Learning, Loving, and Leading through Christ

March 11, 2024

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Leadership Team Updates

Dear St. Alphonsus Families,


We want to start off our letter this week with a big congratulations to the 8th Grade Boys Basketball Team, who won their first game in the Padre Serra Tournament against St. Mary's Visitation Elm Grove, 38-30. We sent the boys off in style last Friday with a short pep rally, and we are so excited they won! You can find more details about their next game below in the Cougar Sports Corner. Congratulations, guys, we are so proud of you!


A reminder that with spring comes the opportunity for Spring Conferences. These will be held next week, on Thursday, March 21 from 4-6pm. Please note that spring conferences are OPTIONAL. Should your child's teacher wish to speak with you specifically, they will reach out to request you sign-up. If a conference is not requested and you would like to see your student's teachers, you may sign up on a first-come, first-served basis. If your teacher's slots are full you may need to make an appointment at an alternative time that works for both parties. Again, spring conferences are OPTIONAL which is why they have a shorter time frame. You can sign up for a spring conference here.


In addition, our trimester ended on March 8th! Parent access to report cards and grading in PowerSchool has been turned off at this time, as teachers fine tune and finalize grading. Parent access to report cards & grades will be re-opened at the close of business this Friday, March 15.


Don't forget our Easter Basket Goodie Bag Drive for kids in need around the Milwaukee area. You can find out more details on what can be donated below!


Home & School wanted us to give you a few reminders as well:


  • First, the Uniform Closet will be open on Friday, March 15 from 7:45am to 8:30am. If you need to refresh your students' uniform for the remainder of the year or have some items to drop off, you can come check it out this Friday! All items are $1 a piece and this is a great way to stock up on vintage spiritwear as well.


  • Second, don't forget to get your tickets to join us for the Milwaukee Wave Game next Friday, March 22! All the details are below in the Home & School Happenings section.


Students have also been asking when Mrs. Schermetzler is going to sleep on the roof for the Fun Run reward. Please reassure them this is still happening! It needs to thaw out and dry off on the roof and then we will schedule the date. In the meantime, the playground quotes are almost finished and we are looking forward to getting the new playground installed!


Finally, we will celebrate St. Patrick's Day at school this week, Friday, February 15 with a special dress down day. Students can wear green, white, and St. Patrick's Day clothes to celebrate with appropriate out of uniform bottoms (jeans or joggers, etc). If students are NOT dressing to the theme day, they should still wear their regular uniform.


Have a fantastic week!

Best regards,

Ms. Parey, Principal

Mrs. Schermetzler & Mrs. Bruhn, Leadership Team

The scholarship application can be downloaded here, and the applications are due to our school office by April 5, 2024.

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Important Tax Information for Parents


Tuition paid reports for the current school year (August-December 2023) have been printed and can be picked up in the school office. Also available are current tuition balances by student. 


Reports for the prior school year (January-June 2023) can be found in TADS by following the instructions below:



HOW TO ACCESS YOUR HOUSEHOLD PAID TUITION TAX REPORT in TADS (for January to June 2023).

1. Go to TADS.com

2. Login to your TADS account

3. Click on” Billing” and then look below the blue box for the “Household Paid Tuition Tax Report.”

4. Click on Household Paid Tuition Tax Report

5. Enter the year for which you need the information and a statement will appear that details the fees you paid in that year. These include: Tuition Deposit, Tuition, and field trips.

More Student Lector Dates Available!


Do your students in grades 2-8 love to read at mass? Consider signing them up to lector at Sunday Mass. Our spring dates are now available here. We will also need gift bearers.


Students practice with Mrs. Schermetzler on the Friday before weekend masses.

March Dates to Remember

03/01 - 03/15

Iowa Testing

Grades 3, 5, & 7


03/15

Report Cards Released to Parents

Online thru PowerSchool


03/21

Optional Spring Conferences

4-6pm

Sign-up Linked Above


03/26

Living Stations of the Cross

6:00pm


03/27

Living Stations of the Cross

2:00pm


03/28 & 03/29

No School; Spring Break

Happy Easter!

Save the Date for Living Stations of the Cross


Students pose each of the 14 Stations while others lead the congregation in prayer for a visual depiction of this beloved Lenten devotion. 


This year’s Living Stations will take place on Tuesday, March 26th, at 6:00 PM. in the church.  There will also be a performance on Wednesday, March 27th at 2:00 PM, again in the church. We hope you can join us.

Save the Date for the 4th & 5th Grade Spring Concert!


This year our 4th & 5th Grade spring concert will be held on Thursday, May 2nd at 2:00 pm in church.  Please save the date and we will have more details as the event approaches!

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Our Next Pizza Lunch is Wednesday, March 27


Order forms went home last week and are due back to school by THIS Wednesday, February 14th 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 February 14th with cash or check for payment. Exact amounts only, no change will be given. One form per child but families can use one envelope.


We also need volunteers to help serve the pizza lunch to students. This is an easy one hour commitment! You can sign up here.

March & April Lunch Menus

March 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 March:


03/15

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Students may wear green or white or St. Patrick's Day clothing with out-of-uniform approved bottoms


03/21

Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 03/20 (receipt required)


03/22

Last Friday of the Month

Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass

Spring Extracurricular Opportunities!

Girls on the Run is back for Girls in grades 3, 4, & 5. See more details below and click on the link to sign-up. For questions, please contact Head Coach Mrs. Domzil.

Cougar Sports Corner

Congratulations to our 8th grade boys who won their first-round game at the Padre Serra!


They now face Lumen Christi on Saturday March 16th at 12:45 at Dominican High School. Come out and show your support for the team!


Track Season sign-ups are still open but will be closing soon. Do not miss your chance to sign up for track! Click here to sign up.


We still have the following athletic board positions open:

Treasurer

Communications Coordinator 


If you are interested in helping out with building the future of athletics at St. Alphonsus, please reach out to Nick Warrichaiet.

Home & School Happenings

Home & School is Recruiting!


Home & School is recruiting some new chairs for the 2024-2025 School Year. The Home & School team makes sure our students and families have a fun-filled year with activities like dances & Trunk or Treat. Home & School also provides funding to each classroom & teachers for special extras including field trips. 


We are looking for some new event chairs for the 2024-2025 school year. All events have a current chair who could assist with training before the end of the year. Most things occur only one time during the school year & do not need year-long support. Please consider joining us! Thank you to everyone who has stepped up so far--we are only looking for a few more people to help!


The following teams are still looking for assistance for next year:

  • Dine Out: Needs 1, to work with one new chair already trained
  • Box Tops: Needs 1
  • Fun Fair: Needs 1 more to help


Please email Home & School Secretary Holly Lewandowski if you are interested in getting involved. 

Get your dancing shoes on!


Save the date for two upcoming dances here at St. Alphonsus:


*NEW*

Mom Prom

For sons and moms (or mother-like figures)

Friday, April 19th


St. Alphonsus Annual Father-Daughter Dance

For daughters and fathers (or father-like figures)

Friday, April 26th


More details coming soon!

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. MANY school families will be sitting in the 200s sections, so consider purchasing your tickets in those seats!

Use our referral code BTNX89MQ when you sign up and you’ll get 25 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 05/31/2024, while supplies last! Download the Box Tops for Education app here. 


Any questions, please contact our Box Tops Coordinator Carrie Jurgens.

SCRIP Makes $ense!

Updates from our SCRIP Program:


SCRIP is off to a good start. Six weeks in and parishioners and school families have have raised over $1250 so far!


...and yet, this could be so much more!

Do you spend $500 a month on groceries?

Do you spend $400 a month on gas?

Do you go to Dine Out Nights?

If every school family bought the same amount in SCRIP, that’s a $40 rebate per month just for those purchases! Imagine if every school family took advantage of this.


Of course, there are many other ways to increase that amount by using the frequent bonuses! (Kwik-Trip is offering a 9% bonus thru February 23.)


If you haven’t questions, contact Vickie Major! She is happy to help you become a regular SCRIP buyer.


Lastly, the SCRIP program could use some help on Sundays for a few hours. Please consider sitting at the SCRIP table from 8:30-11:00. It's not hard and you get a chance to say hi to all your friends at church! Sign up here!

Local School & Alumni News

 Please note that any outside activities are not sponsored or endorsed by St. Alphonsus Parish or School

Come see St. Thomas More High School's production of Mamma Mia!


This show features St. Al's alumni Stuart T. (class of '22) & Hailey N. (class of '23) in the cast and Sarah P. (class of '22), Abby A. (class of '23), & Amirah O. (class of '23) on stage crew.


Performance dates are 3/8, 3/9, 3/15 & 3/16 at 7pm and 3/10 & 3/17 at 2pm.



Please come support our St. Al's alumni!  Get your tickets here!

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!

Christian Formation Updates & Opportunities

Easter Basket Drive!


As in years' past, St. Al's Christian Formation and School families will work together to provide Easter treats for local kids who might not always be able to receive such a luxury. This year, we are hoping to gift 800 bags of Easter goodies to kids in Kindergarten through 8th Grade to help remind them of our greatest Easter message:


Jesus loves you, He died for you, and His love is so powerful that even death could not separate Him from you!


We have an Amazon wish list of items needed for the bags here. You can bring the treats to school, or bring them to church and place them in the brightly wrapped box in the gathering space. Families can also send money and we can purchase the items needed.


We need all items by March 20th at the latest!


Please let KarenEmily or Christine know if you have any questions.

Want to ignite the faith of your family this summer? Want them to encounter Jesus, the Blessed Mother and have fun as well?


Then sign your family up for Totus Tuus! Totus Tuus has two distinct parts - one for younger kids and one for middle and high schoolers. The younger kids come during the day and have a group of Totus Tuus Missionaries lead them in an action packed vacation Bible camp! The missionaries are young adults who are on fire with their faith!


Then for the older kids, the missionaries (same ones mentioned above) engage them at night to grow in their faith as well - the older kids will do things more appropriate to middle and high schoolers.


St. Al's will be co-hosting this with St. Martin of Tours and it will be held at St. Martin of Tours parish.


This will be from July 8th through July 12th from K5-5th grade from 9 a.m. -3 p.m. And it will be from July 7th through July 11th from 7pm-9pm for 6th through 12th grades. 


Want to learn more about Totus Tuus? Check out the national website! To sign up, click here.

In Matthew 25, Jesus is very clear that we are called, no, commanded to love those in need and to serve them. Somehow, by doing so, we are able to serve Jesus. He is in disguise.


And if I could bring everyone to one place to show them what it looks like to serve as if you are serving Jesus Himself, I would bring you all to the Kinship Community Food Center! It is a food pantry unlike any other one I have ever seen. They operate more like a grocery store than a food pantry. People go to different stations to choose the food they want. It affords a real dignity to everyone.


And, it's a place where generosity reigns.


Come and check it out! Please consider joining us on April 13, 2024. It's an amazing opportunity to serve Jesus disguised in the poor. To sign up or to learn more about serving, check out the sign up genius.


--Karen Farrell, Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry

Parish News

Save the Date for the Annual Parish Auction!


On May 10, 2024, we will Roll Out the Red Carpet for the 23rd annual St. Alphonsus Parish benefit auction, and we invite you to join us!


The auction is the only parish fundraiser that benefits all of St. Alphonsus’ ministries, including our school, Christian formation programs, adult education, community outreach (food pantry, community meal programs, giving tree, etc.), support groups and more.


It is sure to be a great evening, so mark your calendars now! Raffle tickets are now available, so stop by the auction table in the gathering space after mass to grab an envelope. The Cash Raffle prizes range from $250.00 to $2,500.00 and you need not be present to win. We also have order forms for the $10,000 Winner's Circle Tickets available--only 400 tickets will be sold. 


We are also looking for donations. Stop by the gathering space in church to take a star from our Walk of Fame! Similar to a Giving Tree, the stars have easy, specific donation items the auction committee is in charge of. Items can be returned to the gathering space or to the parish office. Thank you in advance for your support of this year's auction! 

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.