Learning, Loving, and Leading through Christ

September 29, 2023

Faithful Bridge Team Updates

Dear St. Alphonsus Families,

Another busy week at St. Alphonsus and we again want to thank you for your support and prayers. We feel so grateful for the encouraging messages we have received, and we are excited that the Faithful Bridge Leadership Team can continue to enhance our school with Ms. Parey taking the lead as interim principal! If you missed Father Kevin's communication about this earlier today, you can find his letter here.

This week we also had our new ELA teacher, Mr. Silas, in to shadow and onboard so he can hit the ground running on Monday. He had the chance to meet students and staff, spend time in the classroom, and onboard with Mrs. Schermetzler and Mrs. Bruhn. We asked him to tell you a little bit about himself this week:

Hi, St. Alphonsus Families! My name is Steve Silas and I have worked with students from elementary through high school for many years; most recently working with special education students. I have a bachelor's degree in English from UW-Milwaukee, and I also have a Masters Degree (also from UW-M) in Creative Writing. I absolutely love reading and writing--one of my favorite books is Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson. I also have a cat named Kikki! I am excited to be at St. Alphonsus and look forward to working with your students.

In other news this week:

Our link to sign up for Conferences went out earlier this week. Conferences will take place on Wednesday, October 4 from 12-4pm and again from 5-8pm, in 15 minute increments. Please remember that Fall Conferences are mandatory, so please sign up for a spot with your student's teacher(s). When you sign up, be sure to look first for your teacher's name and THEN for a slot to sign up. Each teacher has their own section of slots. The link to sign up is here and it will close on Tuesday, October 3.

Unity shirts were delivered this week! Mrs. Schermetzler and a team of volunteers is in the process of sorting them. They will be distributed to students on Monday so that they can wear them for Mass on Wednesday!

Below you will find information about Grandparents' Day, including a form to RSVP for the event. We will also send forms home in backpack mail.

As a reminder, next Wednesday, October 4 is an early dismissal day for conferences, with school ending at 11:30am. We also do not have school on Thursday, October 5 & Friday, October 6. There will be no school newsletter next week due to the short week.

Have a great weekend!

The Faithful Bridge Leadership Team

Taimi Parey, Amy Schermetzler, and Robin Bruhn

Upcoming Dates to Remember

10/04

11:30am Dismissal

Conferences 12-4pm & 5-8pm

10/04

Pet Blessing

10:45am, Details Below!

10/05 & 10/06

No School

Staff In-Service

10/11

Fundraiser Lunch

Details Below

10/11

Dine Out Night

Cousins Subs

Details Coming Soon

10/15

Pack the Church

11:00am Mass

10/18

Grandparents Day

Details Below

10/20

Uniform Closet Open

7:45-8:30am

10/27

Trunk or Treat

Details Below

11/1

Home & School Meeting

Father Alan Room

6:00pm

RSVP for Grandparents' & VIP Day!

St. Alphonsus Catholic School Grandparents’ and VIP Day for 3K-8th grades will be Wednesday, October 18, 2023 from 7:45-10:45 am. We would love to have you join us!

Here is the itinerary for the day!

7:45 am: Grandparents arrive at church. Grandchildren will arrive with their classes and sit with their grandparents for Mass

8:05 am: Mass in church

8:45 am: Classroom activities

9:45 am: Proceed to the Community Room for all school bingo and snacks 10:00 am. All School Bingo in the Community Room

10:45 am: Sending prayer prayed over Grandparents 10:45 am: Students will return to their classrooms with their teacher. Grandparents will leave after students have left

You can download the RSVP form and flyer here. They will also go home in backpack mail on Monday!

Back by popular demand:

Parents Night Out - Music Bingo!!

Friday, November 10^th at 6:30pm

in the St. Alphonsus Community Room

Players will be given bingo cards where the traditional numbers have been replaced with song titles/artists. The host plays clips of music and you mark off spots on your bingo card to win great prizes.

Reserve your spot today - it’s a great chance to meet other parents!

New this year, get a group together and reserve a table of 6-10!

Bring your own snacks and refreshments to enjoy.

Cost is $10 per person.

It will be a great night of music, fun and laughter you won’t want to miss!

Any questions or to reserve your spot or table, please email Dawn Eisold.

Save the Date for our Christmas Concert!

TOO SOON?! Not for us! Please save the date for our Christmas Concert, featuring grades 3K through 3rd Grade. The performances will be on Tuesday, December 5th at 10:30am and again at 6:00pm.

Students are expected to be at both performances.

October & November Lunch Menus

Our next Pizza Lunch Fundraiser is coming up on October 11th!

Order forms went home this week and are due back to school by October 4th. 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.

A copy of the order form is attached here. Return forms by October 4th with cash or check for payment. Exact amounts only, no change will be given. One form per child but families can use one envelope.

Volunteers are also needed to help serve the lunches to students. This is an easy commitment of about an hour! You can sign up here.

Rosary Club is Back!

We are so pleased to announce the return of the Rosary Club, which will be run by Father Anthoni this year!

Attached is a copy of the permission slip and more information.

The first meeting will be Wednesday, October 11. Please return permission slips to the school office by Monday, October 9.

Get Your St. Alphonsus Spirit Wear!

Get your St. Alphonsus Spirit Wear and join us in wearing it on the first Friday of the month!

For a limited time, we are offering families the opportunity to purchase some awesome St. Alphonsus Spirit Wear.

Order forms were sent home with students this week. You can also find a copy here.

All order forms are due Friday, October 13th. Please make checks payable to St. Alphonsus Home & School or send exact cash amount. Return to school in an envelope marked Spirit Wear.

Don’t delay and get your spirit wear today!

Questions? Please contact Olivia Hartley.

Battle of the Books is Back for Grades 4, 5, & 6!

Battle of the Books is back! This is a 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 in April with other area Catholic 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-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 March.

Practice Schedule

The practice schedule/time commitment will be 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 from 2:45-3:15 on the following dates:

October 23
November 13
December 11

Meetings will be held after school from 2:45-3:45 on the following dates:

January 8 & 22
February 5 & 19
March 4 & 11

Tournament

The 2023-2024 Battle of the Books tournament will be held on March 12, 2024 at Holy Family in Whitefish Bay. More details will be provided as soon as they are available.

The permission slip and more info can be found here!

Trunk or Treat is Coming Soon!

Please join us for our second annual Trunk or Treat, on Friday, October 27 from 5:30- 7:00pm, where the kids can wear their Halloween costumes and go car-to-car trick or treating in our school parking lot!

Siblings and family are welcome--this is sure to be 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?

Arrive 45-60 minutes before the event begins to set up
Decorate your trunk (check out Pinterest for some fun ideas!) 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 5:30- 7:00pm

It's going to be a great night! Use this link to sign up to host a trunk.

For questions, please contact Dawn Eisold or Tricia Williams, our Trunk or Treat chairs.

SCRIP Makes Sense!

We are so grateful to see more families and parishioners supporting the school by using the SCRIP program!

Keep up the great work! We see many of you taking advantage of e-cards. It is very simple!

Just a reminder! Order SCRIP cards for Dine Out nights! Cousin’s offers a 9% rebate!

Any orders placed by Sunday evenings will be processed Monday and physical cards will be sent home through backpack mail.

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.

Any questions, please email our SCRIP coordinator, Vickie Major, here.

Home & School Happenings

Don't forget to join in on earning cash for our school by using the Box Tops app.

It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth $.10 each and they add up fast! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies or experiences the kids love!

Use this 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.

Cougar Sports Corner

Basketball Registration is Now Open!

Students in Grades 5-8 are eligible to play basketball for St. Alphonsus.

The link to register is here!

Area School News

St. Thomas More is excited to invite you to their 2023 Open House!

Sign-up now as spots will fill up fast!

The 2023 St. Thomas More Open House will be on Monday, October 23rd from 4:30-8:00pm.

At the STM Open House, you will get a small group tour of the facilities from STM students, parents, and faculty. You will receive information on admissions and financial aid, and meet the faculty, staff, and athletics coaches. This is a great way for your family to see all the wonderful things STM has to offer.

For more information and to RSVP, click here.

Parish News

Trivia Night Returns!

Mark your calendar for Friday, November 17 or Saturday, November 18 and vie for the “coveted” St. Al’s Trivia Night Trophy while supporting the St. Alphonsus Food Pantry!

Gather your team of 8-10 people--cost is $10 per person. We will have door prizes and a 50/50 raffle to raise needed funds for our awesome Food Pantry. Reserve your table by e-mailing Vickie Major.

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.