Advent Wreaths
The St Ambrose Girl Scouts are selling Advent Wreaths. Each wreath was handmade with care by scouts and their parents. They come complete with one pink and three purple candles and a list of prayers to say as you light a candle each week of Advent. Each wreath is $16. We also have replacement candles available for $4 per set for those who bought a wreath last year. The first week of Advent starts November 30. Fast direct Bobbi Pineda to reserve your Advent wreath. Thanks for your support.

Nutcracker Dancers
Congratulations to Marissa Pineda and Madelyn Wansong, who will be appearing in the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on November 30, at 8:00 pm. Marissa is a snowflake and Maddie is a Spanish variation dancer. Tickets are available at www.Nutcracker.com.

Mass to Honor American Veterans
Local veterans were honored at Mass on November 8 as the parishioners of St. Ambrose remembered Veteran’s Day. The church was decorated with patriotic pictures and decorations. Upon arriving at Mass, each veteran was presented with a hand-made card and a red carnation. The cards were made by St. Ambrose students to thank the veterans for their service. The honorees were then escorted to reserved seating. An estimated 30-40 veterans attended the Mass celebrated by Fr. Bill. Patriotic songs were played before Mass.

The processional was led by several Scouts and their leaders. The student volunteers were Jeffery A., David B., Kyle B., Tyler B., Rachel B., Timmy B., Alan F., Dominic F., Liam J., Mia J., Ben K., Tommy M., Chris O., Louis S., Dominic S., Justin S., and Stephen S. The leaders were Mr. Jeff Dunn, Mr. Dan Beato, and Mrs. Sue O’Connor. The Boy Scouts then led the congregation in the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, a moving tribute to the Flag was read by the Boy Scouts to remind us of the sacrifices that won our nation’s freedom. 

During the Homily, Father Bill thanked the veterans for their service to God and country. After Communion, John S., a seventh grader, read a poem to honor the veterans. The congregation responded with a standing ovation for the veterans. We are proud of the hard work and sacrifice of our veterans who served their country proudly.

This was the first service project of the Service Learning Club. They did a wonderful job! The veterans expressed such joy when they read their cards. Several gentlemen said that the cards meant everything to them.

Thanks to Mrs. Felt and Mrs. King for helping to organize this special event and a special thanks to all who served to preserve our freedom and liberty.

Future plans for the CSLP include monthly assemblies, volunteer opportunities, fund raising ideas, and participation in events such as Catholic Schools Week, Jump Rope for Heart, St. Joseph's Workers, and the Turkey Bowl. We'll report new developments here!

Lisa Horner reports that the visiting team for the School Improvement Plan will be at St. Ambrose on February 11 and 12. The Catholic Identity report is 99% complete; Institutional Issues is in process; administration and faculty members are contributing to the Educational Issues report. Members of these steering committees will be participating with the visiting team and all will be invited to the liturgy.

The Power of Prayer
Please continue to keep baby Grace L. and Stevie L, grade 1, in your prayers.
Anyone wishing to include names or special intentions in our community prayer chain, please contact Debbie Hilderbrand at school.

Congratulations to our Chess Club, which has just finished week 2 of a 7 week tournament. They are playing other teams from New City School, Kennard, McKinley, Mark Twain, and Dewey Schools. Representing St Ambrose are Riley F., Alan P., James O., John B., Greg B., Nicolas M., Will H., John S., Keith H. and Nicholas D. Keep up the great job, St Ambrose Chess Club!

Attention 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Boys and Girls:
The annual Turkey Bowl Tradition will continue on Thanksgiving Day 2008 at Berra Park. We will meet at 8:30 am to distribute uniforms and the match will begin at 9:00 am. The Old Timers game will follow at 10:15 am until Noon. We are asking for a $5.00 dollar donation which will be donated to the St. Vincent De Paul Society. Please forward money to Rick Severino through the office by Monday, November 24.

• Breakfast with Santa is Sunday, December 7, 2008, from 7:30 am - 11:30 am. Prices are $6.00 for Adults and $5.00 for Kids 10 and under. We're serving: scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, fruit cup, roll, coffee, juice, and milk. Other features include: Santa’s Secret Shop, Country Store, Bake Sale, Silent Auction, and Pictures with Santa. We’re Looking Forward to Seeing You There!
• The Fall Aftercare Finale takes place on Friday, December 5, at 7:00 pm in the school gymnasium. There will be a St. Ambrose band concert, a music appreciation presentation, a performance by the Broadway Dancers, a performance by the Progressive Tappers, Creative Drama Adventures in Storyland, and a Stages mini-production of Annie. Please join us for refreshments, fellowship, and entertainment.
• Two upcoming PTO-sponsored events: December 1 is the second-quarter Family Night at Kemoll's and December 12 is the Fabulous Fox Christmas Spectacular Matinee for the students. 

1. Look at your task or assignment.
2. Think about the steps needed to complete the task.
3. Focus all of your attention on the task.
4. Stop working only when instructed.
5. Ignore distractions and interruptions from others.

This skill would be very helpful for parents to reinforce during homework time!

Mrs. King used Blended Teaching this week in the fifth grade Religion classes. Students watched a movie, "Toying with the Truth," and then discussed how the character should have used the skill "Disagreeing Appropriately."

Miscellaneous

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Help Keep the Communication Channels Open
Please forward any information you wish to include in this newsletter to Debbie Hilderbrand or Sharon Gambaro via Fast Direct or through the school office. Additionally, Marsy Canino will be available in the school parking lot on Friday afternoons to receive and forward your news for publication.

Share Your Pics for the Yearbook
There is a new way to submit photos online for consideration in the yearbook. Log on to images.jostens.com, enter Login ID# 1171022 and Password onthehill. Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload, click on Image Share. Enter info about the photo and contact info, then click Save Details. Photos can also be submitted on a cd (just send to the school office, addressed "Yearbook") or emailed to Laura McQuay at lramcq@hotmail.com.

Parent/yearbook advisor Laura McQuay is in need of pictures from last year's Confirmation. Photos can be submitted on a cd (jpg) and sent to the office marked "yearbook" or to Laura McQuay's attention, or e-mailed to lramcq@hotmail.com or to Jostens' new website. If you have any questions, please contact Laura through Fast Direct. 

Special Lunches Continue for this School Year
Monday, December 15 - Favazza's chicken fingers and white pasta
PTO manages the purchase of special lunches electronically via a laptop. All teachers have received new laptops this year. The laptops they used previously have been collected for a mobile computer lab in school.

After School Enrichment
After school enrichment programs are in full swing and registration is closed. Please look for a survey to have input for the next round of sessions that will start in January. Please also mark your calendars for December 5, at 7:00 pm, our Enrichment Finale. Come enjoy refreshments and be treated to a band concert, a mini production of Annie, the Creative Drama finale, and a concert by the Music Appreciation students. 

Reference

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