†South City Catholic Collaborative

On April 23, 2008, the Post-Dispatch and the Suburban Journals for the City of St. Louis will distribute with their papers a Guide to Catholic Schools in the City of St. Louis developed by the South City Catholic Collaborative. This is a group of Catholic parishes and Catholic grade schools who have united in order to work together in providing Catholic education for the children in City Catholic schools.

 

With the goal of responding to energizing opportunities for furthering the coordination of programs and activities among the 25 parishes and 15 schools, this group hopes to establish:

1) Better relationships among parishes,

2) Academic and spiritual programs strengthened through sharing resources,

3) Common marketing,

4) Bulk purchasing, and to

5) Investigate innovative methods to increase financial resources for programming.

 

The Director of South City Catholic Collaborative is Sr. Kathleen Koenen, who can be reached at kathleenkoenen@sbcglobal.net.

School Playground Raffle

Congratulations to the Nikolai family, winners of a $100 TWB gift card in the second drawing for early entries. If you have not purchased your tickets, please do so soon. The final drawing for the raffle will take place at the School Picnic on May 20th. 

All proceeds go toward construction of a New Playground!
1st Prize - Cardinal Luxury Suite
2nd Prize - $1,000
Tickets: $25 each, or 5 for $100

The Bells of St. Ambrose Auction
November 15, 2008

SOLD:  Our first auction item, Sr. Felicetta's piano,
now has a new home with the Vollmer family.

For the month of April, we are concentrating on collecting some of the “larger” items for the auction. If anyone would like to offer a dinner at their house, party at their house, a vacation condo/house, or anything similar, please contact Sr. Carol at school (314) 772-1437 or Mr. Joe Canino at (314) 752-0853. The items should be available from November 15, 2008 - November 15, 2009, at a mutually agreed upon time for all parties. Let’s get creative to support our school and parish!

House System Road Trip
An opportunity for some teachers, parents, and the 7th grade students to go to Louisville, Kentucky, for a field trip has presented itself and Sr. Carol was eager to participate. St. Raphael School in Louisville is noted for a unique Middle School program entitled the “House System.” The House System is a team-building, cross-grade system that groups members of the 6-8 grades into “Houses” that work together to earn points. These points are due to good behavior and service for the school, parish, and community. Each house competes against each other to earn the most points, thereby earning various prizes like dress-down day, no-homework night, etc. The 7th grade students, since they will be the school leaders next year, will attend a House Meeting at St. Raphael and will be able to meet the students there for camaraderie. It is the hope that the 7th graders will have a better understanding of the system so that we can continue to improve ours for future students.

Heart Disease Prevention
Members of the St. Louis University School of Nursing will be visiting St. Ambrose Catholic School in the coming months. We would like to discuss with the students the importance of proper dietary choices and exercise in the prevention of heart disease, a prevalent health problem that continues to grow in today’s world.

Education of school age children regarding heart disease prevention can lay the foundations for healthy living and lifestyle in their futures. We plan to educate the students regarding prevention, diet, and exercise through a variety of activities that will illustrate the importance of proper dietary choices. We will also be performing teaching regarding exercise and increasing target heart rates. There will also be emphasis on decreasing the hours of television watched per week, and increasing regular exercise.

In addition, we will be distributing an anonymous survey to the students during regular school hours that will help us to assess their existing knowledge regarding health activities. We thank you very much for your cooperation, and look forward to meeting with your children. If you have any questions regarding our plan, please feel free to email us at sfranz3@slu.edu.
Sarah Franz
Student Nurse, St. Louis University School of Nursing 

Recycle!
Congratulations, 4th Graders! St. Ambrose won $1,000.00 from the Abitibi Paper Recycling Contest that ran from October through March 31st. Total collected was 36.77 tons! Our goal was 34.94 tons --- a 20% increase from last year. The money will go toward the new playground. Thanks to all who recycled to help us reach the goal!

Video Streaming Update

Archdiocesan Tuition Grant Applications for 2008 - 2009 are available at the rectory OR go online at www.factstuitionaid.com.

Kindergarten and Coffee
The parents are invited to come to school and see what it is like to be in kindergarten. We are going to start at 8 am and have drinks and treats. Then the parents can join the classes and learn about morning jobs, play Magic Number, learn about crate days, see the children work in their books, hear the children read, even join us for recess. There will be time for questions, explanations, comments, and visiting.

• Spring Concert in April (date TBD)
• Band Tour in early May (date TBD)
• Marching in a Parade on Memorial Day (does not apply to beginners)