Saint Ambrose News

“Remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with enthusiasm.

Look forward to the future with confidence.”

- St. John Paul II

Dear Saint Ambrose Parents,

We had a great week of learning, and look forward to a short week next week as we prepare for Thanksgiving and our first Sunday of Advent.

• Cold weather is upon us. Thank you for helping students bring warm clothing for recess and waiting outdoors for parent pick-up or bus loading.
• Class Pictures - Last Chance! - Class pictures are ready! Thank you to Hilda Berdie and Picture Perfect for helping us create these beautiful pictures. Here is the link to purchase. The cost is $12 per photo. https://woodburypictureperfect.pixieset.com/stambroseclasspictures/

• The Feast of Saint Ambrose is Sunday, December 7. We will honor our patron with activities and prayers on Friday, December 5.
• On Monday, December 8th we will gather to worship at an All School Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at 9:45.

• Are you looking for extended day care on our off days in December? Fill out this form to let us know you’re interested: Extended Day Care Interest Form — we’ll use the responses to plan!

  
  

Gratitude to You

Loving Lord,
As I express my gratitude to you in prayer, may it be a pleasing, joyful sound to you.
Thank you, Lord, for your love. It brings me acceptance and significance.
Thank you, Lord, for your truth. It brings me guidance and direction.
Thank you, Lord, for your mercy. It brings me help and comfort.
Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness. It brings me stability and strength.
Thank you, Lord, for your beauty displayed in the earth. It brings me joy and delight.
Thank you, Lord, for your way of redemption - the cross. It brings me salvation and regeneration.

Amen. (xavier.edu)

Have a great weekend!

Betsy Hand

Principal

Saint Ambrose Catholic Community,

As a vibrant parish family, we want everyone who comes to worship, learn, and serve here to feel welcomed and secure. Recently there have been vehicle break-ins on our campus. While situations like this are uncommon, it’s a reminder for all of us to practice a bit of extra vigilance.

When you park on campus, please take a moment to:

• Lock your vehicle
• Remove or store valuables safely out of view

If you notice anything that seems unusual or concerning, we encourage you to share it using CHIRP-360, our online safety and incident reporting tool: Submit a Report Here

Thank you for your attentiveness, cooperation, and the care you show for our community.

November 25th - End of 1st Trimester - Report cards will be sent home Friday, December 5th.

November 26 - 28th - No School - Thanksgiving Break

Save the Date:

Thursday, December 11th - Band Concert - 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 18th - Christmas Concert - 7:00 p.m.

Saint Ambrose Catholic School

Toy Drive to benefit St. Paul Children’s Hospital

Although spending time in the hospital can be difficult for children and their families, special toys and activities can make their hospital experience less stressful. You can help by providing the gift of new toys, crafts and other items for children of all ages — infants through teens. The 4th graders of St. Ambrose of Woodbury are leading this school-wide effort to assist Children’s Hospital of St. Paul in providing some cheer over the upcoming holidays and beyond!

Here’s How You Can Help:

You can donate new toys, games, and crafts to the bin in your child’s classroom during the week of Monday, December 1st through Friday, December 5th. For a complete list of items needed by the hospital, please click on this link: Children’s Hospital Wishlist. The classroom with the most donations will win a donut party for their room!

Thank you! With your help, we know that we can bring JOY to the faces of children in the hospital this Christmas!

Will your school age child be attending their younger sibling's Early Childhood Christmas Program? If so, we are asking that you use this form so the school can manage their attendance. Teachers will send students to meet in the lunchroom at their designated time. A member of the school staff will make sure they are brought to the Church to connect with their families

Fill out the Form Here

This month our school is working on the virtue of respect and how to be clean from our Saint Ambrose Way. Respect means that you accept somebody for who they are, even when they're different from you or you don't agree with them. During November, we will focus on showing respect for others by smiling and saying "thank you" when someone does something for us, listening carefully when someone is talking, being a kind and welcoming partner, cooperating with others, using time well, and being a helpful and considerate friend and teammate. We will practice the tenet of being clean by picking up after ourselves, keeping our classrooms and common areas free of trash and clutter, and washing our hands and using good hygiene practices.

We honor and celebrate All Saints Day (1st), with special focus on St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (13th), Blessed Miguel Pro (23rd), and St. Andrew (30th).

We welcome families to join us in focusing on respect and being clean at home.

This month we are focusing on gratitude. Each day at school, we’ll reveal a different topic on which to reflect and be grateful. We invite families to join us at home. It would make for wonderful dinner conversations.

Gratitude Challenge

In November, students in grades K–8 will begin lessons from the Circle of Grace Child Safety Curriculum. This program, required by the Archdiocese, helps students understand the sacredness of who they are and how to recognize and maintain appropriate boundaries in relationships.

If you have any questions about the specific lessons being taught, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher (or Religion teacher), who will be happy to share more information.

Visit https://cogpartners.org/ for more information.

South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) is at a critical stage with a bus driver shortage that could result in cancellations or delays for bus routes in the mornings and afternoons.

If your student’s morning or afternoon route is expected to be impacted, families will be notified by phone, email or text, with as much notice as possible.

With this unfortunate situation, we are asking for your assistance:

• Please create a plan to provide your own transportation to get your child to or from school in the event you are notified of a morning or afternoon route cancellation

• A route cancellation occurs when no drivers are available

• As we move into late-fall and early-winter, ensure your child is dressed appropriately for colder weather in the event of a route delay in the morning or after school

• A route delay may occur when a bus driver completes their regular route, and then has enough time to complete another route that does not have a driver

If your student’s bus is cancelled for the afternoon route, please pick up your student from school as soon as possible. Staff will supervise students at school until each student can be picked up in the event of a delay or cancellation.

On a daily basis, our mechanics and transportation administrators have been serving as substitute drivers. We will continue to do everything in our power not to cancel bus routes.

We continue to recruit new drivers and have excellent benefits. Pay starts at $27 an hour and insurance eligibility starts at 20 hours per week. Please click here to learn more and apply.

We understand bus delays and cancellations will affect families differently. We pride ourselves on providing safe and efficient transportation for students and apologize that we are in this situation.

Sincerely,

Abby Baker

Executive Director of Human Resources and Operations

The holiday season is the perfect time to inspire families with their child's artwork – while raising funds for your art program!

Our most popular gift items – including holiday cards, ornaments, coffee mugs, magnets, snap jewelry, and more – will be on sale soon. It's the perfect opportunity for families to find meaningful gifts that also support your art room!

Why Teachers Love Fundraising with Artsonia

• Earn 20% of all orders placed.
• Parents order directly on our website – no forms or payments to collect
• Orders ship directly to families.
• The more artwork you publish, the more gift options families have.
• Upload your winter and holiday artwork soon to give parents plenty of choices!

Key dates for featured fundraising promotions

November 17 - Greeting Cards

Artsonia will kick off the season with a special holiday greeting card sale. Family members can choose the artwork and design they'd like to appear on the front and add a personalized message for the inside.

November 24 - Holiday Ornaments

Our beautiful, sturdy, metal holiday ornaments make great keepsakes for families to admire throughout the years.

December 3 - Coffee Mugs

Family members can wake up to a work of art every morning with these white ceramic coffee mugs - our top selling product.

December 9 - Last Minute Stocking Stuffers

The last sales of the year offer some great last-minute gift ideas for stocking stuffers! Featuring an assortment of our most popular products, just in time to wrap up holiday shopping.

2025 Holiday Shipping Deadlines

December 16 - Last Day Standard Delivery Service

December 18 - Last Day Express Delivery Service

Have questions?

Email info@artsonia.com or Call 800-869-9974

Extended Day 2025-2026 School Year: If you are interested in the Extended Day Program and have not already signed up, please complete this form.

Sycamore will be accessible to families on August 19, 2025.

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)

To continue fostering transparency and shared understanding, we’ve compiled Safety and Security Frequently Asked Questions. to address common inquiries and provide clarity on the ongoing safety and security efforts within our Saint Ambrose Catholic Community.

If you have any questions, concerns or feedback, we are open to hearing directly from you via email or phone call. Or, complete this form.

Aug 1st Aug 15th Aug 25th Aug 29th

Sept. 5th Sept 12th Sept 19th Sept. 26

Oct 3rd Oct 14th Oct 24th Oct 31st

Nov 7th Nov 14th

November Breakfast Menu

November Lunch Menu

School Website

School Facebook Page

Did you know that we have a Saint Ambrose Facebook Page and Instagram Page? Please follow us for school updates and photos. Click the links at the bottom of this email for quick access to our social media pages.