Dear Families,

The students and teachers are back in the full swing of things and excitement is building for Open House and Catholic Schools Week.

I want to address another event that is usually approaching on the calendar: Fun Fair. In the past, Fun Fair was a large Home and School fundraiser featuring games, raffles, and a cake walk. The event was scheduled for Friday, February 10th. As we continue to place a greater emphasis on community building events that allow us to share in fellowship with our school families, Fun Fair is being reimagined and will be held later in the spring. We will have many more details about this new and exciting change soon. I am aware that Fun Fair was traditionally planned by the 6th grade families. However, going forward we want families from every grade to be involved in the planning. If you would like to help us reimagine this event, please email me! I will be forming a planning sub-committee in the coming weeks.

I also want to draw your attention to the Marquette Athletics STEM Superstar Teacher Awards flyer displayed near the end of this week’s newsletter. We have so many great teachers at St. Alphonsus Catholic School and this is your chance to show them how much they mean to your child and family. Please click on the flyer below to nominate a teacher today!

I hope you are making plans to join us for Pack the Church at the 9:00am mass on Sunday, January 29th. Our students will be the lectors and gift bearers at mass. Afterwards, join us for our School Open House. The Open House will feature the grand re-opening of the Science Lab and the Library, as well as a scavenger hunt, raffle, food, and more. This is a great community event and a chance to see what your child and their classmates have been up to this year. Please also consider inviting a new family to join us for a guided tour of the school. If every St. Alphonsus Catholic School family invited just one new family to tour, imagine the impact it would have! Invite your friends and neighbors to see our amazing school.

Finally, please remember that school is not in session on Monday, January 16th because of teacher in-service.

Stay safe and have a long great weekend!

Russ Johnston

Dine Out Night at Chipotle

Join us for Dine Out Night at Chipotle next Wednesday, January 18th at the Hales Corners location (5794 S.108th Street) from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

To be sure that St. Al's gets credit for your order, please show this flyer (digital or paper copy) to the cashier when you order. We highly recommend using online ordering to cut down your wait, and if you do, be sure to use our promo code (LC49667) when you order. We'll get 33% of all orders placed using the code or flyer that evening!

Thanks for your support of our school through Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around.

The 4th Grade Girl Scouts had a bookish-themed meeting this week!

They met in the school library and shared their favorite books and had some bookish-themed snacks. Later, they made bookmarks and learned all about library circulation & cataloging with the Mrs. Schermetzler!

The last part of their meeting was a Zoom chat with published author, Lisa Greenwald. She answered questions about being a writer and shared some of her favorite books as well!

The 5th grade Girl Scouts are collecting supplies for the Wisconsin Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center!

There will be a box in your child’s classroom to collect donations. Here are the items they are looking for:

• Pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts (all unsalted)  
• Canned plain pumpkin  
• Wet or dry cat food (dry cat food minimum crude protein 32% or higher)
• Wet or dry dog food (dry dog food minimum crude protein 26% or higher)
• Black oil sunflower seed  
• Finch bird seed  
• Critter Crunch Wild Bird Food and Critter Food  
• Wagner’s Deluxe Wild Bird Food
• Frozen berries
• Timothy Hay
• Unflavored Pedialyte
• Latex-free disposable gloves (size small or medium)
• Paper towel  
• Facial tissue  
• Disinfecting wipes  
• Disposable pee pads  
• Dawn dish soap  
• Unscented baby wipes
• Gift cards to wildlife supply stores (such as Mike's Falconry and Chris's Squirrels & More)

And if your student's class brings the most items for donation, they will get a PJ and Movie Day with an educational animal movie!

You can learn more about the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center here. Thank you in advance for your support!

Thank you so much to those of you who joined us for the Music Bingo Night!

It was a great evening with a lot of laughs and great music.

We are so appreciative of everyone who attended, those who donated items for the event, and everyone who helped us set-up and take-down. We hope to do another Music Bingo event soon!

7th Grade Boys Win Exciting Game

The 7th Grade Boys Basketball team won an exciting game against this past weekend against St. Charles, winning 33-17.

Special thanks to Mrs. Gutche for attending the game!

Franklin High School Freshman Preview Night

Franklin High School Saber Center

8222 S. 51st Street

Monday, January 30

6:30pm

This program is for both students and their parents/guardians! Join us for a preview of Franklin High School Academic & Career Planning and get information and materials on choosing courses for next year. We will also give an Athletics and Activities Overview, building tours, meet the teachers & counselors, and more!

Kinship Food Pantry Volunteer Opportunity

Join Christian Formation on Saturday, February 11 from 7:30 to 11:30am as we volunteer at the Kinship Community Food Center! Children are welcome to volunteer with an adult, and kids 13 & older can volunteer on their own. Check out our sign-up for more details.

Steubenville Youth Rally in Minnesota

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will be taking a group to St. Paul, MN from July 28-30 for a Steubenville Youth Rally presented by the Franciscan University of Steubenville. These events have greatly helped to shape the faith of countless teens.

Youth Ministry Director Karen Farrell would like to know if there is a group interested in attending alongside the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Going with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee allows us to be able to spread the cost of transportation over a larger group of people.

If you are interested in learning more specifically about the Conference, please check out the video below or the Conference website. Please email Karen Farrell with questions or to express your interestt!

Love Begins Here Service Opportunity

Love Begins Here (LBH) helps middle and high school teens encounter Jesus Christ through a week of local service lived in a joyful, Catholic community. Inspired by the life and witness of St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta, LBH invites teens to serve those in need in their own homes and communities, thus continuing Christ's work on earth.

Help out at a food pantry, paint a fence, or plant a garden during the day. Follow that up with ice cream, swimming, prayer, and a ton of fun while making friends with teens from all over the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

There are four spots available on June 20th-23rd for middle schoolers and four spots available high schoolers on July 16th-21st. Students who are going into ninth grade can choose to go to either the middle school mission trip or the high school mission trip (since they are on the cusp).

Hours of service gained do work towards Confirmation Service hours. If you are interested in learning more, please email Karen Farrell.

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.

Did you read this newsletter thoroughly? If so, send Mrs. Schermetzler an email with the subject line TGIF and your student(s) will get a prize!