St. Joseph
Catholic School

Psalm 72

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. 

O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. 

Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. 

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. 

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

In behalf of Father John and the entire St. Joseph Staff, thank you for your kind remembrances at Christmas. Your generosity was most appreciated. All of us at St. Joseph feel blessed to have the privilege of serving this community. Your children are a gift to us everyday.

This is not a subject that I wanted to address on the first message home for the New Year, but I believe I must. I just reviewed report cards for the second nine weeks, and the results were disappointing. In speaking to the teachers, one of the more distressing issues that arose is the lack of preparation for class, especially the fact that many of the students do not do homework. 

As parents, it is most important that children be monitored to assure that school work is completed. If grades have gone down the second nine weeks, challenge your child to bring them up to an acceptable level. Along with the proper values, the most important thing we can give our children is an education. 

In these hard economic times, it is the students who value success and strive to do well in school who will be successful as adults. Each of you is making a huge investment by sending your child to St. Joseph. Work hard to assure their success. 

-- Gerard Toups

Current Calendar

Wednesday, January 5
* Report Cards

Friday, January 7
* Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
* Adopt-a-Child Collection
* Spirit Dress - LSU or Saints shirts are allowed.

Saturday, January 8
* SJS Baseball Tryouts - Grades 5-8

Monday, January 10-Friday, January 14
* National Vocations Awareness Week

Monday, January 10
* Geography Bee 

Wednesday, January 12
* Advisory Council @ 6:00

Thursday, January 13
* Penance Prayer Service - Grades 6-7-8

Friday, January 14
* Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
* Spirit Dress
* Parents Circles of Care
* Sock Hop - Grades 5-8 - 7:00-10:00

Monday, January 17
* MLK Holiday - No school

Thursday, January 20
* Reconciliation - 8th Grade

Friday, January 21
* Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
* Spirit Dress

Monday, January 24
* Accelerated Reader Hornets Basketball Game

Thursday, January 27
* Reconciliation - 7th Grade

Friday, January 28
* Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
* Crusaders Announced
* Spirit Dress

Sunday, January 30 - Saturday, February 5
* Catholic Schools Week

December Crusaders

Congratulations to Holly Hariel (3rd Grade) for being named as the December Mini Crusader.

Congratulations to Ian Waller (6th Grade) for being named as the December Crusader.

Hornets Night - December 22

Game Day for the SJS/Hornets gave was Wednesday, December 22. Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy a this evening of school fun!

St. Joseph had a group of 237 people attending the game. Students, parents, and friends were excited to hear our very own 8th Grader, Tyler Carollo, sing the National Anthem. The school name was also shown on the Buzz Vision screen during the game.

Following the game, the SJS group was escorted down to the court for a photo op with two Honeybees.

You can watch and hear Tyler's performance on YouTube.

National Geographic Bee

On Monday, January 10, SJS will have the annual National Geographic Bee. It is open to students in Grades 4-8. 

The school winner will then need to take a written qualifying test at a later date that is sent in to the National Geographic Bee headquarters in Washington, D.C. The test will checked and scored by their officials. The school will be notified if the student qualifies for the State Level Bee. The State Level Bee is held in Baton Rouge.

The Bee at the school level is informal and relaxed as well as serious and fair. It will be held after school in a classroom and should be over by 4:30.

Parents are to pick up their children on teh carpool side of the main building. 

Students who are interested in participating in the Bee should fill out the entry form being sent home today and return it to school by Friday, January 7.

Mrs. Brenda Allen is Bee Coordinator.

Friday, January 7

In recognition of the Tigers appearance in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night and the first Saints playoff on Saturday, students may wear either LSU or Saints shirts with their Spirit Dress on Friday, January 7.

Accelerated Reader Hornets Night

Those SJS students who made their second quarter Accelerated Reader goals were issued vouchers for tickets to the Hornets game on Monday, January 24. This is the Hornets v Oklahoma City game.

Tickets must be requested by Wednesday, January 12. Forms for requests were sent home with qualifying students today. 

Enjoy the Hornets' game, and congratulations to all our wonderful readers!

Winter Sock Hop

SJS will hold a Winter Sock Hop on Friday, January 14, from 7:00-10:00 p.m. in the gym.

Students in grades 5-8 are invited to participate. Cost is $10 per person. 

SJS students may bring one non-SJS guest who must also be in grades 5-8.

A dress code will be enforced. The office has flyers with dress code rules available.

This sock hop is sponsored by the 8th Grade Class, and proceeds will go to offset costs of their upcoming Mobile Classroom Trip.

SJS Baseball Tryouts

Tryouts for SJS Boys' Baseball Teams will Saturday, January 8, at 10:00 a.m. at the Ponchatoula Recreation Park on the Bedico Field. 

SJS has a junior varsity baseball team consisting of boys from the fifth and sixth grades and a varisty team made up of seventh and eight grade boys.

Rodney Schmaltz is the baseball coach.

Archbishop Hannan High School Cheerleading Clinic

Deadline to register: Monday, January 10

Date: Saturday, January 15
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Ages: 4 years to 8th grade
Cost: $30 (Family Discount: $20 for each additional sibling after first camper is paid)
Performance: halftime at game on Friday, January 21

Registration: Forms were sent home today and are available in the school office

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


MARRIAGE MINISTRY
The St. Joseph Marriage Ministry Presents: Evenings at Paul’s An Evening for Married and Singles from St. Joseph Parish and School Date: Thursday January 27, 2011 Time: 7:00 to 9:00 PM Location: Paul’s Café in Ponchatoula Topic: Making Good Marriages Great – Married Love and Natural Family Planning Presenter: Father Jose I. Lavastida, Rector of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans Married Couples and All Singles Adults 18 or Older are Welcome Admission is Free – No Advance Registration Required Snacks and Refreshments will be offered