Our beloved patron, St. John Paul II, states, “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!” This is a time for us to live with great joy and hope in our Lord’s resurrection. I personally hope that you may live in this joy and share Christ’s love with one another as we continue to celebrate this Easter season.

This month, we will be learning about the virtue of justice. Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Let us love thy neighbor as ourselves, sharing Christ’s love unconditionally and rightfully to all.

Principal

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 via Zoom. 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.

Mass will remain virtual, with one important addition. This week Eucharistic ministers will visit grades 3 - 8 so students may receive the sacrament of Holy Communion with their homerooms. 

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The list of major dates for the 2021-2022 academic year is included below and has also been posted to our website. This list includes the first day of school, school holidays, early release dates, etc. Please mark your calendars!

To date, 66% of our families have given to the Annual Fund. We need everyone’s participation in order to reach our goal! To date, we have raised $488,000 of our $550,000 goal. See the chart below of the current donations by grade – where do you land? If you haven’t yet given to the Annual Fund, please give today and help us reach our goal!

Did you miss Dr. Crystal Collier's presentation last week? Check out the replay by clicking the button below. Questions about this event, please contact Betty Costantini, Middle School Counselor at bcostantini@jp2.org.

The tuition raffle is going on now! Here’s your chance to win FREE StJPII TUITION for your oldest child for the 2021-2022 school year! All raffle proceeds benefit St. John Paul II Catholic School. It’s simple to participate…just fill out the tickets that were enclosed in last week's Tuesday folder (March 30) and send them back to the school office. Additional tickets may be downloaded by clicking the button below. All tickets are due before April 13th at 3:30 p.m. The winning ticket will be drawn on April 16, 2021.

Your tuition invoices for school year 2021-22 were sent home in your youngest student's folder. Please remember that Tuition is due on Friday, April 30, 2021. If you need a tuition invoice, please contact the Business Office.

Children 3 years old through 8th grade are invited to the StJPII Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), June 7-25 from 9:30-2:30, where we emphasize hands-on exploration in a fun, stimulating, and supportive environment. The program features small class sizes and is taught by highly-qualified teachers. (Before and aftercare is available too.)

The early registration deadline is April 9, after which date the registration fee increases. Sibling discounts are also available. For more information and to register, click the button below or contact SEP Director Kim McCurry.

We are looking forward to planning our Mother & Son event scheduled for May 1. If you would like to volunteer on Mother/Son, committee send an email to Communications@jp2.org.

Our family event, Movie on the Plaza, will be happening soon! Buy your tickets NOW for this fun event, which will be on the athletic field on April 9th. Tickets are only $15 per family, and will be limited to 100 families, so don't delay! We will have a giant screen playing LIVE ACTION ALADDIN for all to enjoy! Families will be spaced out on the field to ensure social distancing and everyone must wear a mask. We encourage you to bring a blanket, lawn chairs, and have a great time with our community! We will have a food truck in the parking lot too! The PTO will also sell concessions, Spirit Store items, and Fun in the Sun t-shirts. We can't wait to enjoy a night together under the stars! Please contact communications@jp2.org if you have any questions.

Please join the PTO after Easter for the April virtual PTO meeting to be held Wednesday, April 7, 2021 9:30 AM Central Time.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85056294276?pwd=NVhZUGM2N0s4QnNhUUF0OWZURFVxZz09

Calling all volunteers! StJPII has an Ambassador Program to welcome new families. Ambassadors are current parents who volunteer to welcome an incoming family and be a friendly face and source of information. We try to match families who have children that are the same gender, in the same grade(s) and may live close to one another. Per Covid guidelines this will be a virtual volunteer opportunity. Please consider volunteering for this important role. We appreciate our Saints Families! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at ambassadors@jp2.org. Thank you, Ambassador Family Committee

The Horizon is Clear, Fun In The Sun is the Best Day of the school year!

Show your support of FITS by wearing your 2021 FITS t-shirt on spirit shirt school days.

T-Shirts will be on sale at the St.JPII Movie Night this Friday, 4/9/21 for an early bird price of $10. CASH or CHECK will be the only form of payment at the movie night!

If you are unable to attend movie night, t-shirts will go on sale the following week through our website for $15.

We are now at the end and beginning of 3 of our spring sports teams, what a crazy schedule this has been for our athletes and parents! Baseball and softball have both secured the #4 seed and BOTH will play today against St Vincent de Paul. If they win they will go on to play in the GHCAA Championship at the end of this week so be sure to look at the Athletic calendar! Soccer has started off their spring season with wins across the board for both the JV & Varsity teams! Boys lacrosse will face Kinkaid next week in their home opener, and our Lady Saints will travel to Emery Weiner on 4/12 for their season opening game. Track & Field will hopefully have their 2nd Meet on 4/10, fingers crossed for them! All I can say is to please keep the prayers coming for a "regular" sports season starting in the fall - we sure need it!

We had off due to the Easter holiday weekend!

StJPII families, please save the date and help St. John Vianney in their Drive-By Food Drive by donating items to SJV on Saturday, April 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Pathways to Independent Learning is the third in a series of enrichment courses for middle school students sponsored by St. Thomas High School. The first two are Step Up Study Skills and Preparation for the High School Entrance Exams. 

In this course, students are given tools and strategies to take charge of the learning process. They will be able to take full responsibility for choosing effective approaches to long-term learning. Students need the skills and strategies of independent learning in order to excel in any learning environment or situation. Research has proven that facility and practice of executive functioning skills and critical thinking is a greater predictor of student success than IQ. Students who develop the skills of independent learning are better able to adapt and succeed when they encounter obstacles.

The program consists of three major instructional units:

I.          Developing Self-Advocacy

II.         Developing Communication Skills

III.        Developing Critical Thinking Skills

This course will be offered in two separate sessions. Each session consists of three successive Saturday classes. Session 2 repeats the content offered in Session 1. The classes are conducted on a safe and secure virtual platform. All materials are supplied.

For more information and student registration, click on the link below.