Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
Educating the Mind, Body, and Soul
Pelican Express
September 29 - October 6, 2016

School Hours:  7:25 am - 2:45 pm with a ssembly beginning at
7:45 am and c arpool ending at 3:10 pm  

A Message from Cheri Gioe

Saturday night, I claimed my “spot” in my comfy arm chair, and my husband claimed his “spot” on the couch that he strategically placed in front of the television, and we hunkered down to watch the LSU game.  Fast forward to the last second and the final play, their win…the elation the tigers felt as they body-slammed each other and formed a living pile, the looks on their faces, and Miles yelling, “To the locker room!”  Fast Forward again, one second, the play review and the same sequence of events from the opposing team, and a dejected, defeated Tiger team.  Fast forward again, one day, and Miles, a good, compassionate, honorable man and winning coach, is fired for not winning a game.

I am sure many of you agree with the decision to let Coach Miles go, and by now, I bet you are asking, “What’s the point of this story?” Well, I am getting to that.  Victory is fleeting.  How quickly victory was snatched from the Tigers!  How quickly the job of a winning coach was snatched from him.  As a principal who believes that winning isn’t everything, it’s what you learn along the way, I feel the loss and subsequent firing of Coach Miles set a terrible example for our students.  The firing of Miles makes winning seem like THE most important thing. 

Our MBS coaches work hard to create welcoming, inclusive team environments that allow for all students to have fun, feel accepted, set goals and foster the development of lasting, strong relationships between players and parents.  While winning is fun and it is a goal that athletes, who have put forth the time, energy and practice, work towards, we know that MBS athletes learn far more than how to win, such as:​
  • Respect everyone
  • It's okay to make mistakes
  • Together we achieve more, be a leader and a follower
  • Set and achieve goals
  • How to succeed and control emotions, remembering body language speaks volumes
  • How to lose/fail with dignity, remembering body language speaks volumes
  • Success requires sacrifice
  • Know your strengths and weaknesses
  • Being healthy is important; you must discipline yourself
  • You're responsible for yourself
  • Life isn't always fair; there will be tough times
  • How to manage time efficiently; focus on what you can control

In the last few weeks, I have attended several MBS athletic events. Some ended in victory and some defeat. One thing is for certain, MBS has a winning, vibrant athletic program. Our students are very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn as much on the fields, courts, and in the pools as they do in the classrooms; lifelong lessons they will take with them forever! And by the way, I want to thank Les Miles for loving Baton Rouge, loving LSU, and being such an amazing role model for our youth. He is a winner in my book!

In Christ,

Cheri Gioe
Important Dates for October
September 30 - Spirit Shirt Day with Uniform Bottoms

October 3 - Pop Tops Free Dress / Drama Play 6:30pm

October 4 - Beta Meeting 7:10am

October 5 - A/R Free Dress / Sports Pictures

October 6 - Blessing of Pets Mass 8:10am

October 13 - Report Cards / Living Rosary
Upcoming Events
SVDP Closet Cleanout
The Fifth Graders are sponsoring their annual Closet Clean-Out project to help the St. Vincent de Paul store clothe the needy in our community. 

Students may bring in items in small PLASTIC (not paper) bags, or small cardboard boxes for transporting to school. If you have too many items for students to carry to school, you can drop them off at the front gates ONLY on the morning of the scheduled pick-up date: October 4.

NO ITEMS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 8:00am on the MORNING  OF TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4.    
  All of us have something to share with God’s family in need.
Thank you for your generosity!

Drama Performance, "After Hours" - October 3  

The drama performance, "After Hours", will be held Monday, October 3, at 12:10 for K-4th grades in St. Ursula and that evening at 6:30pm for parents.

5th-8th graders are invited to the performance on Wednesday, October 5, at 12:10 in St. Ursula. 
Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi - October 6

MBS will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 6.  We will take this opportunity to celebrate the importance of pets in the lives of our families. Love for our pets and the joy they bring, means that children often share in the care of their pets as members of the family. 

Students may submit a framed photo of their family pet for Father to bless during the Mass.  FRAMED photos ( no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches ) should be sent to school by Tuesday, October 4th, to allow us to prepare for setting the photos up in a display at Mass on October 6th.  Please submit your photo in an easel type photo frame so it may STAND in our photo display . 

All pictures must be clearly marked with the student’s name, grade, and homeroom number on the back of the photo frame so they may be safely returned to their rightful owners.  Please call David Planche at 751-5867 if you have any questions.  
First Reconciliation Parent & Child Meeting - October 9

Reminders for 2nd Grade Families of MBS: 

Pizza lunch starts at 12:20 on the patio of St. Ursula Hall. 
The family and child sacramental books and other materials can be picked up
as you enter St. Ursula after the meal.

Prayer and opening will start at 1:00pm in St. Ursula Hall.  

Click here  for more information.
Meet the Warriors Information Night - October 11

What: Meet the Warriors Night: An opportunity to learn more about St. Michael High School.  Representatives of the faculty, staff, coaches, student body, parents and alumni will be present to answer questions regarding the day-to-day life of a Warrior and admission to St. Michael High School.   

When: Tuesday, October 11, 2016   / 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Where: MBS Church

Who is Invited? Most Blessed Sacrament 6th, 7th, 8th grade students and their parents

For questions, please contact Josh Galasso at (225) 753-9782 x 20
Living Rosary - October 13

October:  the Month of Mary, the Rosary & Respect for Life!  

The Church sets aside the month of October to celebrate our Blessed Lady and her beautiful devotion, the Rosary .  Most Blessed Sacrament families are encouraged to pray the Rosary together not just in October, but at all times during the year. 

As a school community, we too will pray the Rosary.  We invite our families to join us for our annual Living Rosary on Thursday, October 13, at 8:15 am in MBS Church.    MBS is grateful to Mrs. Celeste Rabalais and our seventh graders for leading this beautiful prayer service for our school community.  

The Church also dedicates the month of October to Respect for Life .  Our Living Rosary will be dedicated to the Respect for Life cause, which is central to our Catholic faith.  As Catholics, we believe in the sacredness of ALL LIFE …from conception to natural death.  Our praying the Rosary as a school community will show our solidarity and support to the dignity of this important cause for the beauty and sacredness of life.
 
Catholic High School
Information Night - October 23
Open House - November 10

Young men in the 8th grade and their parents are invited to attend an Information Night at Catholic High School on October 23 from 7:00-9:00pm in the CHS gym.

Young men in grades 6-8 and their parents are invited to the Open House at Catholic High School on November 10 .  Tours begin at 5:00pm.

For additional information regarding these events or the admissions process, please visit the CHS website at www.catholichigh.org or click here for more information.
 
Monster Mash Dash - October 28  

Click here  for Monster Mash information and 
t-shirt order form.
Click here  for Grand Prize Raffle form.
Click here  for Entry Level Raffle form.


Grandparent's Day - November 18

Grandparent's Day is changing a bit this year. We hope you enjoy the new format. The activities will start in the morning as follows:

9:00-9:45am - K-4th  Classroom Visits
9:45-10:15am - Gym for refreshments and a special presentation from our 7th graders
10:30-11:15am - 5th-8th Classroom Visits
11:30 - Early Dismissal for all grades (Grandparents may check students out at this time or the students may go to carpool to be picked up.)

This will be a half day for all students. Hopefully it will allow grandparents more time to visit with their grandchildren and family.

Please note that if you only have grandchildren in K-4th, and you do not want to attend the reception in the gym, you may check your grandchild out after the classroom visit.  If you only have grandchildren in 5th-8th, you may come to MBS for 9:45am.

The form to submit grandparent names/addresses will be sent home with your child on Monday, October 3 or you can access it here.
Club Information
Beta Club

Beta students have begun our recycling program here at MBS. Each week a team of students collects the recycling bins from each of the classrooms around campus.
Thank you Beta students for your service! 

Next Beta meeting is October 4 at 7:10am in St. Ursula.  
If you are running for an officer position, 
please be prepared to give your speech.
Student Council

Congratulations to our first pop top winners:  2B, 5A and 8B!!
You will have free dress on October 3.

MBS will continue to collect pop tops during the school year.  The money is donated to the Ronald McDonald house. Please continue to collect the pop tops and send them to school.  

Important Reminders
Carpool

Please follow the NO CELL PHONE USE signs when you enter the gate onto the school campus and as you proceed to drop-off or pick-up students. The use of a cell phone (texting or calling) in a school zone is prohibited by law. Please abide by this law for the safety of our students  and carpool personnel.    
Cafeteria 

Click here the October Menu.

Click here pay your fees online.
Tutors

An updated list of tutors is available on our school website www.mbsbr.org .  
News
From the Guidance Counselor:

Dear Families Affected by the Flood,

First of all, I want to express my sympathies for your losses and struggles. Know that you have been, and will continue to be, in my prayers.

Secondly, I have met with many of your children one-on-one in the past weeks to "check in" on how they have been coping with the stress of this traumatic event. Now that some of the shock has subsided, I think it may be beneficial to offer a support group for them. At this time, I don't have all of the details of the group(s), as I'm looking to gauge interest first.

Please click the following link for a very brief survey that will help me arrange this service for the students. The deadline to complete the survey is October 7 . Thank you. 

Blessings,
Michelle DiBenedetto, LCSW
School Counselor

Click here: https://goo.gl/forms/vqQ9zp5oEizKEBVq2
  
From the Office of Child Protection:

All MBS School volunteers are required by the Diocese of Baton Rouge to complete the child protection process which includes a fingerprint background check.  If you have any questions concerning your compliance status with child protection as a MBS School volunteer, please contact me at 225-753-5526 or [email protected] . Please notice the new email address.  My old parish email no longer exists due to flooding of the server. 

Thank you.
Beverly Peterson, Child Protection Site Coordinator for MBS School and Parish
Help Wanted!!

The cafeteria is hiring... If you are interested in working at our MBS cafeteria, please contact Lynda Carville, Child Nutrition Supervisor, at [email protected] .
MBS Spirit Shirts

Our 2016-17 MBS Spirit Shirts arrived and were delivered to students on Wednesday.  If you received the wrong size or if you have any questions about the shirts, please contact Crystal McDaniel at [email protected].