Dear Saint families,

We are looking forward to welcoming all of our students back on campus on Monday, October 19th. I hope that you are able to view our “Welcome Back” video where we share the many accomplishments that we have made as a community of Saints as we continue to journey through this time.

After careful thought and reflection upon the first nine weeks of school, we have found that providing both on-campus and remote learning simultaneously significantly impacts the in-person learning experience for those who have chosen to return to campus. This approach also limits our ability to set the pace of learning, and more importantly, impacts the overall engagement and high-level of instruction delivered by St. John Paul II Catholic School. At this time, we feel that our students would be better served by a single mode of instruction with everyone learning together on campus.

This decision was difficult to make given our collective mindset to serve and care for the immediate needs of each of our students. Ultimately, given the anticipated duration of the pandemic and the resulting challenges in executing the on-campus program, we do not have the extended capacity to develop and sustain a remote learning program that closely approximates the in-person learning experience.

As we prepare to transition all students to on-campus learning, I want to draw your attention to several mitigation procedures still in place that will help to add layers of protection as we have our full Saint community back with us:

We are happy to share that our mitigation procedures in place have been working well and we have remained a healthy community.  I ask that you place hope and trust in our amazing school. As St. John Paul II so eloquently reminds us, “Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.”

We feel confident that we will be able to welcome our students back, so that we can continue to grow as a community of saints and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

Thank you for your prayers and continued support,

Monday, October 12 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.

Our fall parent/teacher conference day is quickly approaching on Friday, October 23rd. As we move forward in planning the schedule, we are now offering you a couple of options. All families will have the opportunity to sign up for approximately a 15 minute conference. If you feel your child has demonstrated growth over the 1st 9 weeks and there are no specific concerns, then we encourage you to opt-out to maximize teacher preparation for 2nd 9 week logistics.

Keep in mind, if at any time you have concerns please reach out to the teacher. Students demonstrating any behavioral and/or academic concern will be required to attend in order to best partner together to ensure a successful school year. However, if you have already virtually conferenced with teachers this semester, that meeting will fulfill this requirement.

Please select your preference on the Google Form below. All families who have selected to have a Zoom conference will be sent a Sign-Up Genius link on October 13th in order to schedule your individual meeting time. The Sign-Up Genius scheduling window will close on Friday, October 16 at 6:00 PM.

We are so grateful for all of our families who have already contributed to the Annual Fund! Directories and window clings will be going home in Tuesday folders beginning today! Give a gift by clicking the button below or make a pledge by emailing development@jp2.org.

Many companies in our area match your charitable donations dollar for dollar.  That means you can double the size of your contribution to StJPII! Follow the link below to see a list of companies that have given in the past and check with your HR department to see if they participate in matching gifts. Last year, StJPII received over $75,000 in matching gifts, so corporate funds truly have a tremendous impact on helping us meet our operational goals and sustain our mission.

Here's a little cheat sheet on the StJPII uniforms. Please right click and save the photos or download the pdf version below.

Due to COVID-19 used uniform sale will be limited. If you would like to buy or donate used uniforms, please contact Vicky Nehme at vickynehme@gmail.com.

After-School Activities

·     Robotics Online Schedule & Robotics Online Class Flyer (K-5th) - register online with American Robotics Academy

·     Challenge Club Registration Form (5th-8th Grade Girls) - contact Annette Higgins

·     Conquest (3rd-8th Grade Boys) - contact Miguel Cardenas

·     Cub Scouts Pack 598 (K-5th Grade Boys) - contact Dean Dominy

·     Girl Scout Daisies Troop #149168  (Kindergarten Girls) - contact Laura Richard or Lidia McMahan

·     Girl Scouts Daisy Troop (1st Grade Girls) - contact Jennifer Zagata or Liza Faerber  

·     If you are interested in Girl Scouts (any age/grade level) please contact the StJPII Girl Scout liaison, Tiffany Doucette, at tifslater@hotmail.com

Please join us this Friday for our weekly All School Mass at 8:30 a.m. by clicking the link below. Mass will be live-streamed from our All-Saints Chapel. In an effort to maintain the reverent nature of the Mass, please ensure you turn off your video and mute your devices to keep our focus on the altar.

Happy Fall Everyone! School is in full steam ahead mode. I am happy to introduce my Google Website page. This can be found on the Classlink Dashboard, click on library once you sign in. Then, click on library icon then click on the open book icon. You will see my page with books at the top and a picture of me in my famous red hat! What will you find on this page? I will have information on library related topics such as Author Birthdays, Book Awards, and my Study Skills Presentations that you can refer to as many times as you like. I put the newest items at the top for your convenience. You are welcome to scroll down to see other items from the past. I hope you find fun and useful items on this new Google Site.

Also please remember if you are a Distance Learner you will be able to participate in camps AFTER you return to school.

** Don't forget to turn in your physical prior to Middle School Sport Tryouts, you can download it here!

Please join us for the next virtual PTO meeting to be held on October 7 at 9:30 a.m.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 813 8173 0175

Passcode: 173475

The PTO would like to send a huge thank you to all the parents who contributed to the First Friday Lunch! The teachers had an amazing lunch catered by Russo's Pizza!

Christine Bailey-Navarro, Natika Blount, Alban Sabin, Melinda Del Rio, Mariana Burgoa, Lorrie Rudd, Lily Luu, Anne Davis, Jessica Matuszak, Suzanne Krejci, Tricia Rodgers, Cyndi Grunenberg, Victoria Pena, Kathy Forbes, Alban Sabin, Marguerite Ogden, Ervina Widjaja, Heidi Dietrich-Escobar, Theresa Adegbesan, Veronica Villareal, Tricia Nino, Cristina Negron, Irene Tufo, Rocio Morales, Rose Shelton, Marisol Decker, Maria Chapellin, Joanna Oleaga, Maria Alecia Bello, Monica Morales, Valentina Bracho Rondon, Alexandra Riveros, Carol Neslony, Carlota Zambrano, Maria Do, Gwen Montesino, Marcela Pigurina, Ana M. Esteva- Parra, Tiffani Le, Mary Solymosy, Amber Leech, Andrea Dvorachek, Analia Gugliotti, Benita Gonzales, Sindy Schwab, Sandra Vreedenburgh, Stephanie Dunn.

Please sign up by THURSDAY OCTOBER 8!

For more questions please contact us at ggmontesino@gmail.com (3rd grade) or alexandra.riveros@gmail.com (4th and 5th grade)  

Please turn in your Box Tops to your homeroom teacher by Friday, October 9. There will be a surprise for the House that contributes the most Box Tops!

Some friendly contest reminders:

Please make sure your bag or envelope is labeled with your child's name and House or Tuesday shirt color (to assure their House gets credit for the contest).

Please continue to use the "credit" option and type the name of your child's House when scanning your grocery receipts with the digital app. Since Box Tops has gone (mainly) digital the contest results are based on scanning grocery receipts and crediting your child's House.

Which House will win?

The PTO has a Birthday Club fundraiser that helps you celebrate your child's birthday. Click on the button below to order your birthday t-shirts, school kits, or name on the marquee. Birthday t-shirts can be worn on the actual birthday, except if it falls on Full Dress day. The Birthday Club is now ONLINE! Place your orders today by using the button below.

Did you know what we can raise money for our school through everyday shopping by our families? StJPII is once again participating with several vendors to raise money through shopping by our families. Participating companies include Smile Amazon, Kroger, Randall's, Josephine's Day Spa, Box Tops, Brick Pavers, Office Depot/Office Max, Shutterfly.

Go to jp2.org/give-by-shopping for details.

StJPII families are invited to participate in the upcoming Toys Fore Kids charity event on Friday, October 30 at The Clubs at Houston Oaks in Hockley. This annual golf tournament helps provide toys for kids receiving treatment at Texas Children's Hospital - West Campus during the holidays. The event includes a golf tournament and an intimate concert and dinner with entertainment by Chris Cagle, Country Music songwriter and singer, and Mike Reno, lead singer of Loverboy Band. In an effort to adhere to social distancing, the golf tournament registration is set for foursomes, and tickets to the charity dinner are sold as tables of 4 or 8. Thank you in advance for your support! For more information and to register, please visit: https://www.bodybalancefoundation.com/golf-fore-kids-registration/ or email toysforekidsgc@gmail.com.