St. Joseph
Catholic School

Psalm 35

R. Lord, come and save us. 

The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free. 

R. Lord, come and save us. 

The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers. 

R. Lord, come and save us. 

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.

R. Lord, come and save us.

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

Thank you to Juan and Esmerelda Quiroz owners of Mi Patio Restaurant for their sponsorship of the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadeloupe last Monday. The students enjoyed the music of the Mariachi Band, breaking the Penadas for candy, and the other treats that were offered. Thanks to Janine George and Carol Girdwood who were very instrumental in the preparations. The day offered a unique opportunity for the students to participate in the traditions of another culture.

Christmas is approaching fast and the joy that comes with the birth of Jesus is right around the corner. From the faculty and staff of St. Joseph School we wish you a Holy and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Christmas is a good time to thank you for the entrusting your children with us. The school children we work with everyday are a credit to you. We all feel privileged to be with them.

Christmas is an excellent time to thank those who have been good to us over the school year. Father John says Mass for the students, hears their confessions, visits the classrooms, and supports the school in all its endeavors. A parish school is a significant burden or the time and energies of the priest. In order to demonstrate our sincere thanks for his service, I have asked the teachers to ask the students to bring a small monetary donation (one or two dollars), and we will offer it to Father at the Mass next week. Thank you for your generosity.

Again, I remind you that the time between Christmas and New Years is an excellent time to speak to friends, neighbors, and relatives regarding St. Joseph School. We have increased enrollment by over twenty students a year over the past four years. The increase in enrollment has offered us the opportunity to expand our program, our facilities and our staff to better serve the students and their families. St. Joseph Open House is February 21. We would like to introduce the school and all it has to offer to new parents at that time. The number one recruiting tool we have is our parents. I ask that you be proactive especially with parents of younger students. As we grow, we will be better able to serve every child. 

-- Gerard Toups

Current Calendar

Thursday, December 16
* Exams - Grades 6-7-8 - English, Social Studies
* Donations for Father's Gift Accepted

Friday, December 17
* No School Mass
* Spirit Dress or Hornets Shirt (ONLY those from the SJS/Hornets game)
* Accelerated Reader Deadline
* Donations for Father's Gift Accepted
* No Afternoon Buses

Sunday, December 19
* Fourth Sunday of Advent

Monday, December 20
* Exams - Grades 6-7-8 - Math
* Christmas Hat Day - $1.00 donation to 4-H 
* No Buses - All are carpool both morning and afternoon.

Tuesday, December 21
* Mass @ 8:30 with Live Nativity - All are invited to attend. 
* Spirit Dress
* Crusaders Announced
* Christmas Program @ 9:30
* Christmas Parties @ 10:30
* Dismissal @ 11:30
* No Buses - All are carpool both morning and afternoon.
* Second Quarter Ends

Wednesday, December 22
* Hornets Game - Tyler Carollo sings!

Wednesday, December 22 - Sunday, January 2
* Christmas Holidays

Monday, January 3
* Classes Resume
* Third Quarter Begins
* No Buses

Wednesday, January 5
* Report Cards

Class of 1946

The SJS Class of 1946 recently surprised the student body during morning assembly with a plaque dedicated to the memory of the School Sisters of Notre Dame who founded and staffed the school for many years.

The plaque has been placed in the main office of the school to be enjoyed by everyone who visits.

The Class of 1946 is the first eighth grade class from St. Joseph School. Prior to that time, SJS only went up to the seventh grade.

St. Joseph School Hornets Group

This Friday, December 17, students may wear their purple SJS/Hornets t-shirt instead of regular spirit shirt. 

ONLY Hornet shirts provided by the school may be worn. If you do not have a school-provided Hornets shirt, regular Crusaders shirts may be worn with Spirit Dress. No other Hornets shirts are to be substituted.

Game Day for the SJS/Hornets gave is Wednesday, December 22. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. Buzz Fest starts at 5:30 and door open at 6:00. 

The game is at the New Orleans Arena at 1501 Girod Street in New Orleans. For directions and parking information, please visit www.neworleansarena.com/directions.

St. Joseph has a group of 237 people attending the game. Our tickets are in section 319, rows 9-15, and section 321, rows 11-15. Tickets are assigned seats. Try to arrive early so that you don't miss our very own 8th Grader, Tyler Carollo, sing the National Anthem. Also look for our school name on the Buzz Vision screen during the game.

Games generally last approvimately 2 1/ hours. Tickets to allow your family onto the floor for the post game photo have been sent home. Following the game, the SJS group will wait outside of section 118/119 until a Hornets representative escorts the group down to the court. A group photo will be taken with two Honeybees.

See you at the game!

Important Accelerated Reader Information

The deadline for Accelerated Reader is Friday, December 17.

Students will not be allowed to take a quiz after school on this because every student will be in the gym for carpool.

Testing must be comleted byt the end of recess on this date unless the teacher allows testing in the classroom.

Funds for Father

This is the time of year that we recognize those who serve us. We are asking each child for a donation for a gift for Father John.

Father has had a difficult time with his operation. He has returned to us and worked hard for the children. He says Mass for them, and they always enjoy his messages. He arranges for reconiliation for the children on a regular basis. he oversees the school and supports our efforts to provide a faith-filled experience for the children.

We ask that all donations be sent in by Friday, December 17. We thank you for your generosity.

No Buses

** St. Joseph School has a full day of school on Friday, December 17. There will be NO buses in the afternoon.

** Monday, December 20, is also a full day of school. There will be NO buses running in the morning or the afternoon.

** On Tuesday, December 21, SJS will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. for the Christmas holidays. NO buses will run either morning or afternoon.

** Classes resume Monday, January 3. NO buses will run either morning or afternoon.

Christmas Hat Day

St. Joseph 4-H is sponsoring its first Christmas Hat Day on Monday, December 20.

Students may wear any Christmas hat, Santa hat, elf hat, reindeer ears, etc. 

A $1.00 donation is asked for all those who are participating. A portion of the proceeds will go to a local charity. 

Please remember that this is a normal uniform dress day.

Candy Grams

Thank you, SJS students, parents, faculty, & staff! Approximately $500 was raised from candygram sales and superhero/community helper dressup day. The money will be donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Society of St. Joseph Church and will be used towards helping those in our community who are in need this Christmas season. A check will be presented to Deacon Larry Melancon at assembly before the Christmas break. Thanks again to all of you for your generous contributions. Have a blessed Christmas!

Open House for Parents of Prospective Students

We ask parents now to begin to recruit students for the school for next school year. Open House this year is scheduled for February 21, which is President's Day.

As parents, you come into contact with other parents who have school-aged children. This often happens at Christmastime. You are our best recruiters. You have family, friends, and co-workers who have children starting school, who are moving into the area, or who are not happy with the education their children are receiving. Let them know about St. Joseph. Let us know about them.

Please send the names and addresses of parents who you think might be interested in sending their children to St. Joseph. We will simply invite them to the Open House. The prospective parents need not know how we received their names. Increasing school enrollment will allow us to provide a better education for all the students. Please use the form sent home today for that purpose.

Confetti Eggs

Please save your eggshells when cooking during the holidays!!! We'll use them for confetti eggs at the Spring Fair.

It's time for confetti eggs again.

To easily clean eggs:
1. Poke a hole in the top of the egg with a knife.
2. Peel a small amount of the top of the shell (about the size of a nickel).
3. Pour out the egg.
4. Rinse well and air dry.

Community News

CUPCAKE DECORATING WITH SANTA!
Saturday, December 18
10:00 a.m.
Buddies Restaurant - 1236 South Morrison Boulevard, Hammond
$6.00 per child
Christmas fun! Have cupcakes for breakfast! Cupcake decorating and pictures with Santa.
Reservations and more information: Amy @ 985-215-9547 or amys-cupcakes@hotmail.com



PJ's AND COCOA WITH SANTA
Tuesday, December 21
5:00-8:00 p.m.
Jump-a-Roo
$10.00 per child
Wear pajamas have fun with hot cocoa, cookies, Christmas music, and jumping fun. Santa will be present for last minute requests.



NEW YEARS EVE GLOW PARTY
Friday, December 31
6:00-9:00 p.m.
Jump-a-Roo
$10.00 per child
Celebrate 2010 and welcome 2011. Glowsticks, blacklights, hats, blowouts, noisemakers, and jumping fun.

St. Joseph Parish

Personnel
Rev. John Dominic Sims, O.P. - Pastor
Larry J. Melcanon - Deacon

Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil Mass - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday Mass - 8:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 5:00 p.m.

Contact Information
Address - 255 North 8th Street (P.O. Box 368), Ponchatoula, LA 70454
Phone - 985.386.3749
Website - www.stjosephsonline.com