St.
Ambrose School,
2007-2008
Weekly
News Files
November
22, 2007
Thanksgiving Blessings
Act Now to Maintain Title V-A Funding
Funding
for the 2007-2008 school year is set, but Title V-A will cease to exist
unless Congress acts. The best thing to do is contact your federal
legislative representatives, both House and Senate, and let them know
how important Title V-A is to your students. In the past, these
funds have been used to purchase the sound systems in most of
the rooms and we are currently using Title V funds to purchase another
sound system
for another room. The funds have decreased considerably over
the last couple of years and now the threat is that it will be
completely gone. Private schools really depend on these monies
for a variety of items.Shop and Give TWB Certificates for the Holidays
The online order form has been updated at www.stambroseonthehill.com/school/. We will begin taking orders in the
back of church before and after the weekend masses. The last day to make an
order for Christmas will be Sunday, December 9, through church, and Friday, December 14,
at school. All special orders MUST include payment. Please mark church or school
on your order form so that we may have the filled order ready for you. Any
orders through Sunday, November 25, will be ready at school by December 6,
and at church December 8 and 9, from the TWB reps. All orders received after November
25 will be ready at church on December 22 and 23, and at school by December 21.
Advent Wreaths
The St. Ambrose Girl Scouts have made beautiful Advent wreaths that they now have
on sale. Watch for an order form through school if you wish to order one for your family.Breakfast with Santa
Sunday, December 2
St. Ambrose Cafeteria, 7:00
a.m. – 12 noon
Advance tickets are being sold by any 8th grader and in the
main office. Tickets are $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for children 12 and under. Ticket prices
increase by $1.00, respectively, at the door.
Help Wanted in Santa's
Workshop
Mrs. Calcaterra requests handmade/homemade items for the country
store and items for a small silent auction. We are also in need of items for
Santa's Shop, including jewelry, books, mugs, tools, etc. Children attending
Breakfast with Santa purchase these items for their family members. They are
sold for $1.00 and under and should be new or in VERY nice condition. These
donations benefit the 8th grade class and are very much appreciated.PTO Family Night at the Holiday Inn - Six Flags
Great News!! The Holidome in Eureka has a terriffic Christmas Extravaganza for
families:
- $99.00 overnight pagkage (upgrades available)
- arts and crafts for the kids
- ride through the Magic Kingdom of Lights
- kids under 12 eat for free
What
a great break for a family in the middle of the busy holiday season. We
have asked them to block off 20 rooms for St. Ambrose and a conference
room so we can celebrate Mass together. The night we chose was December
8; watch for a flyer coming home soon. For more information, go to
www.stlouissixflags.holiday-inn.com, then click on the
ginger bread man.Collection for
the Homeless
St. Ambrose School has joined other Catholic schools in the Archdiocese in the
Key Player Initiative to eliminate homelessness. This initiative wants to
provide opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to those who are homeless
or who are at risk of becoming homeless. The school children have collected over
$500 for St. Patrick’s Center and Catholic Charities since September and will
continue to raise money to provide housing during December and January. Also
during Advent the teachers will help students become more aware of the problems
that the homeless face. A representative from St. Patrick's Center is speaking to the faculty after school on December 3.
Submitted by Cathy Griner Be
Informed Before Seeing an Upcoming Children's Movie
Please
review information about an
upcoming children's movie that will be released
on December 7 during the
Christmas season. The author of
the trilogy of books on which the movie is based is an atheist and is
trying to influence children against God in a sly way. The
link gives more details:
http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp.
In Appreciation- To Jack Ostermeyer for reversing the office door.
- To Debbie Hilderbrand, Brian Ward, and Ben
and Joe Calloni for installing the penthouse LCD projector and additional improvements in the computer lab.
- To Hilma Moses and the Quilt Social, the proceeds from which were used to purchase customized computer tables.
- To Chris Felt, who is working on several short videos to be added as links from the St. Ambrose web page.
- To the Catholic School Office for the new school banner which is hanging on the fence along Marconi Avenue.
Box Top Contest
Interim
winners were Mrs. O'Toole's class. Winners will be announced
as soon as final counts are completed. Thanks to the
Homeroom mothers for coordinating this effort.Counseling
Services
We are blessed again this semester with
graduate student counselors from SLU who will be doing their practicum
here working with students on social, personal, and motivational
issues.
Please contact Terry Kellar or Lisa Horner if you feel your child would
benefit from this counseling service. We will send you a permission
slip to sign and return to school. Counselors began the week
of September 24th.
| Wednesday, November 21 | Noon Dismissal for
Thanksgiving Vacation |
Thursday and Friday,
November
22 and 23 | Thanksgiving Holiday |
| Saturday, November 24 | Christmas on the Hill, 3:00 - 8:00 pm |
| Sunday, December 2 | Breakfast with Santa, 7:00 am - noon |
| Tuesday, December 4 | First Reconciliation, 7:00 pm |
| Wednesday, December 5 | 2nd Grade Field Trip to Library |
| Friday, December 7 | Faculty Christmas Party |
| Saturday, December 8 | Christmas Extravaganza at the Holidome in Eureka |
| Monday, December 10 | Taste of the Hill Lunch: Favazza's
PTO Board Meeting, 7:00 pm |
| Wednesday, December 12 | Christmas Band Concert, 7:00 pm
St. Martin of Tours |
| Thursday, December 13 | Faculty Meeting, Noon Dismissal
Dress-Down Day |
| Friday, December 14 | Stages Performance for Parents, 7:00 pm |
| Tuesday, December 18 | School Board Meeting |
| Friday, December 21 | All-School Mass
Stages Performance for Students
Noon Dismissal for Christmas Holidays |
| Thursday, January 3 | Classes Resume |
Band
Concert
A Christmas Concert will feature
the combined bands of St. Ambrose, St. Martin of Tours, St. Roch, and
St. Simon the Apostle. The Concert will be held at St. Martin of Tours,
on Wednesday, December 12th, at 7:00 pm. Both the Concert Band
(Advanced) and a Beginning Band are performing.
Stages Performance
Stages of St Louis will present their end-of-session performance on Friday,
December 14, at 7:00 pm in the school gym. Children from St Ambrose will showcase a
few pieces from popular musicals. Refreshments will be provided.
Speech Meet
The
first Bellarmine Speech Meet took place Saturday, November
10, at St. Ambrose. Our Speech Team includes 8th graders Sam Herbig, Brent Pearson, and Rachel
Pearson; 7th graders Laura Beffa, Jessie Hellmann, Hannah Hildebrand,
and Abby Markus-Longland; and 6th graders Chandler Airaghi, Paige
Berra, and Rachel Schreier.
| In
the Classroom and the Community | Top |
Family Night Notes
Kemoll's: it was scarey looking down at the city, but the food was awsome.
Everything was decorated very pretty. Everything I saw was gold. I saw the Arch
from the big windows it was great!
Family Home Activites: I read a book with
my mom; I got to walk my dog around the field while my brother had football
practice; our family watched a movie together.
Seems like everyone had a
relaxing evening. A valuable bonus to being a part of St. Ambrose!
From Sr. Margaret Mary's Class
Annie said she liked the food. I had fun. Grace said she liked the
view and it was a fancier meal than we have in the cafeteria. The kiddy cocktail
were good. Mitchell said he liked the cheese garlic bread and doing the splits
with Jimmy. Isabella liked the chicken and the pasta and the cake. The desert
was the best. They had really good water. I liked seeing all my friends and
everyones' outfits. We liked meeting Mr. Rotter. We liked seeing Nolan, Mrs.
O'Toole's baby.
From Mrs. Rotter's Class
The third grade class celebrated family night is several ways. Three students
came to Kemoll's: Rachel Seaton, Timmy O'Dekirk, and Paul Passafiume. Maddie
Mitchell, Andrew Grassi, Jacy Patzius, and Erin Johanningmeier's families went
out for dinner. Chyna Nesser and Rosie Naunheim's families had movie night.
Miranda's father made dinner for them at their house. The students who were at
Kemolls thought the food and view from the top was awesome.
From Mrs. Grandstaff's Class
I had two
students go to the Kemoll's dinner. They had no comment about the food. Their
only comments were on the elevator ride and the big windows. Henry had his
grandpa over for dinner and they taught him how to play Superman Uno. Natalie
had dinner with Grandma. Grandma kept asking her where her homework folder was,
Natalie kept saying they didn't have any homework. So, they played the Lion King
game. Joe went to Grandma's for dinner with his whole family.
From Mrs. Foster's Class
| Volunteer
Opportunities | Top |
Please
remember
that you must attend the
Protecting God's Children Workshop
and
complete the paperwork in order to volunteer with the students.
The
workshops are listed on the Archdiocesan website
or you may
call Linda in the school office (772-1437).
Bernadette Mense is
in charge of Lunch Room Parents and looking for
more volunteers. If you would like to
help with lunch duty, please contact Bernadette.
New
Server Training
New server training will be on the
last Sunday of the month at 10:00 am in the church. You must be going
into the 5th grade and/or at least 11 years old. Adults are welcomed!!!
This is an opportunity for a family to serve Mass together. All servers
must complete the server sign-up sheet and return it to Deacon John to
be placed on the schedule. Families members are scheduled together as a
group. The training dates are:
November 25, 2007 at
10:00 am in church
December
30, 2007 at 10:00 am in church
Yearbook Photos
It is time once again to start compiling photos for the 2007-2008 yearbook.
Laura McQuay, a 5th grade parent, has taken over the yearbook and
is looking for sports photos, pictures from LaFesta, scouts, Trunk-or-Treat,
field trips, etc. If you have photos, please send them to school on a CD,
addressed to Laura McQuay. As always, thank you for your help!
Submitted by Mrs. Elmore
Notes to Parents
- Fast Food is not
acceptable for lunch; please do not deliver to school for your
children.
- The Handbook is a guide,
but does not address all situations. When in doubt about a policy or
procedure, please ask.
- If your child has a
special medical need, please inform Linda in the School Office.
- Please
don't park in the soccer lot during school hours if you are visiting
school or chaperoning a field trip, as the cars block the use of the
lot for recess.
- Birthday
treats are distributed to students in their homerooms during break
time. Please follow Handbook guidelines regarding acceptable treats and
also refrain from delivering special lunches to students on these days.
- Party invitations
may be distributed at school only if all students in the
class are invited.
In
the Office
Please
stop by to purchase Entertainment Books for $25 each. Don't forget to pick up
some Together We're Better cards while you're
there.
Link to Lunches
Rigazzi's
is catering the November 12 Taste of the Hill lunch. The
PTO has made it easier for you to track the
lunches you've purchased. Check the link on the main Fast Direct page
to view a spreadsheet of payments through December.
Recycle
Your
Ink Jet Cartridges, Paper, and Aluminum Cans
This
free program generates money
for St. Ambrose and helps protect the environment. Simply drop the
cartridges off in the cafeteria and the paper and cans in the bins on
Hereford.
New
Instructions Regarding Campbell's Labels
Please
send in the entire label, as the instructions for submitting labels
have changed. We will have homeroom parents help with the
cutting
that is required. Pass
the word to
grandparents and neighbors who may save them too. And, don't forget to
keep clipping boxtops and labels and saving them for upcoming contests!
Save
More Labels
Please save labels from Nestle Pure
Life Purified Water. The school gains points for every label saved and
we can earn equipment at the end of the year. Please turn these labels
in separately from the Campbell labels.
Homeroom Parents
Kdg: Captain - Jennifer Mayberry, Ellie Lankford, Rachel
Rickert
Gr.
1: Captain - Karen Sinak, Carolyn Mitchell, Teresa Bozikis, Teresa
Weitz, Jill Springer, Nickie Collora
Gr. 2:
Captain - Bernadette Mense, Toni Paulus, Jill Springer, Tammi
Miles
Gr. 3: Captain - Julie Passanise, Stacey Byrne, Carolyn
Mitchell, Cami Johanningmeier
Gr. 4: Captain - Angie
Kaestner, Kathy Ward, Joanie Stark, Teresa Severino
Gr. 5:
Captain - Ann Konzen, Karen Sinak, JoAnn Cronin, Janice Summers,
Jennifer Byers
Gr. 6: Co-Captains - Diana Smith &
Margie Meyers, Toni Paulus, Pam Vollmer, Angie Kaestner
Gr.
7: Captain - Bernadette Mense, Anna Stremlau, Robyn O'Leary, Jeanne
Bergfeld
Gr. 8: Captain - Michelle Calcaterra, Donna
Nappier, Stacey Byrne, Lynn Berra, Vicky Crump, Elaine Hall
PTO
"Taste of the Hill" Lunch Schedule (served from 11:00 -
1:00)
December 10 (Grade 5) - Favazza's
January 14
(Grade 4) - Pasta House
February 4 (Grade 3) - LoRusso's -
dinner
February 25 (Grade 2) - Anthonino's
March
- None
April 21 (K & Grade 1) - BBQ
Class
Celebration/Activity Schedule
This list identifies
the classes responsible for hospitality at each event, as organized by
the room parent:
- Dec 4 -
Reconciliation - Grades 3 & 4 - more details to follow
- April 7 - Confirmation -
Grades 5 & 6 - more details to follow
- April 14 - First Holy
Communion (this is the Monday after the Holy Communion Mass on
Saturday, April 12) - Grades K & 1 - more details to follow
- May 23 - 8th Grade
Graduation - Grade 7 organize reception (in the cafeteria) to follow
6:30 pm graduation mass
2007-2008
Student Council Members
Officers
President:
Rachel Pearson
Vice
President: Gwen Calcaterra
Secretary:
Alyssa Hilderbrand
Treasurer:
Sam Herbig
Class
Representatives
5th: Marissa Sinak and
Julie Dempsey
6th:
Addyson Collora and Julia Stark
7th:
Michaela Mense and Nicci Amato
8th:
Samantha Been and Zach Bandera
School Rewards
Target's Take
Charge of
Education Program
Apply for a Target REDcard or Visa
and 1% of your
purchases are returned to your designated school.
Foot
Locker School Rewards and Flowers into Dollars
Present
the key tags recently sent home at Foot Locker stores or shop
online at footlocker.com and 1-800-flowers.com, using our School Code
WL3B when checking out. Whatever your method of payment, 5% of what you
spend will be donated to St. Ambrose.
Macy's Shop for
Education Program
Sign
up to support St. Ambrose and every time you use your Macy's card, the
school earns money. Complete the flyer sent home this week and return
to the office to start earning from 1 to 3 percent of your monthly
charged purchases at Macy's.
Internet Search Website
Search
the web
with www.goodsearch.com
and money from their advertisers
will go to your favorite
charity.
Also
check
out the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Website at www.ascjus.org.
Our sisters are now engaged in retreat work at Queen of Apostles Center
in Imperial. If you are interested in joining or taking a group for a
day or overnight retreat, please contact Sr. Rosemary Buttice, ASCJ, at
636-464-0163.
Archdiocesan
Mandate
All parents who wish to participate in any
event (lunch duty, field trips, class parties, Breakfast with Santa,
etc.) at school involving children MUST attend the Protecting God's
Children Workshop. For information on times and locations of the
workshops, please visit the archdiocesan website www.archstl.org and follow
the link or consult the recent message to parents on Fast Direct. Don't
forget the November 6 workshop here at St. Ambrose.
Our
Fabulous Faculty
| Grade | Teacher | Homeroom | Voice Mail |
| K | Maria Foster | 107 | 134 |
| Michelle Patke | 108 | 134 |
| 1 | Mary Lynne Harris | 205 | 138 |
| Jennifer O'Toole | 202 | 125 |
| 2 | Jennifer Smith | 204 | 137 |
| Margaret Rotter | 203 | 136 |
| 3 | Emily Elmore | 103 | 123 |
| Ann Grandstaff | 105 | 130 |
| 4 | Anne Henning | 106 | 133 |
| Sr. Margaret Mary
Stoverink | 104 | 129 |
| 5 | Judy King | 307 | 145 |
| Debbie Hilderbrand
(homeroom)
| 308 | 146 |
| 6 | Eugene Marella | 303 | 141 |
| Leanne Durham | 304 | 142 |
| 7 | Cathy Griner | 305 | 143 |
| Dwight Elmore | 302 | 140 |
| 8 | Shanna Kar | 306 | 144 |
| Mary Scherer | 301 | 139 |
| Art | JoAnn Dreas | 201 | 117 |
| Computer | Debbie Hilderbrand | Computer Lab | 126 |
| Learning
Consultant, 5-8 | Lisa Horner | Penthouse | 119 |
| Learning Consultant, K-4 | Terry Kellar | Penthouse | 120 |
| Physical Education | Beth Brickey | Gym | 263 |
| Italian, K-3 | Sr. Ruth Aubrey | | |
| Italian, 4-8 | Annunciata Buzzai | | |
| Teacher Aide | Sr. Sandra Krupp | | |
| Principal | Sr. Carol Sansone | Office | 114 |
| Office | Hilma Moses | Office | 115 |
| Office | Linda Gambaro | Office | 116 |
| Extended Care | Susan Nelson | Cafeteria | 314-922-9475 |