December 4, 2018

Dear Saint Families, Happy Advent! Last Friday at our school Mass, Fr. Matthew reminded us that we were fast approaching the Advent Season. One in which we are waiting and preparing our hearts for the birth of Jesus. We have now entered into the first week of Advent and I am hoping you are all beginning to prepare your hearts for Jesus! Last year as you may recall, I participated in a Dynamic Catholic Best Advent Ever daily reflection and have decided to begin again this year. Yesterday’s reflection in particular is a great way to start Advent. This reflection focused on the difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing them… The challenge was posed that many times we find ourselves knowing about Jesus, but do we really know Him? The guiding question is: “How do you know Jesus?” or…."How will you get to know Him this Advent?”   Try not to fill all of your time focused on the hustle and bustle of the season and remember to take time to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Jesus is the Reason for the Season!  Remember that here at St. John Paul II Catholic School, we have many opportunities to grow in knowing, loving and serving Him so we look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming Christmas celebrations.   This Friday is First Friday, a great way to begin to prepare your heart for His coming and to know Him more deeply through participating in Mass with us, hope to see you there! Remember, this Saturday is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and a Holy Day of Obligation. In Him,

Principal

Holiday on the Parkway/Snacks with Santa

Snacks with Santa- Whoville coming to the GSC Mark your calendars for our “Snacks with Santa” event to be held Saturday, December 8 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in the Gutierrez Student Center. Don’t be a Grinch, come and join the fun! The GSC will be transformed into Whoville with Grinch themed snacks. Santa photos, face painting, crafts and snacks will be available. Purchase your tickets for Snacks with Santa by clicking on the button below. Volunteers are needed for crafts and check-in. Please email Mariam Janda for more information. Please see the attached flyer and visit the News and Events section on the website!

Snacks with Santa Tickets

Holiday on the Parkway 2018- Important Information This year the St. John Paul II Catholic School PTO will sponsor a craft fair for parents and outside vendors on Friday, December 7 (10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) and Saturday, December 8 (9:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.) . Last year we had over 30 booths filling the Bramanti Athletic Center! The students, faculty and parents are able to shop for holiday presents for family and friends on Friday. All 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 booth, please complete the below form and send to the school as soon as possible, together with the booth reservation fee. The form can be hand delivered or mailed to St. John Paul II Catholic School, 1400 Parkway Plaza Drive, Houston, TX 77077, Attention: Olga Saenz (Holiday on the Parkway). Space is limited and it will be handled on a first come, first serve basis. Please email or call Olga Saenz or 713-213-6930 with any questions.

Holiday on the Parkway Reservation Form

Holiday on the Parkway Volunteers Sign Up

Holiday on the Parkway, Food Vendor: 10% of all items purchased goes back to StJPII

"Snacks with Santa" Sponsor, Food and Refreshments

School Business

StJPII Honors President George H. W. Bush On Wednesday, December 5, our Daily Mass will be dedicated to President George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States. As with any Wednesday 7:10 a.m. Daily Mass, all are welcome to attend the optional before school Mass in the All Saints Chapel. This Wednesday has also been declared a National Day of Mourning honoring former President George H. W. Bush. During Mass, we will pray for the repose of his soul and for God's grace on his family and our nation as we commemorate his passing.

President Bush was known for wearing his festive and colorful socks. As a way to pay tribute to him, students may wear colorful socks with their spirit shirt and uniform bottoms.

Adoration Adoration is tomorrow, December 5. Come to the chapel between 7:40 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for Exposition of the Holy Eucharist. Parents should sign in at the front desk and get a code for the chapel.

Annual Fund Update Thank you once more for your genero us donations so far! To date, we’ve raised 45% of our $550,00 goal! If you have not already made a gift, please visit www.jp2.org/give to give today. Remember that each family who gives before December 31, will receive a free pocket student directory!

ECI Catering Many families have balances that need to be paid. Payments can be brought to school or parents may pay online.

Middle School: 'Tis the season for testing! Please mark your calendar for the upcoming Middle School Mid-term Schedule: Tuesday, December 11 6th Grade Social Studies 7th Grade Literature 8th Grade Algebra 8th Grade Literature Wednesday, December 12 7th Grade Science 8th Grade IPC 8th Grade Language Thursday, December 13 6th Grade Earth Science 7th Grade Theology 8th Grade Theology 8th Grade History

Giving Back through Service

The moral and character formation of students is a priority at StJPII. Thus, service to others and to the community is an essential part of the curriculum through the seven Corporal Works of Mercy. Each grade level participates in service projects during the year, as well as school-wide service projects. Through our service projects, students are given the opportunity to share with others the gifts they have received.

PreK/Kindergarten Service Project PreK and Kindergarten worked together to complete a project to Feed the Hungry. Both grade levels brought supplies to provide lunches for homeless Houstonians. PreK made over 150 bologna and cheese sandwiches, Kindergarten decorated lunch bags, and filled them with chips, drinks, cookies, etc. The lunches were donated to St. Cyril of Alexandria Parish Ministry to the Homeless. This committee goes out weekly to hand deliver food to those on the street. Thank you PreK and Kindergarten for your generosity!  - Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the Hungry

3rd Grade Service Project This week the 3rd Grade have been bringing in treats for the St. Mary's Seminarians. The seminarians have their finals next week and will be spending the weekend studying. Third grade has been praying for them and made them cards to let them know they are in our prayers. Students have stuffed boxes with cereal bars, boxes chips, cookies AND EVEN CANDY! Below are the names of the StJPII Seminarians by grade level: 3rd grade seminarian - Chris Wuenscher 4th grade seminarian - Chris Meyer 5th grade seminarian - Jacob Ramirez 6th grade seminarian - Deacon Justin Cromie   - Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the Hungry

Upcycling with a Community Service The seventh-grade SOAR group of Hannah Dominy, Annabeth Dronet, and Victori a Tucker would like the StJPII community’s help with their project. The girls are hoping to create upcycled clothing from donated items, with a service twist. If you are planning to do some closet cleaning over the next few weeks, please consider donating gently used clothing to this project. Any clothing not used by the girls in their project will be donated to a charity, such as Star of Hope, the Gabriel Project, or Salvation Army.   Donation collections will run through this Thursday, December 6 and can be dropped off in bins by the office or in room 423, the Journalism/SOAR room. Please consider donating to this creative and worthwhile project. Clothing accepted would be gently used children's, women's, or men’s shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, etc. Questions? Contact Mrs. Shari Hiltbrand.  - Corporal Works of Mercy: Clothe the Naked

Learn more about Our Faith, the House System and Service at StJPII here!

Learn more about StJPII's Service Projects here!

Upcoming Events

Used Uniform Sale Did you know the Used Uniform Sale is a fundraiser for the 8th grade class? Stop by the used uniform sale on December 7 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. in St. Jude Hall.

St. Katharine Drexel Society- Ladies Retreat StJPII's new woman's group will be having their first retreat in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Please join us Wednesday, December 12 in St. Jude Hall from 8:30-10:30 a.m. We will have Fr. Eamonn Shelly lead us in a morning of prayer, reflection and worship, on this very special Feast day. RSVP to Edith Hernadez.

Dads Club-Men's Retreat StJPII's Father’s Ministry 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 a member of the Dads club. Our ministry includes retreats, Mass, and other events that enrich and encourage your faith and witness as a man of God, all in the model of St. Joseph. Our next retreat of the year will be at on tonight, December 4 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in St. Jude Hall. All StJPII dads are invited to attend. Please RSVP to Assistant Principal Dr. Mike Weinman.

PTO Corner

PTO Meeting- This Wednesday, December 5 PTO You are invited to our last PTO meeting of the year tomorrow, Wednesday, December 5 in St. Jude Hall at 8:15 a.m. Our guest speaker will be Mrs. Bogard who will tell us more about our 3rd National Blue Ribbon Award. We will be discussing final plans for our holiday events, "Holiday on the Parkway", "Snacks with Santa" and talk about our class parties. We hope to see you there!

Give by Shopping- Just in time for Christmas! Did you know? StJPII will receive percentages of your holiday shopping when you “Give by Shopping” at these participating vendors: Kroger, Amazon Smile, Shutterfly, Office Depot and Josephine’s Day Spa and Salon. These can be found on our homepage, or click on the Give by Shopping button below. As you make those Christmas lists and check them twice, check our webpage for opportunities to give by shopping and contribute to our Saints community. Thank you!

Give by Shopping

Faculty and Staff- Christmas Gift Giving It is that time of year for faculty and staff gift giving! We want to provide several suggestions to our StJPII families when gifting our staff. Monetary gifts may be turned into the front office in an envelope labeled “Faculty and Staff Christmas Gifts".  A suggested amount of $10 per teacher is a great contribution for the gift cards purchased with these collective funds. For families wishing to give an actual gift, we have a book in the front office that describes teacher “favorites” to inspire those wishing to shop. The book may be viewed during normal office hours. Thank you for remembering our faculty and staff this Christmas.

Spirit Store Hoodies are Available Now! Colder weather is upon us and the Spirit Store has hoodies in stock for immediate availability! Adult sizes are $35.00 and Children’s sizes are $30.00. Shop the Spirit Store by using the button below. Remember these hoodies can only be worn on Wednesday for Spirit Days.

StJPII Spirit Store

Thank you

Thank you! Thank you to the following people who provided snacks for the November 28th Faculty & Staff Meeting: Antonella Padula, Marcela Pigurina, Anne Davis, Gail Anderson, Lizette Jezbera, Joanna Vasquez, Valentina Bracho Rodon, Analia Gugliotti, Gwen Montesino, Danille LaLonde, Donna Peters, Sandra Vreedenburgh, Jazmin Quintero, Andrea Dvorachek, Victoria Forkner, Thien Nguyen, Martha Rupay, Sara Nunez, Machi Valcarcel, Ana María Parra-Esteva, Rocio Morales, Stina Mosvold, Amber Leech. We greatly appreciate your time and efforts!

Thank you Russo's Pizzeria Thank you Russo’s pizzeria for sponsoring the pizza parties for the winning classrooms of the Box Top Fall Contest.

Athletics

Elementary School WHCSA ~ Our basketball teams and coaches are all formed and we are ready to start playing some basketball! Please be on the lookout for an email from your child's coach for practice days and times. First game of the season is January 12. Parents, please join the StJPII WHCSA album to share and save your favorite photos of the season.

Submit WHCSA Photos Here!

Middle School This past weekend our JV and Varsity Lady Saints Basketball teams attended a tournament at the Kinkaid School. JV girls had some tough games, but was able to get a win in their last tournament game. Our Lady Saints Varsity made it to the bronze championship game but after battling every possession, the girls came up a few points short in the final game. In District play, our C Team and Varsity teams lost to St. Cecilia, but our JV team had a huge win against the Indians! Then all three teams played the Valiants from St. Francis de Sales and played tremendous basketball taking wins in all 3 games!  Our boys had two tough games against St. Thomas More ending in losses, but bounced back the next day against St. Francis de Sales! We are very proud of the hard work, dedication, and determination from all of our teams!  Please be sure to check the Athletic calendar to come out and support our teams!

Training for Fitness Excellence is a class offered by Coach Laverne Jones-Ferrette OLY, a four time Olympian and 6th fastest of all time in the 60m dash! Starting on December 1. The class is geared to help condition your body. So if you have a student who is interested in Spring sports it is time to start getting ready through this fitness class. All boys/girls 5-8th grade are welcome to enroll. Additionally, if you are a parent, know an alum, or have a friend who is interested in fitness and exercising, then this is the class for you. For more information click on the button below.

Training for Fitness Excellence Information

Love and Logic

Sometimes, teachers delay consequences, conversations, and outcomes so that they can respond to their students with more wisdom and compassion.   Sometimes, parents let kids know that their “energy has been drained” and they will have to do something about their kids’ misbehavior later.   Sometimes, adults exercise self-control and remember to respond with patience and kindness instead of anger and wrath.   And sadly, onlookers sometimes interpret these skills and actions as weakness. These onlookers conclude that the Love and Logic adults are “just being too nice.”   So, what do we do when people think we’re being too nice/weak?   • Remember our goal is to raise wonderful human beings – not impress the “judges” who may be holding up 2s, 3s, and 3.5s at our “performance.” • Remember kids learn best when their brains are feeling safe and calm. Anything we do to be scary to kids is creating the opposite of a good learning situation for that young brain. • Remember self-control is a strength and the failure to control our emotions can be a dangerous weakness – one that can cause us to harm others and say and do things we don’t mean.   When criticisms fly, some adults use “one-liners” similar to those we teach to kids for occasions when their peers make obnoxious observations:    “Thanks for noticing.”  “I always appreciate hearing different viewpoints.”  “Appreciate the feedback.”   Or, some adults decide to say nothing at all to the critics and just focus on doing their best to raise thoughtful, kind, responsible young people.   There are a lot worse things than kids learning to be really nice by watching us.

Community Events

Christmas Concert at Strake Jesuit StJPII families are invited to the Strake Jesuit Band and Orchestra Christmas Concert. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Christmas Concert at Strake Jesuit

St. Pius X Holiday Events St. Pius X has several camps over the holiday season for students of all ages. If you are interested in basketball or baseball, please click on one of the flyers below.

SPX Baseball Christmas

SPX Holiday Basketball

St. John XXIII Middle School Basketball Night- Save the Date St. John XXIII invites StJPII middle school students to "Middle School Basketball Night" on Friday, January 4, 2019 for Boys Basketball vs. AWTY. The Junior Varsity game starts at 4:30 p.m. and Varsity at 6:00 p.m.

Marian Family Pilgrimage with Fr. Eamonn Shelly StJPII families, you are invited to join other families on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City for June 3-7, 2019. Space is limited so see attached brochure for details.

StJPII...Did you know?

Did you know.... that Holiday on the Parkway, StJPII's Christmas market has been a tradition at StJPII for at least 18 years and that it was held directly following the Run with Saints 5K. Mrs. Rieder and Mrs. Aertker, along with a few others, worked on the first Holiday on the Parkway and we can credit them for naming our event.

Calendar

To view events related to StJPII, please click on the school calendars below.

StJPII School Calendar StJPII Athletics Calendar

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St. John Paul II Catholic School 1400 Parkway Plaza, Houston, TX 77077 281-496-1500 • 281-496-2943 (fax) www.jp2.org   ‌ ‌ ‌

St. John Paul II Catholic School prepares all students spiritually and academically to succeed in life and to do God's will.