St. Joseph
Catholic School

Psalm 72

R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. 

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. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. 

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. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. 

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory. 

R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

This is a good time to thank all those who offer time, talent, and treasure to the school. Home & School officers, room moms, members of the school advisory board, and each of you, (parents, grandparents and friends) who contribute in so many ways. Every hour you offer makes the school a better place for the students. They are the only reason we are here.

I am sure all of you saw the latest issue of Tangi Lifestyles. The publication featured three St. Joseph alumni. Jeff LeSaicherre’s law firm is the cover story. Jeff has two children at St. Joseph and is a member of the St. Joseph School Advisory Board. Rachel Bougere Arteaga is joining Jeff at his law firm. She is also a lawyer and working towards her CPA certification. Dr. April Austin Sandifer is an OB/GYN who has an excellent article on vaccinations. We are pleased to see the SJS graduates having such success. I am sure we will read about our present students in years to come.

Please have a safe and Blessed Christmas. Love your children and hold them close. We thank you for entrusting them to our care. We look forward to welcoming them back in the New Year for a productive second semester. 

-- Dr. Gerard Toups
    Principal

Calendar-at-a-Glance

Thursday, December 19
Exams - Grades 6-8 - Math
7th Grade Guest Speaker
Kindergarten Polar Express Day
PreK Christmas Fun Day
Pick up Pelicans' Tickets in Office

Friday, December 20
Spirit Dress
Last Day of Second Quarter/First Semester
Christmas Program/Parties
11:15 Dismissal

December 23-January 3
Christmas/New Years Holidays

Monday, January 6
Classes Resume
No Buses

Last Minute Christmas Ideas

St. Joseph Catholic School Home & School Association has some last minute stocking-stuffer ideas for those still shopping!

If you would like one of the following spirit items for your Crusader, please contact the school office.

Long sleeve spirit t-shirts - $15

Short sleeve spirit t-shirts - $13

Duffle bags - $25

Small drawstring bag - $6

Large drawstring bag - $8

SJS hat (cap) - $16

Car magnet - $3

These items are also available after Christmas, too.

Math Exam - Thursday, December 19

The exam schedule for students in grades 6-8 is as follows:

Monday, December 16 - English & Science
Tuesday, December 17 - Reading & Social Studies
Thursday, December 19 - Math

Christmas Parties/Program - Friday, December 20

The students at St. Joseph will have a short Christmas program on Friday, December 30, beginning at 8:30 in the gym. If you plan to attend, please check in through the office.

Following the program, small Christmas parties will be held in each classroom.

We will have early dismissal on Friday, December 20. Bells for early bus will be at 11:15, followed by carpool and late bus dismissal.

There is no after school care on this date.

If anyone other than a parent plans to check out a student, a note MUST be sent to the office.

Christmas Holidays

St. Joseph Catholic School will be closed from Monday, December 23 through Friday, January 3, so that our families may enjoy Christmas and New Years with their families.

Classes will resume on Monday, January 6. We will have NO bus service on Monday, January 6. Everyone will be carpool both morning and afternoon.

We wish everyone a blessed and merry Christmas season.

Pelicans Game - Monday, December 30

It's time for the St. Joseph Catholic School Pelicans' Basketball Game!

The game will have the New Orleans Pelicans playing the Portland Trail Blazers.

December 30, at 7:00 p.m.

Our group will sit together in the upper level of the New Orleans Arena.

Tithing Due - Tuesday, December 31

Remember:

In order to receive the discount for the 2014-2015 tuition, parents need to:

1. be St. Joseph parishioners AND

2. have a documented at least $416 in contributions to St. Joseph Parish by December 31, 2013.

No Buses - Monday, January 6

Classes resume for St. Joseph School on Monday, January 6. 

Public school does not have school this day. Therefore, we will not have bus service on Monday, January 6. 

Everyone will be carpool both morning and afternoon.

Carpool will run on both sides of the buildings. Please follow directions given by the folks on duty. We know that with your patience and understanding, we'll have this carpool running quickly and safely. 

We thank you in advance for your continued cooperation.

Cafeteria Basket Winner

Triston Truxillo won the December giveaway!

Every month the SJS cafeteria will give away a basket filled with goodies. The contents include a $40 gift card donated by PON Foods of Ponchatoula. PON Foods is owned by Mr. Tony Berner, an SJS graduate.

Every time a school lunch is purchased from the cafeteria, the student is eligible to enter the basket drawing.

The next basket will be for Valentine's Day.

Mother/Son Tailgate Party - Sunday, January 26

Even though it doesn't happen until next year, that's coming quicker than you think!

It's time to start thinking about the Mother/Son Tailgate Party!

The event will take place on Sunday, January 26, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the school.

Cost is $20 per mother/son ticket and only an additional $5 for each additional son.

Food and drinks will be served at the party.

Tickets can be reserved on EDLINE. Please remit payment to the office in a well-marked envelope.

We'd like to extend our thanks to J&J Inflatables for their donation of jumping inflatables to the party.

We have a flyer if a visual reminder is desired. TAILGATE PARTY.

December Crusaders

Congratulations to our December Crusaders!

Mini Crusader Brady Breaux - Third Grade
Crusader Ali Foster - Fourth Grade

We are proud of our Crusaders!

Parish News

Personnel
Fr. Paul A. McDuffie, Pastor
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  

ADVENT PENANCE SERVICES
All Penance Services/Confessions will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Monday, December 9 - St. Helena, Amite
Tuesday, December 10 - St. Joseph, Ponchatoula
Wednedsay, December 11 - St. Stephen, Maurepas
Tuesday, December 17 - St. Margaret, Albany
Wednesday, December 18 - Mater Dolorosa, Independence
Thursday, December 19 - Holy Ghost, Hammond

MASS SCHEDULE FOR CHRISTMAS
AND SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
Masses for Christmas:
Tuesday, December 24 - 4:00 p.m. Vigil and 7:00 p.m. Vigil,
Wednesday, December 25 - 12:00 Midnight Mass, 8:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m.
Masses for Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God:
Tuesday, December 31 - 6:00 p.m. Vigil,
Wednesday, January 1 - 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 .am

NEW WEEKDAY MASS SCHEDULE
Effective Monday, December 2, our week day Mass schedule hs changed.
The week day Masses on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be at 8:30 a.m. Reconciliation (Confessions) will be available before all week day Masses at 8:00 a.m. in addition to Confessions on Saturday from 3:30-4:30 p.m.