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"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." - Ephesians 4:2
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From the PTO President
Humility is a virtue that can nag us as we go through a world that seems to be more competitive than meek. I joined John and Jeanne Furey and Vann Salinger-Swett and their children on a trip to the Virginian Retirement Community to deliver the handmade Grandparents' Day Cards from the school children. I was struck by the humility of the residents who just couldn't believe that the children at our school would make them cards, much less personally deliver them and spend a little time with them. I was struck by the humility of the school children who took time to craft such beautiful cards that brought the biggest smiles to the residents. I was struck by the humility of the Furey's and Vann, who knelt down and really listened to the residents. I was struck by the enthusiasm, innocence and humility of the children as they handed the residents a card with big smiles and hellos. It was a truly humbling experience to be part of our school's effort to bring joy and love to others. Please join us as we continue our walk in service and humility together!
Kristin Gorak PTO President
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 I'm In. Are you?
We have an exciting announcement! Rosie McGuire, mother to Kindergartner Aidan, has volunteered to be our new Buzz editor! We are grateful that Rosie has stepped on to take on this important role. If you have any submissions for the Buzz, please email Rosie at rosie.mcguire@gmail.com by Tuesday at 5PM. Thanks Rosie! Krista Gauthier Development Director
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YOUR 2015-2016
ST. AMBROSE PTO BOARD
WE'RE IN! ARE YOU?
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PTO Meetings
PTO Board Meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of each month with the exception of February. All parents are welcome to attend meetings and get the inside "buzz" on all that is being planned for our school families, children and teachers.
October 14 November 11
December 9 January 13
February 3 March 9
April 13 May 11
June 8
At the Back To School Night we will present you with a copy of the PTO Budget for the 2015-16 school year! I appreciate the Boards' hard work in helping craft a budget that not only balances but has a surplus! (Now if only our government could do the same!) The surplus helps the following year's PTO pay for account payables before collecting any receivables from fundraising. Please notice that in this budget we are going to pay for all field trips for the students, all student assemblies, and teacher and staff bonuses. In advance, I would like to encourage your participation as a volunteer for any fundraisers that we roll out this year. I also ask that you attend and invite your friends and family to participate in our fundraisers. All events that we host are designed to build community and foster the spirit that is so special at St. Ambrose School.
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FUNDS FOR SCHOOL
Please help us raise money for our school by simply linking our school to your favorite places you shop. In particular, you can link your Giant Bonus Card to our school and Giant will pay the school a portion of what you spend. Go to the Giant website at http://www.giantfood.com/aplus to link up your card and use our school code 03247. Target also has a similar program with their Target REDcard. You must call Target at 1-800-394-1829 and provide the name, zip code and phone number of the school and you'll begin to see their contributions to our school on your monthly statements. Finally, when you shop from Amazon use our school link on the school website or in your Amazon account settings you will be able to link St. Ambrose directly to your personal account. Thanks for helping us bring in critical funds to our school...and it doesn't cost you anything!
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Greetings from the STEM Committee!
Calendar:
LEGO Club begins this week! There will be a change this year - the club will be run by Extended Day (hereafter 'ED') on Fridays. The usual ED fees apply.
There is a maximum of 72 children allowed in ED, depending upon how many assistants there are. LEGO Club will allow thirty children at a time on a first-come-first-serve basis. (The rest will play in ED.) The children will rotate to try to give everyone who wants a turn, a chance to play. The children are not guaranteed a chance to play with LEGOs, but we will make every attempt to accommodate all who are interested. LEGO Club will run every Friday.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Lab:
Donation request
We are planning a STEAM Lab for ED! We need donations please!
Tools: screwdrivers (Phillips & flathead) - any and all sizes, pliers, hammers, etc.
Craft supplies - construction/scrapbook paper, paper towel rolls, markers, crayons, glue/sticks, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, and anything else you can think of for crafts.
Dead electronics for curious children to take apart! You will not get these back. E.g. - piano keyboards, hard drives, cameras, etc.
Working STEM-related toys for the children to play with.
Working sewing machines, Cricut Cutters, Silhouette cutters, 3-D printers, etc.
Thank you very much for your generosity!
Kate O'Connor
PTO-STEM
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Parenting Education Seminar
Mark your calendars! On September 25th we are hosting Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D., coauthor of the books Unstuck & On Target! and Solving Executive Function Challenges.
Dr. Kenworthy is aPediatric Neuropsychologist. She currently serves as the director for the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children's National Medical Center and is an Associate Professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and neurology at The George Washington University Medical School. She has specialized in the neuropsychological assessment of children with social and learning disorders and executive functioning since 1995. In 2000, she developed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF), a widely used behavior assessment tool.
Dr. Kenworthy will provide practical advice and ideas that parents can use to teach their children flexibility, on-task behavior and goal setting. Please plan to join us and discover new ways to support your child's learning!
Lauren Kenworthy
Friday, September 25th
10:30-11:30AM
School Library
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Giving Tree
The PTO is excited to bring back the Giving Tree this year. We have both our hard copy tree on the bulletin board in the lobby and the online version on our school website. Our tree in the lobby has post-it notes left by teachers of things they would like for their classroom. Mrs. Mulhern and Mrs. Fernandez are taking advantage of the tree and appreciate your generosity in picking their "apples". Be sure to stop by the tree at Back to School Night to pick an "apple" note off the tree, purchase the requested item and bring it back to school with the note attached so that it gets to the correct teacher. Our online giving tree can be accessed at http://stambroseschool.org/support-us/giving-tree/. For the online giving, pick the items you want to purchase and pay online with your credit card. The teacher will be notified of your donation and will purchase the item themselves. Thank you for GIVING to our teachers!
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Kirk Martin CDs Available in the Library!
Don't forget that our school library retains a full catalog of Kirk Martin's parenting CDs. Kirk Martin is a behavioral consultant and founder of Celebrate Calm, an organization that provides training for educators, parents and children. Check your child's next Wednesday folder for a full list of Kirk Martin's audio CDs; to borrow a set please email our librarian Marcia Healy at mhealy@stambroseschool.org.
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Thank you. Gracias. Go raibh maich agat. Merci. Abrigado. Danke...... from PTO Service
A few members of the St. Ambrose PTO committee had the pleasure of spending time with the residents of The Virginian Retirement Community in Fairfax, Virginia on September 13, 2015 for Grandparents Day. We delivered 168 homemadecards from St. Ambrose Catholic School! The residents were quite surprised and genuinely touched by St. Ambrose's kindness. Many residents plan to display the cards in their home. I would like to express my appreciation on the behalf of The Virginian .............You all are AMAZZZING!
P.S. There's more Service to come.................... Save the Date for 10/30/15.
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 St. Ambrose Events
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Oktoberfest - Saturday, October 3rd!
It seems like fall weather is on the way and St. Ambrose School's 3rd annual Oktoberfest is just over 3 weeks away! Please join us Saturday, October 3rd for food, fun and beer! We will be grilling brats, serving seasonal craft beers and holding a cook off of German inspired side dishes and desserts (more on this below!).$20 per person. Please see the attached flyer for more details. Book a babysitter and make your reservations today! |
Cook Off
Calling all Chefs and Bakers! Pull out your family recipe book or your google machine and bring your best side dish or dessert to this year's cook off. Prizes and more importantly St. Ambrose Top Chef Awards and accompanying bragging rights will be bestowed on this year's winners! Click here for the entry form.
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We will also need help selling tickets after mass and with event set up and clean up. Please see sign up genius for details.
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This new section is a reboot of last year's Time, Talent and Treasure Update. This is where you will find ways that you can give back to our wonderful school!
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WANTED: Room Parents!
Thank you for those who are volunteering to be room parents! We still have a need for two room parents for fourth, sixth and eighth grade. One more for 3rd grade would be great, as well. Room parents are so critical to the teachers! If you value the time the teachers give to your children, please consider helping them out by being a room parent. Most of the work can be done online coordinating faculty snacks, class receptions, field trips and class parties. Once all the positions are filled, we will have a Room Parent Orientation to help you navigate the role. If you are interested in being a room parent please contact our volunteer coordinator, Kim Vores, at volunteer@stambroseschool.org.
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Community Corner
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We have such a warm, vibrant community at St. Ambrose! Below is some important information about events in the area, thank yous and fun facts about our community.
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Faculty Room Snacks
We love our faculty and staff and to show our appreciation, we have a monthly program where a designated class graciously brings in snacks for the faculty room. For the month of September, 7th grade families are asked to bring in goodies for the faculty room. Ideas are: homemade baked goods, microwave popcorn, individual snack/chip bags, granola bars, water, soda/tea, K-Cups of coffee or tea, fruit, veggie tray, chocolate or anything that you feel would give the teachers and staff a boost in their day. Room parents generally send out a sign up genius coordinating the snacks. Until we get the room parents and class lists figured out we ask 7th grade families to please bring in something to stock up our faculty room. Check out the website for the entire Faculty Room Snack and Reception Schedule: http://s3.amazonaws.com/stambrose/stambroseschool/wp-content/uploads/faculty-snacks-and-receptions.pdfSeptember - 7th Grade October - 5th Grade November - 1st Grade
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Look Who's In! (AKA Shout Outs)
SOCCER SUCCESS: Ava Brown (Class of 2008 and sister of Jack, Class of 2017) was named to the All-Tournament Team for her stellar play this weekend in the 2015 D.C. Classic Tournament. Ava is a senior at Catholic University and plays outside back for the Cardinals. From her defensive position, Ava scored a goal and had two assists in the tournament.
Thank you to Kate Lindquist, Lindsey Whetzel, Ida Smith and Mr. Hechinger for their behind the scene work with Grandparents Day. Thank you to the Gorak and Furey families for joining in on the fun at The Virginian Retirement Community on Sunday. Finally to John Gorak, Katelyn Gorak, Aidan Furey, and Donovan Furey for " Being Grand" ambassadors.
Is there someone you would like to recognize or a story you would like to tell? Please email Krista Gauthier. Thank you!
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Next Meeting: Monday, October 14 at 7PM
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Important Dates
(All events and important dates can now be found on our website's Google Calendar!)
9/16: Back to School Night
9/25: 11:30am dismissal
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-Consider ways to that you can volunteer this year?
-Update your information in the Power School's Parent Portal?
-Tell a friend about the Amazon Associates Program?
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Stay Connected
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