St. Joseph
Catholic School

Psalm 122

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
We will go up to the house of the LORD.
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Let us go rejoicing to the houe of the Lord.

Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,seats for the house of David.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

At this time of year, it becomes very apparent that it takes a strong team to create a successful school This team works diligently in the background throughout the entire year to make every day meaningful. In May, when all of the pieces fall into place for the close of another well done school year, we are reminded of all the people who helped us in our journey.

First of all, I want to thank all of our parents and especially our Spring Fair committee for the completion of a wonderful event. We were blessed with fantastic weather, and all of the activities and food made for a truly fun-filled weekend. It takes lots of hard work and preparation to achieve the well-oiled machine that you saw this year!

I also want to take a moment to remind everyone that this is Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. We are very blessed here at St. Joseph to have a phenomenal faculty and staff. Thank you to everyone who ishelping us to make them feel extra special this week.

I want to personally take this opportunity to say that our teachers and staff make my job easier, and I love working with them every day!

With Faith, Hope, and Love,
-- Mrs. Danette Ragusa
Principal

Calendar-at-a-Glance

Thursday, May 7
Spirit Dress - Any SJS T-Shirt for $1
Math-a-Thon Deadline

Friday, May 8
Spirit Dress
Accelerated Reader Deadline
Crusaders of the Month Luncheon

Tuesday, May 12
June Birthdays
Exams - grade 8 - English/Social Studies

Wednesday, May 13
Exams - grade 8 - Science/Reading
Mass
Advisory Council

Thursday, May 14
Exams - grade 8 - Math

Friday, May 15
Yearbook Deadline
Spirit Dress
Exams - grades 6-7 - English/Social Studies

Partners in Faith

MAY PARTNERS IN FAITH

Math-a-Thon - May 7

Math-a-Thon workbooks were sent home this week. They are due back to the school with donations on Thursday, May 7.

Exceptional Dress Day - May 7

Students at St. Joseph will be offered an exceptional spirit dress day on Thursday, May 7.

For a $1 donation, students may wear any SJS t-shirt to school with their spirit dress to show support for the diocesan special education expansion. They can pick their favorite from the many in their closets. Below is the blurb from the Catholic Schools Office:

Exceptional Dress Down Day: Please plan to have a dress down day for students to raise awareness of the special education expansion and to allow familiies to support the program. your school's donation can be made online through the CSO website or through a check to the Diocese of Baton Rouge Special Education Program.

Accelerated Reader Deadline - May 8

The last day to take Accelerated Reader tests for the fourth quarter is Friday, May 8. No tests will be taken after this date.

June Birthdays - May 12

All students at St. Joseph who have a birthday in June may come out of uniform on Tuesday, May 12.

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

Out of uniform guidelines can be found on the WEBSITE.

Exams Schedule

8th Grade Exam Schedule:
Tuesday, May 12 ..... English and Social Studies
Wednesday, May 13 ..... Science and Reading
Thursday, May 14 ..... Math

6th/7th Exam Schedule:
Friday, May 15 ..... English and Social Studies
Monday, May 18 ..... Science and Reading
Tuesday, May 19 ..... Math

Yearbook Orders - May 15

Yearbook order forms for the 2014-2015 annual have been sent home. They are due back to the school by Friday, May 15.

Yearbooks will be distributed in the fall of 2015.

YEARBOOK ORDER FORM

Cafeteria News

May 15 ...

After this date, payment to the cafeteria can be ony be made in cash. No checks or charging will be accepted by the cafeteria after May 15.

May 15 is the last day to request a refund from the cafeteria. Money not requested by this date will roll over in the system as a credit for the next school year.

New Carpool

The new carpool is going well. We've heard many compliments. Many thanks to everyone for their cooperation and understanding.

We do need to remind every person involved in carpool that <strong>the intersection of North 7th Street and West Beech Street is no longer a four way stop. Please proceed with much caution through this intersection. Remember - carpool should not use West Beech Street.

May Crowning

As a tribute to our Blessed Mother, eighth grade students Marlee Little, Victoria Perrin, and Maddy Henry (from left) were elected to crown Mary Wednesday morning.

The student body gathered in the church for this beautiful and traditional ceremony. The second grade girls, dressed in their white First Communion dresses, formed the honor guard.

The eighth grade girls were chosen by the faculty.

To see all of our May Crowning&nbsp; pictures, please visit the photo albums at MAY CROWNING.

4-H Shooters

Congratulations to Irma Hyde and Nick Guarneri who recently competed at the 4-H State Shooting Competition in Mansfield, LA.

Nick won second place, and Irma won third place in their division competing against other students from all around the state.

NIAL Champs

Congratulations to our Varisty Baseball team ... the 2015 NIAL champions!

Team members are, kneeling from left, Slade Smith, Brock Milton, Kole Sonnier, John Robert Gardner.
Standing from left are Cody Flynn, Grant Amerson, Chase Mack, Justin Hutches, Collin Babin, Collin Thibodeaux, Cody Majeau.

Way to go, Crusaders!

Dissection in Science

Collin Babin, left, and Lance Crawford promise to be as gentle as possible with their speciman as they prepare to dissect a frog in science class this week.

To see more dissection pictures, please visit our photo albums at DISSECTION>

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, ...

Lend me your ears!

Sixth grade students participated in Roman elections this week in social studies class to learn first-hand the ancient election procedures. Here the sixth graders pose in full toga regalia after their campaign speeches.

Winners in each grade section were as follows:

6A
Consul - Wyatt Digby
Senator - Krislyn Dapprich
Tribune - Grace Demars
Quaestor - Grace Garcia

6B
Consul -&nbsp;Sal Nuzzilillo
Senator - Rebecca Earhart
Tribune - Brilee Richard
Quaestor - Seth Swanner

To see all of the Roman candidates, please visit our photo albums at ROMANS.

Alumni News

Congratulations to our SJS alumni seniors who scored 28 or higher on their ACTs.

From St. Thomas Aquinas High School:
Abigail vonAlmen

From Ponchatoula High School:
Shelby Bagby
Leah Dahmer
Bethany Herrick
Dani Majeau
Krystal Waddell
Raylea Willoughy.

Way to Go, Lady Falcons!

Congratulations to the St. Thomas Aquinas High School Softball Team. They made it all the way to the state playoffs in Sulphur, LA.

STA has five freshmen and one sophomore in the starting lineup from St. Joseph. Our alumni freshmen are Karlee Kraft, Jayden Bethelot, Jourdan Cheek, Haleigh Laylle, and Leslie Matherne and sophomore Cameron Flanagan.

Rosaryville News

FUN NUN RUN

On May 9, Rosaryville will have it's second annual Nun Run 5K: A Run Like Nun Other!

Rosaryville and the Dominican Sisters of Peace invite everyone to this wonderful event. Participants are encouraged to wear creative nun outfits and turn out for the trail run through the beautiful grounds of Rosaryville.

The Fun Run will begin at 8:30 A.M. followed by the 5K Trail Run beginning at 9:00 A.M. Friends and family can make their own teams.

For more information, please contact Rosaryville at www.rosaryvillela.com or 225-294-5039.

Proceeds go to renovating Kateri Hall for its various uses during the year.




CAMP KATERI

Camp Kateri provides a special summer camp program of recreations, adventure, creativity, and fun! From canoeing, swimming, archery, sports, arts and crafts to campfires each day at camp is packed with discovery and great opportunitites to build lasting friendships and unforgettable memories.

This year features a day of horseback riding and animals from Barnhill Preserve.

Sessions are June 21-26 and July 12-17.

The camp is for ages 7-13.

Register at www.rosaryvillela.com.

Overnight is $456.95. Day camp is $301.95.

The camp offers early bird specials, family discounts, and multiple week discounts.

St. Joseph Summer Youth Activities

pecial flyer for SJS students in grades 6th, 7th, 8th grades.

The flyer includes summer activities and ways to help with Vacation Bible School.

SUMMER YOUTH ACITIVITES FOR 6th, 7th, 8th GRADE STUDENTS

Community News

SPOGA ADVENTURE CAMP
June 15-18
8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Ages 9-13
For more information, please contact Hailey at 985-345-2453 or info@spogafitnesscenter.com.
SPOGA FLYER

LIUZZA LAND SUMMER CAMPS
Weekly session June 1-July 10
Ages 6-12
Form more information and to register, please visit www.liuzzaland.com.

Our Parish

Personnel
Fr. Paul A. McDuffie, Pastor
Larry J. Melancon - Deacon
Mike Agnello - Deacon

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

Weekday Mass Schedule
The week day Masses on Monday through Thursday 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 beginning at 4:00.

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