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Dear St. Alphonsus Families,
Happy New Year! We hope you all had an amazing Christmas break, with lots of time to relax and share in the joy of the holiday season with family and friends. We are excited to be back at school and celebrating 2024! A few notes and reminders from us this week:
- January of course means winter weather and we have an impending storm tomorrow! So here is your reminder about how school closings work at St. Alphonsus. St. Alphonsus School follows the Greendale Public School system when closing for inclement weather. If for some reason Greendale Public Schools are not in session (ie, they have a scheduled vacation day while we do not), and there is inclement weather, St. Alphonsus will follow the Franklin School District. All announcements for such closings will be placed on local radio, television stations, and television news websites. Also, families will receive an email, text message, and voicemail message with closing information, and we will post to our social media channels and website as well. If school should be canceled, the hot lunch menu will be followed accordingly upon return to school (ie, the canceled day's lunch would be skipped).
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January also brings with it an uptick in illnesses, so we wanted to remind you of our current COVID protocols: we continue to follow the Covid Protocol from the Greendale Health Department (who follows the CDC guidelines). A person with COVID must be in isolation for 5 days, then the person may return to school wearing a mask for 5 days. We no longer do contact tracing, so the school does not notify anyone of positive COVID cases amongst students and staff. If you need to report an absence, you may do so by calling the school office at 414-421-1760, or by sending an email to attendance@st-alphonsus.org.
- Our CESA Literacy Audit is still ongoing. As you may remember from some of our fall communications, our school has been participating in this audit and professional development training through CESA to ensure we have strong literacy programs in place and to continue developing our staff's skills. As such, Lori from CESA, who is facilitating our trainings this year, will have a videographer with her when she's at school on January 18th for another round of classroom coaching. The recordings will be used for internal training with CESA but will include students (with parental permission) because the strategies addressed are how to engage students in learning. It is not covered by our regular opt-in form so if you have a student in grade 1, 2, 3, or 6 (the classes that will be training that day), we have sent home another opt-in form for you to sign. If you decided to opt out, students will wear a wristband or sticker so the videographer knows not to record them.
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Another quick reminder that our lunch fees have increased. Please note that effective January 3, the new price for a hot lunch is $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. This price increase will allow her the additional funds to keep up with costs. Thank you for your understanding!
- STAR Testing for all students in grades 1-8 starts next week! More information should be forthcoming from your classroom teachers, but please have your students get a good night's rest and a hearty breakfast each day.
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Also next week are our Activity pictures and 8th Grade Formal Pictures. These will be held on Tuesday, January 16. 8th Grade will take their formal photos first and then the office will call activity groups down to have their photos taken. This includes but is not limited to Band, Orchestra, Cantors, Guitar & Ukulele Club, Battle of the Books, Forensics, Scouts, Chess Club, Rosary Club, and Altar Servers, as well as additional groups. Students such as Scouts should bring their vest or sash pieces.
Stay safe and warm this week!
Ms. Parey, Principal
Mrs. Schermetzler & Mrs. Bruhn, Leadership Team
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January & February Dates to Remember | |
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01/10
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
Details Below
01/15
No School
Teacher In-Service
01/16 - 01/26
STAR Testing
Grades 1-8
01/16
Activity Pictures
8th Grade Formal Pictures
01/15
No School
Teacher In-Service
01/26
Pizza Fundraiser Lunch
Details Below
01/28
PACK THE CHURCH
for Catholic Schools Week!
9:00am Mass
01/28
Open House
10am to 12pm
for all current & prospective families!
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01/28 - 02/02
Catholic Schools Week!
More Details Coming Soon;
Dress Down Days Below!
02/02
11:30am Dismissal
02/07
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
02/09
Cougar Carnival
Details Below
02/14
Ash Wednesday
02/19
Home & School Meeting
6:00pm
02/21
Dine Out Night
Noodles
02/26
No School
Teacher In-Service
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January & February Lunch Menus | |
Our Next Pizza Lunch is Coming Up on Friday, January 26th!
Order forms went home last week and are due back to school by Wednesday, January 17th 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 January 17thwith cash or check for payment. Exact amounts only, no change will be given. One form per child but families can use one envelope.
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January 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 January:
01/11
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 01/10 (receipt required)
01/25
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 01/24 (receipt required)
01/26
Last Friday of the Month
Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass
01/29 - Catholic Schools Week
See Special Dress Day Schedule Below!
01/30 - Catholic Schools Week
See Special Dress Day Schedule Below!
01/31 - Catholic Schools Week
See Special Dress Day Schedule Below!
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Catholic Schools Week is Coming! | |
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We are excited for another great Catholic Schools Week celebration coming up at the end of January & beginning of February!
This year's national theme is United in Faith & Community, and what better way to showcase our tightknit St. Alphonsus School! We wanted to give you a heads up on the special dress down days & themes that the students will have during that week.
Monday, January 29: Care for All God's Creatures
Dress like your favorite animal! Add a headband, a fun t-shirt, or just wear the colors of your favorite animal. We will have a fun animal-themed activity that day!
Tuesday, January 30: United in Community
Dress in your unity shirts and jeans!
Wednesday, January 31: United in Faith
Dress your best by dressing UP for our all-school mass!
Thursday, February 1: United in Community
Dress Like the Decades (each grade will be assigned a decade; we will have these for you next week along with some suggestions!)
Friday, February 2: United in Community
Dress in Class Colors & Comfy Bottoms (each grade will be assigned a color; we will have these for you next week!)
There will be lots of special activities to match the dress & themes for each day. We can't wait to share more!
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Get ready for an evening of family fun at the annual
Cougar Carnival!
Friday, February 9th
5:30-8:00pm
Ticket and Food Pre-Orders:
Ticket and food pre order forms will go home this week. You can also find the form here. Please return these by January 19th.
Donations:
Please continue to send in your prize room donations to help make the event a success! Here is a quick reminder of those by grade level. Thank you for your help with this!
8th Grade: Baked goods for the Bake Walk. Details will be emailed to families soon. Baked goods can be dropped off Thursday, February 8th at drop off.
7th Grade: 4 cans of Pringles each and a 6 pack of 16oz soda bottles (regular or diet) by Friday, February 2nd.
3K-6th Grade: $15 monetary donation so the committee can purchase specific prizes at the levels most in need. Due by THIS Friday, January 12th.
Blue and Gold Raffle Items Needed:
If you or anyone you know would like to donate items for the Blue and Gold Raffle please contact Dawn Eisold. Once again we are looking for items such as tickets to sporting events, larger raffle items, larger gift cards, experiences around the area, etc. Thank you for your generosity!
Volunteers Needed:
In order to make an event like this run smoothly we need help from all families! Please consider helping set up, or help during or after the carnival to ensure the evening runs smoothly. Thank you for your support! Sign up here!
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Spring Extracurricular Opportunities | |
It's time to think about signing up for Chess Club, Coding Club, and STEAM Club once again! Please see detailed information on the flyers below. Please note that clubs can only be run if the minimum number of students required sign up. To sign-up, visit this website. | |
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Basketball season is back underway after the Christmas break!
Below is the schedule for each St Alphonsus team for the upcoming weekend:
- 5th Grade Boys: 12:00 pm January 14 at St Thomas Aquinas Academy
- 5th Grade Girls: 10:00 am January 13 at home at St Alphonsus
- 6th Grade Boys: 9:00 am January 13 at home at St Alphonsus
- 6th Grade Girls: 9:00 am January 13 at St Leonard
- 7th Grade Boys: 12:00 pm January 14 at St Charles Borromeo
- 7th Grade Girls: 11:00 am January 13 at Holy Apostle
- 8th Grade Boys: 11:00 am January 13 at home at St Alphonsus
If you are looking for volunteer opportunities, we do have concession and admission spots open! High school kids looking for volunteer hours are welcome, we just ask that one adult is with them as well. Please use this link to sign up for an open spot.
We also have multiple positions on the Athletic Board open. Please reach out to Nick Warrichaiet, Athletic Director, if you are interested in any of the below spots:
- Treasurer
- Volleyball Coordinator
- Communications Coordinator
- Concessions/Volunteer Coordinator
As always, thank you for your support and gooooo Cougars!
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This week's SCRIP updates:
Welcome to 2024!
Time to make that New Year's resolution and join the SCRIP bandwagon! One family earned over $400 in tuition rebates this past year shopping at Woodman's and Pick n' Save and filling up the gas tanks at Kwik-Trip! It's easy to reload physical cards or use e-cards in the RaiseRight app on your phone!
There are 27 school families that purchased SCRIP at least once this year. Only 6 of those families earned over $100 in tuition rebates. Become a regular SCRIP purchaser and you will see those rebate numbers grow! Two families have grandparents purchasing SCRIP. Perhaps your parents would help too!
Our SCRIP coordinator, Vickie, is available to show you how you can build that account up!
There are parishioners who use SCRIP regularly to help the school. Join them in their generous support!
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.
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Dine Out Night - Cousins Subs
This week Wednesday, January 10th is Dine Out Night at Cousins Subs and we hope to see you there! Dine in or carry out from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. 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 the following day.
Come support our school and let Cousins do the cooking!
Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around.
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Join St. Alphonsus and the Home & School Association at the Milwaukee Wave Game!
St. Alphonsus Catholic School is the featured organization at the Milwaukee Wave game on March 22 at 6:35pm. We hope you can attend, watch a great game and support St Alphonsus Catholic School!
Please use this link to buy your tickets and we’ll see you at the game! St. Alphonsus School will get a percentage of the money from each ticket sold at this link, so feel free to spread the word & share this with your family and friends.
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Local School & Alumni News | |
Please note that any outside activities are not sponsored or endorsed by St. Alphonsus Parish or School | |
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Pius XI Winter Youth Dance Clinic - Friday, January 19th
Join Pius XI's award-winning Varsity Poms team for a winter youth dance clinic on Friday, January 19th from 4:30 - 8:00pm at the Pius XI Field House! Participants will learn a short dance routine and have the opportunity to perform it that same night at the Varsity basketball game. Open to all K4 - 8th graders. Event fee of $35 includes pizza dinner, t-shirt, poms, and hair bow. Register by January 10th by visiting this website or clicking on the flyer below. Direct questions to Coach Karyn Schlacter at piusxipoms@gmail.com.
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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!
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Pastoral staff & Council Message on Non-Partisan Volunteering
Dear Volunteers and Ministers,
We hope that you have all had a wonderful Christmas Season and that 2024 is off to a great start for you and your family! Thank you for all that you do for our parish and its ministries. We hope to see you at the volunteer appreciation dinner on January 14th. Given that this New Year is a presidential election year, we wanted to send an important reminder as political passions increase.
Like all Catholic parishes St. Alphonsus is ”non-partisan” and cannot directly endorse or support any candidate. Whenever you are volunteering in a ministry of the parish you are representing the parish community as a whole. With that in mind, we kindly request that while you are working in your volunteer or ministerial position that you do not wear any apparel or accessories supporting any party or individual candidate. While this may be your opinion of the best person that represents our Catholic values, if worn during your service to St. Alphonsus Parish it could be viewed as St. Alphonsus supporting a candidate. This could put St. Alphonsus at risk for legal action from the IRS as a violation of our Tax-Exempt status.
We continue to thank you for your support of St. Alphonsus Parish with the time you
spend in your ministries.
Sincerely,
The St. Alphonsus Pastoral Council and Parish Staff
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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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