Psalm 34

R - Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly wil hear me and be glad.  R

The Lord has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The Lord confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.  R

When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress He rescues them.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit He saves.  R

Many are the troublesof the just one,
but out of them all the Lord delivers him;
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.  R

From the Principal

The following is the essence of the greeting I gave the parents at the Home and School Meeting last week.

I hope each of you have visited the new building. We have had nothing but compliments. The classrooms are spacious and they provide the latest in teaching technology.

For those new to the community, the building which was paid for from the Generation to Generation Campaign funds from St. Joseph Parish. Many of the school community contributed.

Much has been accomplished since the beginning of the last school year.

1) The new classrooms across the street are obviously the big step that has been taken to improve the school this year. It is our hope that the building will entice others to come to St. Joseph. There have been other improvements to the school. 

2) It was August 2008 that we opened the new building that contains the teachers’ lounge, bookroom, and a wonderful computer lab. A study of the achievement scores of the eighth students last year reveals some interesting data. Twenty of last year’s eighth graders were with us from fourth grade to eighth. Their achievement scores are pretty consistent until last year where they jumped significantly. I am convinced this occurred because these students spent significantly more time in the classroom because they spent much less time in transit to class. This is because the computer lab was located near their classrooms. 

3) Subsurface drainage has been installed along the side of the cafeteria and the school building where the students line up for the bus. That area was a bog and created numerous problems for us when it rained. We now have no standing water when it rains and a nice new concrete pad for the students waiting for the bus. 

4) The second grade classrooms have been renovated. The walls have been redone. The cider block was covered with wall board and painted, and the whole appearance is changed. New lighting has been installed in the Ms. Scruggs’ classroom. Mr. Little, our esteemed vice-principal’s husband, built and installed the cubbies in the second grade classrooms, and we are thankful to him. 

5) A new copy machine for the office has been purchased at the cost of $10,000.00. 

6) Because of the work of volunteers, the gymnasium has taken on a new look. The cleaning out of the trash and the painting has given the gym a real uplift. 

7) The purchase of the containers for the fair materials, the purchase of booths to upgrade the fair, the organization of the fair materials have prepared us better for the fairs of the future. 

8) The school has been responsible for the installation of five new Starboards in the new building at the cost of $20,000.00 including the five computers needed to operate them. In addition about $5000.00 of new furniture was also purchased to furnish the new classroom. The cost of the furniture was not high because we purchased so much new furniture with the Jump Start money in 2006. 

9) We have purchased and installed EDLINE, a very progressive program to keep parents informed as to the status of their children and a means of upgrading the communication between parent and teacher and also between parents and the school. As I wrote home, it is imperative that all parents use EDLINE. Everyone must refer to the Website for information regarding the school. Parents will be held responsible for information on the Website. Mrs. Little is very conscientious about upgrading the site. 

10) New textbooks for English have been also purchased. 

11) New cafeteria tables have been purchased and installed. The seating capacity has risen from 120 to 144. 

12) Finally, and most importantly, the second and fourth grade classrooms were doubled. Two additional teachers have been hired, and we have reshuffled the upper grade classroom assignments.

These are the major areas that have made the school a better place for the children who attend the school.

For this school year, the following goals have been set and the following improvements are needed.

1) The school has committed itself to building a new playground for the younger students. The size of the enterprise has been scaled back for a number of reasons, mainly in the face of other needs of the school. With the help and cooperation of parents we can build an excellent facility. The cost will still be in the neighborhood of $40,000.00 to $50,000.00. 

2) We are in the process of buying new benches for the area where the school students line up or the bus. Permanent benches with recycled plastic are quite expensive. 

3) The second grade will classrooms will be air conditioned with new A/C Units. They will hang on the walls inside but the compressor will be outside, and I am assured that they will be very quiet.

These preceding upgrades will take place. These funds are in place, but we would like to do more.

1) It is not fair that the only classes that do not have access to the Starboards are the second, third and fourth grades; we need to address that need. That cost to the school is $4,000.00 per classroom or $24,000.00. 

2) All the classrooms in the old building have to be renovated at least in the same manner that we did the second grade. The cost for the classroom renovation is at the presently about $7,000.00 per room. I am convinced that we will get a significant benefit in the way of improved scores if a quiet and attractive classroom for the students to work and play is provided. 

3) The hallways in the old building need renovation. 

4) We need to clean up the field along the rear of the school. 

5) We need fencing, some of which will have to be installed as the playground is completed. 

6) A second homeroom teacher will be hired next school year for the fifth grade. 

7) Finally, we will need to be aggressive with salaries if we are going to keep qualified teachers.

I thank you for your support and ask that you get involved and get others involved. Speak to them about our dreams for the school. Recruit! Recruit! The more kids we have, the better your children will be served. We have enrolled a fair number of private and public school children this year. We continue to enroll students moving into the area. That has slowed some because of the economy. We open this school year with 368 students. That is 21 more that were enrolled at the end of the last school year. As always you will be asked to help as the year proceeds. Be as generous as you can. My pledge to you is that your children will benefit. 

-- Dr. Gerard Toups

Calendar for the Week

Wednesday, August 26
Magazine Sale Continues!

Thursday, August 27
Magazine Sale Continues!

Friday, August 28
Spirit Dress
Magazine Sale Continues!
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend. 

Monday, August 31
Magazine Sale Continues!

Tuesday, September 1
Magazine Sale Continues!

Wednesday, September 2
Magazine Sale Ends

Friday, September 4
Spirit Dress
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
Adopt-a-Child Collection

Monday, September 7
Labor Day Holiday - No School

Tuesday, September 8
Classes Resume
Birthday of Our Lady

Magazine Sale

Magazine sale returns are slow to come in.

This can be a very easy fundraiser for the school by simply ordering or renewing magazines you already read. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends can all get in on this and help the school.

40% of all sales are returned for use for your children at St. Joseph.

The sale ends on Wednesday, September 2. Please support our Magazine Sale.

Child Nutrition News

A form was sent home today (August 26, 2009) seeking permission for students to participate in the "Touch 'n' Go Finger Scanning" program that will be implemented in the cafeteria at St. Joseph School this school year. 

In order to scan your child, the Child Nutrition Program is asking for parental permisssion. No student will be scanned without written permission from the parent.

The idea of "fingerprinting" students has raised concerns about privacy issues among parents and school officials. The "Touch 'n' Go Finger Scanning" does not use the entire fingerprint, nor does it store the image. The technology uese "finger imaging" to create a template of numbers corresponding with the unique swirls and arches of each print. The fingerprint image is discarded, and all that remains is the number. The image cannot be recostructed, duplicated, or used for any other identification purposes.

Please contact Lynda Carville, Child Nutrition Program Supervisor, at 225-387-6421 if you have any questions regarding this new procedure. 

We need a form indicating parent wishes regarrding this program from EACH STUDENT by Tuesday, September 8. The scanning will begin on September 23.

Carpool

To Carpool Families:

Please allow the PreK and Kindergarten early dismissal pick-ups (2:15 with yellow cards) to pass on the street. 

Please do not block the road so that early dismissal famiies cannot pass your vehicle. Please pull to the right so early dismissal (yellow cards) families may pass.

Also ..... please remember to leave room for the buses to turn from Eighth Street onto Hickory. There will be a gap in the carpool line at that point, but we want to leave lots of room for those buses to make their turns, avoid accidents, and keep our students safe.

Thank you for your cooperation.

EDLINE

Last week each child brought home an activation code for their parents to access EDLINE. Most of our parents activated that evening or have activated since, but we still have several who have not yet signed onto the website.

Information about classes, assignments, tests, and grades are all listed on EDLINE. It is very important that parents have their accounts activated in order to get this vital information.

If you didn't receive your activiation code, check your child's backpack for a while #10 envelope with their name on it. If the search doesn't turn up the code, please send an email to Mrs. Little at slittle@sjscrusaders.org, and a new code will be issued.

Please remember to add your email address when you activate your code. This allows you to email teachers from the site as well as to receive notices when the site is updated. If you didn't enter your email address, it can be added under the "manage account" tab when you sign on.

Blessing the New Building

We would like to thank Father John for blessing our new primary building Mass on Friday, August 14.

The entire student body was present as Father blessed the brand-new 8000+ square foot building. Father began the service with prayers outside the building then entered and blessed each classroom.

Check out the "Photo Albums" tab on the school website to see pictures of the blessing.

Prayer for Priests

The Year for Priests 2009-2010

Dear Lord,

We pray that the Blessed Mother wrap her mantle around Your priests and through her intercession strengthen them for their ministry.

We pray that Mary will guide Your priests to follow her own words, 
"Do whatever He tells you." (Jn 2:5)

May Your priests have the heart of St. Joseph, Mary's most chaste spouse.

May the Blessed Mother's own pierced heart inspire them to embrace all who suffer at the foot of the cross.

May Your priests be holy, filled with the fire of Your love, seeking nothing but Your greater glory and the salvation of souls.

Amen

St. John Vianney, pray for us.


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