Saints Weekly

May 28, 2019

Dear St. John Paul II Families,

Summer is here! I want to thank you all for a wonderful 18-19 school year. This year’s theme was, “Be not afraid…to love, learn, and lead” and we’ve done just that! We began the year by leading and celebrating our 3rd Blue ribbon and tomorrow we will honor our 26th graduating class of St. John Paul II Catholic School. This year has been another remarkable year and I am so appreciative of you for entrusting your children to us and for continuing to partner with us. Together we are shaping life-long learners! Your involvement, love, and support truly impacts our children and the community here at StJPII! I pray that each of you have a wonderful summer and we will see you back in August!

Our StJPII Class of 2019 graduates have been a blessing to StJPII and I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for this outstanding group of young people. During their time here at StJPII, they have exceeded our expectations and carried on our tradition of academic excellence. We offer congratulations to the following students who received academic scholarships to the following Catholic High Schools:

Zane Beyer - St. Thomas High School, St. John XXIII Preparatory, and St. Pius X
Isaac Cabello - St. Thomas High School
Pablo Escobedo - St. Thomas High School
Ryan Gruen - Strake Jesuit, St. Thomas High School, and St. John XXIII Preparatory
JD Kollar - Strake Jesuit and St. Thomas High School
Caleb Sudkamp - St. Thomas High School
Connor Ulery - St. Pius High School

As you fill your summer with plans for fun, remember to keep your children’s minds active! Click here to read an article with great ideas and tips to avoid “summer brain!” This will help to keep our students actively learning so they maintain the academic knowledge they have gained this year. Also, be sure to read the section below about summer reading and math.

Have a blessed summer!

God Bless,

Principal

School Business

Last Day of School- All School Mass

This Thursday, May 30 , we will end the year celebrating mass as a school community at 9:30 a.m. Students are asked to wear full dress uniforms. Please join us as we worship together to celebrate a successful school year.

Early Dismissal and No Before and After School Program- May 30

There will be no after-school BASP on the last day of school, May 30. All students must be picked up by dismissal at 12:00/12:15/12:30 p.m. Thank you in advance.

8th Grade Graduation Attendance

As we approach 8th Grade Graduation, we realize that some families of non 8th graders may want to attend graduation. Since the ceremony is at StJPII and space is limited, attendance is limited to 8th grade families and their guests only. This is due to space and fire occupancy regulations, thank you for understanding.

Report Cards will be held for Outstanding Fees

Report cards will be in the Portal on May 31. If you have any outstanding fees (Tuition, Library, BASP, ECI, Clubs, Athletic Uniforms, etc.) not paid by May 30, then student report cards will not be released until your account is cleared. Please double-check your student's folders and your inbox for any notices. If you have any questions, please contact the Front Office.

Cafeteria Service Closed and Outstanding Balances

Cafeteria service through ECI is now closed. Students must bring a sack lunch tomorrow. Many families have balances that need to be paid. Payments can be brought to school or parents may pay online .

Clinic: End of Year Reminders from the Nurse

Medication may not be sent home with the students. If your student has medication in the clinic please stop by and pick it up. All left over medications will be discarded on Friday, May 31.
If your student receives any immunizations during the summer please send a record to the school office so that your child’s records can be updated. Students who need immunizations during the summer for school attendance in the fall will have a notice in their last report card.
Have a safe summer. Wear sun screen, seat belts and helmets and come back to us in one piece!

Yearbook Distribution

The 2018-2019 yearbooks are here! Middle School has received their yearbooks! The rest of the school will receive their yearbooks soon! A spring supplement will be delivered in August that includes all spring sports and activities such as graduation and FITS. These pages can be easily attached to the yearbook! If you have any questions, please email the yearbook sponsor, Shari Hiltbrand .

Altar Server Training for 2019-2020 School Year

If you would like to be an Altar Server for our All-School Masses, please come to the Altar Server Training on Monday, August 12 at 3:00 p.m. This training is for students in grades 5-8 who are active altar servers in their parish. (Training will end just before the Meet and Greet begins at 4:00 p.m.)

Chick Fil A Spirit Afternoon

Join us on Thursday, May 30 (following Early Day Dismissal 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 location (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 or StJPII so they can make a donation.

Used Uniform Collection

Thank you to all of you for the donations to the Used Uniform Sale! The Used Uniform Sale Committee now is in need of sweaters and cardigans and boys elementary and middle school shirts for Mass. If you have any of these items to donate please drop them off at the front office. The next used uniform sale at the Meet and Greet on August 12 .

SOAR Middle Invitations

Middle School Students invited to participate in SOAR for 2019-2020 school year, please return the acceptance form by Wednesday, May 29 to Mrs. Hiltbrand.

Summer Reading & Math

Summer Reading & Math

Summer reading and math activities can achieve the vital goal of maintaining student achievement in addition to preparing a child for the new academic year. The summer requirements for each grade level are posted on our website or click the button below.

Summer Reading & Math

Library Corner

Wherever your summer adventures take you and your family this summer, I encourage you to find the time to explore the adventures within a book! On our Library page, you will discover lots of information, including a list of websites and writing prompts that will keep kids reading, writing and journaling! If students are interested in finding additional books to read, then the public libraries and Blue Willow Bookshop are great additional resources. Blue Willow Books on Memorial Drive has our summer reading list too. These folks are a great resource and are full of suggestions about great books and games for all members of the family. I hope your summer is filled with fun and relaxation. Happy Reading – Ms. Lamb

Fun In the Sun - Thank you

FUN IN THE SUN – THANK YOU!

A HUGE thank you to all of the families who supported Fun in the Sun this year! It was a sweaty good time!

A special thank you to the volunteers who helped to put on this event: Kristen Matthews, Anne Davis, Gabi DelaRosa, Victoria Forkner, Heidi Galito, Margarita Pruneda Hernandez, Megan Holzman, Antonella Padula, and Noha Tuma .

Thank you to those who created or supplied new booths – The Forkner Family, Staci Garrity, Liezl Lambert, Amber and Bob Leech, Angie Mills, and Kim Osborne – Thank you for donating your time energy to improving Fun in the Sun!

Thank you to those families that continue to support FITS by sponsoring and organizing some of the student’s favorite booths – Courtney Forbes, Cyndi Keep, Suzanne Krejci, Kulanek Family, Erica O’Conner, Ginger Rome, Shannon Thorne, Tonya Watts, and Tammy Zarnowiki .

Thank you to the Dad’s Club for helping to set up and take down Fun in the Sun in record time!

Thank you to our sponsors Houston Orthodontic Specialists for sponsoring the t-shirts and Lone Star Breakfast and Grill for sponsoring the backpacks! They were fabulous!

Finally, thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who spent their Friday in the hot sun helping our kids have a great time!! We hope you can join us again next year!

As you can see, it takes a team to put on such a large event. If you are interested in helping next year, or have a great idea for a new booth or activity, please contact fits@jp2.org .

Reminder: If you have lent us your canopy or a cooler for Fun in the Sun, please remember to come and pick them up. Just come to the front office and they can point you to their location. Thank you for lending them, they kept everyone in the shade and the snow cones icy!

PTO

PTO President Message

I would like to personally thank everyone who gave of their time, treasure and talent this year for the PTO. What you did truly made a difference for our school and most importantly, our kids. Have a great Summer and I will see you in August- Andrea Dvorachek, PTO President.

Last Russo's Pizza Night

Russo’s last Spirit night for the school year is tomorrow! The participating location is Russo’s at 13346 Briar Forest Dr. Suite #100, Houston, TX 77077 (in the LA Fitness retail center). Enjoy a Wednesday family dinner while helping StJPII! Be sure to mention our school name when ordering.

Ambassador Family Updates

Reminders for all Ambassador Volunteers: If you have not been assigned a family, there may be new student enrollments during the Summer. Please continue to look for an email through August (before the Ice Cream Social and Meet and Greet)! Don’t forget to check in with your new family this Summer as we approach the new school year! Hopefully many of you are or were able to meet them before school starts. Contact ambassadors@jp2.org if you have not been able to reach your new family, if you need help answering questions from your new family, or anytime you would like to provide feedback about the program. Thank you for welcoming new students and their families into the StJPII community! We look forward to a great 2019-2020 school year!

End of the Year Staff Gifts

The end of the school year is fast approaching and it is the PTO’s tradition to remember our faculty and staff by giving each an end of year gift. The PTO is asking families who would like to contribute to this gift to please send a suggested amount of $10 per teacher in an envelope labeled “Faculty and Staff Gift”. This envelope can be turned into the front office. The PTO thanks you in advance for your generosity.

Middle School Athletics

Middle School Athletics ~

We close out the year with a lot of mental and physical growth as student athletes. Thank you again to all of our parents for their never ending support! Please make sure you get your physicals done over the summer so when you come back in August you are good to go for the next school year! Again my apologies that Methodist could not accommodate our Physical program this year.

Ade Youth Soccer Academy

StJPII Coach Ade is hosting his annual soccer summer camps! Summer Soccer Camp locations are throughout Houston. For more information and all the details, please see the attached flyer .

Elementary Athletics ~

Thank you again to all of our volunteer coaches from this past school year, we could not have done it without you! If you are interested in coaching next year please make sure your Safe Haven approval is in compliance.