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Dear St. John Paul II Community,
Wow…I cannot believe we have already reached the end of September! It has been a month full of challenges, but also many blessings, and I am so thankful that we have experienced it all together as one community of Saints. I see the Holy Spirit guiding us each and every day as our students and teachers focus on learning and moving forward.
As you know, because of Hurricane Harvey, the administration team decided to share Parent Night information in an online format. Many of our families are still focused on rebuilding, so we hope that you find this approach a convenient alternative to an in-person presentation on campus. The traditional Parent Night content has all been uploaded to our website.
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Please note: a few course syllabi are missing, but will be added by the week's end. The teachers are looking forward to seeing each of you during Parent/Student/Teacher conferences later in October for individual conversations about each student’s progress.
In Him,
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Principal
P.S. Good news! The Texas Education Agency has determined that we will not need to make up the school days we missed due to Hurricane Harvey.
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August and September have certainly been a challenging month for our community, but we are hopeful and have faith that 2017-2018 is going to be another year of great blessings for StJPII. Our prayer is that your family has enjoyed learning about the virtue of HOPE for this month, and we look forward to providing your family with a new card highlighting our next virtue in October.
Mrs. Bogard received this beautiful message yesterday…what a wonderful way to wrap up our study of Hope! This is certainly the Holy Spirit at work!
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We are a Catholic School in Maryland reaching out to schools in Houston and Southern Florida to help those affected by the recent hurricanes. Students here made a slideshow they’d like to share with the students at your school. Our students drew pictures with a message of
HOPE
and performed music with a
hopeful
theme.
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We
“hope”
you can find it useful in sharing with the teachers and students at your school. Thank you and have a nice day!
~ Ms. Margot Bevington, St. Thomas More Academy
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Blue Jean Day and Early Dismissal Tomorrow!
Remember, tomorrow,
September 27,
is our monthly Early Dismissal Day. Pre-K and K students will be dismissed at 2:00 p.m., 1st - 5th grade at 2:15 p.m. and Middle School at 2:30 p.m.
On Early Dismissal Days, students may wear blue jeans and a StJPII spirit shirt.
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NO School Monday October 9 - Teacher In-Service
Monday, October 9
is a Student Holiday and Teacher In-Service Day. We hope your students enjoy the day off; please make plans now since BASP will be closed.
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Carpool Reminders
- If our carpool line reaches the Greek Orthodox Church, then line up on TRACEWOOD PARK DRIVE (behind the church) instead of extending the carpool line across Eldridge.
- Parents picking up Middle School students (orange tags) should join the Parkway Plaza line after the green line ends OR at 3:30 - whichever is later. Parents may review complete carpool procedures on our website.
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Attention 7
th
/8
th
Graders: Applying for Catholic High School
On
Wednesday, October 11
at 6:30 p.m., Middle School teachers will host an informational night that you will not want to miss. Please plan to attend, as we will be covering every step you need to navigate the process and have success in applying to our local Catholic high schools.
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Early Childhood Open House
StJPII school families, please share and invite families interested in Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade to our Early Childhood Open House for perspective families on
Thursday, October 19 from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Go to the
Early Childhood Open House on our website
for more information including a schedule of events and how to RSVP. For questions, call the front office at 281-496-1500.
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God Bless Houston T-Shirt
We have had numerous requests to commemorate our coming together as a school community to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey. In the spirit of that generosity and the bonds that tie us, we are offering these "God Bless Houston" t-shirts, which may be worn on Spirit Days. If you are interested in ordering a God Bless Houston T-shirt, please
click here.
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Bible Study for Parents
Parents are invited to join our chaplain, Fr. Eamonn Shelly, on
Wednesday mornings
from 8:15-9:15 a.m. in St. Jude Hall for a Bible Study of
"The Catholic Faith Explained."
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Adoration
Parents are invited to come to the All-Saints Chapel for Eucharistic Adoration on
Wednesday, October 4
. The chapel will be open from 7:40 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for quiet prayer before the exposed Holy Eucharist.
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Ultimate Fan Duel Week
Get ready for "Ultimate Fan Duel" week! Thanks to a generous Aggie family who earned naming rights in last year's online auction, next week we all get to be part of the "Fightin' Texas Aggie" community. We will fly the Texas A&M flag all week and play the Aggie War Hymn over the PA system during morning announcements.
Wednesday, October 4
,
students may wear their Aggie t-shirts (or a StJPII spirit shirt) with their regular uniform bottoms (shorts, skorts, skirts or pants). GIG 'EM!
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Trunk or Treat
Join the StJPII community on
Friday, October 27
from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for a fun Halloween Trunk or Treat party in our parking lot! Students are invited to come in costume and trick-or-treat trunk-to-trunk safely with all of their friends. Prizes will be provided for 1) best overall decoration 2) best themed decoration 3) scariest decoration. For those who are interested, you may sign up to decorate your vehicle by visiting
Sign Up Genius
.
We are also looking for a DJ for this event. If you have any questions or know of a DJ, please contact Trunk or Treat chairpersons: Sarah Moore 713-725-4329, mooresa85@gmail.com or Erica O'Connor 281-467-6963, eec5554@hotmail.com.
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Run with the Saints
It’s not too late to register for the 19
th
Annual Run With the Saints event.
The early bird deadline ends Saturday, October 7.
Our annual 5K, benefiting The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation in memory of StJPII student Lauren Lockard is scheduled for
Saturday, October 28
.
We need volunteers to plan and make this the best race yet!
Please sign up to
volunteer here
. This is a great way to get to know other StJPII families.
If you are a runner, would like to sign your child up for the Kids K or want to buy a shirt, register
online
through our website.
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From Our Librarian, Mrs. Lamb
Happy Fall, everyone! The "BookIT!" Program begins
October 1. "
BookIt!" is a program for reading outside of the classroom sponsored by Pizza Hut. A letter for parents about the program is going home soon in Tuesday folders. What are the expectations? Students will receive monthly calendars from their Language/Homeroom teacher. These fun-themed sheets have pictures on each day for students to color or mark off that they have read for the day. At the end of the month, parents verify and sign the sheet and return it to school. Those students who complete the activities will receive a coupon for a personal pizza from their teachers. Woo Hoo...reading fun and pizza- what a great combination! Please support reading and enjoy this fun program. Happy reading, Ms. Lamb
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After School: Girls Who Code
Beginning
Thursday, October 5
, Ms. Resweber, StJPII Technology Teacher, will offer a "Girls Who Code" club to 6th grade girls! The club is limited to 10 girls, so please
complete the Google Form
to express your interest. The club will meet immediately after school until 5:30 p.m. There is a one-time fee of $10 to join; participation is free! If more than 10 girls are interested in attending the club, Ms. R. will draw names to select participants. Interest forms are DUE by midnight tonight,
Tuesday, September 26
. Parents and girls will be notified by Thursday, September 28 if they have been selected. Any questions? You can email Ms. R:
cresweber@jp2.org
*A club for boys is coming in the second semester!*
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Mini Art Club
The “Mini-Art Club” is being offered for 3rd or 4th grade students on Wednesdays,
October 11 - November 15.
This is an after-school club open to boys or girls who enjoy making challenging, creative art projects. Please see the
attached flyer
for more details or contact Art Teacher
Ronda Stieber.
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October PTO Meeting
Mark your calendars for the October PTO meeting! We will meet at 8:15 a.m.
Wednesday, October 4
in St. Jude Hall. Never been to a PTO Meeting? As a StJPII parent, you are automatically part of the PTO. All are welcome to attend. We would love to see you there! Questions about PTO? Contact PTO President Anne Davis for information:
audavis@mac.com.
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Box Tops Classroom Contest
It’s time to turn in those Box Tops for the Classroom Contests!
Our Classroom Contest is going on NOW and will end on
October 6
at 3:30 p.m.
• Clip around the dotted edge lines as you see pictured.
•
P
ut your child’s name and teacher’s name on the bag/envelope so they will get credit.
• Turn in your Box Tops & Bonus Box Tops Certificates to your child’s teacher
NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6
to count for the contest.
The homeroom that turns in the highest number of Box Tops will win a PIZZA & CUPCAKES PARTY. Second place winners will receive CUPCAKES. There will be 1st & 2nd place winners from PreK – 3rd grade and another set from 4th – 8th grade. Contact
amberkgruen@yahoo.com
if you have any questions.
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Elementary Athletics: IMPORTANT SOCCER UPDATE
The start date for games has been changed to
October 7
. The coaches meeting will be on October 3, and they will receive game schedules at that time. The last day for games will be November 18. Uniforms will be distributed this week. Thank you for your patience with the changes. The league is working through many issues with coaches and fields due to Harvey.
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Middle School Athletics is IN SESSION
On September 23, the Cross Country team competed in the Concordia Cross Country Middle School Invitational meet. The Saints 7th-8th Girls' team finished in 9th place. The Saints 8th Grade Boys' team finished in 10th place. The Saints 7th Grade Boys' team finished in 8th place. The Saints 5th-6th Grade Boys' team finished in 6th place. Camden O’Connor received a 4th place medal! The team also traveled earlier in the week to the St. Agnes Sizzler.
In Volleyball, our Lady Saints had an amazing week! The first game of the season was against St. Thomas More with Varsity and JV both winning, but unfortunately the 6th grade team lost. Against the Tigers from St Vincent de Paul, our 6th grade and Varsity teams won and our Junior Varsity team was defeated. All 3 teams played in the St. Thomas More tournament with the 6th grade team scoring an overall record of 5-3, making a huge impact on improvement with the fundamentals of the game. The JV team came out with a 4-4 record with some of the games being very close. The girls excelled in serving and communication. Our Varsity team had a 2-1 record, beating St. Francis Episcopal and Kinkaid. They dominated in pool play with serving. Unfortunately, they lost in the bracket play to St. Thomas More in 3 games for the 1st place title. WHEW! What a week for our Lady Saints!
The Saints Varsity Football team played against the Dolphins of St. Anthony of Padua. After a defensive 1st quarter with the score of 0-0, the turnover bug put the Saints behind at halftime. Trying to re-group, our boys were able to score a couple of touchdowns that were unfortunately called back due to penalties. In the end, the Saints came up short as the Dolphins won the game and took control of 1st place.
In Soccer, our Varsity & JV teams played against St. Thomas More on Wednesday. Despite rain and lightning delays, they delivered losses to the Tigers! Next, they played the Indians from St. Vincent de Paul and defeated them 5-0 in each match!
We are always proud of all of our Saints' efforts!
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Middle School Basketball Tryouts
Middle School Basketball tryouts are right around the corner!
Due to the fact that our GHCAA league and all schools involved have decided to not push back the fall season because of games rained out due to Hurricane Harvey, we need to move basketball tryouts up one week.
Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball tryouts will be held on Saturday, October 14 AND Sunday, October 15. The boys will have tryouts from 12:00-1:30 p.m., and the girls will have tryouts from 2:00-3:30 p.m. each day.
Please remember athletes must attend both days of tryouts and have a physical on file. We ask for parents to respect the “closed door” policy.
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Art Is An Market
ART IS AN Outdoor Market" is a FREE family-friendly event celebrating art, life, and togetherness after the storm. Market goers will enjoy more than 70 vendors, food trucks, live music by Anitra Jay, spun tunes by DJMJ, and the Kids Zone with arts and crafts, as well as face painting. The event is this
Saturday, September 30
from 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. at Grisby Square (near Watson's Pub on Highway 6 and I-10).
Click here for more information, including a map.
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Retreat For Families in October
Did you enjoy the Family Retreat last year? If so, you have another opportunity to join with members of our community
October 20-22
in Huntsville, TX on StJPII's Feast Day weekend. For additional information, view the
flyer
to learn more.
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9/26 Parent Night Presentation Online
9/27 Early Dismissal (2:00/2:15/2:30 p.m.) / Blue Jeans and Spirit Shirts
9/27 Daily Mass 7:10 a.m., All Saints Chapel
9/27 Parent Bible Study 8:15 a.m., St. Jude Hall
9/29 All-School Mass 8:30 a.m.
10/4 Texas Aggie T-shirt Day
10/4 Daily Mass 7:10 a.m., All Saints Chapel
10/4 Adoration 7:40 a.m., All Saints Chapel
10/4 PTO Meeting 8:15 a.m., St. Jude Hall
10/6 Art a la Carte (PreK-3rd grade only)
10/6 All-School Mass 8:30 a.m.
10/6 PTO Box Tops Contest Ends, 3:30 p.m.
10/7 WHCSA Elementary Soccer Games Begin (various locations)
10/9 Student Holiday / Teacher In-Service (No BASP)
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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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