Saint Ambrose August News

“Be at peace. Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;

rather, look to them with full hope as they arise.”
— St. Francis de Sales

Preparing for the 2026-2027 School Year

Dear Saint Ambrose Parents,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Back to School Day! It was wonderful to see so many families throughout the afternoon and to feel the excitement building as we get ready for a new school year.

We hope you enjoyed meeting your teachers, dropping off school supplies, connecting with our Home & School Board, visiting with other Saint Ambrose families, and getting those important school pictures taken.

A special thank you to everyone who helped make the afternoon possible. Your time, energy, and hospitality helped create a warm and welcoming start to the school year.

We are so excited to welcome our students back and begin a year filled with faith, learning, growth, and community. Thank you for being such an important part of the Saint Ambrose family!

We can't wait to see everyone on the first day of school!

Swarm Shirts

If your child does not have a Swarm shirt, don’t worry! We will reopen the ordering form next week so families will have another opportunity to order one.

Northside Parent Pick-Up Car Signs

We will also be printing last name car signs for our Northside students who are picked up by a parent. These signs will help us identify students during dismissal and keep our pick-up process running smoothly. Car signs will be handed out on September 3. We really need these signs to be displayed in your car window each day to help us keep dismissal safe.

We had a sign-up sheet available at Back-to-School Day for families who need a car sign. If you missed this please be sure to stop by and add your family’s information to the sheet at pick-up next week (Only needed if your child is a Northside parent pick-up student.) Thank you for helping us get ready for a smooth and successful start to the school year!

Office and Nurse Donations Needed

We are asking families if you are able to please consider donating one of the following items to our school office or nurse’s office to help support student needs throughout the school year. Your generosity helps us make sure we have supplies available when students need them.

Sign Up HERE

SWARM SPORTS FALL REGISTRATION

Grades 5th-8th, Soccer/Volleyball/Cross Country

Registration Deadline: August 28th

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!

Spirit Wear: All spirit wear orders placed in July should arrive by Aug 27th. We have opened a special spirit wear site that will be open from now until August 28th - These orders will arrive mid to late September - https://saintambrose2026summer-2.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

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.

School Mass Information

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The safety and security of our Saint Ambrose Catholic School students remain one of our highest priorities. As we gather for Mass weekly, we want to assure you that appropriate safety measures will be in place to provide a secure environment for our students, faculty, staff, and families.

During Mass, faculty and staff will be present at designated entry points to monitor access and provide additional supervision. In addition, members of our team will conduct regular checks of both the internal and external perimeter of the building to help ensure that our campus remains secure throughout the Mass.

To support safety protocols while also allowing for appropriate access and visibility, doors will remain open during Mass. Faculty and staff will continue to monitor these areas and remain attentive to activity around the building.

Saint Ambrose also utilizes CHIRP-360, a 24/7 online incident reporting system available to our entire Saint Ambrose community. It allows our community to report incidents, suspicious activity, or concerns in real time. Submissions are reviewed and analyzed by subject matter experts who can investigate and recommend risk-mitigation strategies.

Parents and guardians are welcome and encouraged to attend Mass in designated spaces in the Church. Your presence is an important part of our Catholic school community, and we appreciate your partnership in helping us maintain a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment. We ask that all visitors remain mindful of our safety procedures and follow the direction of faculty and staff during the Mass.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping us create a safe environment in which our students can learn, worship, and grow.

Dr. Matthew Weingartz

Arrival and Dismissal Plan for First Week of School

We ask for your patience and cooperation for the first 3 days of school as we re-learn the drop off and pickup process. Please follow these directions for non-bus school days -Sept 1, 2, 3rd. Our primary goal is student safety. All pick up will require parents to park and walk into the building to meet your child(ren) inside. Please read the information below:

Drop off - If you plan to regularly drive your child(ren) to school, you will keep your regular routine for morning drop off. Drop off on the north side (from Bailey road) or on the south side (from Woodbury Drive). We will guide you to a drop off line.

If your child(ren) will typically ride the bus, please drop off by car at the doors by the playground.

Pick-up-Everyone must park and come inside to collect your child(ren)

If your child does not regularly take the bus:

Pick up time is early- 3:30. You must park your car and enter the building.

Regular North Side families: pick up in the gym

Regular South Side families: pick up in the cafeteria

If your child(ren) do typically ride the bus:

Students will be dismissed from classrooms at 3:45.

WE WILL NOT HAVE BUS RIDERS TO THESE LOCATIONS EARLY

Please pick up based on last name:

Last names

A-N North Side- park your car, enter the building through door #3 and pick up in the gym

Last names

O-Z South Side-park your car, enter through the church doors and pick up in the cafeteria

Both north and south pick up will be park and walk in for your child.

Northside Parent Pick-Up Car Signs

We will also be printing last name car signs for our Northside students who are picked up by a parent. These signs will help us identify students during dismissal and keep our pick-up process running smoothly. Car signs will be handed out on September 3. We really need these signs to be displayed in your car window each day to help us keep dismissal safe.

We will have a sign-up sheet available at Back-to-School Day for families who need a car sign. Please be sure to stop by and add your family’s information if your child is a Northside parent pick-up student. Thank you for helping us get ready for a smooth and successful start to the school year!

Safety and Security

Safety and security of our students and staff will always be a priority at Saint Ambrose.

Creating a safe school is something we all share responsibility for. It means being aware of our surroundings, following our safety procedures, keeping doors secure, addressing concerns when we see them, and speaking up when something doesn't feel right. These everyday actions help protect our students and one another.

Safety is not meant to create fear. It is about being prepared, being attentive, and taking care of each other. We want our students to feel safe, welcomed, and loved, and we want every staff member to know that we are looking out for them too.

As we begin the school year, please take our safety procedures seriously, ask questions when you are unsure, and communicate concerns with administration.

Thank you for helping make safety a shared priority and for continuing to care for our students and one another in the Saint Ambrose Way.

We also use Chirp360 as an additional way to share safety concerns. Please remember that you can submit a concern at any time, either anonymously or with your name. Every concern is important, and we encourage you to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. LINK TO CHIRP-360

The image below shows the posters and safety protocols we use throughout the school to guide us during drills and emergency events.

Please Complete the forms

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.

DISTRICT FORM LINK

We are Looking for Help With a Few Things...

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.