St. Joseph
Catholic School

Psalm 112

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright. 

Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice. 

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright. 

He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright. 

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory. 

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

Registration for the 2011-12 school year for students presently enrolled will continue through Friday, February 11. Parents of students who are presently enrolled may also register brothers and sisters who will enter preschool or kindergarten or any other grade.

Please note again that the Open House for parents of prospective students is on February 21st. Please extend invitations to interested parents.

Because school was canceled on Thursday and Friday of last week, the following events that were scheduled for those days have been moved to this Thursday and Friday.

Thursday is the Religion Fair, a wonderful opportunity for the students to express their faith. Members of the St. Joseph community will come to school to judge the students’ work.

We will also have a Home and School meeting Thursday evening. Please make an effort to come to the meeting. Parents will be able to view the Religion Fair Projects and there will be a discussion on the preparation for the Spring Fair.

Friday, representatives of the student body will attend the Diocesan Catholic School Mass at St. Jean Vianny in Baton Rouge. At the Mass employees of the schools who have served as Catholic educators for ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years will be recognized. We will also recognize those individuals this Thursday at the Home and School Meeting.

The Varsity Girls' Basketball Team lost by one point in a heart stopper in the NIAL Championship to Trafton. Members of the team are Allie Amerson , Blair Atkins, Grayson Boudreaux, Jennifer Brescher, Morgan Fontenot , Leigh Fresina, Karlee Kraft, Lydia Pevey, Emily Waddell, and Abigail von Almen. The team was very successful this school year, and the loss was a hard fought affair. Congratulations to the team for their winning season.

Baseball, softball, and track are all underway, and we wish success to all our young athletes. 

-- Gerard Toups

Current Calendar

Wednesday, February 9
* MidQuarter Reports Online
* Mother Seton Nominations Due to the Office
* Advisory Council Meeting @ 6:00 in Library

Thursday, February 10
* Reconciliation - Sixth Grade
* Field Trip - Grades 1-4 
* Religion Fair
* Home & School Meeting @ 6:30 in the Gym

Friday, February 11
* Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
* Adopt-a-Child Collection
* Spirit Dress (red/pink shirts for $1.00 donation)
* Last Day for Current Families to Re-Register without Penalty 
* Last Day to Order Spring Fair T-Shirts

Monday, February 14-Friday, February 18
* Eighth Grade Mobile Classroom 

Friday, February 18
* Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
* Spirit Dress

Saturday, February 19
* Quiz Bowl at St. Jude School

Monday, February 21
* Open House for Parents of Prospective Students
* New Family Registration Begins

Thursday, February 24
* Penance Prayer Service - Grades 3-4-5

Friday, February 25
* Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
* Crusaders Announced
* Spirit Dress
* Last Day for Third Quarter Accelerated Reader

Re-Registration

Re-registration for current students and their siblings continues until Friday, February 11.

Current students may still register after February 11, but they will be subject to a late fee and are not guaranteed that a spot will be available.

Re-registration forms were sent home last week. ALL parents, returning or not, should fill out the appropriate form and return it to the office. The registration fee ($200) should be included with the form for those students returning and those who have siblings registering for 2011-2012.

Tuition rates for next year are posted on this website under the Admissions tab.

Home & School Meeting

The St. Joseph School Home & School Association will have their next meeting on Thursday, February 10, at 6:30 in the school gym. This is a new date as last week's meeting was postponed due to the weather. Please make plans to attend.

Religion Fair

Parents are invited to come view the Religion Fair on Thursday, February 10, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the gym. All grades have projects in the fair. This is a new date as the last one was postponed due to weather.

Open House for Parents of Prospective Students

Open House is getting closer!

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.

T-Shirts - Last Chance

Friday, February 11, is the last day to turn in orders for 2011 Fair T-Shirts.

The design is shown above for everyone to see. It is also on display in the school office.

Shirts are $13.00 each. All t-shirts must be pre-ordered. All orders are final.

Order forms have already been sent home, but another one has been included with today's packet.

Students will be allowed to wear their fair t-shirts all the Fridays in March.

Friday Red/Pink Day

The St. Joseph cheerleaders are making a donation on behalf of our school to Children's Hospital in Baton Rouge. 

Our donation comes from your support during a special t-shirt day. 

This Friday, we will celebrate Valentine's Day by dressing in your blue jeans with a red or pink shirt. 

In order to wear your red or pink, we ask that you bring in $1.00 donation to support Children's Hospital. 

Turn in your dollar to your homeroom teacher, and we will collect everyone's donations from them. 

Thanks for supporting such a great cause!

Confetti Eggs

It's time for confetti eggshell collection!

Mrs. Casey will be in the gym at 7:20 during the morning assembly to collect eggshells. They will collected during the entire month of February.

Please label egg cartons with child's name and grade.

As a reward, a popsicle party will be given to each student who brings in two cartons of eggshells.

To easily clean eggs:
1. Poke a hole in the top of the egg with a knfe.
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 shell.

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