Saint Ambrose September News

“Let your light shine before others.” — Matthew 5:16

It connects beautifully to All Saints’ Day and reminds us that we are all called to be saints

through our everyday words and actions.

Greetings from the Principal’s Office! As we approach the end of October, there is so much to look forward to at Saint Ambrose Catholic school! This is a wonderful time to celebrate our Catholic faith, enjoy the excitement of Halloween, and prepare to share the many blessings of our school with our upcoming Lumen accreditation team. Thank you for your continued partnership, support, and commitment to making our Catholic school such a special place for our students.

This Sunday, we celebrate All Saints’ Day, an important holy day in the Catholic Church. All Saints’ Day reminds us that we are all called to be saints in our own way. Helping a classmate, including someone who feels left out, forgiving others, praying for those in need, and treating everyone with dignity and respect. As a Catholic school community, we have the opportunity of helping our children recognize these opportunities each day. May the example of the saints inspire us to live our faith boldly and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our homes, classrooms, and communities.

With Halloween approaching on Saturday evening, we know our students are excited for costumes, candy, and time with family and friends! We hope everyone enjoys a fun and memorable evening while keeping safety a priority. Most importantly, remind your children to make safe, thoughtful choices and to look out for one another. We hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween filled with laughter, fun, and safe memories!

We are excited to welcome our Lumen accreditation team next week! This is an important opportunity to showcase the wonderful things happening throughout our Catholic school and to share what makes our community so special. We are eager to share their learning, their accomplishments, and the joyful spirit that fills our hallways and classrooms.

Thank you to our faculty, and staff for their thoughtful preparation and dedication, and to our families for your continued trust and partnership. Together, we create a Catholic community where students are known, supported, loved, challenged, and encouraged to become the people God calls them to be. We cannot wait to display the very best of our Catholic school!

God bless,

Dr. W

Fall weather is upon us! Thank you for helping students dress for the weather. We will be outside for recess whenever possible.

Language Survey

If your family speaks a language other than English at home, or if your child is exposed to or speaks a second language, we ask that you please complete the attached form and return it to school.
We are gathering this information so we can better understand the languages spoken within our school community and identify opportunities to provide additional resources and support for our students and families. You may send a paper copy back to school with your child or email the completed form directly to me at dhelmberger@saintambroseschool.org. Please use the link below to access a master copy and either make a copy of it to fill out online or print and fill out.Thank you for taking a few minutes to share this information with us. We appreciate your help!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8ccsOGck7KGUlNPcUpfTGhLQVZyVHdIeXA1ZHVsbzI2cEpR/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-FyBhtGBN-MvJSo5MtzBNgA

Spirit Wear Update:

We are working hard to make sure all spiritwear orders have been received by families. Even if you have already contacted the office about a missing item, please take a moment to fill out this form so we can have the most complete list possible and make sure nothing is missed.

Missing Spirit Wear Form

The Wellness Committee would like to do a Gratitude Challenge for the month of November! Attached is a calendar with a different gratitude challenge for each weekday throughout the month.

Links Here -

Gratitude Calendar

November Gratitude Challenge Info

Recipes from Our Saint Ambrose Community!

On behalf of our Wellness Committee, we are excited to share a collection of nutritious recipes contributed by families throughout our Saint Ambrose community. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to share a favorite recipe! We hope you enjoy trying something new and bringing a little inspiration into your kitchen. Happy cooking!

Important Dates to Remember

• October 30th - Halloween - Bring a dollar and wear Orange/Black - Money will go to the Food Drive efforts!
• November 1st - All Saint's Day
• November 3rd - Staff Retreat - No School for Students
• November 4-5th - Lumen Accrediation Visit
• November 6th - Swarm Shirt Day
• November 19th - Gingerbread Event
• November 24th - End of 1st Trimester

Starting Monday, students should wear pants instead of shorts until spring. Thank you for helping us keep students in uniform as the weather gets colder!

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.

At Saint Ambrose, Halloween is a fun opportunity for our students to celebrate together, and it also leads us into the beautiful Catholic tradition of celebrating All Saints’ Day. On Friday, October 30, students can wear orange and black by bringing in a $1 donation to support our school’s Food Drive efforts. It is a simple way to enjoy the day while caring for others in our community.

On Monday, November 2, we will celebrate All Saints’ Day, remembering the holy men and women who lived their lives following Jesus and are now with God in heaven. Saints remind us that holiness is not just for a few special people. We are all called to live like Jesus through our kindness, compassion, service, and love for others.

As we celebrate, we encourage families to talk with their children about their favorite saints and the ways we can all become saints by living out our faith each day. What a wonderful reminder that even the smallest acts of love can help us grow closer to Christ!

On Wednesday, November 4, and Thursday, November 5, Saint Ambrose will welcome eight visitors from the Archdiocese and other local Catholic schools for our Lumen Accreditation visit. This is an opportunity to celebrate the many things that make Saint Ambrose special, including our academics, faith, and strong school community, while also identifying areas where we can continue to grow.

Although Saint Ambrose is already accredited through MNSAA, this additional process gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we live out our mission and support each child's journey with Christ. Our visitors may be in classrooms, hallways, or attending Mass during their time with us.

We are excited to welcome them and share what makes Saint Ambrose such a wonderful place for our students to learn, grow in faith, and become the best version of themselves!

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.

Registration opens Monday 10/26 at 10am! **please confirm all the Tech & Performance dates before registering**

Plan to register right away if your 3rd-8th grader wants to participate in this fun on-stage production!! There are only 65 spots and they will fill quickly!!

email Parent Coordinator Rosanna Bamsey with questions (RgraceRN@gmail.com)

We are excited to welcome I:55 for our school-wide November Book Fair! We are looking for parent volunteers to help students browse and shop for books. Volunteers are needed for 20–30 minutes during each classroom’s scheduled time. Classes will browse on Tuesday, November 17, with shopping opportunities on Wednesday, November 18, and Thursday, November 19. If you are available to help, please sign up using the volunteer link. All volunteers must be E3 compliant with Saint Ambrose’s Virtus requirements.

Thank you for helping make our Book Fair a fun experience for our students and encouraging a love of reading!

Our School Theme: Serenity

This month, our school is working on the virtue of Kindness and how to be welcoming from our St. Ambrose Way. In October, the students and staff will be asked to show kindness and be welcoming to others by greeting each other with a smile. We can also hold the door for someone or help others if needed. We will show care for others, and we will be thoughtful of others’ needs.

We look at the life of St. Francis of Assisi, who embodied kindness through a profound compassion for all of God’s creation. St. Francis of Assisi was the son of a wealthy merchant who gave up his fortune to live a life of poverty, founded the Franciscan Order, and is known for his deep connection to nature and animals.

We will also look at the life of St. Carlos Acutis as another guide of kindness and being welcoming. He was known for standing up for kids at school who got bullied, especially kids with disabilities. When a friend’s parents were getting a divorce, Carlo made a special effort to include his friend in the Acutis’ family life.

At home, you can support your child by creating and completing Random Acts of Kindness.

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.

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)

August 7th August 14th August 21st August 28th

Sept 3rd Sept 11th Sept 18th Sept 25th

Oct 2nd Oct 9th Oct 13th Oct 23rd