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Frequently Asked Questions - The ABC's of St. Als A
ALL SCHOOL LITURGIES
Our school comes together to celebrate the Eucharist once a month, on Holy Days of Obligation, and for special occasions. Each unit (primary {K-2}, middle {3-5}, and upper {6-8}) attends Mass together once a month as well.
ALPHONSUS Liguori, Saint
St. Alphonsus is the Patron Saint of our school. He was an Italian bishop and lawyer who lived in the 18th Century. Our school has a statue of St. Alphonsus in the hall
near the office. His feast day is August 1.
ART
Students in grades 1-5 have Art class
twice a week, students in
grade 6, 7, and 8 meet once a week with Ms. Laurie Nacker in room 407.
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Participation in team sports begins in fifth grade at St. Alphonsus. The Athletic Association is responsible for organizing and managing teams and joining leagues. Volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, football and track are team sports at St. Al’s.
AFTER SCHOOL CARE
An after school care program is held at St. Al’s from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. each school day.
B
BACKPACK MAIL
That’s what we call the information, envelopes, and news we send through our children’s backpacks. You can send lunch money, tuition & fees, and your TRIP order through this delivery system. Thursday is the official School Mail Day.
BAND
Children in grades three through eight are eligible to take orchestra instrument lessons and participate in band. Lessons are taught by Mr. Jim Schulz and offered during the school day.
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays are very special days for St. Al’s students. On your birthday, you may dress out of uniform. If your birthday falls on a weekend, you may
choose another day to be out of. Summer
birthdays can choose a day of their choice to be out of uniform. Birthday treats are allowed in all grades, but please be considerate of food allergies among your child’s classmates.
BLUE ROOM
The Blue Room is found on the lower (gym) level of the school and is where our children eat lunch.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
You never imagined you’d become a garbage collector! But by saving those 10-cent
Box Tops on your General Mills Cereal boxes you can help fund great things at our school. So start saving now. When you send Box Tops in to school in bundles of 25, your child receives a fruit roll up reward.
C
CAR LINE
That’s what it is, a line of cars that forms each afternoon around 2 p.m. in preparation for dismissal. In order, each car drives up to the curb and collects the waiting children. More details on the car line and pick up procedures are found in the school handbook.
COMPUTER
Technology (or computer) is taught by Mrs. Jane Otto in our newly renovated computer lab, room 329. Students in all grade levels have technology twice a week. In addition, each classroom has at least one computer for students to use.
COUGARS
We are the Cougars! Blue and gold are the school colors. Cougar sweatshirts are for sale through backpack mail, in student and adult sizes. An order form and information will be sent home at the beginning of the school year.
COURTYARD ENTRANCE
The courtyard entrance is the door closest to the church at the back of the school building near the statue of Blessed Mother. The main school entrance is locked each day after arrival time. If you need to come to school for any reason during the school day, please go to the courtyard doors and ring the intercom for one of the school staff to “buzz” you in.
D
DISMISSAL
Students who ride the school bus to and from school are dismissed at 2:20 p.m. Car riders and students who walk to and from school are dismissed at 2:25 p.m. A few times a year, we have early dismissal days. Check the school calendar for details.
DRESS CODE
St. Al’s students are required to follow the ‘uniform dress code’ of navy blue bottoms (tailored shorts or trousers,
skirts) and a light blue, white or navy blue top.
Students in grades 6-8 may also wear red tops. Girls may wear the plaid uniform jumper or skirt instead of the navy bottoms.
E
ELEVATOR
The elevator is located to the east of the school office.
F
FAMILY DIRECTORY
In early October, a directory of all school families including parents and students' names & homeroom numbers, addresses, and telephone numbers is distributed to school families.
FIELD TRIPS
Students in every grade level take field trips to enhance and enrich the curriculum. Permission slips and information are generally sent home well in advance of the trip and parents are often invited to join the students. Dress code requirements and lunch plans are provided on the field trip information form.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Students should come in Uniform that day and bring their school supplies, if they didn’t bring them on meet the teacher day. Dismissal is at noon. While the kids are getting to know their teacher, you are invited to meet some new friends in the Community Room for the Parent Coffee Hour. Stop by the NEW FAMILY TABLE and meet new and returning St. Al’s parents.
FUN FAIR
Our indoor winter carnival, Fun Fair is held each year at the start of third quarter (late January or early February) on a Friday night. This evening of fun is organized by the 6th Grade families. Each classroom sponsors a game booth. More details on the event will be provided by room parents in early January.
GYM
Physical Education is a part of the weekly curriculum at St. Al’s. All grade levels meet with our phy ed teacher, Mrs. Kranz twice a week. Tennis shoes MUST always be worn.
H
HEALTH ROOM
Our health room is staffed each day until 1 p.m. with a caring, compassionate adult (parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles) trained by the Greendale Health Department to assist with the bumps, bruises and tummy aches that sometimes happen at school. After 1 p.m., Mrs. Haupt assists students who come to the health room.
HOME & SCHOOL
Home & School is a Catholic school’s PTO. Home & School coordinates and manages a variety of volunteer opportunities for parents and sponsors various activities throughout the year. Home & School also works to raise money to support these programs and enrichment opportunities for our students and teachers. Every school parent is automatically a member of the association and has a vote in how the organization spends the nearly $60,000 raised each year.
HOT LUNCH
Hot lunch is offered most every school day at St. Al’s. Lunch tickets can be purchased daily, weekly, or monthly.
I
INCLEMENT WEATHER
Information on where to tune in for weather-related school closings is published in the school handbook. Be sure to dress your children appropriately for the weather. The students have outdoor recess daily unless it is raining or well below zero degrees.
J
JERUSALEM
One of the parish and school meeting rooms, Jerusalem is located on the far west side of the building, one floor below the upper unit wing. We call this area of the building the Lifelong Learning Center. Other rooms here are Jericho, Nazareth and Bethlehem, earning it the nickname, “The Holy Land.”
K
KINDERGARTEN
One of the most exciting years in your child’s academic life, Kindergarten at St. Al’s offers two options, part time and full day.
L
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
On the last day of school in June, you are invited to join in a Prayer Service that ends another wonderful school year. More details will follow next spring.
LIBRARY
Students in grades K through 5 visit the library once a week. Our library coordinators and volunteers assist the children in selecting reading materials.
M
MARKET DAY
Market Day is a monthly food co-op sale that earns Home & School nearly $5,000 each year. You can order online or on a paper order form that will come home in backpack mail at the beginning of each month. Market Day sales are staffed by parent volunteers who help unload the truck, fill the orders and distribute them.
McDONALD’S NIGHT
Twice monthly, Home & School sponsors McDonald’s Night. Held from 4-7 p.m. at the McDonald’s on 76th & Rawson, this is a great opportunity to meet other St. Al’s families and earn money for St. Al’s School at the same time. The owners of this restaurant donate 15% of the proceeds from McDonald’s Night back to school. Each student who attends receives a non-uniform pass for the next school day.
MEET THE TEACHER DAY
You will receive a note from your child’s teacher in the mail the third week of August inviting you to Meet the Teacher Day, Wednesday, August 31. On this day, you can drop off school supplies and meet the grown up who will help you mold that special young mind for the next 180 school days.
MORNING SUPERVISION
Morning supervision is available between 6:45 and 7:25 a.m. Please call the school office, 421-1760 for more information.
MUSIC
Students in grade 1-5 have music class twice a week,
students in grades 6-8 have music class once a week with Mrs. Kathy Clark.
N
NON UNIFORM PASSES
That’s the formal name for the little slip of paper you’ll receive when you participate in McDonald’s Night or Volunteer Night. Please place the paper in your child’s home folder and the teacher will collect them the next day.
O
OFFICE
The school office is open each school day from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mrs. Joanne Haupt and Mrs. Mary Bailen make up our school office support staff. The office is located at the back of the school building (facing the Parish Ministry Center) near the courtyard entrance (Please go to C for further information). The office answering machine is on during non-office hours. Please feel free to leave a message if your child is ill and won’t be in school the next day, or if you would like a call back.
P
PHY. ED.
You child will have Phy. Ed. Class each week with Mrs. Kris Kranz. Be sure to send your student to school wearing gym shoes so they are able to participate fully.
PICTURE DAY
On Picture Day, usually held in the beginning of September, St. Al’s students wear their Sunday best, non-uniform clothing.
Q
QUESTIONS
We’re sure you may have many more questions even after reading this booklet. Please feel free to contact any of the Home & School officers.
R
ROOM PARENTS
One or two parents in each classroom serve as room parents for the entire school year. Room parents assist the teacher with special projects, provide treats or find room helpers to do so, organize the Fun Fair booth, and do other things to help our students and teachers. Room helper lists are provided to room parents. These helpers are groups of people willing to fill in for room parents needing assistance with a certain project or event.
S
SNACK
You can send a nutritious snack with your child each day. Snacks are eaten in the morning, usually around 9:30 a.m. or so.
SPANISH
Spanish is an elective course offered to students in grades 1-8. Registration is held for Spanish each spring. The course is taught by Senora Rebecca Trojan.
T
TRIP
The Tuition Reduction Incentive Program (also known as SCRIP) is a simple way school families can help keep tuition costs down. Our SCRIP program offers gift certificates from nearly 200 retailers. You can purchase SCRIP before and after Sunday Masses and through the backpack mail and on Friday mornings in the school lobby and during Market Day sales. More information will be provided to you on Parent Night.
U
UPPER UNIT
The upper unit (or junior high) refers to grades 6 through 8 at St. Alphonsus. Upper unit classrooms are located on the far west side of the building.
W
WATER BOTTLES
Students are allowed to bring water bottles to school each day.
X
EXTREME SPORTS DAY
Each year, Home & School sponsors Extreme Sports Day. This event is held at the end of May and students in all grade levels participate in a variety of sports activities like the water balloon toss, basketball, and more.
YOU
You are your child’s first teacher and you are an important part of our school. Your assistance in the classroom, library, lunchroom, playground, sports, and your participation and organization of various school activities and events is always welcomed, needed and appreciated!
Z
Z End
No, it’s not the end, it’s just the beginning of a wonderful school year and elementary school experience for your family. We are happy you have chosen to become a member of our school family. Thanks in advance for all your support of St. Alphonsus School!
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