Learning, Loving, and Leading through Christ

December 11, 2023

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Leadership Team Updates

Dear St. Alphonsus Families,


Another busy week last week with the Christmas Concert, Cookie Walk, and St. Nick! You can see more about all of these events below. In the meantime, we have a few reminders for you this week:


  • Our next Pizza Lunch is coming up on . Order forms are due by THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING, no exceptions. Please find a copy of the order form and more details below!


  • On a related note, you will also find a copy of the January lunch menu below. Please note that effective January 3, the new price for a hot lunch will be $4.00. Mrs. Cech has not been able to keep up with high food costs and our lunch pricing has remained the same for several years. As such, this price increase will allow her the additional funds to keep up with costs. Thank you for your understanding!


  • On Monday, December 18, we will have our Christmas Spirit Dress Down Day to raise money for the St. Alphonsus Food Pantry to buy their clients Christmas hams and turkeys. Janet from the Food Pantry writes, "We received a second outside donation to go with yours, so we will combine that with what you collect and our clients will have a chance to choose what meat/main dish they want. They will be thrilled. It is empowering when they don't gave control over much." How wonderful! Please remember that if your student plans to participate, this is not a regular dress down day--they need to be dressing to the spirit of the theme, so get out those red & green clothes, ugly Christmas sweaters, and other novelty Christmas tees and shirts!


In other news, our Catholic Schools Week Committee has been meeting regularly to plan for Catholic Schools Week, and we cannot wait to share more with you. In the meantime, Catholic Financial Life is again holding their Give Back Contest this year, where you can nominate a favorite teacher to win $500 for themself and a $4,000 donation for our school! Consider nominating someone--more details below.


We are looking forward to our All School Field Trip on Thursday, December 14 to see Elf Jr. the Musical at one of our local Catholic High Schools, St. Thomas More! We can't wait for the kids to see this show!


Lastly, just a reminder to send back those Advent flames to help light our school Advent wreath in the main hallway. We love seeing all the acts of kindness and good deeds our students are doing to help light the way for Jesus!


Have a great week!

Ms. Parey, Mrs. Schermetzler, and Mrs. Bruhn

Interim Leadership Team

Thank you for attending our Christmas Concert!


Our students in Grades 3K through 3rd Grade performed a wonderful Christmas Concert last Tuesday! Thank you to all of our staff who helped to put on this event, especially Ms. Webber who worked extremely hard to create this show! If you would like to watch or download videos from the concert, please click this link.  


We will have a spring concert for the 4th and 5th graders (date TBD). In the meantime, have a blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas!

Thank you for your help with our Cookie Walk!


This year's Cookie Walk was an amazing success! Thank you to everyone who baked and volunteered. Here are this year's stats:


  • 3000 cookies baked & sold
  • (30 trays of about 100 cookies each)
  • 12 trays sold on Saturday night alone!
  • 9 trays sold after 7:30am mass!
  • 30 volunteers across 3 days (drop off, setup, and selling!)
  • Over $2,500 raised - more than $300 over last year
  • and a partridge in a pear tree.


THANK YOU & MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Upcoming Dates to Remember

12/13

Dine Out Night

Cousins Subs


12/14

Elf Jr. The Musical Field Trip


12/15

Trimester 1 Report Cards Released


12/18

Christmas Spirit Day to Raise Funds for St. Alphonsus Food Pantry

Details Below



12/21

Pizza Fundraiser Lunch

FORMS DUE WEDNESDAY, see below


12/22

Las Posadas

8:00am


12/22

11:30am Dismissal

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


12/25 - 12/29

No School

Christmas Break


December & January Lunch Menu

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Our Next Pizza Lunch is Coming Up on Thursday, December 21!


Order forms went home last week and are due back to school by THIS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 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!


A copy of the order form is attached here. Return forms by December 13th with cash or check for payment. Exact amounts only, no change will be given. One form per child but families can use one envelope.

December Out of Uniform Schedule


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:


12/14

Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 12/13 (receipt required)


12/15

Last full Friday of the Month

Out of Uniform with purchased pass


12/18

Ugly Sweater/Christmas Spirit Day

minimum $1 donation to participate

benefitting St. Alphonsus Food Pantry - see details below!


12/22

Dress UP Day to Celebrate Las Posadas and the last day of school!

Wear your best dress up clothes; no jeans

Save the Date for Las Posadas

Grades 5 - 8: Join Service Club!

Nominate A Favorite Teacher for Catholic Schools Week!

Nominate Your Favorite Catholic School Teacher in the annual Catholic Financial Life Give Back Contest!


In honor of Catholic Schools Week, January 28 to February 3, Catholic Financial Life is celebrating by holding their annual Give Back Contest!


Nominate a Catholic school teacher for a chance for them to receive a $500 prize in addition to a $4,000 donation to our school. Voting will take place from January 15-19 on Catholic Financial Life’s website, and they'll post the top ten vote leaders daily on our Facebook page.


Click here to nominate a St. Alphonsus teacher! Submission deadline is January 5, 2024. 

St. Nick Visits Classrooms!

Last week was the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas!


Some of our 8th graders participated by dressing as St. Nick and escorting this patron saint of children around the school. Students read small parts about some of St. Nick’s history and also shared some unique facts. All classes then received chocolate coins or peppermints to celebrate!


Thank you to Grace, Max, Derek, Aiden, and Maddy for continuing this holiday tradition at St. Alphonsus School, and thank you to Mrs. Hoeppner for organizing!

SCRIP Makes Sense!

This week's SCRIP updates:


Sunday, December 17 will be the last date to order SCRIP before Christmas break. Orders will be sent home on Wednesday through backpack mail. The SCRIP table will be closed Christmas and New Year's weekends. 

If you place orders during the holidays, we can arrange a pick up. 


The fiscal year is coming to a close on December 31.  Thank you to the families who are using SCRIP regularly!  One family has earned over a $400 tuition rebate! It is so easy to build up your tuition rebate by using SCRIP weekly for gas, groceries, dining out options and shopping! Rebate vouchers will be sent to families the first week in January. The rebate will either be 50% of the total rebate or 2% of total sales (whichever is the higher amount).


If you haven't started making SCRIP part of your routine, make a New Year's resolution. I guarantee you will earn more "points" with SCRIP than using your credit card. (Watch for those Kwik-Trip 9% bonus days!)


Signing up for SCRIP is easy, and there is even an app to use! Register here, using the enrollment code 855F1LF31943. 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.


Have a wonderful holiday season!

Home & School Happenings

Dine Out Night At Cousins Subs!


This Wednesday, December 13th is Dine Out Night at Cousins Subs and we hope to see you there! Dine in or carry out from 3:00 to 8:00pm at the Franklin location, 7700 S. Lovers Lane Road. 20% of the sales will go to support St. Alphonsus. Remember to get a receipt (one per child) so that your student can be out of uniform tomorrow.


Come support our school and let Cousins do the cooking!


Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around.

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Help Us Treat Our Teachers during the Home & School Holiday Luncheon!

 

This year's staff holiday luncheon, sponsored & organized by Home & School, will take place on Monday, December 18. This is an opportunity for the teachers & staff to enjoy a catered lunch and spend some quality time together. The luncheon serves as the staff Christmas party.


To make this event happen, Home & School is asking for donations for various items to help make the space festive and the event fun with drinks & desserts, as well as help with setup & cleanup. You can sign up to donate an item or help out here. They will have volunteers in the drop-off line on Monday, December 18 to collect the items. Thank you in advance!

Mark your calendars for the St. Alphonsus Cougar Carnival!

 

Friday, February 9th, 2024

5:30-8:00 pm

at St. Alphonsus School

 

The St. Alphonsus Fun Fair is now the COUGAR CARNIVAL!


Make plans to join us for an upbeat evening of games, food and fun that provides direct financial support for our school!

 

Important Prize Room Donation Information:

 

Each year we rely on donations to fill the prize room.  All families are assigned a specific donation based on their grade. This year, these are:


  • 8th Grade: Baked goods including cakes, cookies, bars, etc. These can be baked or store bought. More details to come after the holidays.
  • 7th Grade: 4 cans of Pringles each and a 6 pack of 16oz soda bottles (regular or diet)
  • 3K-6th Grade: $15 monetary donation so the committee can purchase specific prizes at the levels most in need. 

 

Please send in your $15 donation by Monday, January 8th, (checks can be made out to St. Alphonsus Home & School), in an envelope clearly marked “Cougar Carnival Prizes.” 

 

Raffle Basket Donations: If you are interested in donating a raffle basket or item for the Blue and Gold Raffle, please contact us! We appreciate all donations to make the night a success!

 

Thank you in advance for your cooperation, time, and effort in making this another memorable evening!

Teacher Wishlists Now Available

Are you looking for a unique way to gift your teachers 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.


3K Miss Alyssa's Wishlist


4K Mrs. Kempken'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. She could also use some new puzzles, a Pop the Pig game, and 2 copies of the book Night Animals by Gianna Marino.


2nd Grade Mrs. Frank likes gift cards for Amazon, Walgreens, Target, or Hobby Lobby. She is also looking for 4 copies of Arthur's Thanksgiving and a new Knex set!


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.


5th Grade Ms. Brennan's Wishlist

She also loves restaurant gift cards--anything in Greendale Village, and her favorite restaurant is Calderone Club. Amazon gift cards are also always appreciated.


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


Music Miss Webber's Wishlist


Spanish Ms. Kleinhans says any kind of gift card is much appreciated, but she called out Starbucks, Sendiks, or Metro Market!


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 Starbucks, Blum Coffee or Vintage 38 gift cards so she can have a warm beverage while she reads!

Cougar Sports Corner

The Basketball Season kicked off this weekend and St. Alphonsus teams were very successful!


The 8th Grade Boys beat Holy Apostles 42-29 in their first game, and also won against St. Charles 35-32 in their second game.


The 7th Grade Boys sadly lost to a tough St. Matthias team 32-6, but the 6th Grade Boys beat Holy Apostles 37 to 33. And our 5th Grade Boys beat Salam School in their first ever game, 24-7 here at home.


Congrats to all of our teams, who played so hard this weekend! Win or lose, we are proud of you and are looking forward to more great basketball to come! Thank you coaches and concessions & admissions volunteers as well!

Congrats to all of our teams, who played so hard this weekend! Win or lose, we are proud of you and are looking forward to more great basketball to come! Thank you coaches and concessions & admissions volunteers as well!

Local School & Alumni News

6th Grade Girl Scouts Still Collecting Pop Tabs!


The 6th Grade Girl Scouts are still collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald house. If you’d like to help, please send your pop tabs to Hana in 6th grade!

Calling all St. Alphonsus Alumni!


Do you have an alumni student in your home? Are you an alum yourself, or maybe you've heard some great things our alumni are up to? Please share them with us! We would love to share more alumni news in upcoming newsletters and on our social media. You can email items to Mrs. Schermetzler. Thank you!

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.