St. Joseph
Catholic School

Psalm 13:4-6

lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him"; 
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 

But I have trusted in thy steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. 

I will sing to the LORD, 
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

From the Principal

Dear Parents:

Thanks to the Lion’s Club, the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten had an eye sight screenings this morning. Several of the members were in the school and gave hours of their time to screen the children.

This week parents will receive a packet from the school. Please be attentive to the entire packet. There is important information in the packet for each family.

Thanks to so many who worked so hard for the Fall Fest. All the kids seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. It cannot be done without the full cooperation of so many parents. The eighth graders did a great job also. 

-- Dr. Gerard Toups
    Principal

Calendar for the Week

Monday-Friday, October 24-28
Red Ribbon Week

Thursday, October 27
Pictures Retakes (in uniforms)
Reconciliation - 4th Grade

Friday, October 28
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
Spirit Dress (or Fall Fest shirts)
Crusaders Announced
Red Ribbon Week Pep Rally @ 1:00

Tuesday, November 1
All Saints Day - Mass @ 8:30. All are invited to attend.

Wednesday, November 2
Advisory Council Meeting @ 6:30

Thursday, November 3
Reconciliation Grade 5
Home & School Association Meeting @ 6:30 in the Gym

Friday, November 4
NO SCHOOL MASS
Spirit Dress

See more plans for the year at Calendar

Father/Daughter Dance

Make your reservations now for the annual Father/Daughter Dance to be held on Friday, November 18.

All dads are invited to come and enjoy a night out with their little girl. The theme will be Country/Wester wear with prizes for the best-dressed couple. 

There will be music, dancing, food, and drink. The opportunity for pictures will also be available. All grades are welcome.

The dance will be held at the school gym from 7:00-9:00.

The Early Bird Price is $20. This admits one dad and one daughter. Each additional dad/daughter is $5.

At the door the price rises to $30 and $5 for each additional dad/daughter

Special circumstances permit another male figure in student’s life. This may include grandfather, uncle, etc. 

The reservation form was sent home today. It can also be obtained by clicking on reservation form.

Red Ribbon Week - October 24-28

Drug Free is the Way to Be - an essay by Emily Ranson, seventh grade

Red Ribbon Week is a time to celebrate being drug free. It is also a wonderful time to encourage drug addicts to end their addictions. During this week, schools around the world give red ribbons to their faculty and students. This is to signify that both faculty and students embrace a drug free lifestyle. Schools also set up activities throughout the week. Guest speakers visit and talk to students about drugs and the effects of them on both one's body and mind. Other activities include playing games in physical education classes and making bumper stickers with drug free slogans. Red Ribbon Week helps to raise awareness everywhere about many peoples' battles against drugs.

There are many ways to stay drug free. First, it helps to stay positive. By staying positive, the thought of drug usage will never cross one's mind. A busy lifestyle is another way to stay clean, sober, and healthy. Set high goals for oneself to become an accomplished person who is free from drugs. One should never let another's social class or popularity be the cause of turning to drugs. God created all human beings equal, and He does not favor one person over another. Lastly, supportive parents and friends will guide one away from drugs. God gave us one life to live, so why waste it on drugs?

Even though many people do not realize it, drug addicts can be anyone of any race and any age. Venerable Matt Talbot, for example, found himself addicted to alcohol at the mere age of twelve. Matt lived in the 1800s where, unfortunaely, alcoholic support groups had not yet been formed. When Matt was twenty-eight year olds, he made the decision to go to priest for help. The priest assisted Matt in turning around his life. Matt became more prayerful and began to help others who were in need. His journey to becoming sover was hard, but he stayed with it and became a very accomplished person. Venerable Matt Talbot is the perfect example for struggling drug addicts everywhere to start their journey to becoming clean and also for those who are not addicted but are struggling to stay drug free.

For anyone who has ever used drugs or considered using them, they are not the way out of worldly problems. God will help and guide one through rough times. Everyone needs help sometimes, and it is okay to admit it and to tell others about what one may be going through. Somebody one tells might even be going through the same addiction, and one could help another in his struggle. One is never alone in his struggles, and one never has to suffer alone either. Happiness will not come from drugs. To be truly happy is to love and respect oneself and everyone. Say no to drugs and one's life will improve immensely. Make the pledge today to be drug free.

Being drug free is very important to me because it means I am liberated from actions I may perform while under the influence of drugs. Freeness from drugs gives me clearer thoughts and helps me to know right from wrong. It is an excellent way to live out my life to the fullest. I enjoy life everyday that I am drug free and plan for it to stay that way. Drugs ruin one's life and destroy the body that God gave us. They cause people to lose the respect of everyone they know and love. God gives us many chances because He loves us, so staying drug free is an excellent way to show that we love God just as He loves us. Drug free is the way to be.

The Book Fair Is Coming!

The countdown has begun, and we need volunteers to help launch our most successful Book Fair ever! Our school is conducting an out-of-this-world Fair to encourage reading and raise funds to purchase new books for our library.

A schedule of class attendance at the book fair was sent home again today.

This year we have a new and easy way to volunteer!

Find the time you would like to help using the schedule on the back of this flyer.

Go to www.mysignup.com/sjsbookfair
Click on the I’ll be there button for the coordinating time.
Type in your information and confirm.

For additional information contact Jeri Carroll at jcarroll@sjscrusaders.org

 

Love those Saints!

We at St. Joseph have been given an exciting opportunity to raffle off two Saints - Club Level - Monday Night Football tickets!

We are asking that our student body get involved by selling ten raffle tickets at $5 each. Of course there will be exciting prizes for the top individual sellers and the classes that sell the most.

The raffle tickets were sent home October 5.

The turn-in date for tickets and all money is November 10.

The prizes for the top three sellers are:

1st place - 8x10 autographed picture of Drew Brees
2nd place - Lance Moore autographed Saints jersey
3rd prize - Jon Vilma autographed mini helmet.

In addition to these individual prizes, we will be awarding a pizza party to the classes that sell the most tickets.

If you'd like to sell more tickets than what is sent home, please contact the school office

All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day is Tuesday, November 1. 

The school will have its weekly Mass that day. No Mass will be held on the Friday following All Saints' Day.

The sixth grade students will dress as saints and participate in the Mass.

This will be the first day our PreK classes join us at Mass. 

All are invited to attend Mass with us. Please bear in mind that this is a Holy Day of Obligation and many of the parishioners will also be joining. The church will be full, so please be expecting to sit close.

Home & School

Mark your calendars!

The Home & School meeting will be held on Thursday, November 3, at 6:30 in the gym. Your attendance shows your interest in your child's school. Your attendance also gives you a chance to win the $100 door prize. See everyone there!

Bowling

On Friday, October 21, the students in grades fifth, sixth, and seventh celebrated Fall Fest by taking a bowling field trip. Bowling pictures can be seen in the Photo Albums section of this website.

Fall Fest

On Friday, October 21, PreK and Kindergarten students at St. Joseph School dressed in their Halloween costumes and enjoyed an afternoon at Fall Fest in the gym. They were joined by students in grades first through fourth. All were entertained by giant inflatables, games, face painting, and refreshments. 

Pictures of the Fall Fest can be seen in the Photo Albums section of this website.

Title I Parent Center Parent Activities

Title I Parent Center Parent Activities

2011-2012

Note:
Individual consultations are given daily to parents seeking guidance in improving their children’s academic skills.

Call 985-429-9043 for more information. Limited seating in computer lab sessions. 


October 28 9:00 – 11:00
Harcourt Math and Reading Resources
Tech. Dept. Lab
Hammond Jr. High
Technology Resource Teacher

November 4 9:00 – 10:00
Helping the Troubled Reader
Hammond Parent Center
Resource Teacher

November 11 9:00 – 10:30
Parenting the Child With ADHD
Hammond Parent Center
Families Helping Families

December 9 9:00 – 11:00
Internet Basics Part 2 – Cut, Copy & Paste
Technology Dept. Lab
Technology Resource Teacher
Hammond Jr. High

December 16 9:00 – 11:00
Technology Dept. Lab
Technology Resource Teacher
Hammond Jr. High

Community News

PHS Wavette Dance Clinic
Saturday, October 29
Registration @ 8:45 in gym lobby at PHS
Price is $25
This clinic is for students in grades K-8th.
Registration forms available in the SJS office.

Parish News

Personnel
Rev. John Dominic Sims, O.P. - Pastor
Rev. Cayet Mangiaracina, O.P. - Parochial Vicar
Rev. J.D. Logan, O.P. - In Residence
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