Saint Ambrose September News

“If you learn everything except Christ, you learn nothing.

If you learn nothing except Christ, you learn everything.”

- St. John Chrysostom

Greetings from the Principal’s Office! With our upcoming MEA break upon us, we look forward to a chance for everyone to pause, rest, and recharge. Our students, faculty, and staff have been working hard, and this time away offers a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and friends, enjoy the changing season, and return refreshed and ready for the learning ahead.

We are also excited for our faculty and staff to participate in the CSCOE Summit during the break. This professional development opportunity allows our faculty and staff to collaborate with colleagues, share ideas, learn new strategies, and continue strengthening their practice. We are blessed to have a team of Catholic educators who are committed to lifelong learning and continually seek ways to grow in their ability to serve our students.

It is hard to believe that we have reached the midpoint of the first trimester! This is an important time to reflect on the progress our students have made, celebrate their accomplishments, and identify opportunities for continued growth. The routines and relationships established during the first weeks of school are helping our students build confidence, develop responsibility, and deepen their love of learning.

Thank you for your continued partnership, generosity, and support. Our Catholic school is a special place because of the students, families, faculty, and staff who make up our Catholic community. I am grateful for all that we accomplish together and look forward to the wonderful things still to come!

God bless,

Dr. W

Thank you to everyone who has participated in our fundraiser and helped support Saint Ambrose Catholic School! We are so grateful for your generosity and the excitement you have brought to this effort.

Dear Saint Ambrose Families,

We want to share an important reminder about morning drop-off and student safety on the South Side. We are becoming concerned about the number of students who are being dropped off before 9:00 a.m. and are then left unattended on the south side of the building. Some students are playing and waiting outside until the doors open. For the safety of our students, please remain with your child until 9:00 a.m., when our doors open and students can enter the building.

We are also seeing a number of students walking up to the building alone from cars that are parked in the lot. If you choose to park, please walk your child all the way to the building. We also ask that you use the designated crosswalk when crossing the parking lot.

Thank you for helping us make sure all of our students are safe and appropriately supervised before the school day begins. We appreciate your partnership and your help in making morning arrival safe for everyone.

Thank you!

Share a Favorite Family Recipe!

Our Wellness Committee is creating a recipe collection featuring favorite recipes from our school families! We hope this collection will become a helpful resource for families looking for simple, nutritious, and family-friendly meal ideas.

We would love for you to share a recipe that your family enjoys.

Some ideas:

• A favorite breakfast

• A packed lunch

• A go-to dinner

• A recipe that has special meaning to your family

• A quick and easy meal for busy days
  
  

How to Contribute

Please complete our short Recipe Submission Form by Monday, October 19th.

When submitting your recipe, you have the option to provide a link to the recipe or a photo of the recipe. You will also have the option of whether or not you would like your name, or family name, included with the recipe.

Recipes will be compiled into a shared collection for families to enjoy and use throughout the year.

Thank you for helping us build a collection of delicious, nutritious, and practical recipes for our school community! We can't wait to see what your families love to cook.

We also continue to experience some late buses. Unfortunately, bus schedules and delays are outside of the school's control. If you have concerns regarding your child's bus or transportation times, please contact the transportation department directly.

Spirit Wear Update: We continue to have spirit wear orders coming in. At this time, we have stopped placing any future orders with our current vendor and are waiting for all outstanding orders to be completed. Once those orders are fulfilled, we will be moving to a new vendor. We have been told that all remaining orders should be delivered by 6:00 p.m. Monday. If you are still missing an order after Tuesday evening, please email Dianna Helmberger at dhelmberge@saintambrose school with your name and the item(s) you are still missing so we can follow up.

Finally, a reminder that there is no school for the remainder of this week.

SWARM BASKETBALL REGISTRATION

Boys and Girls Teams, 5th-8th Grade

Our most popular sport, register early!

Registration Deadline October 25th

We are extending shorts for students until Nov 1st.

New spiritwear site to come in the future, please stay tuned.

Reminder: Please remember that students should not bring caffeinated beverages for snack or lunch. Water, milk, and juice are the best choices to keep students hydrated and ready to learn throughout the day. Thank you for your support!

Vision and Hearing screening will take place the morning of October 20th for grades 1, 3, 5. Additional students may be screened if there are any concerns.

Donalds will deliver online uniform sales to our school! Use code - AmbroseSTS

School pictures are ready!

Your child’s school pictures are now available! To view them online, please log in to your account at mylifetouch.com. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one using your email address. You’ll need your student’s ID number or their portrait id and access code to locate their photos.

Our School Theme: Serenity

Dear Saint Ambrose Community,

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.

We are challenging you to practice serenity in your daily life! Here are a few ideas.

• Begin each day with one minute of silent prayer.

• Speak words that bring peace instead of conflict.

• Pray for someone who is struggling.

• Show patience when things don't go your way.

• Practice listening without interrupting.

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

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.

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.

We would like to offer you a link to the Have a Plant website. September is National Fruit and Veggies Month! They have lots of meal and snack ideas, which include healthy plants, for busy families. Happy back to school!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bjm4jZQ_cGmdRUUOb2GTNZN_gUbibdGK/view?usp=sharing

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)

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