Dear St. John Paul II Families,
Happy Tuesday! We certainly are happy that we are able to have a full week of school. The Lord definitely requires trust on our part as we continue to journey through life’s challenges and surprises.
The administration has spent time deliberating and praying about when we could make up missed instructional days due to inclement weather. At this time, we have decided to use
February 19
th
as a
make-up day.
This was originally scheduled as a Teacher In-Service day as well as our New Student Testing Day.
In order to accommodate both, we will have a half day of school and continue with our new student testing in the afternoon.
We need all students to bring a sack lunch due to no cafeteria service and we will not be having Before and After School Care.
I thank you for your support and understanding as we schedule as best we can for the whole StJPII community. We will be finalizing the last make up day in the next couple weeks and will notify you as soon as possible.
February 19
th
schedule:
8:00 am – 12:00/12:15/12:30 pm classes
Have a blessed day!
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Principal
P.S. Don't forget to join us for Parish Sunday! For more details, please see the Catholic Schools Week section.
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Strategic Plan Campus Townhall Meeting
Join us this evening for the campus-wide Strategic Plan Townhall
at 6:30 p.m
. in the GSC. Mrs. Bogard and the administrative team will unveil the school's strategic plan and goals for the next three years.
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2017-2018 Annual Fund
Thank you to all those who have given to the Annual Fund thus far! We are blessed by your generosity. We are nearly halfway to our goal!
We recognize that not everyone will be able to contribute this year, so we need those who can, to prayerfully consider doing more. With fewer donors and greater need, it is imperative we not only meet but exceed our Annual Fund goal.
Every donation, no matter how small, truly makes a difference! To give online, please visit:
www.jp2.org/give
. For more information, please contact Development Director,
Jessi Cook
.
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8th Grade Yearbook Ads are Now On Sale
Do you want to share how much you love your graduating eighth grader or how proud you are of them? Then the StJPII yearbook is the place! Eighth grade yearbook ads are now on sale, and if you are a parent, grandparent or friend that would like to leave a message for your StJPII graduate that will last forever, the perfect place is an ad in the yearbook!
Forms
have been sent home in the Tuesday folder. The deadline is
February 23,
and ads are sold on a first come, first served basis. Space is limited and once we are sold out, there is no more room, so get your ad in today! If you have any questions, contact Journalism adviser
Shari Hiltbrand
.
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Save the Date - Parent-Teacher Conferences
Spring Parent/Teacher Conference Day is
Friday, February 16
. These spring conferences are required for ALL new students, OR if a teacher or parent requests a conference. All students will have class-time in the morning; dismissal will take place at 12:00/12:15/12:30. There will be NO afternoon BASP and no cafeteria service. Conferences will begin at 1:15 p.m. Be on the lookout for a sign-up link from the teachers after
February 6
.
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Internet Safety Course
We are thrilled to welcome guest speaker Michelle Sacks from Crime Stoppers of Houston to our school, tomorrow,
January 24,
when she will address the 4th-8th grade students during the school day. That same evening, StJPII will host a special session for parents at 6:30 p.m. in the GSC. Please join us for this special presentation so we can learn how to be cyber-savvy and how to protect our children from the ever-present dangers of social media and the internet. The Parent’s Guide to Social Media Discussion will cover social media apps, hidden apps, online dangers, what to watch for, safety settings, and laws.
Click here
for more information.
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Middle School Dance
The Middle School Dance will be at StJPII in the BAC on
Friday, February 9
from 7:00-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15; students must register to attend. For the registration form,
click here.
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Cardinal Mass - Save the Date
His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, the metropolitan Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, will be at StJPII to celebrate All-School Mass on
Friday, February 9
at 8:30 a.m. Please join us!
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Save the Date - Dad's Retreat
All StJPII dads are invited to attend the upcoming Dad's Retreat, which will be held at StJPII in the All-Saints Chapel on
March 3, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The retreat will be led by campus Chaplain Fr. Eamonn Shelly. Be on the lookout for registration information in February. In the meantime, please mark your calendars because this is an event you won't want to miss! There will be a nominal registration fee to cover food and supplies. For more information, you may email:
dads@jp2.org.
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After-School Chess
The after-school chess club is re-enrolling students in Pre-K through 5th grade for the Spring semester.
Click here
for more information or visit
www.blitzkidz.org
.
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The AWEBOTS FLL robotics team is on a mission!
The AWEBOTS fall robotics team is part of StJPII's Stretch program. The AWEBOTS are participating in the First Lego League research project and they need your help. Parents, please talk at home with your students about this common sense approach to conserving water:
Free the H2O prisoners! Don't leave water locked up in water bottles.
Take the caps off and pour the water out!
Containers are supplied in the cafeteria...the water goes straight to the garden.
For more information, please view the
flyer
designed by Ryan Gruen, 7th grader and AWEBOTS team member.
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Saturday, January 27 - Catholic Schools Week (CSW) School Choice Rally
Are you looking for a great way to kick off CSW with some family fun?
The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops Education Department is joining with Families Empowered to host a school choice rally here in Houston on
Saturday, January 27 from 10:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m.
at Minute Maid Park. Please check out the
flyer
for more information.
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Sunday, January 28 - Parish Sunday
We will have information tables on Sunday, January 28 at various Catholic churches promoting our upcoming Open House. We need parents to volunteer and represent StJPII on this day. If you would like to help out, please
sign up here.
If you would like to represent StJPII at your home parish by manning a table, please contact the
Development Office
and we will be happy to reach out to your church parish to see if this is a possibility. Help us spread the word about our wonderful StJPII family!
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Monday, January 29 - We are StJPII! (School Pride Day)
Students and staff will participate in the annual CSW Pep Rally and Team Relays.
Students will be assigned to wear either navy, burgundy or gray school shirts, by homeroom:
NAVY Team:
Kim, Layfield, Clinton, Campo, Williamson, Condara, Sudkamp, Festa, Fama, Drewes
BURGUNDY Team:
Sutton, Weido, Garcia, Fannin, Denton, Riley, Philips, Cueva, Bowring, Kinchen
GRAY Team:
May, Mondelli, Valencia, Lowen, Love, Ziegel, Yager, McBee, Palmer, Hartfiel
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Tuesday, January 30 - Happy Birthday StJPII, Open House and School Tours
Do you know anyone who is interested in enrolling their child at StJPII next year and becoming part of our school family? StJPII cordially invites families interested in Pre-K through 8th grade to join us on
Tuesday, January 30th for campus tours from 8:30-11:00 a.m. and/or Open House from 6:00-7:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact the
Admissions Office
. Thank you for sharing the good news about StJPII!
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Wednesday, January 31 - Saints Jeopardy/Trivia Day
Today is all about growing our Saints knowledge by participating in trivia activities and Saint Jeopardy.
Students are asked to wear spirit shirts and jeans. Students will have Early Dismissal at 2/2:15/2:30 p.m.
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Thursday, February 1 - Brighten Someone’s Day
This year, students will take care of one another in the form of intentional acts of kindness. All acts of kindness will be displayed on the wall next to the Pre-K restrooms.
Students and staff are asked to wear bright, neon-colored shirts.
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Friday, February 2 - Give Thanks Day
The StJPII community is so remarkable thanks to the work of hundreds of volunteers and their countless hours of service and dedication. If you have volunteered at StJPII in any capacity this school year, you are cordially invited to celebrate Mass with the entire Saints community so we can thank you for all of the time and talent you dedicate to StJPII. There will be a reception immediately following Mass. We look forward to honoring YOU!
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Steps for Students - Family Commitment Opportunity
Students may participate in the Archdiocese's Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk on
Saturday, February 17 next to the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston. Money raised will be applied to your 2017-2018 Family Commitment balance. Not only is Steps for Students a great community event supporting Catholic education, but Steps for Students also offers an easy, virtual tool for you to collect pledges and raise money. To participate, simply visit
steps4students.org. After registering, participants will create personalized fundraising pages that can easily be forwarded to friends and family asking for their support. StJPII is delighted to offer this as a means of earning Family Commitment, but it is VERY IMPORTANT that you designate StJPII as your school of choice for the funds to be allocated properly. Don't delay...
registration is now open! The registration fees increase and the "snooze option" expires on February 1, so don't delay!
Your help and support is also needed. A 5K race that supports 12,000+ runners requires human power to bring it across the finish line! Click on the links to volunteer for either pre-race or race day volunteer opportunities:
Thank you in advance for your efforts to support this important event that helps all the Catholic schools.
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30th Anniversary Gala - February 24
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Wine Donations Still Needed
We need your help, StJPII families! Please donate a bottle of wine (at least $25 value) for the Wine & Pet Rock Adoption event at the Don’t Stop Believin’ Gala – 100 bottles are still needed! Parents, its easier than ever to donate! Just drop off your bottle of wine at the front office by
January 26
. A BIG thank you to everyone who has already donated!
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SAVE THE DATE
Save the Date for a
g
l
o
w
i
n
g
afternoon at the Dairy Ashford Roller Rink! On
February 16 from 4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.,
DARR is hosting a GLOW SKATE DAY for StJPII! Break out the neon and mark your calendars- more details to follow!
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SCHOOL SPIRIT FOR PARENTS!
Attention parents: We now have ADULT sized StJPII hooded sweatshirts. Show your school spirit and keep extra warm in the winter months with this hoodie, now on sale for $35. Place your order online at the PTO Spirit Store under “Parent Corner.”
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BOX TOPS BONUS PROMOTION INFORMATION
HEB Bonus Box Tops Promotion Runs 1/24/18 – 2/6/18
·
Purchase 10 Box Tops products in 1 visit & get
60
Bonus Box Tops
·
Be sure the cashier hands you the certificate with your receipt at checkout
Game Day Snacks featuring Box Tops for Education:
· Chex Mix
· Cheerios & Chex Cereals
· Gardetto’s Snack Mix
·“Food Should Taste Good” Snacks
· Totino’s Pizza & Pizza Rolls
· Annie’s Snacks – popcorn, chips, crackers, cookies
· Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookies
· Nature Valley granola bars, biscuits & clusters
· Old El Paso Seasoning Packets & Dips
· Hefty Bowls, Plates, Cups & Trash Bags
Our next classroom contest is in February!
For coupons & a complete list of participating products, click on
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Elementary Athletics
Basketball is in full swing with our second week of games. Great job StJPII teams.
Registration will open for PreK- 5th Grade Baseball and 4th-8th Grade Girls Spring Volleyball on January 29, 2018. See website for more details.
POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE TRAINING
Parents and Coaches are more than welcome to take advantage of this program with the online training at your own pace. There are three great classes to choose from. Please check out our link:
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Don't forget to submit your photos to the
WHCSA Google Photos Album
. The Yearbook team will be selecting photos from this album to feature this year. Thanks!
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Middle School Athletics
Middle School Sports have been very busy the past few days! This past weekend, all three of the Lady Saints basketball teams participated in the St. Thomas More Tournament. Our 6
th
grade and Varsity teams took 2
nd
place in some tough battles in both pool play and the Championship games. Both teams won their pool games in the morning, but then unfortunately lost in their Championship games. Our JV team took 3
rd
place overall, with yet again some physically tough teams. They lost their 1
st
game in pool play, but then came back and won their next 2 games readily! Last week, our girls’ basketball teams all were victorious in their district games against St. Laurence! The 6
th
grade team had an incredible game holding the other Saints to only 2 points the entire game, while having a fantastic offensive game scoring 20 points! They end their district play with an overall record of 7-1! The JV team went into double OT with the girls playing smart defense, making crucial free throws, and pulled out the win in the last seconds of the game! Varsity continues their winning streak defeating St. Laurence as well by 20 points as they now keep their sights set on trying to secure the #1 seed going into the GHCAA Diocesan playoffs. The JV & Varsity Lady Saints finish up district play this week with Varsity playing at St. Anne’s Houston on Monday, and then both JV and Varsity teams closing out their district play against the Indians from St. Cecilia at HOME on Thursday, January 25!
Spring Sports are are here!
Boys Lacrosse is off and running after several clinics with a great turn out! We will have 1 more clinic on Friday, January 26 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Tryouts will be on
Friday, February 2 from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
All clinics and tryouts will be held here on our StJPII field.
Girls Lacrosse will have their very first clinic on
Tuesday, February 6 from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
It is open to 5th through 8th grade girls, and if you want to participate in the clinic you must have a lacrosse stick, goggles, and a mouth guard. Tryouts will be the 3rd week of February, date is still yet to be determined. All clinics and tryouts will be held here on our StJPII field. We welcome Christina Kurt, our 6th grade girls basketball coach, as our new Lacrosse coach for our Lady Saints!
Track & Field (T&F) will have a parent meeting on
Tuesday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m
. in St. Jude Hall ~ please make every effort to attend this meeting if your child is going to participate in T&F. The first T&F practice will be on
Tuesday, February 20 from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
T&F is open to 5th - 8th grade boys and girls.
Varsity Baseball tryouts are
Friday, January 26
and
Monday, January 29 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
over at MALL (Memorial Ashford Little League) fields.
Varsity Softball tryouts are
Monday, February 5
and
Tuesday, February 6 from 3:30 -5:00 p.m.
right here on our field.
**Please remember for Baseball and Softball you must attend both days of tryouts, and as always, you must have a physical on file with Mrs. Aertker. We also ask that parents refrain from attending tryout's and adhere to our "closed door" policy!
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Art Club- Spring Semester
It is now time for students in 5th through 8th grade to consider joining the
“Art Club”
for the
Spring Semester
. This is an after school club
open to boys or girls
who enjoy making a variety of challenging creative art projects. We meet in Art Room #209 on Mondays right after school until 5:00 p.m. All classes are conducted during normal school days through the semester. For more details, please see the
flyer
.
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Save the Date for Br. Jerek Scherber's Diaconate Ordination
For the past few years, StJPII has been blessed to have Br. Jerek Scherber as part of our extended Saints community. Br. Jerek is currently living in Rome studying to become a priest with the Legionaries of Christ. Many may remember Br. Jerek's warm smile, enthusiasm, and love of children when he was a seminarian here with us on campus. We are pleased to announce that he will be ordained as deacon here in Houston this summer! Please put
July 7 at 10:00 a.m.
at Prince of Peace Catholic Church on your calendars. Br. Jerek would be honored to to have a huge StJPII Saints family contingent supporting him on his special day. StJPII is in his constant prayers - but please pray for him too as he continues his studies.
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Moms Bible Study
Join us for Bible Study on Wednesday at 8:15 a.m. in St. Jude Hall. The series is called "Catholicism" and gives you the opportunity to go deeper into the truths of our faith with a DVD series by Bishop Robert Barron.
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Dads' Basketball
StJPII dads play men's basketball on
Wednesday nights
in the gym at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Mark Gugliotti to be added to the distribution list and for more information:
markgoogs@att.net
or 832-301-1681. Everyone is welcome. It's a fun way to meet other dads and get some great exercise!
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Financial Seminar for StJPII Families- January 25
Let's start the year organized with a budget and a clear financial path. Karyna Rodriguez Gutierrez, StJPII parent and President of Exfinia Financial Servic
es, Inc., is offering a financial planning seminar to our community on
January 25
in St. Jude Hall. To learn more about Karyna and her expertise, please
view Karyna's bio
.
To RSVP for this event,
please click here
. For more information,
please click here
or email
karyna.rodriguez@exfinia.com
.
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St. John Vianney Hosts Annual Wine Tasting and Dinner
St. John Vianney's Knights of Columbus will host their annual wine tasting, dinner, and wine auction benefiting the Gabriel Project on
Friday, January 26
at 6:30 p.m. This year's dinner will feature Italian wines and cuisine. The cost is $75 per person. Complimentary babysitting is available. Reservations can be made at
http://www.stjohnvianney.org/news-events/events/annual-wine-tasting-3.
If interested in putting a table together with other StJPII parents, contact
Sarah Kushner
.
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St. John Vianney Hosts Middle School Ministry Event
Middle School students are invited to St. John Vianney's Sunday Night Live event on
January 28 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the youth lounge. For more information, and to RSVP,
click here.
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St. John Vianney Super Bowl Party!
Come watch the big game and join all the fun on
Sunday, February 4 at 3:30 p.m. at the St. John Vianney Activity Center! There will be two giant screens, all-you-can-eat buffet, flat screen raffle, door prizes, football squares and more! The party is appropriate for ages 10 and up. Complimentary babysitting is available for ages 1-10 yrs. by reservation only. The event is $15 per person and advance reservations are due by
January 30; after that date and at the door, tickets are $17 per person. To reserve your spot and pay online, go to
www.stjohnvianney.org. You can also reserve your spot by calling 281-497-1555 or emailing
sjvrsvp@stjohnvianney.org.
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St. Pius X Basketball Clinic
Support the St. Pius X Panther girl’s basketball program. Parents enjoy a night out for Valentines while your kids have fun at a basketball clinic. For more information, please see the
flyer.
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1/23 Strategic Plan Townhall 6:30 PM, GSC
1/24 Mass, 7:10 AM, All Saints Chapel
1/24 Internet Safety Presentation, 6:30 PM, GSC
1/25 Geography Bee, 4-8th grades, 1:15 PM, GSC
1/25 Financial Seminar, 6:30 PM, SJH
1/26 All-School Mass, 8:30 AM, BAC
1/28-2/2 Catholic Schools Week
1/30 Open House for Prospective Families
1/31 Mass, 7:10 AM, All Saints Chapel
1/31 Early Dismissal (2:00/2:15/2:20)
2/2 All-School Mass, 8:30 AM, BAC
2/2 Volunteer Appreciation Reception, 9:30 AM, BAC
2/7 Mass, 7:10 AM, All Saints Chapel
2/7 PTO Meeting, 8:15 AM, SJH
2/9 Cardinal All School Mass, 8:30 AM, BAC
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St. John Paul II Catholic School
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1400 Parkway Plaza, Houston, TX 77077
281-496-1500 • 281-496-2943 (fax)
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St. John Paul II Catholic School prepares all students spiritually
and academically to succeed in life and to do God's will.
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