Learning, Loving, and Leading through Christ | | Follow Us on Social Media! | | | |
Dear St. Alphonsus Families,
Thank you so much for your fantastic support of our Fun Run! Friday was a wonderful morning, and the students had a great time running their laps. We are amazed every single day by the support in our school community! To be able to raise over $25,000 in just a week is truly amazing, and I thank everyone who supported and helped us work towards this goal. Our staff is SO excited for the inflatable race! This money will go towards our STEM lab, as we continue to pursue an increased focus on STEM throughout the school. We have already started the planning process and we will keep you all posted as we progress!
You can see some pictures of the Fun Run below; and we will also have more pictures on our social media channels this week! Thank you again to everyone who donated, you are truly making a difference for our school.
A few other short reminders this week:
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STAR Testing Reports are going home Thursday. If you have any questions about your child's results, please reach out to their homeroom teacher directly.
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This week our 8th Grade Class kicks off their Hunger Games themed food drive! Find more details below but we are so proud of these 8th graders for helping our school fight hunger in our community. This week is pasta week, so send in those noodles, sauces, veggies, and more (please no glass jars).
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Student Council Elections are happening this week! It has been amazing to see our 8th grade candidates step up to speak for their fellow students in our school. Students in grades 5K through 8th grade will get to vote on their choice for both Student Council President and Student Council Vice President.
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Please continue to return those RSVPs for Grandparents Day! Grandparents and Grandfriends are invited to join us on Wednesday, October 7. You can find the RSVP information and more details below.
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A quick dress code reminder: we wear our blue unity t-shirts on MONDAYS (all grades) (these are the shirts that say "Small School, Big Faith.") We wear our embroidered Mass polos on Wednesdays (grades 5K-8). Grades 5-8 also wear uniforms to gym; all other grades wear their regular clothes. If you are missing required items from the school store that you have already ordered, please get in touch with Mrs. Schermetzler for further assistance if you have already contacted the store and not received a response. Unless your orders are backordered, gym penalties will start October 15 for students who are out of uniform.
This newsletter is our number one communication tool to you as parents. We ask that you please read it thoroughly each week. Our school website is also a great resource for you and has lots of information available under the PARENTS tab at the top of the page. You can also always find an archive of our school newsletters on our website here.
Have a wonderful week!
Best regards,
Mrs. Sagat
Principal
| | Thank You For An Amazing Fun Run! | | |
The St. Al's Fun Run was a Huge Success!
Thank you for your AMAZING support of the Fun Run!
The rain held off and the students had a BLAST on Friday running laps. We loved seeing so many families cheering them on; thank you for coming out to support our students.
As of this morning we have raised $26,561. This is AMAZING!
Pledging will remain open until Thursday, October 1st. This will give some classrooms a few extra days to reach the next goal on their chart. If you or someone you know wanted to make a donation, but just never got around to it, there’s still time!
Weekend challenge prizes and drawstring bag prizes will come home the following week.
We appreciate the St. Alphonsus community for making this Fun Run so successful and we can’t wait to update our STEM lab!
Stay tuned for details on when the inflatable costume race will take place!
Lastly, a HUGE thank you again to our T-shirt sponsors:
Platinum:
Oak Creek Wood Products
Cousins Subs
Gold:
Leon’s Frozen Custard
Educators Credit Union
Bronze:
Biltrite Furniture
| | Other Important Reminders | |
Last Chance to Order School Pictures!
Proofs were sent home two weeks ago via backpack mail. Pictures are now available at this link.
Your password is your Student's ID Number which was listed on your proof along with a personalized link. If you cannot find your student ID number to access, please contact Mrs. Schermetzler for assistance.
Ordering is available until tomorrow, September 29. Orders placed after September 29 will be shipped to the school with the Absentee and Retake packages. We expect to have those packages to send home soon, so if you are waiting for your students' retake images, thank you for your patience!
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Middle School Assignment Tracker
This year we have a Middle School Assignment Tracker, to help keep parents better informed on daily assignments in grades 5-8.
The tracker has recently been updated! NO MORE SCROLLING! There are now tabs on the side of the document for each day. You can click the date and it will take you right to that day to see the assignments.
The assignment tracker can be found by clicking the link below. It is also posted on the school website under the Parents tab. This link will take you right to the assignment page.
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Reporting Absences & Appointments
Student absences & appointments can be reported in two ways:
- Call the office directly at 414-421-1760. Listen for the prompts and leave a message.
- Email our Attendance Secretary. The email address is attendance@st-alphonsus.org.
Emailing a student's homeroom teacher is NOT sufficient notice of absence or tardiness. All absences, early dismissals, or tardies need to be reported to the office.
Please note that per our handbook, any child who has a fever or has been vomiting or experiencing diarrhea should not return to school until 24 hours after that particular symptom is gone in order to avoid a relapse or spreading illness to others.
When reporting a student tardy for purposes of a morning appointment, please indicate in your email or phone message if your child will be having HOT lunch for that day. Thank you!
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Cougar Club Calendars for the entire school year are now available online!
Calendars are always due mid-month for the following month. You can find calendars on our website on the Cougar Club page here. Please also refer to the 2026-2027 Cougar Club packet here so that you understand our late calendar fees. Scheduling staff is difficult when calendars are not submitted in a timely fashion, so please be sure you get those submitted on time in order to avoid late fees. Thank you!
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The Student Lector Program Returns!
We are happy to announce that our Student Lector program is returning again this year! Do your students in grades 3-8 love to read at Mass? Consider signing them up to lector on select Sundays!
Our fall dates are now available here. We will also need gift bearers!
Students practice with Mrs. Schermetzler on the Thursday before weekend Masses.
| | | | Important Dates to Remember | | |
09/30
School Mass
Led by 6th Grade
10/02
No School
Teacher In-Service
10/05
No School
Teacher In-Service
10/07
Grandparents Day
Details Below!
10/07
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
10/14
School Mass
Led by 3rd Grade
10/21
School Mass
Led by 5th Grade
10/21
Dine Out Night
Qdoba
10/23
Trunk or Treat
Details Below!
10/25
Student Lectors & Gift Bearers
9:00am Sunday Mass
Sign Up Below!
10/28
School Mass
Led by 6th Grade
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11/04
School Mass
Led by 1st Grade
11/04
Dine Out Night
Cousins Subs
11/06
Stuffy Sleepover
Details Coming Soon!
11/11
Veterans Day Mass
Led by 4th Grade
11/15
Student Lectors & Gift Bearers
9:00am Sunday Mass
Sign Up Below!
11/18
Dine Out Night
Panda Express
11/19
Parent/Teacher Conferences
4-6pm
11/20
No School
Parent/Teacher Conferences
8am-1pm
11/23 - 11/28
No School
Gobble Gobble!
Happy Thanksgiving
11/30
Advent Wreath Blessing
Details Coming Soon!
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Join us for Grandparents Day on Wednesday, October 7th!
Grandparents Day is coming up on Wednesday, October 7th and we would love to have you join us! Both grandparents and grandfriends are welcome!
Please see more itinerary details below, and here is a downloadable copy of the RSVP form, which was also sent home with students last week.
Please remember that we do need to have grandparents/grandfriends' names ahead of time for our security and check-in procedures, so NO late RSVPs or walk-ins will be accepted. All RSVPs are due by Tuesday, October 6.
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Grandparents Day Itinerary - New This Year!
We are ending with Mass instead of starting with the Mass this year, so you will have plenty of time to visit classrooms and do activities with your grandchildren. We do have an elevator for those with mobility issues, and wheelchairs are also available if necessary.
8:00am: Grandparents, grandfriends, & VIPs arrive. Please enter at the church doors to check in and be escorted to classrooms. If you arrive early, please, wait for our carline to be finished at 7:45am before you enter.
8:00-9:00ish-am: Classroom activities & more! Take a scavenger hunt tour of the school, stop at our photobooth, and check out our Grandparents Day bulletin board display!
9:15am: Proceed back down to church for All School Mass. Children will sit with their grandparents for Mass.
9:30am-10:30am : Mass & Grandparents Blessing
10:30am: Students will return to their classrooms with their teacher. Grandparents depart!
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Out of Uniform Dates - October
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 October:
10/1
July Dine Out Night Reward
(July Dine Out Receipts Only)
10/08
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 10/07 (receipt required)
10/13
Last Friday of the Month SEPTEMBER MAKEUP DATE
Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass--send in September's 9/25 Pass
10/15
August Dine Out Night Reward
(August Dine Out Receipts Only)
10/22
Out of Uniform with Dine Out Night purchase on 10/21 (receipt required)
10/23
Last Friday of the Month
Out of Uniform with Purchased Pass (see below to purchase yours)
10/30
Halloween Dress Down Day!
Help us celebrate Halloween and wear your black & orange, Halloween t-shirts, and other Halloween clothes & headbands. Sorry, no costumes this year--headbands ok but no hats or masks. Save your costumes for Trunk or Treat on 10/23!
Out of Uniform Passes Still Available!
You can still purchase Out-of-Uniform Passes from Home & School if you missed them at Meet & Greet Night. They are $20 each and good for an out-of-uniform day on the last Friday of each month for grades 5K-8th. Please send your money (cash or check; no change given) to the school office in an envelope labeled Out of Uniform pass and be sure to include your child's name. Checks can be made out to St. Alphonsus School. Passes will be sent home in backpack mail.
| | | | Lunch Menus - September & October | |
Lunch Program Reminder
The lunch program at St. Alphonsus is a pre-paid program, which means you need to add lunch money to your student's account, and balances are deducted every time your student takes hot lunch.
Lunch payments can be made online through PowerSchool. Follow these RevTrak Setup instructions to get your account set up. Please note that you can always pay for your lunch fees via cash or check by stopping in to the school office.
The hot lunch program will notify you when your student's account balance becomes low so you can replenish their funds.
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Our Next Pizza Lunch Fundraiser of the Year is Friday, October 9!
Order forms were sent home last week, and you can also download a copy below!
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 Friday, October 2.
A copy of the order form is attached here. Return forms by Friday, October 2 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 and you can sign up for all the dates you are available at one time. The sign-up genius can be found here. All volunteers must be safeguarded.
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3rd Grade Music Compositions are Really Fun!
Our 3rd Graders are working on music composition in their music classes with Mrs. Greco.
Last week, they worked on composing with the notes so, la, and mi on the music staff. They combined all their boards to make one very long composition!
| | Fall Extracurricular Opportunities! | |
Battle of the Books is Back!
This is a lively academic competition that improves reading comprehension, builds vocabulary, introduces students to new books & authors, and teaches teamwork, commitment, & sportsmanship. The program culminates in a tournament on Tuesday, April 20 at Eastbrook Academy in Milwaukee, where we will compete against other area schools!
How It Works
Teams of three students each from Grades 4, 5, and 6 read 45 pre-assigned books (15 books each) from October to March. Titles are from varying genres with a wide range of reading levels and subjects. Teams will gather after school once or twice a month for practice battles and to determine St. Alphonsus School’s Tournament Champs (one team per grade level). The Tournament Champs will go to the program-wide tournament in April.
Practice Schedule
The practice schedule/time commitment is progressive. We will meet once per month until January, when we will start meeting twice per month to have practice battles.
Meetings will be held after school in the library from 3:00-3:30 on the following dates:
- October 19
- November 16
- December 14
Meetings will be held after school in the library from 3:00-4:00 on the following dates:
- January 18
- February 8
- February 22
- March 8
- March 22
- April 12 - finalists only
Tournament
The 2026-2027 Battle of the Books tournament will be held on April 20, 2027 at Eastbrook Academy in Milwaukee. More details will be provided as the date gets closer!
The permission slip and more info can be found here and students will also bring home a paper copy this week! Permission slips are due back by Tuesday, October 6.
Happy reading!
Mrs. Bruhn & Mrs. Schermetzler
The 2026-2027 Battle of the Books Reading List can be found here!
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Rosary Club is Back!
Students in grades 1 through 8 are invited to join Father Kevin Tanel and Karen Farrell, Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry, to pray the Rosary two times each month.
Here is the permission slip. Please fill out and return to the school office by Tuesday, October 6.
For any questions, please contact Karen Farrell.
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Join the St. Alphonsus Childrens' Choir!
Practices resume on Wednesday, September 30th at 3:30pm.
The children’s choir will sing once or twice a month at the 9:00am Mass. They will also sing at the God Bless America 250th Anniversary Concert on November 8, the Christmas Concert on December 6th, and the 4:00pm Mass on Christmas Eve.
To sign up, please click this link. Questions, please contact Francis Zelinka here.
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Did you participate in our Dine Out Nights this summer? We hope you saved your receipts!
Our Summer Dine Out Night Reward Dates will be as follows:
- June Dine Out Night Reward - Thursday, September 17 (June Dine Out Receipts Only)
- July Dine Out Night Reward - Thursday, October 1 (July Dine Out Receipts Only)
- August Dine Out Night Reward - Thursday, October 15 (August Dine Out Receipts Only)
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Please join us for our fifth annual Trunk or Treat on Friday, October 23rd from 6:00pm- 7:00pm!
Kids are invited to wear their Halloween costumes as they go car-to-car trick or treating in our school parking lot! Siblings and family are welcome--this is a great event for the whole family!
We are SO excited to be hosting this event again and would love to have your support in hosting a Trunk! What does it take to host a Trunk?
***All adults handing out candy must be safeguarded.***
- Arrive 45 minutes before the event begins to set up
- Decorate your trunk with child appropriate decorations
- Supply and hand out candy to kids that trick or treat from your trunk
- Be able to stay the entire event 6:00pm- 7:00pm
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Remember this is a family friendly event, no alcohol please
It's going to be a great night! Please use this link to sign up a trunk.
Trunks must be signed up by October 16th. Please list all adults who will be handing out treats at your vehicle so we can check their safeguarding status.
For questions, please contact Dawn Eisold or Tricia Williams, our Trunk or Treat chairs!
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Join the Cougar Carnival Committee!
The Cougar Carnival committee is in the early phases of preparation for our annual event which this year takes place on March 12, 2027. This is a big event and we need all hands on deck to make it happen! The committee would love any help you can offer.
Please contact Cougar Carnival Co-Chair Erica Scherbarth via email if interested!
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Cross Country Season is Off to a Fantastic Start!
Last week the team competed in two different races, Fox River Invite in Waterford and the Mustang Invite in Mukwongo. Between the two races they had a lot of personal bests! Our team is improving and taking a lot of time off their races. Both 7th grade teams which are compiled mostly of 5th graders have beat a couple of teams already. Luka competing in the 8th grade race has medaled at both races--taking 10th place at Fox River and 4th place at the Mustang Invite!
Congratulations to all of our cross country runners!
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Basketball Registration Closing Soon!
Please note that we cannot accept registrations after the deadline. Once registration closes, we must submit our rosters to the league, and no additional players can be added after that point.
Don't miss the opportunity for your child to participate in basketball this season! Register today!
Basketball is about so much more than wins and losses. It's about building friendships, growing confidence, developing teamwork and leadership skills, staying active, learning resilience, and creating memories that last a lifetime. Whether your child is picking up a basketball for the first time or returning for another season, our program offers a fun, supportive environment where every player can learn, improve, and be part of a team environment.
Don't miss out on the fun! Register today using this link.
For questions, please reach out to St. Alphonsus Athletic Director, Nick Warrichaiet. Athletics Health Forms can be found on the school website here.
| | Parish & Local Community News | | Please note that any outside activities are not sponsored or endorsed by St. Alphonsus Parish or School. | | |
Mission Trip Opportunities
St. Alphonsus has two separate mission trip opportunities available this year:
Middle School: Grades 6-8
Join us for Love Begins Here (LBH) - July 12-15, 2027 in Burlington, WI!
Love Begins Here (LBH) helps middle school preteens and 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.
We have limited space - so if you are interested please contact Karen Farrell.
If you would like more information, please come to an information night on October 7, 2026 at 6:30 in the Community Room.
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8th Graders Only
Attention High Schoolers (current 8th-12th graders)! Want to ignite the fire of Christ in your heart? Then Alive In You is just what you are looking for!
June 22-27, 2027 - Duluth, MN!
At Alive In You (AIY), teens experience the love of Christ through the Sacraments, Service, Speakers, Prayer and high energy activities.
While attending AIY, teens will work in the local community of Duluth, MN in a number of ways. Teens could be painting a house, help to maintain a mountain bike trail, and anything in between. These experiences help our faith come alive.
We also go to Mass, receive the Sacraments and have dynamic talks to help us grow closer to God. This week in Minnesota, we will be able to have nationally known speaker, Fr. Mike Schmitz join us as well.
Space is limited. If you are interested, please contact Karen Farrell.
If you would like more information, please come to an informational meeting on September 30th at 6:30 in the Community Room.
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Join the St. Alphonsus Women's Group!
The first meeting will be in the Parish Ministry Center on Saturday, October 3 from 9:30-11:00am.
The dates for the rest of the year are as follows:
November 14
December 5
January 9
February 6
March 6
April 3
May 2
Consider contributing some refreshments each month! This is not a requirement to attend the group, it is just there as a tool to organize refreshments each month. Use this Refreshment Sign Up to let us know if you'd like to bring something.
For questions, please contact Maggie Ensing.
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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.
What is a clinical trial done in October called?
A trick or treatment.
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