St.
Ambrose School, 2009-2010
Weekly
News Files
April 23, 2010
Congratulations
to our First Communicants who will make their First Communion on Saturday
April 24th in St. Ambrose Church. The Mass will be at 9:30AM.
All are welcome.
Sacred Heart
Villa is hosting their annual Bar-B-Que on Saturday April 24th. All
are welcome to attend this fun event!
Don't forget to
attend the Mostaccioli and Meatball Dinner this Sunday 4/25 from Noon -
6:00PM in the cafeteria. Come on down and help support tuition
assistance! Don't forget to donate a cake to be used for dessert!
This is a great opportunity to earn those valuable Parent Participation
Points. If you would like to work, please contact Debbie Hilderbrand
at 645-3968.
Grandparents'/Special
Friends Day is April 30th. Please make sure you turn in your form so
we know how many people to prepare for and your plans for the day.
Print the form here
Links to This Week's New Articles
News Section
Congratulations to our First Communicants!
Respect Life Creative Writing Contest
New Book Series
Dollars and Cents for Haiti
Book It to the Library
Applebee's 2% Bonus Offer
Events Section
In Recognition of Earth Day
- Check out the pictures
Mostaccioli Dinner Reminder
James Dashner Titles
Volunteer Opportunities Section
KNEAD Some Parent Participation Points?
In the Classroom and Community Section
Middle School Updates
Kindness Coins
Fifth Grade Literature
Faith and Sacraments
Awards Section
St. Ambrose School Sweeps the Competition!!!
| Thursday, April 22 |
Earth Day |
| Saturday, April 24 |
First Holy Communion, 9:30 am
Bellarmine Speech Meet
Sacred Heart Villa Barbeque |
| Sunday, April 25 |
Mostaccioli Dinner to benefit St. Ambrose Tuition Assistance Program, noon - 6:00 pm, cafeteria |
| Wednesday, April 28 |
2nd Grade Field Trip to Zoo
Uniform Fitting, 3:15 - 6:30 pm, gym |
| Friday, April 30 |
Grandparents and Special Friends Day, 10:30 am Mass |
| Tuesday, May 4 |
Bicycle Safety Talk, Grades K-2 |
| Wednesday, May 5 |
PTO Board Meeting |
| Thursday, May 6 |
Rosary, 8:45 am |
| Friday, May 7 |
May Crowning, 8:00 am Mass
Assembly with Author J. Dashner, 11:15 am
IPC Barbeque
House Olympics |
| Sunday, May 9 |
Happy Mothers' Day |
| Wednesday, May 12 |
Teacher Appreciation Day |
| Thursday, May 13 |
Faculty Meeting, Noon Dismissal
Incoming Kindergarten Testing; No class for Kindergarten |
| Friday, May 14 |
8th Grade Mystery Trip |
| Sunday, May 16 |
Alumni Mass and Breakfast, 9:00 am |
| May 17 - 21 |
8th Grade Week |
| Monday, May 17 |
8:00 am All-School Mass |
| Tuesday, May 18 |
School Picnic |
| Friday, May 21 |
Graduation, 6:30 pm Mass |
| Monday, May 24 |
Transition Day, House Sorting Ceremony
Noon Dismissal |
| Tuesday, May 25 |
Field Day
Noon Dismissal |
| Wednesday, May 26 |
Clean-Up Day
Noon Dismissal |
| Thursday, May 27 |
Closing Liturgy and Awards, 8:00 am |
Congratulations to our First Communicants!
The 2nd graders receive their First Holy Communion on Saturday,
April 24, at 9:30 am at St. Ambrose. We congratulate all the first
communicants. Thank you to the 2nd grade teachers, Mrs. Rotter and Mrs.
O’Toole for their instruction in preparing the students for this
sacrament. Thank you to the parents who assisted with the preparation
as well, especially Mrs. Peggy Pancella for her assistance with the
music.
Respect Life Creative Writing Contest
According to Mrs. Maureen Kane from the Respect Life Apostolate:
“The response to the creative writing contest has been
great—we have almost 1,400 entries! Thank you for all you have
done to encourage your students to enter this contest. We believe that
entering this contest allows students the opportunity to express their
beliefs about chastity and respect for human life as taught by the
Catholic Church. While all the students can’t be awarded
scholarships, they are all winners through developing a fuller
understanding of these important issues. Finalists have been selected
from each school. The finalist from St. Ambrose is John S.—8th
grade.” All finalists, their teachers, and principals have been
invited to an Awards Reception at the Cardinal Rigali Center on April
20. John, his parents, Mrs. Schaeffer, and Sr. Carol attended the
reception. Congratulations to John and his family.
New Book Series
Sr. Carol Sansone and the faculty are happy to announce that we
will be purchasing a new Language Arts Series of Books for all of our
students this Summer. We will be purchasing the “Treasures”
series from MacMillan/McGraw Hill, which will be used for grades K-8.
Dollars and Cents for Haiti
Through several efforts here at school, the St. Ambrose students
have pitched in their change for Haiti. Through three Dress-Down Days
and a separate collection, our change added up to $1,000.00. Sr. Carol
has presented the check to the Archdiocese, which will add that amount
to the other schools’ collection and donate one lump sum to the
Red Cross for those assisting in the Haiti rebuilding effort.
Book It to the Library
- We
wish to thank everyone for their support of the book fair. Our total
sales were $5,338.63, of which the library was able to keep
approximately $2100.00. The proceeds are used to buy books for the
library and for eventual improvements. Special thanks to those who
volunteered during book fair week: Mary Seaton, Bobbie Ohmer,
Sarah Loranger, Joanie Stark, Michelle Keller, Diana Luczak, Ellie
Lankford, Michelle Patke, Caroline Wildhaber, Cindy Harrison, Tammy
Stotler, Vickie Haldaman, Sharon England, and Lisa Durham.
- The
library will close to students on April 30. We ask that students return
their books the first week of May. As always, thanks for your
continuing support.
Applebee's 2% Bonus Offer
Applebee's® and Great Lakes Scrip Center are pleased to
offer a 2% bonus contribution from Saturday, April 24, 2010, through
Friday, May 7, 2010. That means Applebee's gift cards will have a 10%
contribution instead of the normal 8% contribution, during that time
period only.
Summer Solutions
In case you were not able to preview the Summer Solutions workbooks
during the Book Fair last week, they are still available. The sample
copies are on a table outside the main office. Summer workbooks can be
ordered for all grades in Math, Reading Comprehension, and Grammar. If
you would like the descriptions and an order form sent home, send an
e-mail to Lisa Horner. You can still place an order after Easter. Send
your order form, with payment, in an envelope marked Summer Solutions. Any questions? Call Lisa Horner at
ext.119.
Convent to Classrooms
Pre-Auction Raffle
Raffle
chairs Mimi Lordo and Cindy Patton have organized a great pre-auction
fundraiser. Raffle tickets have been sent home and the raffle drawing
to be held on May 27, 2010.
Grand Prize: $5000.00
2nd Prize: $300 Pasta House Company Gift Certificate
3rd Prize: $200 Pasta House Company Gift Certificate
Tickets are $100 each; buy two and get the third free!
As
an incentive to ticket sellers, prizes
will be awarded to the seller of tickets drawn on Friday, April 23, 30, May 7, 14, and 21. Sell the most tickets
and win a room at the downtown Hilton and dinner for two at Kemoll's.
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 |
In Recognition of Earth Day
On April 22, we will have an all school contest, per classroom or
House, to collect paper or magazines in a designated area of the
cafeteria. The class or House with the highest stack will win an ice
cream treat. So start collecting paper, but no boxes, from home,
neighbors, or grandparents and relatives. Let's work together to help
save the Earth! This was a great success! The winning classes were
Grade 3 p - Mrs. Grandstaff's homeroom in Room 1-5 and 5th Grade - Mrs. McIver's
Room in room 308. They will enjoy a treat from Ted Drewe's.
Here are some pictures of
the collection:
Piles of paper
collected to be recycled. All homerooms had piles in the cafeteria.
Third graders who
brought in the most for Mrs. Grandstaff's class.
Mostaccioli Dinner Reminder
Msgr. Bommarito and the Finance Committee Members are sponsoring
a Mostaccioli Dinner on Sunday, April 25. The proceeds are to
benefit
the St. Ambrose School Tuition Assistance Program. Adult tickets are $7
in advance and $8 at the door; children are $4 in advance and $5 at the
door.
In order to make this a big success, we need approximately 500 pre-sold
tickets. Our success will depend on everyone participating, so please
purchase a few tickets. Invite family members to come and enjoy a good
meal. Tickets can be purchased in the school and rectory office or
after the weekend masses.
We have all been affected in some way by these hard economic times, so
lets do our best to join in this effort to raise funds to help the
struggling families, while enjoying a delicious dinner with family and
friends.
Thank you in advance for your ongoing support of Catholic education.
Msgr. Bommarito
James Dashner Titles
The publisher sending Mr. Dashner to St. Ambrose for the May 7 assembly is Shadow Mountain Press. The series they publish is The 13th Reality.
It is this series that Mr. Dashner will be featuring as he gives his
presentation to the kids about becoming a writer. The series includes: The Journal of Curious Letters (#1), The Hunt for Dark Infinity (#2), and The Blade of Shattered Hope (#3).
James Dashner has another earlier young reader series, The Jimmy Fichner Series,
published by a different publisher, Cedar Fort. Although he won’t
be focusing on this series in the assembly, these are the titles: A Door in the Woods (#1), A Gift of Ice (#2), The Tower of Air (#3), and War of the Black Curtain (#4).
Finally, there is a teen book published by Random House that’s
appropriate for older middle school and high school students. This
book, entitled The Maze Runner, may become a candidate for the short list for the Gateway Award Nominees for 2011.
|
 Volunteer
Opportunities |
Top |
KNEAD Some Parent Participation Points?
Monsignor Bommarito's Mostaccioli Dinner is on Sunday, April 25.
Proceeds will help those families in need of temporary tuition
assistance. Each
grade is required to donate ten cakes (no cookies or cupcakes) to be used
as desserts for the Mostaccioli Dinner on April 25. Anyone donating a
cake will be given one parent participation point. Cakes can be brought to the cafeteria on Friday, until 5:30, Saturday from 9 - 12 and Sunday until 11:00.
If
you have not completed your Parent Participation Points for the year,
now is a great time to volunteer! Contact Lisa DiPaolo for more
information.
Thanks to everyone who sponsored a mouse and to our cake-bakers.
|
 In
the Classroom and the Community |
Top |
Middle School Updates
- As the 7th
graders gain a better understanding that one's action impacts others
through the Church's teachings of the Communion of Saints, the students
are focusing on similarities, rather than differences; celebrating each
other's individual gifts; and practicing behavior that fosters
inclusion. The students are working through these exercises through
paragraphs of reflection, a Grape Vine display (which will be hanging
in the third floor hallway), and a Good Person Contract throughout this
week.
- Mrs. Kar's
6th grade grammar group is using the Literature selection of Gardner's
"Dragon, Dragon" as a springboard to understanding perspective through
other fairy tales. The students will be examining two movies later in
the week and beginning their writing projects on how to retell a
scene/story from another character's point of view.
- 7th
graders have finished "The Outsiders" and have turned in challenge
projects; they could choose different "layered" types of projects to
complete. They really enjoyed the novel and wrote essays comparing the
novel to the movie. They will be starting the novel "A Day No Pigs
Would Die" this week. 7th grade has also completed their study of the
parts of speech and will be working on correcting run-ons and sentence
fragments.
- 8th
graders have gathered sources for their research paper on an aspect of
life in the 1930's. They are learning the "notecard" notetaking method
for this paper. This paper is in conjunction with their study of the
classic "To Kill a Mockingbird," which they began this week. They are
learning how to annotate a text.
- Both 7th and 8th graders sent off their "preposition poems" to a contest for Creative Communications.
- John S. is
a finalist for the Archdiocese Respect Life Creative Writing contest.
He is invited to attend an awards assembly at Cardinal Rigali Center on
April 20th. Congratulations, John!
Kindness Coins
Fifth grade is on track to earn 1,000 Kindness Coins this
year. They earn Kindness Coins by random acts of kindness, good
class participation and discipline, helpfulness, and signs of
friendship. They have earned about 800 coins so far! Way to
go, Fifth Graders!
Fifth Grade Literature
The fifth graders have been participating in Literature Circles for
their latest book report. The students chose one of the three
teacher-selected novels. After reading each section, the students
have gathered together for discussion and sharing about the characters
and plot of their novel. The three choices were: Loser by Jerry Spinelli, The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg, and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.
Faith and Sacraments
We are in
the midddle of the Easter season. The students at St. Ambrose are
reminded every day to celebrate Easter by the Alleluia signs that are
playfully scattered throughout the building. We are joyfully
proclaiming the resurrection of our Lord Jesus!
|
 Awards
and Achievements |
Top |
St. Ambrose School Sweeps the Competition!!!
Those are the words of a representative of the Multicultural Task Force
of Metropolitan St. Louis upon learning of the six winners from St.
Ambrose this year. Our winners range from 1st place to 3rd place in
three separate categories in the annual art contest.
Additionally, a new category was created, adding "Honorable Mention"
because, in the words of the representative, "We have never named an
honorable mention in the past, but the judges liked that work and
wanted to recognize it."
The theme for the art contest this year was, Diversity: What It Means To Me.
Following is the list of winners:
1st Place, Alexis W., K
2nd Place, Natalie S., 2
2nd Place, Rosemary N., 5
1st Place, Mary Claire M., 6
2nd Place, Marissa S., 7
3rd Place, Rebecca C., 8
Honorable Mention Torie G., 7
First place winners will receive a $200 Savings Bond; 2nd place winners
will receive a $100 Savings Bond and 3rd place winners will receive a
$50 Savings Bond.
The winners will be honored at a reception on Sunday, May 2, at 3:00 pm at the Portfolio Gallery.
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.
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!
Save-A-Lot is still giving St. Ambrose 2% of some of their sales. All
you need to do is send in your Save-A-Lot receipts to the school
office, we submit them, and they send us 2% of the total receipts.
Please call the office if you have any questions.
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.
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
Golf (by First Tee), Grade levels 4 - 8
3:20 - 4:15 pm
Tuesday April 13
Thursday April 15
Monday April 19
Thursday April 22
Monday April 26
Thursday April 29
Kids Yoga (by Masterpeace), Grade levels K - 3
3:20 - 4:15 pm
Tuesday April 13
Tuesday April 20
Thursday April 22
Tuesday April 27
Tuesday May 4
Thursday May 6
Abra-Kid-Abra, Grade levels K - 3
(new tricks/magic will be taught in this class)
3:20 - 4:20 pm
Wednesday April 14
Wednesday April 21
Wednesday April 28
Monday May 3
Thursday May 5
Wednesday May 12
Science Class, Grade levels 4 - 8
3:20 - 4:20 pm
Wednesday, April 21 and 28, May 5 and 12
Click
for more information on the Extended
Care Enrichment Program.
2010-2011 School Year
Please mark your calendar with the following dates:
Sunday, August 22 - Meet, Greet, and Sit in Your Seat Open House
Wednesday, August 25 - First day of school, noon dismissal
August 26 and 27 - Noon dismissals
Monday, August 30 - First full day of school, 3:00 dismissal
Friday, May 27 - Last day of school
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.
Convent to Classrooms Auction
Have you attended any great auctions lately? The auction committee
welcomes any ideas or suggestions. The next meeting is being
rescheduled for after Easter break. Watch Fast Direct for the date.
The 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
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.
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
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