |
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08/27
Popsicles on the Playground
New Family Event
Details Below
08/28
Meet & Greet Night
3-7pm
08/29
First Day of School
11:30am Dismissal
09/04
Labor Day
No School
09/06
Back to School Info Night
Parents Only
5:30 - 7:30pm
09/06
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
Details Below
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09/06
Fun Run Kickoff
09/15
Fun Run
Details Below
09/20
Dine Out Night
MOD Pizza
Details Below
09/22
Fundraiser Lunch
No Hot Lunch Provided
Details Coming Soon!
09/22
Uniform Closet Open
7:45-8:30am
09/24
Pack the Church
9:00am Mass
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We are pleased to also now offer you a comprehensive yearly calendar that has school events, closings, special events, and Home & School events all in one place. A PDF version is attached here for your reference. This calendar will be updated throughout the year to aid you in your planning purposes! The current rev is REV1, published 08.21.23. | |
August & September Lunch Menus | |
Popsicles on the Playground - This Sunday! | |
Before school starts, join us for Popsicles on the Playground this Sunday! This fun event is geared towards our New Families to St. Alphonsus, but if you'd like to welcome them, please consider stopping by to say hello. | |
Drop Off & Pickup Line Procedures | |
A quick reminder for Back to School: please remember to follow our car line procedures!
3K, 4K, & 5K students AND THEIR SIBLINGS should be dropped off and picked up in the school courtyard car line. All other grades, 1-8, should use the main car line by the gym doors. For the first few days of school, our early childhood staff will be outside in the courtyard to meet your children and help with separation anxiety.
Please do not park your car on Churchway or Schoolway for pickup. This is a violation of our agreement with the village. In addition, please do not park in the main school parking lot and cross the car line in order to pick up your younger students. This presents a major safety concern, as the car lines move quite quickly, and cars may not always see you as you're crossing. Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe and our neighbors happy!
A map of the car line for the MAIN gym doors (grades 1-8) is pictured here. Please let Mr. Johnston know if you have any questions. As a reminder, parents should NOT park and walk their children into school.
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St. Alphonsus Morning Care is available for students in grades 3K - 8th each day that St. Alphonsus School is in session.
It opens at 6:45 am and closes when the morning bell rings at 7:30 am. At 7:30 am, the students walk to their classrooms.
St. Alphonsus Morning Care is held in Room 330 and lead by our first grade teacher, Mrs. Kathy Ramion. Parents may park their cars in the parking lot on the east side of the Parish House and enter via the 'back porch" of the school that is across from the Parish House garages. Please walk your child up the stairs and ring the doorbell. Mrs. Ramion will come and open the door for your child. Please do not leave your child unattended while waiting for the door to open.
While in Morning Care, students may draw, play games, play with Legos, do puzzles, read, study, and talk with one another. Breakfast and snacks are not served and may not be consumed during Morning Care.
The fee is $2.00 per student per day and is due each day when you arrive with your child. For questions, please contact Kathy Ramion.
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3K Wrap & Cougar Club Calendars | |
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Just as a reminder, St. Alphonsus offers both 3K Wrap Care and Cougar Club after students' respective school days end.
3K Wrap Care is offered each day that school is in session. It begins immediately following the end of the 3K school day at 11:30 am. The cost of 3K Wrap Care is $20.00 per day. The 3K Wrap Care students combine with our 4K students in the afternoon to have recess, eat lunch, rest, and participate in enrichment activities. The wrap care program concludes at 2:45 pm each day. To enroll in 3K Wrap Care, please submit a monthly calendar to Amy Schermetzler at amy@st-alphonsus.org. Calendars can be found on our website here, and please note that drop-in care is not available.
Cougar Club is an after school program open to all students in grades 3K-8th. Each day the students will have the opportunity to participate in outdoor playtime, gym time, arts and crafts, toys, games, and reading. They will also have the opportunity to work on their homework. The St. Alphonsus Catholic School Cougar Club is open every school day from 2:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Please note that Cougar Club is closed on Early Release Days and days when St. Alphonsus Catholic School is not in session. Cougar Club calendars can be found on our website here and may be returned to Stacey Pagac, our Cougar Club coordinator, at cougarclub@st-alphonsus.org.
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Did You Download the St. Alphonsus App Yet? | |
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Want to easily navigate the school website on the go? Check out our new St. Alphonsus Catholic School App!
The app links directly to our website, so anytime changes are made on the website, the app is automatically updated too. Find items you need on our site quickly and easily using our custom navigation buttons! Find the app today in both the Apple and Google Play stores, or scan the QR codes below.
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Pack the Church & Student Lector Program | |
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The Student Lector Program is back!
Our popular student lector program is back at Sunday masses this fall on these dates:
Sunday, September 24 at 9:00am Mass
Sunday, October 15 at 11:00am Mass
Sunday, November 5 at 9:00am Mass
St. Alphonsus students in grades 2-8 are eligible to be lectors. Students in all grades can be gift bearers. You can sign your child up here. Parents, when signing up please include YOUR email so that we can contact you the week of your students participation.
Lectors will practice with Mrs. Schermetzler on Fridays before the weekend masses!
In addition, all of our student lector dates will be Pack the Church dates for school! We would love to have the church filled with St. Alphonsus School families on these dates. Students should wear their Unity shirts or another St. Alphonsus shirt so that they are easily visible as St. Al's students. We hope to see you there!
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Registration is now open for St. Alphonsus Catholic School’s Fun Run!
The kick-off for St. Alphonsus Catholic School’s Fun Run is less than 2 weeks away! Parents, registration is now open on mybooster.com. All students registered before September 7th will earn an Out-of-Uniform day on September 8th!
Our goal this year is to raise $20,000 for new playground equipment.
Just a reminder, students will participate in a Pep Rally on September 6th and bring home materials to help you reach out to donors over the following 9 days. The Fun Run will take place on September 15th in the parking lot, weather permitting.
If you have any questions, please contact Fun Run Chairperson Olivia Hartley.
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Thank you to our amazing Fun Run Sponsors!
Platinum:
Wilke Wealth and Investment Planning
Oak Creek Wood Products
Gold:
Cousins Subs
Educators Credit Union
Murphy & Prachthauser
Silver:
St. Alphonsus School Staff
St. Thomas More High School
Mike Juneau’s Brookfield Buick GMC
Bronze:
Milk Can Diner
Biltrite Furniture
Schlossmann’s Honda City
Ricely Restaurant Group
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Safeguarding Requirements and Upcoming Trainings | |
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Do you plan to go on field trips this year, volunteer as a room parent, volunteer at special events, or coach athletics?
Then you must be safeguard-certified through the Archdiocese. ANYONE who plans to go on field trips or volunteer at school this year in ANY capacity must be up to do that on their safeguard certification.
Luckily, our Director of Christian Formation, Karen Farrell, is a safeguard trainer! She is hosting two upcoming sessions and will add additional sessions this fall as she is able. Upcoming sessions are on the following dates:
- August 31st (Thursday)
- September 7th (Thursday)
Both sessions will be held in the community room here at St. Alphonsus, starting at 6pm.
To get started with your safeguarding requirements and register for a session, please visit the Archdiocese's CMGConnect website, and here are the complete instructions for completing your Safeguarding requirements. If you have questions about your certification, you can contact Ms. Parey in the school office.
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Dine Out Nights Are Back!
Back by popular demand are St. Alphonsus Dine Out Nights! These are specially designated nights at local restaurants who then give a portion of their sales back to our school, which helps to fund projects that directly benefit our students. In the past these funds were used to resurface the playground, help to buy new smart boards, and assist in remodeling the science lab.
How does it work? On the evening of each Dine Out Night, go to the restaurant during the designated time and make your purchases (be sure to watch the newsletter for any special instructions, like showing a flyer or using a code) and then our school will get a portion of the proceeds. Be sure to get a receipt (one per student) and your child can out of uniform the following day!
Dine Out Nights are one of our most popular fundraisers - you get a night off from cooking, our school raises funds to do special projects and your students gets to be out of uniform. Everyone wins! Be sure you mark your calendars with the dates of this year's events and watch the newsletter for reminders and instructions the week before each Dine Out Night.
If you have any questions, please contact Dine Out Night chair Kyla Mrazek at (262) 498-2780 or via email.
Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around!
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OUT OF UNIFORM DATES FOR SUMMER COUSINS DINE OUT NIGHTS ANNOUNCED
For those that participated in any of the summer Dine Out Nights at Cousins Subs, you are eligible to be out of uniform on three selected Mondays in September. Please note that your student must turn in a corresponding receipt to their teacher in order to be out of uniform on these days, no exceptions. The dates are:
June Dine Out Night - Out of Uniform on Monday, September 11
July Dine Out Night - Out of Uniform on Monday, September 18
August Dine Out Night - Out of Uniform on Monday, September 25
If you have any questions, please contact Kyla Mrazek, Dine Out Night Coordinator, at (262) 498-2780 or via email. Thank you for participating this summer!
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Kinship Community Food Pantry Volunteer Opportunity
Please come and join us on September 16, 2023 from 7:30 to 11:30am at the Kinship Community Food Pantry located in the RiverWest Neighborhood at 924 E Clark Street, Milwaukee.
It is a great place for families to volunteer! Young children are welcome, but they do need to be able to last the morning.
The day will begin by arriving around 7:30 a.m. at St. Casimir's. You can park in the lot (if space allows) and enter to the west of the main building (between the school building and the church). You can get more information and sign up to attend here.
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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.
Back to School Newsletters will kick off in mid-August.
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