November 12, 2019
School Business
Annual Fund Update
SaintsGiving is 3 weeks away! We have four generous benefactors who have offered to give BIG gifts to the school once we reach certain benchmarks throughout the day! Help us unlock these gifts on SaintsGiving by making a gift to our school and encouraging others to make a gift as well! Remember, making a pledge counts!   
Carpool Reminders
  • Daycare Busses: we have several daycare busses that pick up in afternoon carpool line. Please allow these vehicles to merge into the line. Rest assured it is okay for them to skip to the front of the line, they do not take up space at one of the flags along the curb. Rather, they park in the center aisle since they are picking up multiple children.
  • Manderly Walkers: we have spoken to the constables in regards to the no parking signs. You may still use the area to pick up your children; please stay in your vehicle and once you have picked up your student, please exit the area as quickly as possible. Thank you for your consideration.
Wear Aggie Shirts TOMORROW
Get ready for "Ultimate Fan Duel" week! Thanks to the Bazan 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. Tomorrow,  Wednesday, November 13 , students may wear their Aggie t-shirts (or a StJPII spirit shirt) with their regular uniform bottoms (shorts, skorts, skirts or pants). Want to fly your alma mater's school colors next year? Be on the lookout for this package in the upcoming Masquerade Gala this February. GIG 'EM!
Coin Clash Going On Now
It is time for the most magical event of the year - Coin Clash! Student Council invites you to bring your pennies, silver coins and bills and donate them to classroom buckets. Remember: pennies, bills good! silver - bad!!!! The homeroom with the highest net total will receive the prestigious Coin Clash Trophy!!!
Give by Shopping-Just in Time for Christmas
StJPII receives percentages of your holiday shopping when you “Give by Shopping” at these participating vendors:  Kroger, Randall's, Amazon Smile, Shutterfly, Office Depot and Josephine’s Day Spa and Salon.  As you make those Christmas lists and check them twice, check our  webpage  for opportunities to give by shopping and contribue to our Saints community. Thank you! 
Around the Archdiocese
Steps for Students T-Shirt Design Contest
Help the Archdiocese design the official 2020 Steps for Students Race Shirt! A design form was sent home in Tuesday Folders today, to allow your student to design the t-shirt for Steps for Students. Submit your design to the front office by tomorrow,  Wednesday, November 13  so that we may select the winning design that will represent our school in the contest.
Catholic Schools Got Talent
The Catholic Schools Got Talent Show is scheduled for Saturday, February 1 . It is going to be a wonderful celebration of talent in our Catholic schools! 4th-8th grade students are invited to audition for the big show! Audition videos are due by November 22. For more information, click the button below.
Worth Repeating
Final Chance to Order an Additional 2019-2020 Yearbook - Due Tomorrow
This year, one yearbook will be distributed per family to the oldest child in the family. What this means is if you only have one student, then you do not need to purchase a yearbook. This cost was included in your yearly tuition. If you have more than one student, and would like to purchase an additional yearbook for the other siblings, yearbooks are on sale for $35 until Wednesday, November 13. Please download the order form attached and return it with payment by Wednesday, November 13. 
8th Grade Yearbook Ads and Brick Paver Sales
This year, the Journalism staff wants to make sure that we have enough pages for all 8th grade ads and items we want to include in the yearbook. To accomplish this (and meeting our deadline to the publisher for finalizing page numbers), we are having two deadlines for Ads, an order/payment deadline-Friday, November 15, 2019- and a materials submission deadline-Friday, February 14, 2020. 

Send a personal message to your special 8th grader…purchase an ad in the StJPII 2020 yearbook, The Spirit. The ads are a great way for parents, grandparents, or special friends to honor, appreciate, and congratulate your eighth grader on his/her accomplishments. The PTO is also offering an additional way to permanently honor your 8th grade student through the purchase of a garden pathway brick when packaged with an ad. 
5th Graders Visit Middle School On Upcoming Shadow Days
Fifth graders will have the opportunity to "shadow" a sixth grade student, following their schedule for the morning, and experiencing a regular day in the life of a Middle Schooler on December 2, 3 and 4.
Library News - Book Fair Opens Friday
November chills are here, just in time for cozy reading time is our Fall Book Fair. Our fair opens Friday November 15, 2019.  Our daily hours are 7:40 to 4:00 each day except Grandparents Day when we close the fair at noon. This is a great time to select books for the holidays as gifts and for fun reading. Start saving in those coins in piggy banks to purchase great reads and activity kits for the holidays. The library is directly funded by the successful book fair.

Remember this our new nine weeks, please allow students to learn the lesson of returning books on time. Fines of ten cents per day per book will follow with overdue books. Thank you for helping children learn to be in charge of their own things. Help them with reminders and routine places to place materials to come to school each day. That is a great study skill and life lesson. We appreciate your support. Happy Reading-Ms. Lamb
RWTS T-Shirt Sale: Now $10
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Run with the Saints Fall Festival. If you wanted to participate but did not have the chance, we are now selling t-shirts for $10 in the front office.
Red Ribbon Week Success
Thank you for participating in Red Ribbon Week
Thank you for participating in Red Ribbon Week at StJPII! A huge shout out goes to our Student Council for planning our Red Ribbon Week Activities. Please see the photos to Red Ribbon Week by clicking on the button below.
Upcoming Events
Grandparents & Special Friends Day: November 22
StJPII will honor Grandparents and Special Friends on the Friday before Thanksgiving break, November 22. StJPII families, please share the date with your grandparents and special friends. We are looking forward to celebrating this occasion with our extended family! The format will be similar to previous years, featuring performances by elementary students, our middle school chorale and the 7th/8th grade band.

Here are a few helpful tips to aid in preparing for Grandparents and Special Friends' Day 
Grandparents may start to arrive when doors open at 8:30 a.m. The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will conclude at 10:30 a.m. when Grandparents and Special Friends will leave the GSC and meet their student(s) in the classroom(s). They are welcome to visit the Book Fair together and take a photo in St. Jude Hall.
 
·          Grandparents are allowed to sign-out students directly with the teachers.
·          School will be dismissed early at  12:00/12:15/12:30 p.m. on November 22 .
·          There will be no lunch service and no BASP after early dismissal.
·          Students should wear their full dress uniforms.

Reminder- We will have a few extra invitations on hand that can be picked up at the front desk.
Please remember that Grandparents Day is a day for grandparents and special friends only - rest assured that every year we have children who do not have a grandparent or special friend attend, and they enjoy the day and do just fine!

Grandparents and Special Friends who cannot attend can send a letter, picture or card to their grandchild if they forward it to the school by Friday, November 15 (note: we have extended the date from the date listed in the invitation) to the Development Office at 1400 Parkway Plaza Dr Houston, Texas 77077.

Please contact the Communications and Events Officer, Kaela Lewis with any questions you may have.
Chick-fil-A Spirit Afternoons
Join us on Friday, November 22  (following Grandparents and Special Friends' Day for Chick-fil-A (CFA) Spirit Afternoons! Swing by our neighborhood CFA and treat yourself! They have graciously offered to donate 10% of their proceeds back to StJPII. All purchases made at the 13412 Briar Forest (around the corner at Eldridge) between noon-3:00 will be eligible. When ordering at the drive-thru or register, please share you are with St. John Paul II Catholic School so they can make a donation.
Call for Volunteers for the Father/Daughter Committee
We are calling for volunteers to join the 2020 Father/Daughter Dance committee. If you wanted to get involved with social events happening at StJPII the time is now. Please send an email to Communications@jp2.org if you would like to help plan the Father/Daughter Dance which will take place in February! Thank you in advance.
PTO Corner
Sweaters and Jackets
Students are required to wear a StJPII sweater or sweatshirt on campus. Additional outerwear may be used over, but not in place of StJPII sweaters/sweatshirts when students are outside for recess or PE. Burgundy sweaters or vests are required on dress uniform days and must be worn in the buildings or as the 1st layer over dress uniforms when it is cold. No other sweaters, sweatshirts, or jackets may be worn on dress uniform days inside the buildings, or going to another building. Students may wear additional coats and jackets over the StJPII sweater/vest on cold days for recess and P.E
StJPII Spirit Store Spotlight Item: StJPII Hoodie
The cold weather is finally here. Keep your child warm with a StJPII Hoodie. Hoodies can be purchased on-line on the school website under Spirit Store or you can click on the link below. Hoodies are spirit wear and can be worn only on Wednesdays.
Box Tops for Education
If you haven’t already, please download the Box Tops for Education app and start scanning your grocery receipts today.
 
The PTO will still take the original, unexpired Box Tops so keep clipping.
 
Ongoing Box Tops Promotions -
 
Earn 3 Bonus Box Tops on Fall Flavored Cheerios  when you buy any 2 participating Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, Maple Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios or Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheerios products  (purchase by 12/2/19 - Limit 5 claims per receipt)
 
Earn 3 Bonus Box Tops on GoGurt  when you buy any 2 participating GoGurt products  (purchase by 12/2/19 - Limit 5 claims per receipt)
 
Earn 4 Bonus Box Tops on Bugles and Totino's  when you buy 1 Bugles participating product AND 2 Totino's participating products ( purchase by 12/2/19 - Limit 5 claims per receipt)
 
Earn 4 Bonus Box Tops on Annie's  when you buy any 3 participating Annie's products  (purchase by 12/2/19 - Limit 5 claims per receipt)
 
Earn 3 Bonus Box Tops on Chex Cereals  when you buy any 3 participating Chex Cereal products  (purchase by 12/2/19 - Limit 5 claims per receipt)
 
Did you know you can credit your child’s House  when submitting a photo of your grocery receipt? When you have the Box Tops Digital App open and after you take a photo of your receipt simply click the “Credit” icon located at the bottom left corner. Type in the name of your child’s House and then click “Done”.
Snacks with Santa - Save the Date
Mark your calendars! Snacks with Santa will be held on Saturday, December 7th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. There will be snacks, face-painting, games, crafts, photos with Santa and a raffle entry for a chance to win a Peanuts themed yard decor. New this year: there will also be a cotton candy machine ($2/child)! Please see the attached flyer for more information. You can purchase your tickets by clicking on the link below ($9/child) or at the door on the day of the event ($10/child). If you have any questions, please email Edith Hernandez.
Holiday on the Parkway - Save the Date
This year the Holiday on the Parkway craft fair for parents and outside vendors will be held on Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7. Last year we had over 30 booths that filled the Bramanti Athletic Center! The students and faculty will be able to shop for holiday presents for family and friends on Friday, and parents and students are welcome to shop during the annual Snacks with Santa festivities on Saturday. If you are interested in reserving a table for your business or know someone that may be interested in having a table at the fair, please complete the reservation form located on the StJPII website and return it to the school office with the booth reservation fee as soon as possible. Space is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Please email Olga Saenz with any questions.
Thank Your for Your "Thyme"
Thank you to the following people who helped the 1st grade classes be successful carrot farmers in the garden:  
Casey Aguilar, Christine Bartolo, Mindy Bazan, Analia Gugliotti, Liezl Lambert, April Miles, Leticia Shirley, Sandra Vreedenburgh & Tonya Watts, our legacy garden fairy.
Mardi Gras Masquerade Gala
Remember to buy your $125 early bird Gala tickets! Early bird pricing is valid now through December 15, 2019. Go to www.jp2.org/gala to purchase tickets. The party will be held at the Westin Houston Memorial City on Saturday, February 22, 2020, and will feature an open bar during the cocktail hour, a three-course dinner, a big board, a live auction, and live music by the Newsboyz. Maximize your fun by getting a room for the night at special StJPII pricing of $129.

The best way to guarantee you will sit with your friends is to purchase a table for 10 at the $1,250 level or above. If you choose to purchase individual tickets, you may enter your seating preference in the “Special Requests” area at the time of ticket purchase. However, there is no guarantee that this accommodation can be made.
Athletics
Elementary School
Elementary soccer is coming to an end with one more game to go! Basketball registration has now closed. Currently we are forming teams and will send out coaches and teams information before Thanksgiving break.
Please help Journalism by submitting your photos to the WHCSA group today!
Middle School
Middle School Athletics is off and running this week. Congratulations to all the athletes who made Middle School teams.
Community Events
St. John Vianney Parish Upcoming Events
  • Fall Breakfast - Sunday, November 17, in the Activity Center following the morning masses. Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Hash Browns, Biscuits, Gravy, Juice and Coffee. $5 per person and Kids 7 and Under are free!
  • Monthly Dinner - Thursday, November 21, 5:30 - 7:00 pm in the Activity Center. Homemade Chicken N' Dumplins served with Green Beans, Cornbread Muffins and Dessert. Catered by Cracker Barrel. $10 per person and Kids 8 & under eat Free! Bar available with beer, wine and soft drinks. RSVP needed by Tuesday, November 19.

For your convenience, you can reserve and pay online by going to www.stjohvianney.org or you can reserve and pay at the door by contacting us at sjvrsvp@stjohnvianney.org or 281-497-1555.
Calendars
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.