October 15, 2019
StJPII Homecoming Game Tonight
Homecoming: StJPII vs. Western Academy
Today is the day!!! Come out and show your school pride and cheer our Saints Football team to victory today, October 15 at 4:30 p.m.

Here are a few important reminders to get you game-ready:
  • Tailgating will start at 4:00 p.m. with opening prayer at 4:10 p.m.
  • Kick off is at 4:30 p.m. vs. Western Academy - arrive early to reserve your spot
  • Satellite parking will be available at Bush Elementary (do not park at Kindercare)
  • Bring your tailgate gear and money (for concessions, Special Homecoming Rate for RWTS registrations ($20 only in person only), the PTO Spirit Store, Mingos Latin Kitchen taco truck, and Kona Ice snow cones)
Did you know RWTS is the longest standing tradition at StJPII?! In honor of Homecoming, we are offering a special RWTS price of $20 for signing up at Homecoming or online today only. #GoSaints
School Business
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Fall Parent/Student Teacher Conferences will take place on  Friday, October 25. These meetings are an opportunity for you to learn more about your student's progress and potential areas of growth. All parents are required to attend the Fall conference with their child present; conferences will be held throughout the day in 15 minute intervals. Email links have been sent out this morning. Don't forget to sign up.
Annual Fund Update: Almost 1/2 way to our goal
We’re currently at 45% of our goal with 79 of our families participating! We are truly blessed to have such generous families who believe in our mission. Remember, we need to reach our $550,000 goal by December 31 to receive Holy Thursday off! We have 11 more weeks to do this and we feel confident we can get there if everyone makes a gift! Make your pledge or give today at www.jp2.org/give
Astros Shirts: Wednesday
Students are welcome to wear ASTROS shirts or spirit shirt with uniform bottoms tomorrow, Wednesday, October 16. So let's show our Houston pride. Go Astros! 
Love and Logic Class Rescheduled to Tomorrow, October 16
Parents of our newest and youngest Saints are asked to attend the upcoming Love and Logic Workshop presented by former Assistant Principal Dan Courtney (who is currently serving as Principal at Christ the Redeemer Catholic School). One or both parents are encouraged to attend the session on tomorrow, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. in St. Jude Hall. "Be not afraid..." to attend this course, where you will learn about how StJPII develops accountability in our students. You will walk away with a better understanding about how StJPII partners with our parents; and take home some practical tips that will help you stay calm and avoid un-winnable power struggles with our children. Even if you have attended in the past, you are welcome to join us for a refresher.
Vocations Day
Friday, October 18 is Vocations Day.  We will have All-School Mass at 8:30 a.m.
5th Grade Camp Allen Trip Meeting
Please remember to attend the Parent Camp Allen Meeting on  Wednesday , October 23 at 8:15 a.m.   in the Library.
FULL DRESS UNIFORMS this THURSDAY:
Retake Picture Day/Group Pictures
Thursday, October 17  is Full Dress Group Picture Day and Individual Retake Picture Day. If you would like a retake of your child's individual picture, return the picture packet (with the picture showing in the window), to your homeroom teacher.    If you didn’t order during Individual Picture Day and would like to order an individual picture, you can order from the “proofs” package. Group picture order forms went home last week and should be returned as soon as possible.
Living Rosary on St. John Paul II's Feast Day (Tuesday, October 22)
Our third graders will lead the Living Rosary at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 22 which is the feast of our patron, St. John Paul II.  Please join us as we pray the Luminous Mysteries. Students should wear their Tuesday House shirts for this special StJPII tradition.  

Additionally, as we celebrate our patron, all families will be receiving a Feast Day card in the mail. However, if you would like to send a StJPII Feast Day card to family and friends, please stop by the front office to pick up a few cards. Thank you for sharing the Good News about StJPII!
Congratulations
National Junior Honor Society Officers
Congratulations to the newly elected StJPII's National Junior Honor Society officers:
President- Samantha Muro
Vice President- Adrian Doan
Secretary/Treasurer- Emily Unger
Run with the Saints (RWTS ) Fall Festival
The 21st Annual Run with the Saints (RWTS) 5K/KidsK honoring Lauren Lockard is now the "RWTS Fall Festival" which will incorporate the annual 5K/KidsK, Trunk or Treat as the official race day party, and the PTO's pumpkin patch all on one day. The proceeds from this event will directly benefit the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation and St. John Paul II Catholic School. The festivities will take place on Saturday morning, October 26. Please remember that families and friends are invited to celebrate with us!

Here is the schedule for the RWTS Fall Festival:
8:00 a.m.- Annual Lauren Lockard, Run with the Saints 5K
9:00 a.m.- KidsK (Remember KidsK participants can run in costume)
9:30 a.m.- Trunk or Treat (Costumes are encouraged/Race Day After Party Begins
11:30 a.m. Festival Wrap Up
***8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. PTO Pumpkin Patch, Spirit Store, Food Trucks and Bounce Houses***

Thank you to for participating in RWTS House Competition! All participants shoes by Houses are hanging down the main hallway. So far all Houses have earned the right to wear free socks and shoes on a day that will be announced at a later time for meeting the 20% goal!

Which House will win the grand prize of a free dress day?! Only your participation in RWTS will decide. Whether its running in the 5K/KidsK or purchasing a t-shirt, the house with the most participation will win! Check out the progress so far:

Matthew - 54/137 = 39%
John - 71/186 = 38%
Luke - 61/208 = 29%
Mark - 45/160 = 28%
We need your trunks! Help make Trunk or Treat a huge success by volunteering to host a trunk! Remember, there are not treats without trunks. Please sign up below. If you have any questions, please email Sandy Russell.
Upcoming Events
Fall Open House
StJPII school families, please share the Good News and invite families interested in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade to our Fall Campus Tours and Open House for prospective families on  Tuesday, October 29 from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. (campus tours) or 6:00-7:00 p.m. (open house). Visit the Fall Open House on the StJPII website to RSVP. For questions, call the front office at 281-496-1500. 
Save the Date! 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.
 
Formal invitations will be mailed out next week. All invitations are mailed to the grandparents address listed on the back to school forms. We will have a few extra on hand that can be picked up at the front desk at the end of month. 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! Our students are great about sharing their special guests with classmates whose grandparents cannot attend. Stay tuned to Saints Weekly for more details as the event approaches. Please contact the Communications and Events Officer, Kaela Lewis with any questions you may have.
Parent Corner
PTO
Pumpkin Patch is now at Run with the Saints Fall Festival
The Pumpkin Patch is back again! We will be open in the morning of October 26, 2019.  Please volunteer to help us sell pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch in the morning of the 21st Annual Run with the Saints from 5:45 a.m. - NOON. It will be located at the school next to the flagpole or under the Pavilion, depending on weather conditions. The Pumpkin Patch is a wonderful StJPII tradition! Don't forget to bring your camera to capture the fun. Thank you in advance for your help! 
Box Tops for Education
The fall contest is officially over...PTO will know our Box Tops House contest winner soon!

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. The Box Top program helps StJPII raise money to purchase items from the school's wish list. Happy Clipping and Scanning!!!

Ongoing promotion- Walmart Double Box Tops
Earn an additional Box Top on every Box Tops participating product at Walmart. Purchase by October 31, 2019.
Brick Pavers
Support your school garden, purchase a brick paver for your favorite coach. Order your paver by October 31 to be installed this December.
SAVE THE DATE - Thursday, October 24 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The DARR Skate party will be held on Thursday, October 24 from 4:00-6:30 p.m. at the Dairy Ashford Roller Rink. It’s a Halloween Costume Party. We will give away gift bags for top 3 costumes and we will have sweet treats and raffle. Please come out and have some fun!!
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.
Mardi Gras Masquerade Gala
Big Board and Live Auction
Do you or someone you know have airline miles, hotel points or a vacation home that can be donated to support StJPII? We are in need of a few more items to put our already totally awesome Big Board & Live Auction items over the top! Don’t worry about the details - they are easy to transfer. Please text or call Mindi Hugman 504-722-3411 or email at mindi.hugman@gmail.com for more information.

  • UNITED AIRLINES Sponsor a ticket 50,000 miles
  • HOTEL POINTS Sponsor 1 night stay
  • VISA OR MASTER CARD Sponsor a gift card $50.00-$75.00
  • GALVESTON BEACH HOME Sponsor 1-2 night stay  
  • SPORTING EVENT TICKETS Sponsor 2-4 tickets to a College or Professional game
  • LIMO TRANSPORTATION Sponsor a 4 hour time slot for 6 people  
Athletics
Elementary School
soccer_goal.jpg
Elementary Athletics had a great day last Saturday! The weather was beautiful and the games were even better! Parents please remember that when you come to our field for soccer that the equipment in the sheds on the west side of the field, as well as the Lacrosse goals located next to the sheds, are not for use by the coaches or the children! Thank you for your help on this matter!

Elementary Basketball registration opens up on Acceptiva on October 22nd!

Parents please help Journalism by submitting your photos to the WHCSA group today! Click on the button below!

Middle School
The XC Team competed in the St. John’s Maverick Ramble in Tomball this past Saturday. It was a tough course with fierce competition. All of our Saints ran well and we had two medalists – Avery Cisneros (5th grade) and Averi Garrity (7th grade). The Championship meet is this Thursday at
Houston Baptist University and will kick off at 3:30 p.m.
Football had a tough time in their game against Grace last week. Despite the loss to the Gators our Saints look to end their District play with a win today against Western Academy. The outcome of the game today will dictate when and who they will play this Saturday at the GCFL Day of Champions games, please refer to the school athletic calendar for more info!
soccer_goal.jpg
Soccer had a great week with both teams defeating both CCCS and St. Thomas More! They end district games this week as well and it looks like they will be the #1 seed going in to the GHCAA playoffs! 
Our Lady Saints Volleyball teams participated in the St. Pius Volleyball tournament last weekend and our Varsity Navy team tied for 3rd while JV took 2nd place! They continued their week with some very tough games throughout the week! They defeated SFDS and Magnolia, then traveled to Pearland to play St. Helen's where they had great competition, C team had a loss, JV had a TERRIFIC win, and Varsity had a tough narrow loss! Despite the scores our Lady Saints played with respect and great support for their teammates and we are so very proud of them! 
Our Cheer squad came out to perform at both our Soccer and Football games. They did a beautiful job cheering and supporting our teams!

*****Basketball tryouts for Middle School will be held on Monday, October 28 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for the girls and from 5:45-7:00 p.m. for the boys, and then Wednesday, October 30 from 2:45 4:45 p.m. for the girls and 5:00-6:30 p.m. for the boys. Please remember it is a "closed door" tryout and also that you must have a physical on file to tryout! Please remember to check the athletic calendar for all of our playoff information as well as Basketball tryouts!
Off Season Conditioning with Coach Porth
For: 5th thru 8th Grade --Male Athletes 

Purpose: To train young men to be better athletes and put in the work to be successful.

When: Starts Week of October 28.
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:45 – 4:45 pm

Duration
  • October 28 until Christmas Break
  • January 7 until Baseball Tryouts (around Feb 1st)
  • End of Baseball Season till May


Uniform
  • White T-Shirt (School)
  • Navy Shorts
  • Court Shoes
  • Cleats
  • Water Bottle
  • Warm-up Suit for cold times
  • Watch Cap and gloves
Uniform will be purchased through Coach Hewitt, thus team uniformity, cohesion, etc....

Cost - $5 per day, $15 a week, $60 a month – All funds are going towards football budget – (It’s a two for one). You son gets training and there are more funds for football

Format
  • Develop entire athlete.
  • Warm up
  • Circuit calisthenics – Push ups, pull ups etc.
  • Agility drill
  • Power drills/plyometrics or throws or heavy carry
  • Running – Sprints or Endurance or shuttle drill
  • 5-minute skill teach
  • Sometimes a quick “fun” game that also training (heart rate up).
  • Prayer.

Extra details: We will use the REMIND smartphone app for training announcements or cancellations due to weather or illness.

If you are interested in the Off Season Conditioning, please email Coach Porth at Rporth@jp2.org .
Community Events
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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.