Dear Parents,

It has been a fun week here at school. The Halloween celebrations in the younger grades have been enjoyable and everyone seems to be in the sprit today.

In a previous update, I mentioned that I was working on bringing back many more extracurricular activities and that time is getting closer. In the next week, I will be sending out a parent survey to try to gauge interest in specific activities such as National Elementary Honor Society, Tablesetters, Chess Club, Coding Club, Theater Club, Future City and some others as well to see how many students are interested in these and how many participate in our existing activities such as Rosary Club, Children’s Choir and Forensics. This will help me determine which days to have which activities and how many students to expect for each. When that survey gets sent out please take the time to fill it out so we can make the best decisions about our extracurricular activities and scheduling.

It remains a top goal of mine to build up the reputation of our amazing school and a big part of that is the activities that we offer to engage students and families. My goal is for every student to have at least one activity at school that they are interested in and passionate about. Thank you for your support!

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Russ Johnston

Here is the latest update to the school's COVID Dashboard. The COVID Committee continues to meet and evaluate the situation. While the cases in the community are looking better, we are not making any changes to our protocols at this time.

This week, the 4th Grade went to Camp Edwards, which is a YMCA Camp. They have a variety of hands-on Science and Social Studies-based activities, as well as fun team-building games and a rock wall and zipline for the kids. We did a bunch of team-building games, then looked in the pond to see what types of organisms were living there. Then, we got to hold/look at the animals that live there--Honey and Bertha the turtles, Reptar the blue tongued skink, and Smash the snake. We had lunch and ended our day with the zip line and rock wall. These were optional, but most of the kids did it and some even faced their fears of heights! Despite the rain, it was a fun day!

Graphic novels are a really popular checkout choice at the St. Al's library. Often, we may think graphic novels are not beneficial for reading, but that is simply not true!

Graphic novels are described as novel-length books that use pictures as well as words to describe the story. Graphic novels are great for reluctant readers: they are often faster-paced reading and are great for those students who don't love to read or who just read to check off a box. They also help build vocabulary and force text interaction, teaching students how to figure out the relationship between the text and the images. Graphic novels also develop and reinforce reading skills like inferencing & figurative language, and they also demonstrate punctuation and grammar rules. Graphic Novels aid students with learning differences and can even help to reinforce harder texts (like the Classics!).

St. Alphonsus is currently expanding its pool of substitute teachers. The candidates can choose which grades they would like to substitute for.

For instructions on how to apply, please contact Russ Johnston.

This is a great opportunity to work with students in an easy and fun after school setting. The position is Monday thru Friday from 4:00 to 6:00pm. Interested parties can contact Stacey Pagac for more information.

Basketball evaluations are set for the 7th & 8th Grade Boys and 8th Grade Girls basketball teams.

Practices will be starting the following week. For any questions, please contact Cougar Athletic Director Joe Krysiak or Basketball Coordinator Rich Romero.

The Seton Volleyball Tournament brackets are out! Come cheer on your St. Alphonsus Cougars 8th Grade Volleyball Teams next week.

The excitement begins Monday, November 1st, and wraps up in the championship matches on Sunday, November 7th.

8th Grade Boys take the court on Monday November 1st at 6:15 versus Christ King. 

8th Grade Girls Division II Blue team plays Tuesday November 2nd at 7:30 versus St. Sebastian.

8th Grade Girls Division II Gold team plays Thursday November 4th at 5:30pm (opponent TBD). 

8th Grade Girls Division I take the court on Friday November 5th at 5:30 (opponent TBD).

You can find more information and complete brackets at theseton.net.

Another Dine Out Night is coming up on Wednesday, November 3 from 3 to 8pm at Cousins Subs in Franklin (7700 S. Lovers Lane Road). No need for a flyer, just order online or in-store and mention St. Al's.

Our next Home & School Meeting is coming up on November 2, 2021 at 6:00pm in Room 200. We will be discussing upcoming events and fundraisers that are coming up in November and December. Parents who attend the meeting will get an out-of-uniform pass for each of their kids. We look forward to seeing you there!

Come join the St. Al's Mothers Group THIS Saturday morning, October 30 at 9:30 in the Community Room! We will have donuts, cider, and time to socialize and offer up prayer intentions amongst all of us moms here at St. Alphonsus. There will also be a special focus on gratitude during the month of November. Please come join us, we would really love to have you there!

The October newsletter for Pius XI Catholic High School can be found here. This month's newsletter contains important dates and reminders for the fall admissions & application process, as well as upcoming events for students and the community.

This year's musical is "Sister Act!" Auditions will begin the week of November 15th and are open to Grades 6-8. All details are included on this flyer, and any questions can be sent to Abby Galstad.

Based on the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers and the beloved Disney films, this magical tale tells the story of an overworked mother and her high school-aged daughter as they swap bodies and try to figure out how to make things right again. Katherine and Ellie live life for a day in the other’s shoes, learn to appreciate the struggles and joys of each other’s day-to-day experiences, and most importantly realize the incredible love and respect that bond them as mother and daughter. Music and Lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey.

Tickets available at dsha.info/tickets or call 414-616-2813.

DSHA is excited to announce its Middle School Leadership Conference, taking place on Friday, February 24th, 2022 from 9:00am to 2:00pm. This conference is for 6th & 7th grade girls and is designed to bring student leaders a day filled with engaging student discussions, interactive workshops, and exposure to a diverse group of peers across the greater metropolitan Milwaukee area to foster their development as confident and capable young leaders.

More information regarding registration will be forthcoming, but in the meantime, please check out their flyer here.

As a reminder, St. Thomas More is also offering its High School Placement Test on Friday, November 5th. If you completed an application for admissions, you are automatically registered for testing at STM. Students should arrive by 7:30 am and enter through the GYMNASIUM entrance doors. Please note that ONLY students who test at STM on November 5 are eligible for our Honors Scholarship.

For more information, please contact Tony Mane, Admissions Director.

Do you have items for the newsletter? To submit them or for questions and submission guidelines, please contact Amy Schermetzler.