Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
"Let Go & Let God"
Educating the Mind, Body, and Soul
Pelican Express
September 13-20, 2018

School Hours: 7:25 am - 2:45 pm with assembly beginning at
7:45 am and carpool ending at 3:10 pm  

Message from Mrs. Gioe
R.E.S.P.E.C.T...Just a little bit… 

Today I find myself thinking about the recent deaths of Aretha Franklin and John McCain - two very different people who lived very different lives. However, as Aretha’s well-loved song resonates, they both had one thing in common, respect. Upon their deaths I watched documentaries about both of them and learned a few interesting facts.

Aretha Franklin was born in Detroit. She grew up in a troubled home and had her first child at the age of 12. Her adult life was also very troubled. However, God blessed her with the gift of song and through this gift of song she overcame many obstacles. In her lifetime she compiled over 48 albums with over 131 songs. Through her gift of song, her legacy of music, she garnered world-wide respect for her gifts and talents. 

John McCain was born into a military family. They moved often and he attended over 20 schools. In college he attended the US Naval Academy and began a career in the navy as a pilot. During his military career he was shot down and captured as a prisoner of war in Korea and held hostage and brutally tortured for five and half years. He had a stellar military career and went on to enjoy a long career in politics. God bestowed upon him the gift of bravery and love of our country and for this he garnered respect from the American people.   

According to Google’s online dictionary, respect is “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities or achievements”. Respect is powerful! It is something we all desire and strive for. It can define who we are. Respect can garner an opinion and can even help us achieve success. Respect goes a long way.

As we pay respect to the lives of Aretha Franklin and John McCain let us reflect upon how respect affects our lives and the lives of others every day.

God Bless,
Cheri Gioe
Important Dates for September
September 14 - Spirit Shirt Day (with uniform bottoms)

September 18 - Cane's Night

September 20 - Corpus Christi Mass 8:15am

September 24-October 1 - St. Vincent dePaul Closet Cleanout Collection

September 27 - SVDP Mass 8:15am
Upcoming Events 

Cane's Night - September 18

J oin us for Cane’s night on September 18 th  at the Market St. Location (Coursey and Tiger Bend).
You must mention MBS for us to get credit! The class with the highest participation will win a Cane’s party! Save your receipt and turn it in to your homeroom teacher.
Celebrating Our Feast Day on September 20, 2018

All Catholic Schools have been asked to celebrate their FEAST DAY. For MBS School, the feast that is most closely aligned with our naming of Most Blessed Sacrament is the Feast of Corpus Christi which occurs each year during our summer break.  We have set aside the last Thursday of September each year as a transfer date upon which we will celebrate our Feast and spend some prayer time with the Blessed Sacrament. 

This year we will celebration our Feast Day Mass at 8:15 am on Thursday, September 20th in MBS Church and we want to invite our parents and family members to join us for this celebration. At the end of Mass, following Communion, we will offer a short time of prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. During this time of quiet music and prayer, we invite our parents to come pray for their individual family needs, for the success of our year as a Catholic School and the needs of all Parish and School families. We also want to remember the Church throughout the world, including the victims of the recent hurricanes.
Closet Clean-Out
 
T he Fifth Graders are sponsoring their annual Closet Clean-Out project to help the St. Vincent de Paul store clothe the needy in our community. Due to the recent storms and their evacuees, the need is greater than ever for good, clean and usable clothing items.

During the week of Sept. 24th, students may bring in items to school in small PLASTIC (not paper) bags or small boxes (the fifth grade students must be able to carry the packages.)

If you have too many (or larger) items for students to carry to school, you can drop them off at the front gates ONLY on the mornings of the scheduled pick-up dates:  Wednesday, Sept. 26th and Tuesday, October 2nd. 

The last truck pickup will be Tuesday morning, so NO ITEMS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 8:00 am on the MORNING OF TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2nd.

All of us have something to share with God’s family in need. Thank you for your generosity!

Save the Date - Middle School Dance

Friday, October 19
Transportation
Morning Carpool

When lining up for morning carpool at the gate, please do the following to avoid backup on to Jefferson Highway. Please show respect for the order in which cars enter the line.
  • The first car to arrive should begin the right line (closest to the field).
  • The second car to arrive should begin the left line (closest to the church).
  • Subsequent cars should enter the line, alternating between the right and left lines.
  • When carpool begins, the first car in the right line should go first.
  • The first car in the left line should go second.
  • Subsequent cars should enter the carpool line alternating right and left lines.
After School Walkers

If your child is an MBS walker, on rainy days they will be sent to carpool and must be picked up from carpool. If you would prefer them to be sent to aftercare on rainy days, please communicate this with their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Wendy Lee, and ensure they are registered as a drop-in for aftercare.
Cafeteria
Dear Parents:

On behalf of the Diocese of Baton Rouge Child Nutrition Program, I am excited to welcome you and your children to the 2018-2019 school year.  I feel both honored and privileged to continue to be your Child Nutrition Program Director and to work with highly qualified and dedicated staff, students, and all of the supportive parents and community members that make our schools great. We are committed to serving your children the highest quality, nutritious and great-tasting meals that support their achievements in school and promote healthy lifestyles. 

Healthy for Life is our commitment to create healthier environments and communities, by providing comprehensive nutrition and wellness education. This year we will continue to expand the program with more freshly prepared meals to better serve our students and their families; and this year as part of this expansion, we have updated the program design to better reflect the sophisticated tastes of today's students.

For your students, we offer a variety of meal choices with one goal in mind: to provide outstanding service and high quality "child-friendly" meals that meet or exceed the latest federal and state requirements. Our School menus are designed to ensure that students receive a balanced meal, consisting of foods from all major food groups in the right proportions to meet calorie and other nutrient needs. The products and the cooking methods we use conserve food quality and nutrients, while limiting the addition of fats. So although you may see popular items like hamburgers, pizza and chicken smackers on our menus, be assured that your child's school meal selections contain healthy grains and are lower in fat and salt than what you find in grocery stores or restaurants.

We will also be offering some different foods that your child may not have tried before: Handmade Meatballs, Meatloaf, Lunchables, Gumbo, Freshly Baked Ham and Chicken Parmesan just to name a few; so please encourage your child to taste these items. They just might become a new favorite! Also, we invite you to have lunch with your child so you can try these tasty new menu items too.

We appreciate your support and we are proud to serve you. For more information about our menus and programs, please visit  www.cnpbr.org ; to learn more about healthy school meals visit  http://www.fns.usda.gov  or  www.myhealthyforlife.com

We hope that you and your child have a great year! Please feel free to call me at 225-753-3141 with any questions or comments.

Who can get free or reduced price meals?
For more information on the Free and Reduced Price Meals program, please visit the Child Nutrition Program website ( www.cnpbr.org  Link: Parent Info).

Any questions or information about applying for free/reduced please feel free to contact me.

Ebony Tillman, Cafeteria Manager
Lunch Volunteers Needed

If you are interested in volunteering to help serve in our school cafeteria, please sign up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044ca9af23a2f94-september
September Lunch Menu

CLICK HERE for the September Lunch Menu
News
RCIA and RCIC

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and the Rite of Christian Initiation adapted for Children (RCIC) are programs for adults and their children who are interested in becoming members of the Catholic Church. The RCIC program is also for children of Catholic families, who are age 7 or older and have not yet received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Reconciliation).

The process is one of sharing, believing, praying and learning with other members of our parish community.

The 2018-19 RCIA and RCIC sessions will begin in September and end in the Easter season. If you are thinking about joining the Catholic Church or would like more information about the Catholic faith, please call Deacon Don Musso in the parish office at 225-752-6230.

You are invited to attend an informal meeting on Tuesday, September 25th at 7:00 pm in the St. John Room of the parish office.

We welcome and encourage all our non-Catholic School families, but please know that there is no obligation, commitment, or pressure to join.
Duke TIP Talent Search

Congratulations to the following 7th Graders who have qualified for the Duke TIP Talent Search! Their scores on last year's standardized test have opened the door to them taking the ACT or SAT at college entry level. Congratulations to these students!

Luke Campbell
Layla Canaday
Ronald Dang
Greenley Duplantis
Blaise Fox
Laney Graham
Joshua Huff
Jacelyn Keller
Carter LaBauve
Luke Leger
Abigail Martin
Lucas Miller
Emily Naquin
Nikki Normand
Andrew Pauli
Andrew Rhodes
Addison Schempf
Luke Wimberley 
Catholic High Band Night - Friday, Oct. 5

Catholic High School will host Band Night for 6th – 8th graders on Friday, October 5, 2018. This experience gives middle school students the unique opportunity to perform with the CHS/SJA Band and get a sense of what it means to be a part of a high school band. It also allows the student to experience the spirit of these two well-established high schools and their traditions.  

Please CLICK HERE for a parent letter with additional information.
Catholic High School Admissions

CLICK HERE for Admissions information and important dates.
St. Michael’s Open House - Save the Date - Thursday, Oct. 25

We invite you to visit SMHS with your classmates at your school's designated time. If this time is not convenient for your family, or your school is not listed, feel free to join us any time between 4:30-7:00 p.m.
 
4:30 p.m. - St. Jean Vianney, Sacred Heart
5:00 p.m. - Our Lady of Mercy, St. Alphonsus
5:30 p.m. - Most Blessed Sacrament, St. Theresa
6:00 p.m. - St. Thomas More, St. Francis Xavier
6:30 p.m. - St. George, St. Jude, Holy Family, St. Aloysius
Impact Workshop

Impact Academic Solutions is a life and study skills program offered to students entering 4th-9th grades.

Fall Workshop Dates:
September 15-16 1:00-4:00pm
November 10-11 1:00-4:00pm

Contact Tricia Broussard at impactacademicsolutions@gmail.com to register.
Athletics
Athletic Events this Week:
Come Cheer for the Pelicans!!




Our 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls' basketball teams will compete in the St. Joe Red Hot Tip Off invitational tournament this Saturday.  CLICK HERE for schedule.

Our football teams all play at home this Sunday vs SJV. Kick off times are:
3rd/4th @ 1pm
5th/6th @ 2pm
7th/8th @ 3:30pm

Next week girls' basketball 6th, 7th and 8th grades will play @ St. Jude on Monday night.  

Tuesday is Family Night so there will be no practices or games.  

Friday, our swim team has their 2nd swim meet of the season at Crawfish Aquatics.  

Saturday, our cross country team will compete in the Battlefield meet at Port Hudson.

All schedules are posted on the school website. Support your Pelicans this weekend!

GO PELICANS!!!
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Help Needed - Computer Lab 

  • Wires, cables and cords - oh my! Somehow at the beginning of each year we end up with an abundance of miscellaneous cords, cables and wires. We need someone to help sort and organize them. This is a project you can do at home. If you are interested please email Mrs. Denton at jdenton@mbsbr.org

  • Are you a graphic designer or have computer design skills? If so, please contact Mrs. Denton as she has a project (making robot mats) that she needs help with. 
MBS Parish Picnic

Come join us for our parish family fun day beginning with mass outside under the trees, followed by food, fun games, and family fellowship. Bring your own picnic or enjoy some BBQ provided by Men's Club. Bring your own lawn chairs and blanket. 

SignUp Genius Link:
ExxonMobil Volunteer Grant

ExxonMobil employees, retirees and their families who volunteer at Most Blessed Sacrament School can complete the online Individual Volunteer Involvement Program form and submit 20 hours for a $500 grant for MBS, for a total of four grants per year and $2,000. The ExxonMobil employee ID number and password are required to sign in. 
 
Volunteer work through MBS Church is not allowed. If you have any questions regarding what is acceptable, please visit the Program Guidelines and FAQ under the Individual Volunteer Involvement Program or contact ExxonMobil Matching Programs at (877) 807-0204. 
 
Most Blessed Sacrament School appreciates the time you spend volunteering and your contributions are deeply appreciated!
 
MBS Contact Person for ExxonMobil Grants: Kristy Reine,  kreine@mbsbr.org .
Office of Child Protection
According to policy mandated by the Diocese of Baton Rouge, all school volunteers must complete a mandatory background check and child protection training. If you are planning on volunteering or attending a field trip during the 2018-2019 school year, now is the time to work through the child protection process. Call Mrs. Landry at 225-753-5526 or email childprotection@mbsbr.org for assistance.