Welcome Back Letter 2023/2024

Posted on August 2, 2023

August 2, 2023

Dear Parents:

Welcome to St. Ambrose School. I hope all of you had a restful and relaxing summer and are ready to start a great year with us. I am very excited for our students’ return, and I know that this school year will be filled with many blessings, and we will have many opportunities to grow closer together as a school community.

As we begin the school year, let us renew our commitment to our faith and mission together.  Our students are very precious to us.  Let us work together to provide an environment that encourages them to follow in the footsteps of our Lord.

Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 23, and it will be a full day from 8:10 AM-3:10 PM.  Many forms need to be completed before the first day of school.  Please go to School Forms to access all of them and submit them electronically no later than Wednesday, August 11th, 2023.  It is vital that we have this information before the first day of school.

Our Handbook will be posted on the school website for your review on Wednesday, August 23.  Please make sure you read it as new policies have been incorporated.  If you have signed the electronic version prior to the handbook being posted, please be aware that the Diocese requires that all Elementary/Middle School Handbook Agreement Forms (Appendix AG-1) be signed and submitted as a paper copy.  The Elementary/Middle School Handbook Agreement Form will be sent home on the first day of school with your child in the Wednesday Folder.   I ask that all parents submit this signed form no later than August 31, 2023.

Carpool this year will be different, so please make sure you read the procedures and maps that are at the end of this letter. Morning carpool will be starting at 7:50 AM with dismissal at 3:10 PM.

Please keep in mind that all school supplies will have to come with your child during our first week. Make sure you spread them throughout the week so your child can carry them all to school.

I would like to take this opportunity to announce three new additions to our faculty and staff. I am very happy to welcome Dwight Hayes, our new Sixth Grade Teacher for Social Studies and Religion, Shervin Rahai, Instructional Assistant to Resource and Mariah Ecie, our school nurse..  Dwight worked at Trinity Christian school for twelve years as the PE teacher.  Dwight has a B.A in physical education with a minor in health and Bible and M.S in physical education. Shervin worked for St. Leo’s Catholic School for eight years and has a M.S in English from Otvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary and a B.S from Tehran University. Mariah is a Licensed Practical Nurse who started her nursing career in 2007.  Please join me in welcoming them to our team.

We have been working very hard during the summer to prepare the school for our students.  Please see below all the updates and changes we have made:

• Renovated our Faculty Room.
• Each homeroom will be encouraged to perform three acts of kindness (one per trimester) toward others, not expecting anything in return.
• Purchased resources and materials for our STREAM initiative.
• Implementation of a Dual Language Program now for Kindergarten and First Grade
• The Orton-Gillingham is now implemented in all grades from K-5

As you already know, we will be providing extended day services.  Please be aware that Extended Day will be closed on:

• Friday, December 15th: 3:30 dismissal for a Faculty and Staff Christmas Party
• Wednesday, January 31st:  11:30 dismissal for Catholic School Week’s Staff Appreciation Luncheon
• Friday, May 24th: 11:30 dismissal for  Field Day
• Monday, June 3rd: 11:30 dismissal for  8th-grade graduations
• Friday, June 7th: 11:00 dismissal on the last day of school

Our lunch services will continue to be provided by YAY Lunch.  This program will not start until Tuesday, September 5th, so please make sure to pack a lunch for your child from August 23-September 1.  Furthermore, due to the small size of our school, local milk companies did not want to supply milk to us, so as a result, we are unable to provide milk to our students this year.

This year, virtual learning will only be available when Fairfax County Public Schools are closed for inclement weather.

I will continue to focus on the professional development of our faculty and staff.  For this reason, I have designated some Wednesday 1:00 PM early release days, in addition to our Friday 11:30 AM half days.   Please check the school calendar to be aware of these dates.

This year I have picked a spiritual theme of “All Hearts!”. Inspired by verses from Mark 12:30-31, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Our school community will foster love, compassion, and kindness in every interaction. Students are encouraged to pour their hearts into their studies, discovering the joy of learning and the power of knowledge. They are reminded to love God with their entire being, nurturing a deep spiritual connection. Equally important is the commandment to love our neighbors, promoting love and empathy. Through acts of selflessness and understanding our school cultivates an environment where hearts unite, creating a brighter future. This theme aims to foster a community where empathy, understanding, and goodwill prevail, empowering our students to make a positive impact on the world around them. Our spiritual theme will be portrayed in our school bulletin boards and classroom projects throughout the school year.

I would encourage you to get involved in this beautiful community.  Everyone has a talent to share, and our community becomes stronger with everyone’s participation.  We have been blessed with a dedicated faculty, generous parents, and enthusiastic students.  Our winning combination allows the Spirit of St. Ambrose to thrive in our school.  This year will be more vibrant than ever, so please volunteer. We, as well as your child, would love to see you around campus. If you are interested in running an after-school club from 3:15-4:15 PM, please let me know.

I know this coming year will be remarkable and will allow us to unite in our common goal to educate “the whole child” and be a family that assists each other in accomplishing our school mission and vision. Please remember that together all things are possible.

I am here to support you in any way possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Let us love one another through God.

Maria Teresa Tejada

Principal

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Carpool 2023-2024 

Morning Arrival @ 7:50-8:07 AM

• Cars will enter the church parking lot from Woodburn Rd and immediately turn right.
• Cars will pass the Parish Hall and the Church and enter the school median. Please form two lines until passing the church. Then cars can alternate to enter the median area.
• Please form only one line along the school sidewalk, facing the lower parking lot (area II).
• Please stop your car all the way up the incline where the curb stops.
• Students will exit on the right, passenger side of the car only. Students can only exit their cars if the car is between Door #8 and where the curb stops.
• Students will not be permitted to exit their cars near the church or Parish Hall.
• Students will only be permitted to enter the school through Door # 1.
• Once the student has exited the car, the driver can exit the parking lot, only if you are the first car on the line.
• Do not go around parked cars to exit the parking lot. Please wait until the car in front of you has exited the median and follow it out..

Afternoon Dismissal @ 3:10 PM 

• Dismissal begins right after closing announcements and prayer at 3:07 PM.
• Enter the church parking from Woodburn Rd. & immediately turn right. Circle around past the Parish Hall and church.  Form a double line to enter the school parking lot.
• Alternate carpool lanes and pull your cars into the seven lanes marked by cones in the Area I (upper parking lot in front of the school).
• All cars should face the cones and the lower parking lot (Area II).
• Be careful that you do not block the entrance to the school (Area I) parking lot. Allow enough clearance for cars to turn into all seven lanes.
• Once the school parking lot is full, all arriving cars should wait in line near the Parish Hall and the Church. Stop by the cone located just past the Church. Two lines must be formed to prevent back-up onto Woodburn Rd.  Our faculty and staff will direct you when it is safe to proceed forward.
• Please turn off your vehicles when parked and exit your car to meet your children at the sidewalk island.
• A whistle will blow when all the children are in their vehicles. Safety patrols and staff members will direct you out of the parking lot beginning with lane number one.
• You can turn right after the cones or continue to the church entrance to turn left.
• The next wave of cars will pull up and the process will be repeated. Children not picked up by 3:30 p.m. will be placed in Extended Day Care. Regular extended day care charges will then apply.