Saint Ambrose August News

Our School Theme: Serenity

This year, our school community will embrace the theme of Serenity. As a Catholic school, serenity is much more than simply feeling calm. It is the deep peace that comes from knowing God is always with us, trusting in His plan, and living each day with faith, hope, and love.

Serenity calls us to find peace within ourselves through prayer, to remain steadfast during life's challenges, and to share Christ's peace with everyone we meet. It reminds us that true peace is not found in a world without difficulties, but in hearts that are rooted in God.

Throughout this school year, we will strive to live with serenity by trusting God in moments of uncertainty, treating one another with kindness and compassion, resolving conflicts with grace, and creating a school where every person feels welcomed, valued, and loved.

As we grow together in faith, may we remember the words of Saint Francis de Sales: "Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Inspired by Christ and the example of the saints, may we become people who not only seek peace for ourselves but also bring God's peace to our families, our school, and our community.

May serenity guide our hearts, strengthen our faith, and lead us ever closer to Jesus throughout this school year.

Dear Saint Ambrose Parents,

August is here, and our school office is eagerly preparing for the start of a new school year! We look forward to welcoming our new teachers on August 19th and all faculty and staff on August 24th as we begin another year of faith, learning, and community.

Our theme for this school year is Serenity — finding peace within ourselves and sharing that peace with those around us. As a Catholic school community, we are called to reflect the peace of Christ in our words, actions, and relationships. We are excited to grow together in serenity as we create a joyful learning environment where students feel known, loved, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential.

Our vocation as Catholic school educators calls us to see each student as a gift from God. Together, we strive to provide clear expectations, nurture intellectual curiosity, and create a classroom environment rooted in faith, kindness, and respect while partnering with parents to continue the faith formation that begins in the home.

Thank you for entrusting your children to us. We are grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside your family and are looking forward to a wonderful year ahead filled with growth, connection, and the peace of Christ.

Meet and Greet - August 11th | 5:30–7:30 p.m. | Saint Ambrose Playground

Join us as we welcome Dr. W to the Saint Ambrose community before the start of the new school year! All Saint Ambrose families are invited to stop by, meet Dr. W, connect with other families, and celebrate the beginning of an exciting school year together.

Join me in welcoming a few new staff members to our community:

Sara Sauter joins our Kindergarten team this year. Most recently serving as a reading intervention teacher in Lino Lakes, Sara is excited to have a classroom of her own. She loves the creativity and joy of kindergarten and looks forward to nurturing young learners while sharing her Catholic faith each day.

Chary Eling joins our 2nd grade team after several years of teaching at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary School in Maplewood. Passionate about second grade, Chary especially enjoys preparing students to receive the sacraments. She is excited to bring her experience, faith, and love for teaching to the Saint Ambrose community.

Tianna Kroll joins our 3rd grade team this year. After completing her student teaching in third grade, she is excited to collaborate with her colleagues while bringing enthusiasm, creativity, and a love of learning to her classroom. Tianna looks forward to building meaningful relationships with her students and helping them grow academically, socially, and spiritually throughout the year.

Save the Date: Thursday, August 27 is Back to School Day. Here is a sign-up genius for families to register for a visit between 3 and 6 pm. Meet your teacher, drop off school supplies, connect with Home & School Board members, look at spirit wear and socialize with families. Reminder, Lifetouch will be on campus to take student school pictures on this day. Be sure to head to fellowship hall for your student pictures. You will order photos on-line if you want to purchase them. If you are not able to come to Back to School Day, there is a retake day on October 27th during the school day.

Woodbury Days Parade:

We are excited to share that Saint Ambrose will be walking in the Woodbury Days Parade on August 30th! We would love to have you join us as we represent our school community and share our Saint Ambrose spirit with the community. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please reach out to Melissa Schisler - mschisler@saintambroseschool.org. We hope to see many of you there!

Class List: Class lists will be sent out electronically on Tuesday, August 25th in advance of the Back to School event. In the meantime, Sycamore will not be accessible to families.

Spirit Wear: All spirit wear orders placed in July should arrive by Aug 27th. The next order will open Sept1st to 7th.

Extended Day 2026-2027 School Year: If you are interested in the Extended Day Program and have not already signed up, please complete this form.

Volunteer Requirements

We look forward to welcoming volunteers to our campus this year. If you are new to Saint Ambrose and want to serve as a volunteer, please complete the Essential 3 Requirements outlined on the parish website. Volunteers are required to re-credential every 3 years. You will be alerted by the Archdiocese if you need to re-credential. Thank you for your compliance.

Food Service Update
This year we will participate in the free breakfast and lunch program. Breakfast will be served when children arrive at school. Menus for breakfast and lunch will be available at Back to School Day. Students in grades 3-8 will have "salad bar" as an option for lunch.

Mark Your Calendars: Parent Information Night is Wednesday, September 9th at 6:30. We hope to have 100% attendance from our families as we kick off a great school year. Need childcare? We will

have a sign up coming soon!

Busing Reminder: Please remember that we will not have bus service on September 1, 2, or 3rd. Bus services will begin on Tuesday, September 8th. More details on the arrival and dismissal plan will be forthcoming.

We access funding from Title Grants from the state each year. Completing these forms allows us access to access funds. Please mark the "I do request...." choice for each of these three title grants.

Substitute Teachers

If you are interested in being a substitute teacher at Saint Ambrose or know someone that is, please contact Dianna Helmberger at dhelmberger@saintambroseschool.org or 651-768-3078.

Please view the following presentation for more details and information - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AWeJsxdO371fNvSmQ9Q2W9CHmPaCI0ZQl4SHMeyFkFY/edit?usp=sharing. We also have a wonderful training that we can send new people to that is through CSCOE.

Volunteer helpers to walk students.

We have several students that receive speech services through the district. These services take place virtually at our school. We have found that when we have consistent help walking students from classrooms to the speech station, everything runs very smoothly. This is a volunteer position and it could be one day or multiple days. For more details contact Beth Salmon at bsalmon@saintambroseschool.org. or 651-768-3087.

Lunchroom and Recess Help

If you are interested in helping with recess or lunchroom supervision please contact Shelby Miller in our school office. 651-768-3000.

Copy Help

Support our teachers by volunteering to make classroom copies! Parent copy volunteers help prepare materials, worksheets, and classroom resources, allowing teachers to spend more time focusing on instruction and students. This flexible volunteer opportunity can be done during the school day and is a wonderful way to make a meaningful impact behind the scenes while supporting the Saint Ambrose community.

Procedure for Bus Rider IDs

Video

FAQ

Sycamore will be accessible to families on August 25, 2026.

Sycamore Communication Portal/App - click below to go to Sycamore Website

https://app.sycamoreschool.com/index.php

Sycamore Help Guide

Sycamore Parent Checklist

Please login to Sycamore to access the school calendar, lunch menu, and schedules/grades (JH only)