St.
Ambrose School, 2009-2010
Weekly
News Files
December 3, 2009
Congratulations to our Second Graders on their First Reconciliation.
All students, grades 3 through 8, participated in the sacrament of Reconciliation this week.
Thanks to the PTO for a fancy and festive Family Night.
Links to This Week's New Articles
News Section
Seventh Grade Students to Hold Toy Drive
Altar Server Training
Please Help Keep the Playground Safe
TWB for Christmas
Events and Activities
Section
Advent Wreath Ceremonies
Feast of St. Ambrose - December 7
Feast of the Immaculate Conception - December 8
Musical Presentation - December 10
In the Classroom
Section
Read for the Christ Child
Challenge
| Sunday, December 6 |
Breakfast with Santa |
| Monday, December 7 |
Feast of St. Ambrose |
| Tuesday, December 8 |
Immaculate Conception |
| Thursday, December 10 |
Faculty Meeting, Noon Dismissal
A Christmas Carol production, 7:00 pm |
| Monday, December 14 |
PTO Special Lunch: Favazza's |
| December 15-17 |
First Quarter Exams
Check Fast Direct for schedule |
| Friday, December 18 |
Christmas Vacation Begins at 3:00 Dismissal |
Seventh Grade Students to Hold Toy Drive
Three of our seventh grade students: Marissa S., Kellyn M., and
Jenna J., are collecting new toys for the Our Little Haven
Organization. The toy drive will be held from November 30 - December
14. New toys only, please. They ask that you do not donate the games:
Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, and/or weapon-like toys. There will be a
box in church and boxes in each homeroom in school. We ask that you
please be generous to help those in need during this holiday season.
Altar Server Training
If your child is in grades 5, 6, 7 or 8 and would like to be an Alter
Server, training will be Friday, December 11, at 3:15 pm in Church.
Please let Mrs. Gambaro know if your child will be attending.
Please Help Keep the Playground Safe
Parents, we need your help with keeping our new playground the best it
can be for our children. Please no dogs on the playground ever for any
reason at any time. All children must be supervised at all times.
Please know that Extended Care children need to have a place to go too
and have priority to the playground. Food and drink are to be discarded
properly, though it is preferable not to eat in that area.
TWB for Christmas
Christmas is only weeks away and TWB cards make for the perfect
gift! Marsy Canino is in the school cafeteria every Friday selling TWB
cards, in addition to their availability in the office every day.
We have TWB gift cards for almost every store imagineable, or Marsy can
place a special order for you. Ordering a Honey Baked Ham? We have
certificates for those also. TWB gift cards make great teacher gifts
and stocking stuffers too! (Don't forget those St. Nick stockings this
weekend.)
Please continue to use your Schnucks Cards also. Every family was given
a card at the beginning of the year. Just attach them to your keychain
and don't forget to have the cashier swipe them when you are at the
checkout counter.
"School Reach" Program
We have
received a grant for a verbal message or communication tool used to
deliver timely messages via the phone. Therefore, it is important that
your home, cell, work, and emergency numbers are all accurate. Please
check the information currently listed under your name on fastdirect
and send changes in writing to Sr. Carol by December 3.
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 |
Advent Wreath Ceremonies
As this is the time of Advent, each Monday and Friday the school
children will gather in the gym at 7:40 am for a brief Advent ceremony.
All are invited to attend. Since there are some discrepancies in the
class schedule, the ceremony schedule is as follows:
Monday - November 30 - 7:40 am in the gym
Friday - December 4 - 7:40 am in the gym
Monday - December 7 - in Church right before 8:00 am Mass
Friday - December 11 - 7:40 am in the gym
Monday - December 14 - 7:40 am in the gym
Friday - December 18 - in Church right before 8:00 am Mass
Breakfast with Santa
Sunday, December 6
7:30 am - 11:30 am
St. Ambrose Cafeteria
$6.00 adults, $5.00 children
Pancake, egg, and sausage breakfast
Santa's Secret Shop, Country Store, Bake Sale, Silent Auction
Pictures with Santa
Feast of St. Ambrose - December 7
There will be an All-School Mass on December 7, 2009, at 8:00 am to
celebrate the feast of St. Ambrose. All are welcome to attend.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception - December 8
The feast of the Immaculate Conception will be celebrated on December
8, 2009. The Holy Day Mass schedule will be followed. The school
children will attend the 9:00 am Mass. All are welcome to attend.
December 10 Noon Dismissal
The
Faculty Meeting/Mission Day for December will be on December 10. The
Mission Collection will be given to the St. Louis Veterans Home
Committee’s “Adopt a Vet for the Holidays”. Each student is asked to
donate at least a minimum of $0.50. All students will be dismissed at
Noon. Extended Care will be offered.
Musical Presentation - December 10
As part of our Enrichment Program within the Extended Care Program, our
children have been practicing with The Family Musical Theater Group to
put on a play. This play A Christmas Carol will be performed on December 10, 2009 beginning at 7:00 pm in the gym. All are invited to attend.
December Special Lunch
The Special Lunch scheduled for
December is from Favazza’s. The day will be Monday, December 14. The
menu is Italian Chicken Strips, pasta and garlic bread. We thank
Favazza’s and the other restaurants that have offered their food so far
this year (Imo’s, Lorenzo’s, and Mama Toscano’s). We are looking
forward to the offerings for the rest of the year. If a restaurant is
interested in serving a lunch for one of the months, please submit a
written proposal to the PTO in care of the school office.
|
 Volunteer
Opportunities |
Top |
The Chill on the Hill Run/Walk
is December 5, starting at 8:30 am on Marconi. Volunteers are needed
that morning to manage traffic during the race. Please contact a member
of the committee if you can help.
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 |
Read for the Christ Child
Here
are the results for the charity reading challenge: St. Ambrose students
had 28 participants who raised $1279.00 in book money. That means
roughly $120 for the school and at least $1000.00 for the charity
chosen, "Nurses For Newborns." The nurses will be able to help new
parents by giving the gift of literacy to many St. Louis babies in
need. A HUGE thank you goes out to all 28 students who participated!
They all will receive certificates of achievement and appreciation!
Student who read most minutes: John S. - $15 free in books from UBAH catalog
Classroom who raised most in pledges: Ms. Harris' grade 1 - $40 in UBAH books
Students who raised (at least) $100 and turned in on time:
Richard S., grade 1
Andrew and Christian P.
Rosie N., grade 5
Challenge
In Middle School, our teachers are using differentiated instructional
strategies to address the needs of all learners. In Science, Ms.
Ronzio’s tests offered a variety of questions tapping different
learning styles and levels. Students were able to choose from a list of
questions to answer on the test. In Literature, Mrs. Kar’s Holes project
allowed students to choose a level of difficulty for their final
project. Mrs. Schaeffer’s 7th grade is working on a scrapbook for
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The 8th graders have been offered a number of choices for the Newspaper project for Tom Sawyer.
These choices of writing assignments, allowing students to choose the
kind of writing they enjoy, and at varied levels of difficulty,
challenges all students. Offering options to students for assignments
and varying levels of difficulty are two of the ways that teachers
incorporate Challenge into their curriculum.
In addition, Mrs. Hilderbrand offered
two assignments in her 6th grade Religion classes. The assignments not
only incorporated differentiated instructional strategies, but they incorporated
technology as well. The assignments were based on the movie "The Prince of
Egypt" which depicts the life of Moses from birth to the collection of the Ten
Commandments. The first assignment was to be done in Microsoft Word.
This project consisted of choosing 10 scenes from the movie and compare them
with bible passages. Based upon the bible, the students had to determine
whether the scene was accurate, slightly changed, or completely made-up for
entertainment purposes. Once those were completed and graded, the students
then had to create a PowerPoint presentation using the information from the Word
document. The presentations were to include music, animations, and other
effects to make it interesting and creative. The students were allowed
class time to work in the lab, as well as some after school time for those who
do not have a computer at home.
Middle School Mid-Term Exams
The Middle School Mid-Term Exams
will take place before Christmas this year. The schedule is as follows:
December 15 - Literature and Grammar, December 16 - Math and Science,
December 17 - Social Studies and Religion. Please be sure your children
get plenty of rest, eat a full breakfast, and have plenty of study time
to help them with their exams.
| Awards
and Achievements |
Top |
|
 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!
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
Extended Care Enrichment Program
Schedule
Click for more information on the Extended Care Enrichment Program.
Every
Tuesday, October 6 to December 8 (Plus, an additional practice on
December 9.)
Family Musical Theatre: Singing,
movement, skills of the theatre
3:45 pm
to 5:15 pm
Grades 4 – 8
A Christmas Carol
to be held on December 10, 2009
Set production and stage crew are part of the needs for this production.
Every Tuesday, October 6
to December 8
Beginning Dance by Christina Stemmler
3:30 pm
to 4:15 pm
Grades K-2
Intermediate Dance by Christina Stemmler
4:30 pm
to 5:15 pm
Grades 3-8
Thursday, October 1, 15, 29, November 5, 19, and December 3 (every other
week for 6 sessions)
Chess by Mrs. Haynie and Mrs. Oliver
3:30 pm to
4:15 pm
Grades K-8
PTO
Special Lunch Schedule
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 dates for the First Semester lunches are as follows:
December
14 - Favazza's (Grilled Italian chicken strips and white pasta)
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'.
- 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)
News
Reference