Dear Saint families,
It was great to see so many of you at our First Friday Mass last week. Following Mass, I mentioned that I will be making pizza tomorrow evening and I am excited to join many of you at Russo’s PTO spirit night! Remember, I will be following their recipe, so “Be not afraid…”
The school year has definitely gotten off to a busy start! We are in full swing with teaching and learning in the classrooms, after-school activities/clubs in session, and our sports program is making history! Our Saints athletes have earned many wins and are learning their positions while working together as a team.
As many of you know, we have been implementing the Love and Logic philosophy in our classrooms for the past few years. Many parents have had success at home with this compassionate approach that encourages accountability and problem-solving. If you have never attended or would like to learn more, you are invited to participate in our Love and Logic session on September 27, and I encourage you to read the tip featured below.
In Him We Trust,
|
|
Principal
PS - If you need to contact a teacher, please email them directly. If it is a sensitive matter, please ask to speak with them over the phone. At this time as we introduce the Parent Portal, please do not use the messaging feature to ensure your communication is received.
|
|
Progress Reports Via Student Information System (Parent Portal)
Your child's first quarter Progress Report will be view-able online in the Parent Portal starting today. A printed version will not be sent home. Elementary parents must sign and return the form that is in today's Tuesday Folder to their homeroom teacher by this Friday, September 14. Middle School parents must sign the Tuesday folder acknowledging that they have reviewed their students' progress.
|
|
Log on instructions:
Click the View Student Information System button above. Below is a picture for illustration. Your username is the email* address you submitted to the school. Select "send username and password" as shown below.
|
|
Check your email inbox for a message titled, "Password Request URL". Follow the prompts to reset your new password (you may need to enter your first and last name).
*If you do not remember the email address that you provided StJPII, please contact
Yvette Wiatrek.
Once you are in the system, you will have the option to go on a guided tour of how to use the new portal. We suggest you take a few moments to learn about how to navigate the pages, it's quick and easy! Please note, some features of the new portal are not functional yet. As we progress through the school year, we will begin to expand the services that it provides.
|
|
Promotional Photo Release- OPT-OUT Form
Promotional Photos for StJPII are opportunities to enhance and showcase our school. These opportunities include help us build community with our families and also serve as a recruiting tool for parents who might be interested in applying. Generally, we only feature groups of students and we do not typically list names unless it is for a news release.
We also realize that it’s important to respect your personal privacy. If you would like to Opt Out of photos, please fill out and return page 69 of the
Parent Student Handbook and return it to the front office by September 30. If you have any questions, please contact
Communications Office. Thank you!
|
|
Annual Fund - Company Matching
Did you know that last year StJPII received close to $60,000 in matching gift funds from various companies like Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 and Wells Fargo? Even though our official Annual Fund Drive has yet to kick-off, for some of our families, now may be the time to take advantage of your employer's corporate matching program. Your gift to StJPII's Annual Fund makes a difference and helps us fulfill our Mission. Our Annual Fund Drive will begin next month, so in the meantime, please find out if you can double or triple your donation through a matching gift program. We are incredibly grateful for our families who dedicate these funds to our school. For more information please contact the Development Department.
|
|
Parent Messages to Students
The front office has been increasingly receiving more and more requests for changes to student's dismissal locations. The office cannot guarantee that student's receive these messages. Please note that the office will no longer deliver messages to students. Thank you for your cooperation.
Per the Parent Student Handbook:
Please do not call the office and request the school to pass on last minute carpool changes. Please make arrangements in advance and have backup plans with other families, sharing carpool numbers, etc.
|
|
Love and Logic- Tip of the Week:
Communication techniques that work for teachers and parents.
There was a problem on the playground during recess today. Even though it involved only some of the classmates, the entire class was punished with loss of recess for two days. Patty and Wanda were incensed.
“Most of us were being good! It’s just not fair for all of us to miss recess,” they told their mothers. “You need to call the teacher and make her change her mind,” they insisted.
Wanda’s mother went to the phone, and when the teacher answered said, “Punishing all the kids for what a few of them did just doesn’t make sense. You just need to handle this in a better way. Both Wanda and I think that this is totally unfair!”
Patty’s mother called the teacher and said, “I’d like to share what the girls have told me about the recess problem and get your thoughts on it.”
I bet you know which mother’s concerns the teacher was more receptive to hearing and accepting.
I visited with this teacher. She told me that Wanda’s mother called first and that she immediately found herself being defensive about the situation. The call didn’t go well. The conversation she had with Patty’s mom went better.
She went on to say, “I didn’t feel defensive at all when Patty’s mom called. I liked her opening statement so well that I’m going to be using it in the future when I have to call parents about a problem.”
What was that opening statement? “I’d like to share what I’ve been hearing and get your thoughts.” It’s a surefire way to keep the other person from feeling attacked.
Learn more of these techniques on our audio, Putting Parents at Ease. It’s all about home/school communication techniques that work for both teachers and parents.
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.
Jim Fay
|
|
Love and Logic: Date Changed
Parents of our newest and youngest Saints are asked to attend one of two upcoming Love and Logic Workshops presented by former Assistant Principal Dan Courtney (who is currently serving as Principal at Christ the Redeemer Catholic School). One or both parents are encouraged to attend the session that best fits your schedule:
September 27 at 9:00 a.m. OR 6:30 p.m. in St. Jude Hall. "Be not afraid..." to attend this course, where you will learn about how StJPII develops accountability in our students. You will walk away with a better understanding about how StJPII partners with our parents; and take home some practical tips that will help you stay calm and avoid un-winnable power struggles with our children.
|
|
Volunteer Approval Process
In order to volunteer, you must attend Virtus training and submit paperwork to the school office. You must sign up through the VIRTUS website to attend. Please
click here for information on our website for the StJPII Volunteer checklist and how to become volunteer-approved.
|
|
The Altar Society
Please join us for our first meeting of the year on
September 14. We will meet right after Mass in Saint Jude Hall.
New members are always welcome. The Altar Society helps Mrs. Richard, our Religion Coordinator, in preparing for Saint Family activities, Vocations Day, and other religious events.
|
|
Faith & Ale
Join the StJPII Dads Club at our inaugural gathering Faith & Ale on Thursday,
September 13 at 6:00 p.m. at Watson’s House of Ales. The StJPII's Dads Club is designed to focus on strengthening the fathers of our students in faith and love, to help them bring the Catholic faith home to their families and support the mission of the school. As a Father of a child(ren) at the school, you are taking part in this Ministry. Click on the
flyer for more details.
|
|
StJPII Homecoming
All current and former families are invited to our first ever Homecoming football game on
Wednesday, September 26 at 5:30 p.m. to kick off the school year! Fun and festivities will abound as we cheer our Saints to victory. We’ll have the Boy Scouts leading us in the Posting of the Colors followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, food trucks in the parking lot and more! So gather your friends and bring your tailgate gear for what promises to be a great new StJPII tradition. Stay tuned to
Saints Weekly, Facebook and the website for more details.
|
|
RWTS- Sign up today for Registration/Shirts or to Volunteer
StJPII's annual 5K, which benefits children's cancer in memory of StJPII student Lauren Lockard, is scheduled for
Saturday, October 27
. If you are a runner, would like to sign your child up for the Kids K, or want to buy a shirt visit the button below. We also need volunteers to plan and make this the best race yet! Running experience is a bonus, but not required. Please contact RWTS Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator
Annette Colgan
for more information on Volunteering. If you have questions regarding the Run with the Saints event, please contact our Events Officer
Kaela Lewis
for more information.
|
|
Grandparents Day 2018- Please Submit Contact information
StJPII's annual Grandparents and Special Friend's Day is approaching the Friday before Thanksgiving break. We are in the beginning phases of planning for this special day. All families of StJPII must submit their Grandparents/Special Friends contact information to receive a formal invitation in the mail.
Please submit all contact information for all Grandparents/Special Friends by Monday, September 24. Please contact our Events Officer
Kaela Lewis
for more information.
|
|
Calling All 8th Grade Parents- Washington DC Trip Meeting
The 8th grade Washington DC trip is quickly approaching. Our final parent meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. in St. Jude Hall. We will be discussing this year's trip to Washington, DC, passing out required paperwork, and answering parent questions as we get ready for our 26th trip!
|
|
Optional Wednesday Morning Mass
Our first daily Mass in the chapel is
Wednesday, September 12 at 7:10 a.m
. All students, parents, and staff are invited to join us. Please enter through St. Jude Hall as the office will not be open at that time. Students will be released to go to their homerooms when the bell rings at 7:40. This is not required, but an optional opportunity for holiness!
|
|
Library News
Welcome to 2018-2019 in the Library! We are checking out books, learning about Mr. Dewey, and discovering how to be good library citizens. As we pass Labor Day, we will begin collecting fines (of ten cents per book per day), on overdue books to teach responsibility. Students are given one day of grace then fines begin. Please send fines in a baggie or in an envelope. Do not attach money to books. This damages books. Also, encourage students to keep books away from drinks, foods, and pets. The best place for the book is back in the bag after it is read. Happy Reading!
Something New! For our Spanish speaking families and friends, we are planning an online Spanish book fair to serve your needs. More information will be coming soon with the fair slated for early October. We will continue to have our large fall book fair near Grandparent’s Day in November.
The STUDY SKILLS evening parent workshop is coming on
September 25. Learn more about the study skills we teach across the campus. We discuss organization and time management, listening and taking notes, writing research papers and essays, memorizing strategies, ways to improve reading abilities, digesting information in school textbooks, and strategies for taking tests along with tips and hints. This parent only time is filled with useful approaches to tackle common frustrations for students. This is perfect for families with students with learning challenges and especially new parents to St. John Paul II Catholic School. Please click on the Study Skills Workshop below to learn more. Please RSVP to
Ms. Lamb. Please join this informative 90 minute time learning new actions to promote success!
|
|
WHCSA ~ Elementary Soccer
We have over 220 children signed up to participate in the West Houston Christian Sports Association league! There are over 20 teams ranging from PreK to 5th grade and all are being coached by our wonderful parent volunteers! Coaches, please remember the Coach's Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 18 at MDUMC at 7:30 p.m. and you must attend this meeting as schedules, rules, and important information will be discussed. Also, please remember to check the Athletic calendar to see if there are changes to the field usage that could affect your practice times! Uniforms and Coach's shirts will be distributed the week of September 18.
|
|
Middle School
GHCAA ~ Middle School Sports
Our Fall Sports have all gotten all of their "firsts" out of the way! First Soccer games, Volleyball matches, Cross Country races etc.....Soccer is off to a great start after both teams defeated St. Thomas More, and then JV continued with a win against St. Anne Houston while Varsity ended with a tie. All three Volleyball teams have been working very hard as they stand at Varsity holding a 1-2-0 record after losing to St. Anne Houston and St. Thomas More but then rebounding back defeating St. Michael's! JV also stands at 1-2-0 with securing the win against St. Anne, and the C Team took their first win vs St. Michael's and tied their other 2 games! Whew, those Lady Saints are amazing! Our Cross Country team competed in their first meet this weekend at the Bellaire Invitational where the middle school course was 1.75 miles. The girls finished 1st out of 9 teams with the boys posting a 5th place finish out of 7 teams.
The top five finishers for each team were as follows:
Girls: out of 122 athletes
- Lilah Epps - 8th w/a time of 12.36
- McKay Lawless - 10th w/a time of 12.42
- Averi Garrity - 11th w/a time of 12.49
- Nicole Halter - 13th w/a time of 12.50
- Lizzie DeGeeter - 23rd w/a time of 13:20
Boys: out of 119 athletes
- Peter Rider – 20th w/a time of 11:35
- David DeVaull - 31st w/a time of 11.54.4
- Nicolas Garcia – 32nd w/a time of 11.54.7
- Alex Nguyen - 36th w/a time of 12.02.9
- Blaise Brochu - 40th w/a time of 12.18
Our Varsity Football team had a HUGE win against St. Cecilia in the last second of their game! With a tie score of 6-6 our Saints took the chance to kick a field goal to secure the win thus defeating the Indians 9-6! We now stand at 2-0 with our next 2 games being away, and then our final district game will be HOMECOMING!!!!
Go SAINTS!!!!!
|
|
Russo's Pizza Night with CHEF Bogard
Join Principal Bogard at Russo's New York Pizzeria
tomorrow, September 12 at 6:00 p.m. for a FUNdraiser hosted by our PTO. Mrs. Bogard will tie on her apron, adjust her chef hat, and make pizzas for the first few families to arrive! So be sure to arrive on time to see Chef Bogard in action and get your picture taken our very own culinary master! There will be a lottery and a few lucky students will win a behind the scenes tour of Russo's kitchen! Mark this special night on your calendars - dine in, or take out - 20% of all StJPII orders will be donated to StJPII. The participating location is Russo’s at 13346 Briar Forest Dr. Suite #100, Houston, TX 77077 (in the LA Fitness retail center). Thanks in advance for supporting the StJPII PTO through this spirit night!
|
|
HEB Box Tops Promotion- September 5-18
HEB is having a “bonus” Box Tops opportunity! Buying 15 box top products in one transaction earns 100 Box Tops for StJPII. What does 100 Box Tops mean to us? That equals $100.00 towards our wish list items! Please consider stocking up at HEB and help us reach our Box Tops for Education goals!
|
|
Please register your Kroger Cards
Attention StJPII Kroger Shoppers ~ Renew Your Community Rewards!
Now is the time to register/renew your Kroger Plus Card with St. John Paul II so that we can benefit from your shopping. Here are the easy steps: Visit Kroger’s website at
www.krogercommunityrewards.com and sign in to your account or create a new account. Enter St. John Paul II's six digit NPO number (AD1770). Select your organization by clicking on the circle to the left of our school’s name. Save changes and shop to benefit StJPII!
St. John Paul II has the opportunity to benefit greatly when all of our parents and community members register their card. Please click on the following link for directions and other Give by Shopping opportunities - jp2.org/give-by-shopping
|
|
Book Club
StJPII is currently in need of volunteers to lead our 3rd-5th grade Book Clubs. We meet four times a year during your child’s assigned lunchtime. Volunteers select and assign the books, children read the selection and bring their lunch the day of Book Club to discuss during lunch among their classmates. This is a great way to foster the love of reading in our younger StJPII Saints. For more information on Book Club, please click on the
flyer. Remember to volunteer you must be VIRTUS approved. Contact
Denise Schaefer or
Angela Molina for sign up information.
|
|
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!
|
|
The St. Thomas High School Eagles will be hosting The Kinkaid School
St. Thomas High School would like to invite your middle school boys and their families to join them for the End Zone Rally on
Friday, September 14 at 6:00 p.m
. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet administrators, faculty, and coaches while watching the St. Thomas football team take on The Kinkaid School. Please see the attached
flyer
for more details. RSVP to the End Zone Rally at
event.sths.org
.
|
|
St. John Vianney Fellowship Opportunities
StJPII families are invited to our St. John Vianney Fellowship breakfast on
Sunday, September 16 after all morning Masses. The meal will be a Country Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Hash Browns, Biscuits, Gravy, Orange Juice & Coffee. The cost is $5 adults and kids 7 and under are free.
St. John Vianney would like to invite you to the 3rd Thursday Dinner on
Thursday, September 20, 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the Activity Center – Dinner will be Chicken Fried Steak served with mashed potatoes, green beans, bread, dessert, tea and lemonade. Adults are $12 per person. Kids menu offered for kids 12 and under are free.. Reservations needed by Tuesday, September 18. To reserve and pay online
click here or you can reserve and pay at the door contacting
sjvrsvp@stjohnvianney.org or 281-497-1555.
|
|
Did you know...Run with the Saints (RWTS) is the oldest event here at StJPII. This year marks its 20th anniversary and Ms. Festa has all 20 shirts of the RWTS shirts! Ms. Festa was one of many founding faculty members of the the first 5K in honor of Lauren Lockard. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of the longest standing tradition at StJPII!
|
|
|
|
9/11 Parent DC Meeting, 6:30 p.m., SJH
9/12 Daily Mass, 7:10 a.m., All Saints Chapel
9/12 Russo's Pizza Night with Chef Bogard, 6:00 p.m.
9/13 Faith & Ale, 6:00 p.m., Watson's House of Ales
9/14 All School Mass, 8:30 a.m. BAC/GSC
9/14 Altar Society Meeting, 9:30 a.m. SJH
9/19 Daily Mass, 7:10 a.m., All Saints Chapel
9/20 Virtus- Protecting God's Children, 8:30 a.m. Library
9/21 All School Mass, 8:30 a.m., BAC/GSC
|
|
|
|
|
St. John Paul II Catholic School
|
1400 Parkway Plaza, Houston, TX 77077
281-496-1500 • 281-496-2943 (fax)
|
|
St. John Paul II Catholic School prepares all students spiritually
and academically to succeed in life and to do God's will.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
