December 2020
Children learned about St. Nicholas who dedicated his entire life to serving others.
In honor of his feast day, celebrated on December 6th, children received a little treat in their shoes.
Students learned about the celebration of Jesus' birth and the significance of each person in the manger scene. The beautiful nativity set on display in the main lobby of the schoool was lovingly donated by the parishioners of St. Cecilia in 2014.
PreK-4 children perepared their hearts for Jesus with mangers. Strips of hay were earned for every good deed or act of kindness.
5th graders created dioramas of the Nativity in preparation for Christmas. On the wall are prime factorization "trees" that students made to reinforce their Math unit on prime factorization.
This year Santa and his elf greeted children outside as they made their way home by car or bus. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Coxson for spreading Christmas cheer to our school community.
Making gingerbread houses is always a sweet and fun activity in Kindergarten!
With much anticipation, Jimmy the Elf arrived on campus by hot air balloon. Mrs. Doyle and her helpers transformed the Multi-Purpose room into a festive Christmas village for Jimmy and the children to explore. Thank you Mrs. Doyle for the unending joy you bring to our children!
Students in third through eighth grade went to Confession at St. Peter Church to prepare for the arrival of Jesus Christ.
'Twas the night before Christmas Poetry written by seventh graders.
School Awarded Two Grants
PJP II has been awarded a $12,500.00 grant from the Connelly Foundation to support the school's Connected Through Faith project. This project will create a Blended Learning Community, connecting virtual students and their families with the school and surrounding communities. Sharing our faith traditions, community service projects and community outreach during this time of isolation, PJP II will use this grant to create a Media Center where students will broadcast events happening in the school and community. Students will learn filming, editing, interviewing, screenwriting and broadcasting techniques while the school and surrounding community will benefit from shared traditions, prayers and outreach. The Grant will be used to purchase portable green screens, lights, tripods and cameras for filming, editing software and hardware as well as recording and streaming platforms. PJP II students and teachers are very grateful to the Connelly Foundation for the opportunity to have this learning experience.  

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Education has awarded PJP II a Safe Schools grant totaling $20,9370.00, This grant will be used to enhance the safety of PJP II's exterior and campus. The money will be used to purchase additional exterior cameras with greater resolution and adaptability for surveilling the total perimeter of the school. These new cameras will be equipped with Artificial Intelligence which will send alerts to the school when there is unauthorized motion or activity detected. This will help to mitigate any exterior threat which is especially important during the pandemic since students are spending more time outside and classroom doors and windows are open to allow for proper circulation to prevent the spread of virus within the school. We are very grateful for this grant and to the Gilbertson Group for working with us to help secure and implement this initiative.
Fundraiser Updates
Our heartfelt gratitude to our school families, friends, alumni, board members and all of the businesses who donated towards and sponsored our Special Events this Fall. During a year with so many challenges, we have been blessed by your generosity and encouragement in helping us provide our students with a quality and affordable Catholic education. We have raised $85,614 which is more than half way to our Fundraising goal of $150,000. If you would like to support our school with a gift, please click here: https://givebutter.com/PJPIIFund. No gift amount is too small. Thank you for your support! The 2020 CARES Act allows all taxpayers to take a charitable deduction of up to $300, even if they don't itemize. This benefit expires on December 31st of this year. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.
Enrollment Opens December 23rd
New familes enrolling in PreK-3 to grade 8 can apply for the 2021-22 school year beginning December 23rd. For admission information, click here. Parents interested in Little Saints Academy for infants and toddlers age 6 weeks to 36 months can apply on a rolling admission basis. For more information regarding our child care program, click here.

In-person tours are available for new families. Proper safety protocols will be adhered to and masks are required for all family members. To schedule your personal tour, please click here.
November Highlights
PreK Students Recognize Veterans
World Kindness Day
In honor of World Kindness Day, celebrated each year on November 13th, Girl Scout Troop 478 showed their appreciation for teachers and staff with breakfast goodies. Girl Scout Troop 4515 showed their gratitude for teachers before they left for Thanksgiving holiday with a gift of girl scout cookies. Thank you for your kindness, Troops 478 and 4515!
Thanksgiving & Inscription Prayer Service
During a special Thanksgiving and Inscription Prayer Service at St.Peter Church, 2nd and 8th grade students preparing for the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation were formally recognized and prayed for. The entire student body was able to join in prayer and watch the live stream of the ceremony from their classrooms.
Kindergarten Begins Robotics Unit
Kinder students started their Robotics Unit in STREAM class. They learned that robots can only follow the directions that the programmer gives to them. The programmers used a pre-written barcode program to give instructions to the robots. One clap turned the robot, two claps made it go forward. More robotics adventures coming soon!
Artifacts and Family Heritage
Learning about artifacts in Social Studies, fourth graders had the opportunity to share items that have a special meaning to their families and have been passed down from generation to generation.
Celebration of Saints
In their Religion unit on Saints and in honor of All Saints Day celebrated on November 1st, second graders researched a Saint and presented the information to their classmates.

Alumni Spotlight
Alumna Receives Silver Award
Congratulations to Vivien Foley, Class of 2020, who completed her Girl Scout Silver Award project. Vivien made “Peace Packages” containing a bible verse, an uplifting message, a stress toy, coloring page, journal, pencil and some cute pictures to help children that struggle with stress or anxiety especially at school. Extra supplies were provided to Mrs. Pernisi, school guidance counselor, so she could assemble more packages for future students. We are so proud of Vivien’s accomplishment!
POPE JOHN PAUL II REGIONAL CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL