| Thursday, March 4 |
3rd Grade Parent Coalition Meeting, 7:00 pm, cafeteria |
| Friday, March 5 |
Field Trip to the Sheldon, Grades 3-5, and 7 |
| Saturday, March 6 |
PTO Spring Fever Family Dance
7-11 pm, cafeteria |
| Monday, March 8 |
TWB Dress-Down Day for those who purchased a card during TWB Week |
| Thursday, March 11 |
Advancement Conference
Faculty Meeting - Noon Dismissal
Mission Day, Dress Down |
| Friday, March 12 |
End of Quarter 3 |
| Sunday, March 14 |
Daylight Saving Time
Optional Summer Uniform: break out the shorts and put away the sweatpants (and pray for cooperative weather patterns) |
| March 14 - 21 |
National Prayer Week |
| Monday, March 15 |
PTO Special Lunch: Rigazzi's Mostaccioli and Meatballs |
| Tuesday, March 16 |
School Board Meeting |
| Wednesday, March 17 |
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Students may wear green shirts with their uniform |
| Thursday, March 18 |
Student St. Joseph Altar
8:00 am Blessing |
| Friday, March 19 |
No School, Faculty Retreat Day |
| Saturday, March 20 |
Bellarmine Speech Meet |
| Sunday, March 21 |
Parish St. Joseph Altar
After 11:00 Mass, Cafeteria |
| March 22 - 26 |
Scholastic Book Fair |
| Wednesday, March 24 |
Second Grade Enrollment Mass and Breakfast, 8:00 am |
| Thursday, March 25 |
Second Grade Retreat, Our Lady of the Snows
Book Fair Extended Hours and Dinner, 5:00 - 7:00 pm |
| April 1 - 7 |
Easter Break |
| April 8 |
School Resumes |
Clean Up Your Language
March is National Developmental Disability Awareness Month. The
Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities and People
First have produced a postcard which can serve to remind us that the
words we choose can either be helpful or hurtful. During this season of
Lent, as we strive to remove those things that separate us from God, we
have the opportunity to reflect on our own use of language. We are
distributing these cards in the hope that you will use them to have a
conversation with your child(ren) about treating one another with
respect and dignity. Sometimes we aren't even aware of when we are
being hurtful. Maybe this will help prevent some unintended pain.
St. Ambrose Teachers Honored at the St. Joseph Altar
The following randomly selected teachers will sit with
Archbishop Carlson at the head table on Sunday, March 21: Michelle
Grellner, Ann Grandstaff, Annunciata Buzzai, Sr. Carol Sansone, Kathy
McIver, Sr. Margaret Stoverink, Debbie Hilderbrand, Mary Lynne Harris,
Maria Foster, Kate Black, JoAnn Dreas, Lisa Horner.
Teacher Retreat
The teachers will enjoy a retreat day at Montebello on Friday,
March 19, while the students enjoy a day off as parishioners prepare
the St. Joseph Altar.
Primary and Intermediate Drop-In Days
Parents of students in grades K through 5 are invited to drop-in
on classes during the afternoon of Tuesday, March 30, and the morning
of Wednesday, March 31, which provides an additional opportunity to
attend 8:00 am Mass with your child(ren).
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.
Currently the prayer
intentions are: Judy King's family, Ben Luczak and his family,
Monsignor Bommarito, people of Chile and Haiti, and members of St. Ambrose School and parish
|
 Events
and Activities |
Top |
Stations of the Cross
Please note the following schedule for Stations of the Cross and join us in Church at 2:00 pm.
March 5 - All School
March 12 - Grades K-4
March 26 - Grades 5-8
St. Joseph's Student Altar
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.
Joesph's Altar. Parents are welcome to attend the 8:00 am
blessing of the altar bread. Additionally, families are invited to
contribute baked goods, in individually wrapped child-sized portions,
to sell during lunch for prices between .25 and .50. Any items
remaining will be sold by 3:05 that afternoon, as the cafeteria needs
to be vacated for the parish St. Joseph's Altar preparations. All
proceeds, including those of the March 11 dress-down day, will be
contributed to one of the following areas: a medical mission trip to
Honduras, St. Vincent de Paul, and earthquake relief.
Book Fair Diner
The Scholastic Book Fair will be help the week of March 22, with
extended hours -- from 5 to 7 pm -- on Thursday, March 25. In keeping
with this year's theme "Book Fair Diner," a family dinner will be also
be served on Thursday, at the cost of $6 for adults and $4 for
children. More details will follow.
Upcoming Sacramental Dates
Confirmation will be conferred on April 13 and First Communion on April 24.
Convent to Classrooms
Auction Item Acquisition
Auction gifts are currently being accepted in the school office.
Be sure to complete up a three-part form when submitting your gift and
watch Fast Direct for suggestions and incentives.
The St. Ambrose Auction will take place on November 13, 2010,
and Mr. Kim Tucci has once again agreed to be the auctioneer for the
evening. The cost for the event is $75.00 per person. Contracts for
gift donations are available in the school office and we are looking
for underwriters for various expenses for the evening. More information
will be forthcoming in the bulletin and school papers. If you have any
questions or would like to be on a committee, please contact the school
office at (314) 772-1437.
Please note the link to the Sponsorship and Catalog Ad Contract on the front page of Fast Direct.
|
 Volunteer
Opportunities |
Top |
Antidote for Your Spring Fever
PTO
is sponsoring a Spring Fever Family Dance on March 6, from 7 pm - 11
pm. The PTO is looking for help with set up, working the concession
stand during the dance, and clean up. Please call or message Lisa
DiPaolo (314-520-8882) if you can help out. Remember that this would go
toward your 10 point parent participation requirement. More details to
come soon.
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 |
House Points for February
For the month
Vincent - 3249
Thomas - 2815
David - 2684
Michael - 2442
Brigid - 2096
Catherine - 1532
For the year
David - 12,920
Vincent - 12,517
Brigid - 11,687
Thomas - 11,292
Michael - 10,582
Catherine - 10,072
Middle School
- 7th grade
has been researching primary source documents about the Trail of Tears
and they will right an essay on it next week and the 8th grade just
completed rearching and presenting multi-media projects on the 1920s.
- 8th Accelerated Math students are understanding the tediousness of manipulating polynomials!
- On Monday,
during the study hall period, Mrs.Horner offered a session in the
penthouse for any 6th graders interested in learning ways to raise
their mad minute scores. During this session, using the teamboard, she
showed them how to access a number of websites with games and practices
designed to help students improve their speed with math facts. Some are
fun games which emphasize speed and accuracy. Some are printable
practices which can be done at home. Twenty-one 6th graders chose to
attend. Two of them said that they actually had used one of these web
sites to practice once before. Several said afterwards that they will
use these practices in the future. This is just one of the ways that we
are working to continue raising students' test scores in mathematics.
- 6th Grade will be
completing their Family Life Books in Religion and will pick up their
regular books again. We will begin speaking about Solomon, his temple,
and Old Jerusalem.
|
 Awards
and Achievements |
Top |
Breaking News
Nina M. (6th grade) won a Blue Ribbon for Picture the Music. Watch this space for more information.
St. Ambrose Alum Acknowledges Former Teachers and Mentors
Dominic F. wanted us to share his good news with with all of you. We
just learned this weekend that he has been accepted into the Ferring
Scholar Program at Washington University School of Medicine. We are
very proud of Dominic and recognize that this is quite an achievement.
He was one of the 11 SLUH students nominated as Freshmen by his Biology
teacher and his academic advisor (275 young men in the SLUH Class of
2012). And now he is one of 10 high-school students accepted into the
three-year summer program for those interested in careers in health
care or biomedical research. Students from four area high schools
— Cardinal Ritter, Rosati-Kain, Metro and St. Louis University
High — were nominated.
The Ferring Scholars Program is a three-year program designed for high
school students who are interested in careers in health care or
biomedical research. The goal of the program is to provide participants
with an in-depth and rigorous, mentored research experience throughout
high school, in preparation for continued research experience in
college and eventually graduate school.
Participants work closely with a carefully selected faculty member at
Washington University School of Medicine to develop and conduct
independent research projects. In addition to the research experience,
the Program features journal club, individualized career counseling,
social activities, and workshops directed at maximizing their high
school and college experience.
The program includes students from high schools interested in the
biomedical and health services research disciplines. The program is
designed primarily for highly motivated and independent students that
have excelled in and outside of the classroom.
Based on their interests and performance in their freshman year of high
school, a group of students is selected by their high school science
teachers and or principal. During the summer after their freshman year,
the students spend two weeks on the medical campus in a variety of
activities that include a laboratory course sponsored by the Human
Genome Sequencing Center, tours of the medical centers, and information
sessions about the careers in medicine from medical students, graduate
students, and potential mentors (physician scientists or scientists).
After their first semester of their sophomore year, approximately 50
percent of the students are selected to continue in the program based
on academic performance during high school, extracurricular activities,
and writing skills demonstrated in the previous year. During the second
summer students are paired with a scientific mentor to work in their
laboratory at least six of eight weeks during the summer for 20 to 40
hours per week. The students also take an ACT preparatory course and
are given assigned readings for weekly discussions with the program
director and associate director. After the end of the summer (last
Friday of July), a luncheon poster presentation is put together by the
students describing their summer project. Family and school
representatives are invited to attend.
During the third summer, the students are expected to complete at least
six of eight weeks in a laboratory working on a hypothesis-driven
project and to present their work either as a poster or presentation at
an end of the summer luncheon. In addition, students work on their
personal college statements and start to prepare their college
admission packets. With the assistance of their mentor and program
leaders, students are encouraged to submit their work to regional or
national scientific meetings and competitions for scientific awards.
The Ferring Scholars Program is made possible by the financial
contributions of John and Allison Ferring through the St. Louis
Children’s Hospital Foundation. The cost of the program is
approximately $25,000 per year, excluding time, support and resources
donated by Washington University faculty and staff members.
On Dominic's behalf, we thank you for all of your influence as his mentors.
|
 Miscellaneous |
Top |
The Catholic Education Office Is on the Move!
Members
of the Catholic Education Office will be moving from the Cardinal
Rigali Center at 20 Archbishop May Drive in Shrewsbury to the Catholic
Center at 4445 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis City. This move will take
place over the next several months. If you plan to visit a member of
the Catholic Education Office, please call first to make sure you know
which location to visit. (Office phone numbers and e-mails will remain
the same.) Thank you for your patience during this process.
NOTE:
The School Personnel Office will be closed to move on Wednesday,
February 24. The School Personnel Office will re-open on Thursday,
February 25, at their new location on 4445 Lindell Boulevard, St.
Louis, MO 63108.
Together We're Better
These merchants are giving us a larger percentage from TWB certificates temporarily.
- Dierbergs 5%
- American Eagle 10%
- Lands End 17%
- Fashion Bug 8%
Please check out the full list on the TWB link on Fastdirect and send your order to the school office. Thanks!
From Joey B's Restaurant
Last year was such a success and we thank you for continuing to visit
and support us. We enjoy seeing many of you regularly now!! Once again
we would like to give back by supporting your parish. Join us Sundays
through March 28 and we will be happy to donate
10% of the sales back to St. Ambrose. (Bring in your bulletin or make
sure to tell your server to add your receipt to St Ambrose.)
All the staff is looking forward to see St Ambrose Parishioners! Still
offering our delicious Fried Chicken Dinner for only $8.99. Open at
11am.
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
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!
Extended Care Enrichment Program
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
Click
for more information on the Extended
Care Enrichment Program.
Tuition Rates for 2010-2011
The Tuition Rates for the 2010-2011 School Year are posted on the front page of FastDirect. We appreciate the Finance Committee and Monsignor Bommarito working together to keep our tuition rate as low as possible.
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
Mary Ellen Stephens
PTO Board
Lisa DiPaolo, President
Marsy Canino
Sarah Chavez
Sharon Gambaro
Tracy Hill
Michele Keller
Bernadette Mense
Ann Oliver
Peggy Pancella
Toni Paulus
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
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.
Calendar
News
Reference