St.
Ambrose School, 2009-2010
Weekly
News Files
February 4, 2010
Links to This Week's New Articles
News Section
Safety Patrol
Success Stories
St. Ambrose is the Good News in Education!
More From the Catholic School Office
Events and Activities
Section
Special Lunch - February 8
Box Tops Contest #2
Maple Syrup Days
February Faculty Meeting
Lent Begins February 17
Looking Ahead
Extended Care Session II
Awards and Achievements
Section
Congratulations!
| Saturday, February 6 |
Bellarmine Speech Meet |
| Monday, February 8 |
PTO Special Lunch: JVincent Food |
| February 8 - 26 |
Box Tops Contest |
| Tuesday, February 9 |
Maple Sugar Days, Grade 4 |
| Thursday, February 11 |
Faculty Meeting - Noon Dismissal
Mission Dress-Down Day |
| Monday, February 15 |
Presidents' Day
No School |
| February 16 - 23 |
Jump Rope for Heart/Hoops for Life |
| Tuesday, February 16 |
PTO Family Night: Mardi Gras Dinner
Rose of the Hill |
| Wednesday, February 17 |
Ash Wednesday |
| Thursday, February 18 |
Repertory Theatre, Grade 8
Grade 2 Parent Meeting in Church, 7:00 pm |
Dear
Parents,
To ensure the safety of our children during after school dismissal, the gate
to the soccer lot will be closed at approximately 2:55 PM and will re-open
at 3:10 PM. The students on safety patrol at the lot will be using the clock
in the cafeteria as their source of time. If you would like to use the
soccer lot as your pick-up location, please arrive at school early enough to
access the lot.
The soccer lot is only one of the pick-up locations. You are welcome to park
around the school as well.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Safety Patrol
Success Stories
- Thank you
to the Marketing Committee, parents, students, and faculty of St.
Ambrose who worked so hard to make our Open House a great success.
Several new families visited us and were impressed with the people,
community, and programs we have to offer. Let us all say a prayer that
our registration is very busy and that we are able to increase our
enrollment.
- We would
also like to thank everyone who contributed to the Athletic
Association’s Trivia Night. It too was a very successful
fundraiser and fun evening. Thank you to the chairpersons, volunteers,
and those who participated and/or donated items. It is wonderful to see
our community support the events we have here at school and the parish.
From the Catholic School Office
A newly-produced, one-hour documentary on the history and future of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, Mission to Educate: A Faithful Past, A Faith-Filled Future, will air on HEC-TV (Cable) at the following times:
Sunday, January 31, 6 p.m.
Sundays in February, 1 p.m.
Mondays in February, 7 p.m.
HEC-TV is Channel 26 for Charter Cable customers and Channel 99 for AT & T U-Verse customers with HEC-TV option. When Mission To Educate
is being aired on HEC-TV, it will be simultaneously shown online at
hectv.org. The documentary will soon be available on the HEC-TV site
and on iTunes U, available for downloads to iPods or iPhones. Go to hectv.org for more information. Click to view a promotional video.
Tuition
Tuition for next year has been determined. The finance committee
continues to work diligently with Msgr. Bommarito to keep our tuition in the
affordable range. We, as a parish and school community, have been good
stewards. It appears the increase in tuition will continue to be slight and
fair. I trust Msgr.'s positive and supportive direction of our school on
this one. Please refer to the link on the front page of Fast Direct to see
the tuition costs for the 2010-2011 school year.
Thank you, Sr. Carol
SLU Counseling Service
Again we are very fortunate to have SLU graduate student counselors who
will be doing their practicum work here at St. Ambrose. With parent
consent, they will be meeting with individual students to counsel them
in personal or social issues. We are blessed to be able to offer this
service to families for the semester at no charge. Students can be
referred by parents and/or teachers. Please let me know by email or
phone if you feel that your child might benefit from this service. I
will send the permission forms home for you to sign.
Lisa Horner, learning consultant
Special
Intentions
Contact Debbie Hilderbrand if you wish to include any prayer intention
in the newsletter. We are a prayerful
community and wish to provide this avenue of support for any special
needs.
|
 Events
and Activities |
Top |
Special Lunch - February 8
The
February installment of our Community PTO Special Lunches will be
served by JVincent Foods. Mr. Joe DeLurgio, school parent and alum, is
the manager there, and will serve Cheese Bread Pizza to those who have
ordered. We are looking forward to enjoying this lunch as we have the
others already served. Thank you to JVincent Foods for the hospitality.
Box Tops Contest #2
The
Second Box Tops Contest at school will take place from February 8
through February 26. Send in those box tops to help us. If any
parishioners have box tops that they would like to give to the school,
please send them with a student or feel free to drop them by the
office. We have been able to update the drinking fountains, update the
shades in the classrooms that had them, and many other minor capital
improvements with the money we raise through this program. Please
collect them and turn them in when you can! We’d like to thank Angie
Kaestner for her assistance in chairing this program.
Maple Syrup Days
Our
fourth graders and their teachers and chaperones will travel to
Rockwood Reservation on February 9 to learn how to collect maple syrup
from trees. Once they collect the syrup, they will then see the process
of how the syrup we purchase at the stores is made. They are looking
forward to this field trip because, as one student said, “I can’t wait
to get it and taste it!”
February Faculty Meeting
The
February faculty meeting will take place on Thursday February 11. As
always, school will be dismissed at noon on this day. Extended Care
will be available.
Lent Begins February 17
Please
be aware that the St. Ambrose cafeteria will serve meatless lunches on
Ash Wednesday and every Friday in Lent to encourage the discipline of
abstinence.
Looking Ahead
To
honor St. Joseph on his feast day, March 18, St. Ambrose students will
once again have an opportunity to participate in the custom of the St.
Joseph's Altar. Watch for additional information as the date
approaches.
Extended Care Session II
The program for the second semester begins next week.
Tuesday: February 16, 23; March 2, 9, 16, 23
• Abra-Kid-Abra --Gym
Josh Routh
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Grades K – 3
• Photography – Art Room
Grandma Judy Bozikis
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Grades 4 - 8
Wednesday: February 17, 24; March 3, 10, 17, 24
• Karate
Robinson’s Karate
3:15 pm to 4 pm
Grades K-8
• Cooking Class
Sr. Margaret Mary
3:30 pm to 4:45 pm
Grades 4-8
Thursday: February 18, 25; March 4, 11, 18, 25
• Soccer Club “Hoc-Soc After School”
Tony Reynoso
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Grades 4-8
• Music and Movement
Mimi Roach
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Grades K – 2
Science Enrichment
Young Scientist Program from Washington University
Catholic Schools Week Concludes
- Look for pictures in next week's newsletter and bulletin!
Friday, February 5: First Friday
- All-School Mass 8:00 am
- Mission Carnival hosted by the Community Service Learning Club - All are invited from 9:00 am - noon
- Special Lunch to end the week: Mr. B's mini burgers and chips
$3.00 per person
Families and parishioners
are invited to show their support for Catholic Schools by continuing to light
candles outdoors from 5:00 - 9:00 pm each evening during the week.
Convent to Classrooms
Auction 2010
The St. Ambrose Auction for 2010 will be held on November
13, 2010. The theme of the 2010 auction is “Convent to
Classrooms.” The proceeds will be used to offset the costs
of converting the convent space to classrooms. The Apostles of the
Sacred Heart, still committed to St. Ambrose as a mission, have moved
out of the St. Ambrose School building, and are now residing in a home
near the Sacred Heart Villa. The move was essential for the updating
and extra space needed by our students and learning environments. Since
the auction date is 11/13, the school office will be encouraging
donations on the
11th and 13th of each month. We are accepting items now. Donation forms
are in the office. Just fill out the donation contract and attach it to
your gift. Thank you in advance for
your generosity.
|
 Volunteer
Opportunities |
Top |
Can You Spare Some Time Over
Lunch?
We
are in need of parent volunteers for lunch/recess, hours are 10:50 -
12:40. Please remember that you must have completed Protecting God's
Children and the associated paperwork. Please contact Bernadette Mense
via Fast Direct if you can help.
|
 In
the Classroom |
Top |
Middle School Drop-In Days
The Middle School teachers invite all
parents to their Drop-In Days to be held on Monday February 8th from 8AM-Lunch
and on Tuesday February 9th from Lunch - 3:00PM. Parents are asked to
attend their students' classes, observe the lessons, and eat lunch with their
child/ren. We ask the parents to be respectful of the learning and to
please be quiet during classes. You are welcome to travel to each
classroom and you do not have to stay for the entire period.
Speech Team
We are very proud of our speech team for this meet. Will H and Brian L
are each performing humorous speeches. Rachel S is performing a serious
monologue. Shelby D and Amber M are doing a fantastic duet called Say Goodbye
Herb. John S and Julie S are also performing a duet.
Our speech meet is Saturday, so please support our efforts. Thank you very much!
You will see some award winning performances. Look out Oscar!
Look for more information regarding specific grades' activities next week!
|
 Awards
and Achievements |
Top |
- Congratulations
to Master Dominic P. (4th grade) who is this year’s Spelling Bee
Winner at St. Ambrose. His sister, Theresa (sixth grade) is the runner
up. Dominic will compete against others at the St. Louis Spelling Bee
held at the St. Louis Art Museum in March. Congratulations to their
family and good luck in March!
- Congratulations
also goes to the Tisell Family, the winners of the raffle for the
current school families that referred a new family to visit us on Open
House Day. The Tisell family won a $25 gift card from TWB.
St. Ambrose is the Good News in Education!
The Catholic School office sponsored an essay contest with the
theme, "The Good News in Education." St. Ambrose students in grades 5-8
wrote about why they think St. Ambrose is the Good News. All of the
essays applauded the very best about St. Ambrose, such as religion
classes and planning Masses, Sr. Carol, Msgr. Bommarito, caring
teachers, teamboards, friends, challenge projects, enrichment classes,
and sports.
St. Ambrose chose finalists in the Intermediate and Middle School
categories. We are very proud of our finalists, Carolyn W. (grade 5)
and Nina M. (grade 6). Their essays were sent to the Catholic School
Office to compete with essay writers across the Archdiocese. Even
though, our students’ essays were not chosen as winners in the
contest, they remind us what a Winning School St. Ambrose is!
Carolyn W's
essay: St. Ambrose is the Good News in Education because of all it has
to offer. The teachers and staff are always willing to help you.
Each teacher has a special learning experience ready for the students.
This includes challenge classes and special projects. The classes are
interesting and will catch your attention, so you won't get bored. To make
learning fun, there are fun assemblies to teach about many different subjects
such as safety. All classes can plan a school mass which includes choosing
songs. Daycare is available before and after school for all students.
St. Ambrose offers many possibilities.
Nin M's
essay: St. Ambrose school is the good news in education because our
school focuses on the important values in Catholic religion. St. Ambrose
teachers teach their students to live their life like Jesus did and to serve the
Lord in all that you do. Our motto this year is "Dividends for Life".
I think that that is a very good motto for our school because it really shows
what St. Ambrose is all about and that is helping the children that go here to
serve the Lord, I, as a student who goes to St. Ambrose, feel very proud
to go here because I constantly have people setting a good example for me.
All the time I see students using the values our teachers teach us during
school. St. Ambrose school really is a great school for anyone wanting to
put Jesus into their lives and anyone who wants to learn about how to live your
life with the Lord. Sr. Carol, the principal of our school, does a great
job interacting with the students and also does a great job running our school
in the way of Christ. Our school is very lucky to have the Apostles of the
Sacred Heard here to teach our school because they have really done a wonderful
job teaching the students to live as Jesus did. Once again I think our
school is a very good place to get a Catholic education.
|
Miscellaneous |
Top |
Increase The Return to St.
Ambrose when Shopping at Schnucks
Through November 10, use your Schnucks eScrip card and when you
purchase select Kraft items, and St. Ambrose can earn an extra 3% of
the purchase price! View the web
page for details.
Yearbook Photos
Mrs. McQuay has set up the website for students, parents, and teachers
to submit yearbook photos online directly to Jostens. The Jostens Photo
Submission Website is images.jostens.com;
the user id is 400005642 and the password is "onthehill."
St.
Ambrose Nights at Mr. B's
Eat
at Mr. B's on the first and third Thursday of the month and St. Ambrose
receives 10% of your purchase. Be sure to mention "St. Ambrose Night"
to your server.
Check
Out These
Websites
What
if my favorite charity had a penny for every
time I searched the Internet?
Now
it can!
Search the web
with www.goodsearch.com
and money from their advertisers
will go to your favorite
charity without you spending a dime!
You can find St. Ambrose Catholic
School (St. Louis, MO) listed in WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? You can
also view how much money has currently been raised.
Here are three keys to substantially increasing the money you earn:
1. Remind everyone to begin their holiday shopping at GoodShop.
2. Ask your local businesses to buy their office supplies on your
behalf via GoodShop. All of the top stores including Staples,
OfficeDepot and OfficeMax are on-board!
3. Ask all of your supporters to download the new GoodSearch/GoodShop
Toolbar to ensure that every search and purchase count!
While you're surfing, be sure to also
visit the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Website at www.ascjus.org.
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.
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!
Tuition Grant Applications Now Available
Please be advised that the FACTS Tuition Grant Applications through the
Archdiocese of St. Louis for the 2010-11 school year are now available.
Two methods are available for filing: completing the paper application
OR filing online. The website is www.factstuitionaid.com.
The deadline to file is APRIL 1, 2010. You can pick up an application
Monday through Friday from the Rectory or from Msgr. Bommarito after
one of the weekend masses. If you are experiencing financial hardship,
please complete this application.
Thank you,
Msgr. Bommarito
Donna Bosch
St. Ambrose Leadership
Please reference the following lists to identify individuals
participating in the promotion, advisory, and community building of St.
Ambrose School. Click the links for more specific descriptions of each
group.
Marketing Committee
Katie Brennan
JoAnn Buckley
Tim Curtain
Chris Felt
Sharon Gambaro
Debbie Hilderbrand
Jill Jovanovic
Maggie Nikoli
Sr. Carol Sansone
Karen Sinak
PTO Board
Lisa DiPaolo, President
Marsy Canino
Sarah Chavez
Sharon Gambaro
Tracy Hill
Michele Keller
Bernadette Mense
Ann Oliver
Peggy Pancella
Toni Paulus
Mary Ellen Stephens
School Board
Fr. Vince Bommarito, Pastor
Katie Brennan, Marketing
Joseph Colagiovanni, Vision
Derio Gambaro, Alumni
Rob Liddy, Finance
Mike Mense, President
Sr. Carol Sansone, Principal
Karen Sinak, Vice President
Jim Summers, Parent Liaison
Brian Ward, Technology
Wes Yates, Legal
Extended
Care Enrichment Program
Click
for more information on the Extended
Care Enrichment Program.
PTO
Special Lunch
To
thank the neighborhood restaurants for their support and to share their
wonderful cuisine with our students, PTO invites them to provide lunch
to our students. Each month features a different restaurant and
selection. The
cost is the same as last year, $4 for grades K-4, $5 for grades 5-8 and
teachers/staff. Watch for
the order form for these lunches at home and return to the office with
your payment. Please note
that Chris' will not be served on these days.
Hot
Lunch Program Procedures
- Lunch
cards are $15.00 for 5 lunches.
- Every
child buying lunch must have a lunch card before getting in line. Money
will not be accepted in the lunch line. Please make checks payable to
Chris' Pancake & Dining. Special envelopes are
available in the office.
- Students
who forget their lunch will be given cereal and milk that will cost
1.00. Parents will be notified through Fast Direct.
- Snacks
such as pizza, nachos, cereal will be available to buy for students in
grades 3-8.
- A
lunch count is essential in the morning, so there is no food waste and
the students who come through last have a proper lunch. We will not
prepare for extra lunches this year.
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.
Our
Fabulous Faculty
| Grade |
Teacher |
| K |
Maria Foster |
|
Jennifer Smith |
| 1 |
Mary Lynne Harris |
| 2 |
Jennifer O'Toole |
|
Margaret Rotter |
| 3 |
Emily Elmore |
|
Ann Grandstaff |
| 4 |
Anne Henning |
|
Sr. Margaret Mary
Stoverink |
| 5 |
Judy King |
|
Kathy McIver
|
| Brigid 301 |
Mary Scherer |
| Catherine 302 |
Kate Black |
| David 304 |
Debbie Hilderbrand |
| Thomas 303 |
Jen Ronzio
|
| Vincent 305 |
Erin Schaeffer
|
| Michael 306 |
Shanna Kar |
| Art |
JoAnn Dreas |
| Computer |
Debbie Hilderbrand |
| Learning Consultant, K-4 |
Michele Grellner |
| Learning Consultant, 5-8 |
Lisa Horner |
| Physical Education |
Beth Brickey |
| Italian, K-8 |
Annunciata Buzzai |
| Principal |
Sr. Carol Sansone |
| Office |
Hilma Moses |
| Office |
Linda Gambaro |
| Extended Care |
Bernadette Mense |
Middle School homerooms
are made up of our house teams. We think this will help promote
relationships within the team and with their team moderator. Houses, moderators, and
colors are:
Michael House: Mrs. Kar (red)
Brigid House: Mrs. Scherer (green)
David House: Mrs. Hilderbrand (orange)
Vincent House: Mrs. Schaeffer (yellow)
Catherine House: Mrs. Black (purple)
Thomas House: Mrs. Ronzio (blue)
Calendar
News
Reference