St. Ambrose Buzz- 11/29/17

The St. Ambrose Buzz

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"The season of Advent restores ... a hope which does not disappoint for it is founded on God's Word.

A hope which does not disappoint, simply because the Lord never disappoints! ...

Let us think about and feel this beauty."

- Pope Francis

November 29th, 2017

From Mrs. Rowley

Welcome back. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Congratulations to our 8th graders, and all parish students, who celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation on last night. It was wonderful to welcome Bishop Emeritus Paul Loverde back to celebrate with us. This week our 8th graders will also do the High School Placement Test. Please keep them in your prayers as they journey through these two major milestones.

We are currently collecting new, unwrapped toys for our annual Santa's Ride. This is in cooperation with the Fairfax County Police, who will collect the toys on December 11. These will then be donated to the children's wards of local hospitals. While you shop during this busy time, please consider picking up a toy for a child who will spend Christmas in the hospital. Toys should be new and unwrapped.

Coming up: our annual Three Kings Shop will be open to our students on December 13-15. Thank you to all of our generous parishioners who have already donated many items for this. If you have any items that you would like to donate please drop them off in the school office and thank you in advance. Our Christmas concert will be held on Thursday, December 14 in the afternoon, from 1:00-3:00 pm. I hope to see you there!

Have a blessed week.

School News

Three Kings Gift Shop Donations

Please consider helping us continue a great St. Ambrose School tradition -The Three Kings Gift Shop! The Three Kings Shop tradition is a Christmas shopping opportunity for our students. We stock the store with re-gifted items donated by our community that we sell for $1 or $2. All proceeds go directly to the school. The kids love it because they get to do their own shopping for their families with the help of our volunteer elves.

We are gladly accepting donations to stock our store! Please take a look through your closets, drawers, attics, and garages and see if you have items in VERY GOOD condition to donate to our shop. We could use gifts for moms, dads, children, teenagers, and grandparents. Things like jewelry, toys, games, stuffed animals, ties, gadgets, mugs, books, religious items, knick-knacks, and any item you might want to receive or give as a gift. No large gifts as the children must be able to carry the items home. We also need gift wrapping supplies, gift boxes, jewelry boxes, tape, and sturdy shopping bags. All donated items can be dropped off at the school office before December 8th. We appreciate your support! For questions please contact Maryellen DeWolfe at [email protected] .

Rewards Programs

Thank you to those that have signed up for the various reward programs. As a reminder, we get cash back from your purchases at Giant, Harris Teeter and Amazon Smile. Please click this attachment for all the information you need to sign-up!

Fun Run Breakdown

Thank you to all the parent volunteers, sponsors, runners and

Mrs. Wise for making this year's Fun Run a great FUNdraiser!

Here are some quick stats:

* 66 Students turned in money

* 23 Students earned (37) iPad mini raffle ticket(s) ($75 or more)

* 5 Students earned $10 Amazon gift card ($150 or more)

* 3 Students earned $10 AMC gift card ($300 or more)

Congratulations to our Top Earners:

Christian Cuenco (2nd grade) $400 (also the iPad Mini winner!!)
Vivian Burton (1st grade) $330
Fortunato Merulo (4th grade) $300

With all of your help we were able to raise $4022.05 which helps us keep field trips free, provide teacher bonuses, procure new equipment for STEM programs and more. Keep up the great work! See you at Three Kings!!

Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast

The Kindergarten class enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving Feast together. Here are a couple of pictures from the festivities.

Click on images to enlarge.

Santa's Ride 2017

Please consider donating a new, unwrapped toy for a child who will be spending Christmas in the hospital this year. For more information, click on this flyer. Thank you so much for your help.

From the Health Clinic

Mrs. Maureen Earner

([email protected])

Yikes - Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias - Normal for Children?

Everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, experiences anxieties and fears at one time or another. Feeling anxious in a particularly uncomfortable situation never feels very good. However, with children, such feelings are not only normal, they are also necessary. Dealing with anxieties can prepare young people to handle the unsettling experiences and challenging situations of life.

Many Anxieties and Fears Are Normal

Anxiety is defined as "apprehension without apparent cause." It usually occurs when there is no immediate threat to a person's safety or well-being, but the threat feels real.

Anxiety makes someone want to escape the situation - fast. The heart beats quickly, the body might begin to perspire, and "butterflies" in the stomach soon follow. However, a little bit of anxiety can actually help people stay alert and focused.

Having fears or anxieties about certain things can also be helpful because it makes children behave in a safe way. For example, a child with a fear of fire would avoid playing with matches.

The nature of anxieties and fears change as children grow and develop.

Continue reading here.

From the Editor

Please send in your submissions! I accept submissions from teachers, staff, and parents. If you know of something interesting going on in our community, or want to give a shout out to someone at the school, I'd love to add it to the Buzz. I especially enjoy pictures. Please contact Mrs. Rowley to make sure that we have permission to publish pictures of every student in the picture. Pictures need to be less than 5MB. Submissions are due by Mondays at 5pm.

Rosie McGuire

[email protected]