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http://www.sjsfalcons.org/sjsfalconsforms/submit.aspx

St. Joseph School's PTO is looking for a few good parents!
Click here to read more about how you can be a part of it!

There will be no school on Monday, April 28th,
due to a teacher inservice
or on Monday, May 26th,
in observance of Memorial Day.

There will be no After-School Care on Wednesday, May 28th, or Thursday, May 29th.
Please make other arrangements for your children.



Fiesta Update!
Muchas Gracias to everyone who attended our 2008 SJS Fiesta Fundraiser at Fox Creek Farms! We raised over $70,000 from the event and will be able to purchase SmartBoard White Boards for every classroom, provide professional training and development for faculty and staff, and purchase many hardcover books for our library!

If you did not pick up your party favor from 2008 Fiesta,
please stop by the school office. Thank you to everyone who purchased or sold raffle tickets for our Tuition Raffle! Congratulations to the winners!:
Grand Prize: Tuition for 1 student for 2008-09: Steve and Carol McKay
Second Prize: Registration fee for 1 student for 2008-09: Brennan Broussard
Third Prize: School supply fee for 1 student for 2008-09: Corey & Karen Arcement

Thank you for your support of St. Joseph School!


Music classes are very busy preparing a Spring Extravaganza that will be held this Friday, April 18, 1:30 p.m., in the SJAC. From the littlest people in the Kindergarten Village, to the 8th grade music class, all who participate in Mrs. Paga's music classes will have a part in this program, featuring popular and folk music of the 20th century. Mark your calendars now, and don't miss it -- all are welcome!

Welcoming a new bishop!
As you may already know, Msgr. Michael Duca will be our new bishop. He is to be ordained on Monday, May 19th, at the Shreveport Convention Center at noon. Realizing that this is a unique and possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Sr. Carol has elected to close the schools for the day, so that our families can show their support for our new Bishop by attending the ordination. Please join us in celebrating and welcoming Bishop Elect Duca on May 19th! See you there!

Mrs. Paga will offer extra credit or bravo jar to any music student who goes and brings a program back showing they attended the following:

April 21, 7:00 at Byrd High School: The Ark-La-Tex Youth Symphony will perform. Joshua Ursua is a member of this orchestra.
May 17, 7:30 PM -- FREE Shreveport Symphony Concert, and the Ark-La-Tex Youth Symphony will perform with them. Joshua Ursua again will perform with this group.

Commemorative Prints for First Communicants
by Diana Hamiter ~ Prints, necklaces and lapel pins are still available for your First Communicant. Prints can be personalized with child's name, date and place of First Communion. Order forms are available in the school office, or you may email Mrs. Hamiter at dhamiter@sjsfalcons.org.

Sweet tooth? Be on the lookout for the 2008-09 SJS cheerleaders who will be selling candy after school! Please consider helping them raise money for summer camp! Contact Cheryl Hebert with any questions...

The 4th & 5th grade religion classes are still doing "Operation Pray The Rosary For World Peace." We have said 431 Rosaries to date, with the help of our families and friends.This project will continue until our May Crowning, and we will present them to our Blessed Mother then. If you would like to help us, just email the number of Rosaries you have said for our project, and Mrs. Susie Brewer will add them to our prayer basket.

Field Day is Friday, April 25th (rain date: Friday, May 2nd)!

The special occasion choir is looking for new members! We rehearse on 2-3 Thursdays per month, right after school until 4:30. We will be singing at our second graders' 1st Communion Mass, as a guest choir for St. Catherine of Sienna Church, and hopefully for ArtBreak. This group is open to grades 4-8, school and PSR students. Contact Mrs. Paga if you are interested in joining for the second semester.

EDGE nights are Sunday nights, 4 -5:45 p.m., right before the 6 p.m. Mass (your Mass, the LIFETEEN Mass)

April 20th - No EDGE: (Confrimation)
April 26th - END of Year EDGE party (TBA)
April 27th - No EDGE (1st Communion)

Mark your Calendars for EDGE Camp- July 7th-11th-

Julia Norton 865-3581 youth@stjosephchurch.net


Change to original school calendar: Due to the construction delays at the beginning of 2008, SJS will have a FULL day of school on Fri., May 23rd, a full day on Tues., May 27th and Wednesday, May 28th, and a half day on Wed., May 29th.

May Cafeteria fees are due by April 15th.

Attention, Parents:
Families current with all accounts are eligible to receive their report cards. If you are uncertain about your accounts, call Peggy Johnson for After School Care accounts (865-3585), Cheryl Raney regarding SMART (865-3233), Vicki Bynog (219-0083) about cafeteria accounts, and Joan Creech about library fees (865-0452). All final report cards will be mailed.

Please read this letter regarding student allergies.

Ellis Rech won 2nd place in Engineering at the LA State Science and Engineering Fair in Baton Rouge! Marshall McAdams won 4th place in Chemistry!

Ryan McWhorter and Holly Thurman took 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus Essay Contest onThe Meaning of an American Patriot. Ryan won $100, and his essay will be forwarded to the Diocesan Chairman and entered in the state competition. Holly won $50.

Congratulations to the following National Junior Honor Society inductees:
Meghan Nolen ~ James Hebert ~ Joshua Ursua ~ Emily Adams ~ Shelby Adams ~ Lillie Foster ~ Madie Dunman ~ Grace Anne McGill ~ Grace Anne McCurdy ~ Karryn Paulsen ~ Natalie Rech

Tina Kallenberg, our 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher, is one of three teachers from Caddo Parish to have her application accepted by LSUS for an American Studies Fellowship. She will attend the July 9-16, 2008, Summer Teacher Institute offered at Colonial Williamsburg. The group will attend lectures and workshops on American History, and they will be taking field trips to Williamsburg and Jamestown. Mrs. Kallenberg is excited about the experience and the opportunity to get some new ideas to introduce into the classroom. The program will also send her home with free American History resources and supplies to use with her SJS classes!

Kudos to the 3rd Nine Weeks Fantastic Falcons and Students of the Quarter:
Fantastic Falcon ~
1A Moira Carpenter & Michael Lim
1B Jane Frances Ponthie & Megan Maciulski
2A Grace Anne Desautels & Will Huckabay
2B Anna Katherine Harvey & Johnny Van Savage
3A Julianna Stewart & John Evans Calvert
3B Ali Faust & Jonathan Murphy
4A Elizabeth Norton & Bryant Nguyen
4B Kelsey Hebert & River Childers
5A Anna Caroline Hutlas & Stuart Dunlap
5B Christopher Fenton & Austin Townsend

Student of the Quarter
6th grade Madi Falls & Ben Rice
7th grade Shelby Adams & Aaron Hollier
8th grade Kathryn Carroll & Connor Winkler

A round of applause for the 3rd Nine Weeks Honor Roll!
3A Highest Honors
John Evans Calvert ~ Grace Gleason ~ Dean Hamiter ~ Mignon Huckabay ~ Alexis Pippin
Honor Roll
Sarah Bigham ~ Ian Grosskopf ~ Madeline LaCour ~ Ben Nguyen ~ Lauren Nolen ~ Julianna Stewart ~ Jackie Zencuch

3B Highest Honors
Ashley Bergeron ~ Carrigan English ~ Ali Faust ~ Sarena Matriano-Lim ~ Jonathan Murphy
Honor Roll
Blythe Broussard ~ Aubrey Herndon ~ Amber Mills ~ Emily Patriquin ~ Ryan Raburn ~ Francisco Simoncini

4A Highest Honors
Jared Aymond ~ Vincent del Mundo ~ Sarah Desautels ~ Anna Paulsen ~ Melissa Peterson ~ Arthur Pettit ~ Pedro Simoncini ~ Isabella Van Savage
Honor Roll
Robert Blewer ~ Bryant Nguyen ~ John Henry Hobgood ~ Julia Luraguiz ~ Elizabeth Norton ~ Emily Rhoades ~ Craig Smith

4B Highest Honors
Pierre Bida ~ Aaron Coniker ~ Taylor Gilbreath ~ Corley John ~ Harris LeBlanc ~ Isabel McCurdy ~ Sadie McGill ~ Alexa Palazzo
Honor Roll
Maria Aleman ~ Rachel Barattini ~ Gracie Baukman ~ Sarah Donaldson ~ Jake Hargett ~ Kelsey Hebert ~ Zachary Horton ~ Thomas Huckabay ~ Jack Ponthie ~ Grace Rowell ~ Claire Thompson

5A Highest Honors
Erin Arcement ~ Taylor Fanning ~ Anna Caroline Hutlas ~ Cosette Loper ~ Connor Loper
Honor Roll
Nicholas Bryan ~ Clifton Coleman ~ Grant Connell ~ Victoria Gallegos ~ Andrew Lukacs ~ Imani Moss ~ Sammy Seaman

5B Highest Honors
Cole Allen ~ Jacob Bernard ~ Noah Gleason ~ Will Robichaux ~ Andrew Suarez ~ Nathan Thrash
Honor Roll
Maddie Bodden ~ Michael Dunman ~ Christopher Fenton ~ Abbie Foster ~ Caroline Garceau ~ Charles Hawes ~ Jacques Louvierre ~ Rose McMaster

6A Highest Honors
Angelica Lim ~ Madeline McWhorter
Honor Roll
Sean Adams ~ Landon Knecht ~ William Murphy

6B Highest Honors
Maura Rowell
Honor Roll
Ryan Barham ~ Stephen Bass ~ Lee Jackson ~ Camille Mouton ~ Benjamin Rice

7A Highest Honors
Honor Roll
Ashley Coker ~ Madison Dunman ~ Lillian Foster ~ Grace Ann McCurdy ~ Michael McDonald ~ Meghan Nolen ~ Ellis Rech

7B Highest Honors
Grace Anne McGill ~ Karryn Paulsen ~ Joshua Ursua
Honor Roll
Shelby Adams ~ Rachel Brown ~ Erin Gilmour ~ James Hebert ~ Ryan Jeanes ~ Erin Kennedy ~ Natalie Rech ~ Caroline Simms

8A Highest Honors
Isabella Suarez
Honor Roll
Reid Bodden ~ Caroline Camden ~ Virginia Lindley ~ Sarah Martinelli ~ Lucia Pagni ~ Zachary Stanton ~ Holly Thurman

8B Highest Honors
Anna McKay
Honor Roll
Andree Louvierre

St. Joseph Middle School put on their running shoes for a great cause April 3rd!
Along with Language Arts teacher Mrs. Nia Mitchell, students from the middle school trained for and ran the "Discover the Piece 5k," which started at Betty Virginia Park.  Money raised through this event goes to autism research. The idea to run a race as a group came following the marathon that Mrs. Mitchell ran in December. Her students were so enthusiastic and supportive about her running, she treated them by arranging for all of them to run a slightly shorter race together. Students spent nearly two months preparing by running distances between a half mile and three miles leading up to the race.  On race day, everyone was ready and EVERYONE FINISHED ON THEIR FEET AND WITH A SMILE!

Mrs. Jean Cush came to speak to all the Middle School classes on Monday about Pope Benedict and his arrival in the United States on Tuesday, the 15th.  Mrs. Cush has spoken before in the Religion department on Pope John Paul II. She always does a fantastic job of sharing her knowledge and love for this very important part of our Catholic Church. Thanks, Mrs. Cush!

 
In honor of the Pope's visit, several Middle School teachers will be bringing over their students to the Kindergarten village to be of service to them. Starting on Friday, one 7th grade group will be helping weed out flower beds and assist the students with planting a garden.  Another class will be making crosses as part of an art project. Stay tuned for more service, all in honor of our beloved Pope!



Meet our very own “Techie”!
 Kris Horton is unique in a number of ways. He’s a male staff member, which is hard to find around here, and his brain stores volumes of information about technology. Read on to learn more about him and what he does for us at SJS:

1. What are some examples of technology used at SJS, and how are they used?
A-1. A few examples of technology at SJS are the digital projectors, Mimios and Smart Boards. The projectors are used in conjunction with the Mimio or Smart Board to create an interactive environment between the teacher and student.
2. Do you support having technology in your school?
A-2. The answer here is a resounding Yes. Along with the obvious "neat gadget factor," the technology at SJS will help prepare our students for the world they will face in the near future.
3. Do you think the technology in your school is up to par with other schools in Louisiana?
A-3. Yes, I believe it is. Aside from visiting other schools and seeing their technology first hand, I have had many parents and teachers alike express their amazement with the amount of technology that the students have at their disposal at the elementary level.
4. What piece of technology do you think is most useful for the students?
A-4.1 Without question the Smart Board is the most useful tool for the students. It literally creates an environment in which all the students can participate.
What piece of technology is most useful for you?
A-4.2 For myself, the most useful technology isn't simply one piece, but rather an entire aspect of technology: security. Such equipment as a router to monitor Internet traffic or software to track computer use is vital to the digital safety of our students.
5. Do you think technology is being used appropriately in your school? Why or why not?   
A-5.1 Yes, for the most part I believe the technology at SJS is used appropriately and for its intended purpose. Complacency, though, is a network admin's worst friend. Without adequate training, experience and maturity, technology users can find themselves in compromising situations. Thus the need for security.                                                                     
A-5.2 I am routinely in classrooms throughout the campus for one reason or another. This gives me an opportunity to see our technology used. I am always impressed with the students and teachers alike as they learn, use and implement the technology in the classrooms.
6. What are some of the responsibilities you have as the Technology Coordinator?
 A-6 As a Network Admin/Technology Coordinator I am responsible for the budget that  puts technology into our school. A major part of my job is maintenance. That means keeping our technology running at peak performance whether it be hardware or software. Another aspect is security, as mentioned before.
7. Is there anything else you would like to tell me about technology in your school?                                                          
A-7 In the near future, we plan to expand the use of Smart Boards throughout the campus, add an additional computer lab and possibly purchase a portable lab.

PC desktops: 91 (Dell and Gateway)
PC laptops: 11 (Gateway)
Mimio: 12 Smart Boards: 3 (2 from Smarttech and 1 from Promethean) Digital projectors: 25 (Infocus)
Network eqiupment includes switches, router, fiber optic converters



St. Joseph Catholic School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of the school.  It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, or athletic and other school-administered programs.