Registration is now open for St. Alphonsus Catholic School’s Glow Run!

The kick-off for St. Alphonsus Catholic Schools Glow Run is only one week away! Parents, registration is now open on mybooster.com. All students registered before September 30th will earn an out-of-uniform day on October 1st!

Our goal this year is to raise $20,000 to cover the additional costs of the new playground structure. 

Just a reminder, students will participate in a Pep Rally on September 30th and bring home materials to help you reach out to donors over the following 10 days. The Glow Run will take place on October 9th in the gym. St. Alphonsus families are invited to come out and cheer our students on. We ask that parents stay on the bleachers at all times for the safety of our students and staff. 

Grades 3K - 1st will run at 9:00am

Grades 2nd - 4th will run at 9:45 am

Grades 5th - 8th will run at 10:30am

Thank you to our amazing Glow Run sponsors!

Platinum:

Cousins Subs

Oak Creek Wood Products

Gold:

Educators Credit Union

Silver:

Biltrite Furniture

Bronze:

Schlossmann’s Honda City

Ricely Restaurant Group

Help is Needed to Promote the Glow Run after Masses!

With the Glow Run fast approaching, we are asking for a few families to volunteer after each mass the weekend of October 5th and 6th at a Glow Run donation table that will be set up in the gathering space. 

Parishioners are able to make donations to the Fun Run, and we’d love to have some families there to explain what the Glow Run is and answer any questions.

We ask that there is at least one adult, but children are welcome! Thanks for your help! Click this link to sign up.

Help is Also Needed to Distribute Prizes after the Glow Run!

We are also looking for volunteers to sort and distribute prizes after the Glow Run. All volunteers must have completed the Milwaukee Archdiocese Safeguarding requirements. Click this link to sign up, and thanks in advance for your help!

If you have any questions, please contact Fun Run chair Olivia Hartley. 

Thanks in advance for your support of our school!

Why SCRIP (RaiseRight) Makes $en$e!

A testimonial from a St. Al’s family:

Although we have been at St. Alphonsus since 2013, we did not start participating in the SCRIP program until 2022. I was always aware of the program but never thought that the benefits of the fundraising program were going to be that impactful. However, starting in early 2022, I began purchasing gift cards every month, as a way to better budget for groceries and gas, as well as dining out. My thought was if I’m going to be spending this amount anyway on these items, might as well try to get a percentage of that spending back toward tuition cost!

I have a few cards that are reloadable and those that have to be replaced after the balance is used, however the ease of reloading/purchasing new cards is seamless. By participating in SCRIP we saved over $400 dollars last year on tuition, and look forward to seeing how much we can reduce our tuition costs this year just by purchasing gift cards for stores that we would have otherwise paid cash. Join us today and give SCRIP a try!

Stop at the SCRIP table at church and chat with us, or check out these videos for How to Get Started:

Learn more about the SCRIP program

Learn how to download the app and get started

Learn how to shop with the app

Welcome to Staff Spotlight!

Each week we will be highlighting a member of our staff so you can get to know them better. We thought it would be great to start off with some of our new staff, so this week we are featuring Mrs. Grace Knautz, our new 3K teacher!

Mrs. Knautz graduated from Valparaiso University in Elementary Education and minored in Special Education. This will be her 10th year teaching, and she has taught previously in both Catholic and Christian schools throughout the Milwaukee area. She is excited to be back at a Catholic school with a strong community, and both her daughters have joined us here at St. Alphonsus as well.  "My family is excited to join the school and I look forward to an amazing year," says Mrs. Knautz. Welcome!

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 Wednesday, April 9, 2025 with other area Catholic Schools. This year, St. Alphonsus is HOSTING the tournament, so even if your students don't end up being our tournament battle team, they will be actively involved in helping us put on the tournament. It is a great time to join!

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 16
• November 13
• December 11

Meetings will be held after school in the library from 3:00-4:00 on the following dates:

• January 22
• February 5 & 19
• March 5 & 19
• April 2 - finalists only

Tournament

The 2024-2025 Battle of the Books tournament will be held on April 9, 2025 here at St. Alphonsus. More details & an opportunity to join the planning committee will be provided soon!

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 Friday, October 11. Because we are hosting this year and need to have our teams set, late permission slips will not be accepted.

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

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

The first meeting will be Wednesday, October 9. Please return permission slips to the school office by Monday, October 7.

Dine Out Night at MOD Pizza!

This week Wednesday, September 25 is Dine Out Night at MOD Pizza and we hope to see you there!

Dine in or carry out from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Greenfield location, 8833 West Sura Lane. Be sure to show our flyer (on your phone or printed) and 20% of the sales will go to support St. Alphonsus. You can also order online and use our code MODGIVES20 to be sure our school gets credit for your order.

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 MOD Pizza do the cooking!

Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around.

Please join us for our third annual Trunk or Treat, on Friday, October 25th 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 (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 6:00pm- 7:00pm
• Remember this is a family friendly event, no alcohol please

It's going to be a great night! Use this link to sign up to host a trunk. Trunks must be signed up by October 16. Please list all adults who will be handing out treats at your vehicle so we can check their safeguarding status.

Please note that if you are just planning to attend the event with your children to trick or treat, and you do not plan to volunteer, host a trunk or pass out candy, the safeguarding requirement does not apply.

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

The St. Alphonsus Athletics Association is excited to announce that basketball sign-ups are now open!

Sign-ups will continue through the end of the month. If your child in grades 5-8 is interested in participating in basketball this year, please make sure to complete the registration process by October 1st.

You can sign up via this link.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for your child to stay active, learn teamwork, and have fun!

For any questions, please contact Athletic Director Nick Warrichaiet or check out the Athletics page on our website. Go Cougars!

The St. Alphonsus Grand Raffle has returned!

If you'd like the chance to win $15,000 now's the time. 1 in 10 people will at least double their money with the opportunity for even more.

If you're interested in supporting St. Alphonsus, there are three ways to get your raffle tickets:

1. Pick them up from the raffle table (feel free to take as many tickets as you would like) after any Mass
2. Stop by the parish office and pick the up from our receptionist
3. E-mail the parish here and we will make arrangements to personally deliver them to you

The tickets can then be returned in the same three ways.

Remember, you don’t have to buy them all yourself, and for this raffle to be a success we’ll need your help selling them to friends, family members and co-workers.  The proceeds of the raffle will go directly to St. Alphonsus’ operational budget that helps us be the thriving parish and school we are. 

Please support this fundraiser as it will help us achieve a balanced budget this fiscal year--thank you!

Join the St. Alphonsus Parish Moms Group!

Looking for other moms to share in your journey of faith and motherhood? Come to the Wiggle Room above the church on Tuesday, September 24, at 10:00am. Moms are welcome to bring their little ones with them!

We would love to get to know each other better and help one another grow in our faiths. Motherhood isn't easy. Let's share the load! For questions, contact leader Maggie Ensing.

Kinship Food Pantry Volunteer Opportunity

Join the parish Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry Karen Farrell at the Kinship Food Pantry on October 26, 2024 from 7:30 to about 11:30am.

We will be gathering cooking oil for this date. If you are able to, please donate cooking oil (canola, olive or avocado cooking oil in a medium or small size bottle). Please bring your donations to school (there will be a box outside the office for collection).

If you are interested in learning more, or to sign up, please check out the sign up genius.

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

It's Open House Season for various Catholic high schools in our area. Be sure to check out the following flyers from our local Catholic high schools:

Catholic Memorial High School - Waukesha

Marquette University High School - Milwaukee

Catholic Central High School - Burlington

St. Thomas More High School - Milwaukee

St. Thomas More is excited to invite you to our 2024 Open House!

Sign-up now as spots will fill up fast!

The 2024 St. Thomas More Open House will be on: Monday, October 21st 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. 

To RSVP, please click here.

St. Thomas More High School Has Also Opened Applications for 2025-2026 School Year!

STM is excited to announce that they are now accepting applicants for the 2025-2026 school year. Please click here to start your application now.

Applicants can track their admissions progress in real-time using the STM Admissions Checklist. In order to receive an admission decision, applicants must complete the following steps on the STM Admissions Checklist:

• Request sixth and seventh-grade report cards from your current school
• Request sixth and seventh-grade standardized test results from your current school
• Request the Teacher Recommendation Form from an English, Math, Science, or Social Science teacher
• Take the High School Placement Test (more information to come on the test)
• The STM Admissions Committee will not make a decision until all paperwork is submitted on behalf of the student

Report cards, standardized test scores, and the Teacher Recommendation Form can all be requested online. Simply go to this link and click "Start" next to each item on the student's Checklist. You will be asked for the name and email address of the teacher or staff member who you would like to submit the requested information on your students behalf.

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS ARE ALSO OPEN

Families may also fill out the application for financial aid now. To begin the financial aid application, please visit this link. Students who do not complete this application are not eligible to receive scholarships from St. Thomas More. This financial aid application is separate from applications for Milwaukee/Racine and Wisconsin Parental Choice Programs, which will be available in February 2025.

If you have any questions about St. Thomas More, the application process, or anything else admissions-related, please contact Tony Mane, Director of Admissions, at 414-481-8370 x127 or via email.

Pius XI Announces Fall Information & Admissions Deadlines!

Check out the flyer below or visit their website here.

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

The Greendale Health Department also asked all educators in the area to share some information about pertussis/whooping cough:

The State of Wisconsin has seen an increase in pertussis/whooping cough cases. In Wisconsin, it is currently ten times higher than last year at this time and is also nationally high.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services has issued a press release September 19, 2024, which you can view here. 

For detailed information on pertussis, please visit this link.

The best way to prevent the illness or reduce the severity of the disease is vaccination.

• Children should receive 5 doses of DTaP vaccine from age 2 months to 6 years
• Adolescents ages 11-12 should receive one dose of Tdap vaccine
• Adults who have never had a pertussis vaccine should receive one dose of Tdap vaccine
• Pregnant people should receive Tdap between 27-36 weeks of pregnancy, during each pregnancy, to protect the newborn before they are old enough to get the DTaP vaccine
• Check with your healthcare provider if you or your child are due for a vaccine
• Check the Wisconsin Immunization Registry using these instructions

Taking the following daily actions can also help stop the spread of germs:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds
• Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth
• Stay home and away from others if you feel sick
• Avoid being around others who are sick
• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze and encourage children to do the same

 If you have any questions, please call the Greendale Public Health Department at 414-423-2110.

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.