St. Joseph
Catholic School

Psalm 98

R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!

Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.

R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!

Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.

R. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

This is the time of year that we recognize those who serve us, and we are asking each child for a donation for a gift for Father Cayet. He has served us alone since school began. He says Mass for the children and always has an excellent message for them. He arranges for reconciliation for the children on a regular basis. He oversees the school and supports our efforts to provide a faith-filled experience for the children. He brings a joy with his presence that is contagious. We will be collecting for a gift for him over the next couple of weeks. Thank you for your generosity.

Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of Christ. The Church sees this time of preparation as a solemn time similar in many ways to Lent. The school has special prayers for Advent and each class has an Advent Wreath in their classroom.

The Superintendent visited the schoolThursday evening. She visited the classrooms and offered an in-service for the faculty on the Core Curriculum that will be adopted over the next few years by the school. Scheduled for adoption for next year is math for grades k through 2 and reading/English/Language Arts grades k through 5. The school is following the schedule implemented by the state for textbooks. 

-- Dr. Gerard Toups
    Principal

Calendar for the Week

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

Sunday, December 2
First Sunday of Advent

Monday, December 3
Blessing of the Advent Wreaths

Wednesday, December 5
December Birthdays

Thursday, December 6
St. Nicholas Day
Wear Red or Green with Jeans for $1.00
Home & School Meeting @ 6:30 in Gym

Friday, December 7
Last Day to Order Tickets for Father/Daughter Dance
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
Spirit Dress
Adopt-a-Child Collection
Santa Bear Toys Due

Saturday, December 8
Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Sunday, December 9
Second Sunday of Advent

Wednesday, December 12
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.

Friday, December 14
Father/Daughter Dance 
Spirit Dress
Accelerated Reader Deadline

Sunday, December 16
Third Sunday of Advent

Monday, December 17
Exams Grades 6-7-8 ... Reading/Science
Library Closed

Tuesday, December 18
Exams Grades 6-7-8 ... English/Social Studies
Library Closed

Wednesday, December 19
Kinder/8th Gift Exchange
Kindergarten Parent Activity
Kindergarten Polar Express/Pajama Day
Exams Grades 6-7-8 ... Math
Library Closed

Thursday, December 20
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
Christmas Program @ 9:30
Christmas Parties @ 10:30
Dismissal @ 11:30
No After School Care
Library Closed
Second Quarter Ends

Friday, December 21
Christmas Holidays Begin

Calendar Changes for December

The following changes have been made to the December calendar:

1. December birthdays have been moved to December 5.

2. A uniform swap has been added to December 6.

3. A school Mass has been added for Wednesday, December 12, in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

4. The school Mass originally scheduled for Friday, December 14, has been cancelled.

Please see the individual blurbs in the newsletter for further explanations of each event.

December Birthdays - Wednesday, December 5

All students at St. Joseph who have a birthday in December may come out of uniform on Wednesday, December 5. This is the only day students with December birthdays may come out of uniform. There is no make-up day. Out of uniform guidelines can be found on the WEBSITE.

Busy, Busy Day - Thursday, December 6

GREEN AND RED DAY $1.00

Celebrate the season and join in efforts to help other children!!

Wear a red or green shirt to celebrate St. Nicholas Day for $1 along with jeans, a belt, white crew socks, and school shoes.

The Cheerleaders will donate all money raised to the local organization, TORC, through their next cheer competition. Help the cheerleaders help other children in the area by showing your support!!



ST. NICHOLAS DAY

December 6 is the traditional St. Nicholas Day. Sometime during the day, our younger students will put one of their shoes outside the classroom door. While they are busy inside, St. Nicholas visits and secretly leaves a surprise for good little boys and girls.

Here's the Wikipedia link to ST. NICHOLAS DAY if you'd like to know more.



UNIFORM SWAP

There will be a uniform swap in the cafeteria on Thursday, December 6, from 5:99-6:30 immediately prior to the Home & School meeting. 

This is a great opportunity mid-way through the year for uniform adjustments as our children grow.

Thanks to Kim Thibodeaux for heading this endeavor.



HOME & SCHOOL MEETING

The St. Joseph Catholic school Home & School Association will hold a regularly-scheduled meeting on Thursday, December 6, at 6:30 in the gym.

We hope to see all of our parents in attendance!

Santa Bear Project - Due Friday, December 7

Please consider making an Advent sacrifice for a child that is not as fortunate as your own. Our Student Council, along with the St. Joseph Church community, is sponsoring the "Santa Bear" Advent gift-giving project. 

We combine our efforts with the Daily Star and Tangipahoa's Parish Sheriff's Department to provide Christmas toys for children in need. 

Please have students bring UNWRAPPED toys to the school library by Friday, December 7th. Toys that indicate violence will not be accepted. Please NO GUNS, BOWS & ARROWS, ETC.

Father/Daughter Dance - Due Friday, December 7

Seventh Grade Social Studies Pictures

In the picture above is Andrew Wisecarver portraying Andrew Jackson.

Pictures of seventh grade students making social studies presentations can be found in the PHOTO ALBUMS. The students had the option of dressing as famous Americans as they made class presentations. Judging from their remarkable efforts, we'll soon have some famous actors/actresses among our alumni.

Thanksgiving Pictures

In the picture above, Noah Fuller (left) and Johnathan Boudreaux pose as well-dressed Pilgrims just before the Pilgrim and Indian Mass on Friday, November 16.

As a tradition at St. Joseph, eighth grade students and their kindergarten buddies dress as Pilgrims and Indians to attend Mass on the last day of school before Thanksgiving. 

First grade and PreK students performed a Thankgiving Extravaganza on stage for their families and the student body in celebration of the event.

All THANKSGIVING PICTURES can be seen in the Photo Albums section of our school website.

Community News

HOMEWORK HELPERS

Louisiana Children's Discovery Center is offering homework help to students in grades 1st through 6th on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and/or Thursdays, from 4:00-5:30 P.M.

The fee is $10 per child per day OR $25 for all three days. Advanced registration and payment are required.

To register your child for the Homework Helpers program, or if you have questions, please contact carolyn@lcdcofhammond.org or 985-340-9150.

Students will enjoy a snack, homework assistance, and discovery time on the exhibit floor of the children's museum.

Homework assistance is provided by Teaching & Learning Techer Candidates from Southeastern Louisiana University.

Parish News

Personnel
Fr. Cayet Mangiaracina, O.P. - Parochial Vicar and Administrator
Fr. David K. Seid, O.P, - In Residence
Larry J. Melancon - Deacon
Mike Agnello - Deacon
Dr. M.J. "Dutch" Schanzbach - Deacon

Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil Mass - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday Mass - 8:00 a.m., 11:00 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