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. 

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. 

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,

Our prayer is that the New Year brings you peace and joy and God’s every blessing. In behalf of Fr. McDuffie, Deacon Larry, 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 and privileged to serve this community. Your children are a gift to us everyday.

The most important date on the calendar for the school is February 17, Open House for Parents of Prospective Students. Please continue to talk up the school in the community and refer new families to St. Joseph. The yearly increase in enrollment has been very instrumental in giving us the resources to continue to improve the school. As perspective parents tour the school, the renovated classrooms in the main building and the use of the I-pads in the upper grades offer new elements of attractiveness to the school in plant and program. Much work needs to be done, but with your help and support we will continue to make St. Joseph a better place for the children to work, play, and grow in their faith. 

-- Dr. Gerard Toups
    Principal

Calendar-at-a-Glance

Wednesday, January 8
Report Cards Distributed

Thursday, January 9
Geography Bee after School

Friday, January 10
Spirit Dress

Tuesday, January 14
January Birthdays
Fair Planning Meeting @ 6:30

Wednesdsay, January 15
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.

Thursday, January 16
Spelling Bee after School

Friday, January 17
Spirit Dress

Monday, January 20
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - No School

Tuesday, January 21
100th Day of School (grades 1-8)

Wednesday, January 22
Mass @ 8:30 - All are invited to attend.
Jr. Beta Club Induction
Circles of Care Instruction
Re-registration for Current Families Begins

Friday, January 24
Spirit Dress

Sunday, January 26
Mother/Son Tailgate Party

Monday-Friday, January 27-31
Catholic Schools Week

Tuesday, January 28
Religion Fair

Wednesday, January 29
Mass @ 8:30

Friday, January 31
Spirit Dress

Report Cards - Wednesday, January 8

Report cards for the second quarter were distributed today, Wednesday, January 8.

Please sign the report card envelope and return it to school by Friday, January 10. You may keep the report card itself.

January Birthdays - Tuesday, January 14

All students at St. Joseph who have a birthday in January may come out of uniform on Tuesday, January 14.

This is the only day students with January birthdays may come out of uniform. There is no make-up day.

Out of uniform guidelines can be found on the WEBSITE.

Fair Planning Meeting - Tuesday, January 14

There will be a planning meeting for the spring fair on Tuesday, January 14, beginning at 6;30 in the SJS library.

All are invited to attend. The attendance has been very good at the meetings so far. It's not too late to join in. Please come and get involved.

MLK Holiday - Monday, January 20

St. Joseph Catholic School will be closed on Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

We will resume classes on Tuesday, January 21.

Circles of Care - Wednesday, January 22

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People requires that all children enrolled in Catholic Schools receive Safe Environment training. The Diocese of Baton Rouge will provide such training for grades K-12 utilizing the program, Circles of Care.

The Circles of Care lesson for your child's grade level is schedule on Wednesday, January 22. Parents have the right to opt their children out of receiving Safe Environment training. If you choose not to have your child participate in the training, it is required that you sign and submit THIS FORM to the office by Tuesday, January 21. We only need this form is you do not want your child to participate in the safety lesson.

It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure that school personnel are in receipt of this form.

The Circles of Care lesson plan for your child's grade level may be reviewed at www.diobrocyp.org.

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.

Spring Fair News - Confetti Eggs

St. Joseph School is now taking donations of eggshells to be used in the confetti egg booth.

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

Please bring your eggshells to school. Mrs. Curtis will collect them during morning assembly. Do not give them to the office or your homeroom teacher. Label your carton with your name and grade.

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. 

Weekday Mass Schedule
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.

Contact Information
Address - 255 North 8th Street (P.O. Box 368), Ponchatoula, LA 70454
Phone - 985.386.3749
Website - www.stjosephsonline.com