Please consider joining us on Friday, December 1 at 2:00pm in Church for an Advent Wreath Blessing. Bring your advent wreaths from home to have them blessed during our short prayer service. We hope to see you there!

It's time for the next rounds of Pack the Church & Student Lectors at our Sunday Masses!

Our popular student lector program is back at Sunday masses this winter, on these dates:

Sunday, December 3 at 11:00am Mass

Sunday, January 28 at 9:00am Mass

Sunday, February 25 at 11:00am 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 continue to 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!

Sign up for our award-winning Forensics program is now open!

Today, the middle schoolers heard a presentation from Mrs. Gutche about Forensics, a competitive public speaking club open to 6-8th graders. The 2023-2024 season is right around the corner and she'd love to have your child join the team! Joining Forensics will help students try something new, get out of their comfort zones, look great on high school and college applications, and build confidence for public speaking in high school and beyond! Also, there is something for everyone! Students can perform humorous pieces, serious pieces, historical pieces, act pieces out with friends, and more! 

Practices will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:45-3:45 in Mrs. Gutche's room (room 306). Meets will be on Fridays and/or Saturdays from late January through March. All students were given an information sheet and permission slip today. Please direct any questions to Mrs. Gutche. Thank you!

Looking to get a few early Christmas gifts? We have a new St. Alphonsus Spiritwear Sale going on!

You can shop the sale here and all orders will be shipped directly to the address you provide on or before 12/22/23.

A portion of the revenue from these orders will be donated to St. Alphonsus.

The sale will close Sunday, November 26 so this is your last chance to order!

Our 8th Grade Students have been hard at work in the Science Lab collecting data for NASA! Students spent 28 days growing kohlrabi, lettuce, and a flower in two separate pots each (6 total plants). The plants were grown in a small glass box that astronauts could use on the International Space Station. Students carefully measured and recorded each time they watered the plants. They are also measured and recorded the plant growth (height, width, depth). We recently harvested the plants, which included a final measurement, leaf count, and weight. All of this data will be used by NASA in order to help astronauts grow fresh produce while in space!

This week's SCRIP updates:

A urgent note from the SCRIP lady!

If you have experienced a problem trying to reload your Pick n’ Save cards in the past 10 days, you are not alone. RaiseRight doesn’t have control over this situation. But you can purchase e-cards and you can also contact SCRIP Coordinator Vickie Major if you want to purchase physical Pick n' Save cards. Thanks!

The holidays are coming! Some of you may wonder “What can I get my child’s teacher or a staff member for Christmas?”  Why not gift them some SCRIP Bucks?

SCRIP Bucks are gift certificates that you give to your favorite person in whatever denomination you like. ($5/$10/$25). Your gift can be redeemed for anything SCRIP sells. In the past, teachers have saved up their SCRIP Bucks and have purchased big ticket items. 

This is what I call the TRIPLE WIN!

1.   Your teacher wins (because it's a gift!)

2.   You win because you will receive the credit for whatever your giftee purchases.

3.   The school wins as part of the rebate helps the bottom line.

Don't forget the other TRIPLE WIN! Purchasing SCRIP for St. Al's Dine Out Nights help you, Home & School, and the school itself! Order those Cousins gift cards today to get them in time for November 8.

Hop on the SCRIP bandwagon! Start saving towards your tuition!

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 email our SCRIP coordinator, Vickie Major, here.

Poinsettia Sale Orders are Due Tomorrow!

Don't forget that it's OK if you didn't sell any...you can still order them directly via this order form.

All order forms are due tomorrow, so please turn them in!

• Pick up your plants on December 1st in the MPR (cafeteria) between 2:45 and 6:00pm        
• Return your payment to the school office in a sealed envelope marked Poinsettia Sale, Attention Jennifer Rekowski.

We are also in need of helpers on December 1 to help pick up, unload, organize, & distribute plants. Please note you must be Safeguard certified to volunteer. Use this link to sign up!

The St. Alphonsus Home & School thanks you for your support! Please direct questions to Jennifer Rekowski via email or phone at 414-688-5752.

It's time to think about Cookie Walk!

Cookie Walk is a beloved St. Alphonsus School tradition. School families bake & sell cookies after all masses on the weekend of December 9 & 10. You can find more details below.

We ask ALL school families to participate by committing to bake at least 4 dozen cookies or holiday treats. Forms went home last week, OR you can print out the form below, also linked here. All families who return a form will be entered to win an Out-of-Uniform pass for their child.

Don't forget to scan those Box Tops!

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.

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.

Miss Alyssa's Wishlist (3K)

Mrs. Kempken's Wishlist (4K)

Mrs. Domzil's Wishlist (5K)

She also likes gift cards for The Hair and Body Shoppe, Target, Kwik Trip and McDonald’s

Mrs. Ramion (1st) says any kind of gift card is appreciated!

Mrs. Frank (2nd) 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!

Mrs. Gutche's (4th) Wishlist

Mr. Kneifl's Wishlist (8th Grade Homeroom/Science & Social Studies)

Miss Webber's Wishlist (Music)

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

Mrs. Bruhn's Wishlist (Learning Support)

Mrs. Schermetzler's Wishlist (Library)

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!

Don't forget to check out the Greendale High School Marching Band in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade this Thursday! The parade will be shown on NBC & Peacock from 8:30am to 12:00pm in all time zones. There are several St. Alphonsus Catholic School alumni in the band! You can see an interview with Brady M, one of these alumni students, and read an article on the band on the TMJ4 website here.

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.

Gobble, gobble! I am thankful for all of you who read to the very end every week.

Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy the break!