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Dear St. John Paul II Families,
Happy 2017! I hope your family enjoyed a restful break these last two weeks. We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for, not only was December 30th the Feast of the Holy Family, but we are also looking forward to wrapping up the festive Christmas season and celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany during Mass on Friday.
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lease be sure to read the information below about Current Family Registration for next school year, and the Fun Run this Saturday for Fr. Eamonn and the Legionaries. What a wonderful way to support them and give back - plus a healthy way to kick off the new year!
We are looking forward to welcoming the students back on campus tomorrow! I pray that 2017 is full of blessings for your family.
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Forming Families of Disciples
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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Galito family – Luis, Heidi and Kendall! Serving as Disciples of Christ during the Christmas season is often challenging with the holiday hustle and bustle. As a family, we make an extra effort to prepare for Christ’s coming with daily devotions that focus our attention on our relationship with God. During the Advent season, we make an extra effort to pray and read Scripture passages together that remind us of God’s promise, light, love, and hope. We also incorporate our Catholic faith into secular Christmas activities. We have an Elf on a Shelf, Snowdrop and Mince Pie Mullingstockings, who surprise us with a Scripture card and different figures of our crèche each morning in anticipation of Jesus’ birth. We are excited to see who the elves bring each morning and we talk about the passage and the role of each nativity figure. We also have a “Good Deeds” manger. Kendall learns the importance of preparing for baby Jesus by filling the manger with a piece of straw that she earns when she serves and cares for others. We try to encourage her to follow Jesus’ example of service. Lastly, Santa does visit our house but he only brings three presents. We reinforce that just as the Magi brought three gifts to Jesus -- a gift for a king (gold), a gift for a priest (frankincense), and a burial ointment gift for one who would die (myrrh) – Santa will bring only three gifts on Christmas. To form our family, we celebrate the true Spirit of Christmas and reinforce our beliefs that rejoice and share the joy and wonder of the great gift of the Incarnation.
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Current Family Registration for 2017-2018
Pre-enrollment envelopes for all current families are coming home tomorrow, Wednesday January 4. Like last year, all forms need to be completed are online; go to the StJPII website and print out the paperwork. Use the provided envelope to send your completed forms back to the Admissions office. All registration forms are due next Tuesday, January 10, along with a registration deposit. This date allows the Admissions Office to determine the number of open spaces for new families, who begin the application process soon after our returning families. Please make every effort to get your paperwork and deposit in on time; a
late fee will be charged for every week after the January 10th registration deadline (this late registration fee will not apply to tuition). Next year marks StJPII's 30th Anniversary, so for many reasons we are looking forward to a great 2017-2018 school year!
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DUE TOMORROW: Raffle Tickets
The deadline for turning in raffle ticket stubs and money is tomorrow, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4 by 3:30 p.m. (Tickets turned in after the deadline will not be eligible for the prize drawing.) Winners will be drawn be this Friday, January 6 after Mass.
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Mass This Friday
We will celebrate First Friday Mass this Friday, January 6 for the Feast of the Epiphany. For many Christians, the holiday season doesn't officially end until the 12th day of Christmas known as the “Feast of the Epiphany” or “Three Kings' Day”. The holiday marks the biblical adoration of baby Jesus by the three Kings, also referred to as three Wise Men or Magi.
Students should wear their full dress uniforms. Parents are invited to a reception in St. Jude Hall following Mass. (Please note: Wednesday Daily Mass will resume in the chapel before school on Wednesday, January 11; we will not have daily tomorrow.)
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7th Grade Parent Meeting
There will be a meeting for 7th grade parents on January 10 at 6:00 p.m. in St. Jude Hall to prepare for the 8th grade year, which includes the Washington DC trip in the fall and graduation. We ask that at least one parent from each family please attend this important meeting.
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Casual Picture Day
Save the date...Casual Picture Day is Wednesday, January 18. Students will wear non-uniform clothes, p
lease follow the "free dress code" guidelines in the
Parent Student Handbook
online on page 47. Be on the lookout for your order form envelope which will come home soon.
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Love and Logic
Is brushing up on your parenting skills in your resolutions for the new year?!? Come laugh and learn with Assistant Principal Mr. Courtney during a series of Love and Logic workshops beginning later this month. Morning and afternoon sessions will be offered for $50 per family. (If you have taken the class before, you are welcome to return for a refresher, or send your spouse for free.) For more information, click here.
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Steps for Students - NEW Family Commitment Opportunity
Now that the raffle is (almost) over, your family has another way to earn Family Commitment. New this year, students may participate in the Archdiocese's Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, February 18 next to the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston. Money raised will be applied to your 2016-2017 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. And, since the race falls on a long holiday weekend for our students, there is even a convenient "snoozer" option for those who can't attend the event in person. To participate, simply visit steps4students.org. After registering, participants will create personalized fundraising websites that can easily be forwarded to friends and family asking for their support. StJPII is delighted to offer this as another means of earning Family Commitment, it's just VERY IMPORTANT that you designate StJPII as your school of choice for the funds to be allocated properly. Don't delay...the regular registration deadline is February 1!
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A big “thank you” to all the room parents and volunteers who assisted in organizing the Christmas parties. We greatly appreciate all the parents who donated their time, talents and treasures to celebrate Christmas in our classrooms.
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We are beginning 2017 with a new and improved marquee sign as we resume birthday recognition and school communications. Due to the great response of this year’s t-shirt design, we no longer have “adult small” shirts in stock. Orders for this size that were placed during the Ice Cream Social or the Meet and Greet are guaranteed, however, new orders of this size are not available. We expect things to run smoothly going forward and we are excited to start the year celebrating our students' birthdays again! For more information, please contact Lorena Betancourt.
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The first PTO meeting of 2017 will be held at Pecan Creek Grille Wednesday, January 11 at 8:15 a.m. We hope to see you there as we kick off 2017!
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Fun Run for Chaplain Shelly and the Legionaries
Help support Fr. Eamonn's and Fr. Nathaniel's fundraising efforts for an office space on the west side of Houston. The Legionaries have a residence in Spring, TX, but they spend a lot of time on the west side and need a meeting space. There will be a 2-mile Fun Run at Bear Creek Park to support this cause on January 7, 2017. Click here for more information and to register.
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1/4/17 Raffle Tickets Due by 3:30 p.m.
1/4/17 Current Family Registration Begins
1/4/17 MS Boys' Basketball home game, 4:30 p.m.
1/6/17 First Friday Mass 8:30 a.m., Feast of the Epiphany
1/6/17 Feast of the Epiphany Reception, 9:30 a.m., SJH
1/7/2017 Legionary Fun Run
1/9/17 MS Boys' Basketball away game, 4:30 p.m.
1/10/17 Report Cards go home (new date)
1/10/17 Current Family Registration Ends
1/10/17 MS Girls' Basketball away game, 4:30 p.m.
1/10/17 7th Grade Parent Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
1/10/17 Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
1/11/17 PTO Meeting, 8:15 a.m., Pecan Creek Grille
1/12/17 Spelling Bee
1/16/17 Student Holiday
1/18/17 Casual Picture Day
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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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