March 7, 2023

Dear Saints,

Happy March! I am certain that our students are excited about Spring Break next week. May you all have a wonderful and restful holiday!

This month we are studying and learning more about the cardinal virtue of temperance, which means finding a balance and making good use of the things our bodies and souls need. Temperance is especially appropriate during Lent when we are called to a conversion of heart through sacrifice, moderation, and self-control. Lent is personally my favorite season within the church in part because it is a reminder that true transformation can only take place when we center our lives around God. I pray that during this season of Lent, that you may practice temperance by giving alms, praying, and fasting, all in a balanced way, to prepare your heart for the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. 

Very soon we will send acceptance letters to our new saints families, and our 8th graders will be deciding where they will attend high school. We are blessed by new beginnings and I will be praying for ALL of you over spring break. May we return ready to finish the fourth quarter with enthusiasm! 

Principal

All School Mass

We will have All School Mass on Friday, March 10. Students should wear their full-dress uniforms. There will be an optional daily Mass before school on Wednesday, March 8 in the Chapel at 7:10 a.m.

Faith and Ale

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Watsons Pub

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

All Dads are welcome.

*Click on the button below for more Faith Focus information. You can find the monthly virtue, Saints of the month, and service projects.

Arrival and Dismissal Reminders

Morning and afternoon dismissal are busy and important times during our school day. In an effort to get children in and out of this building safely, we need to all work together. The procedures that we have are in place to make the carpool line run safely and smoothly. 

Afternoon Carpool Reminders:

• Display your family number properly at all times. It should be hanging from your rearview mirror and not laying flat on the dashboard. 
• If you have forgotten your carpool tag (occasionally it happens!) do not attempt sign language with the person who is entering the numbers. Drive slowly and kindly roll down your window and SPEAK UP loudly so the person on the sidewalk can actually hear you.
• Extend grace to the people entering the numbers - not only can rain/wind be a challenge, but sunny skies cause glare making numbers difficult to read. Thank you for not honking.

Walkers Safety

Please remember parents should not park along the soccer field on Parkway Plaza and drop their kids off to walk to the building. We do not have anyone on duty crossing students across the driveway and this is very dangerous as cars are coming in and out of the driveway. Please utilize the carpool drop-off or walkers where we have crossing guards. Children should only cross Brimhurst at the crosswalk to get to the other side of street (they should not walk across the middle of the median).

Picture Day is Coming

Thursday, March 23 will be Casual Picture Day. All students will take casual pictures and can wear free dress in accordance with our dress code guidelines in the Parent/Student Handbook. Please click the link below to read our free dress day guidelines and policies.

Menu Change

There will be a change to the lunch menu the week after Spring Break. On Wednesday, March 8, there will be a chicken sandwich instead of beef lasagna. On Thursday, March 9, there will be hamburgers instead of chicken sandwiches. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Outstanding ECI Balance

We continue to have a large number of students who have large overdraft balances in the cafeteria. Please make sure your student has adequate funds in their ECI lunch account. Check your student's ECI balance and add money when needed. You can send a check with your student or click on the button below. When sending a check, please make the check out to ECI. Thank you!

Principal Proclamation Day - March 9

We are looking forward to celebrating Principal Proclamation Day on Thursday, March 9. Earlier this school year, Principal Bogard stepped aside and allowed fifth grader Lex. D. to lead the school as Principal for the Day. This was a prize from our last Gala and Lex's schedule was full of important meetings, classroom visits, and he got to make a series of Principal Proclamations too. Read below for a list of grade-specific rewards that the children will get to enjoy. Please plan accordingly for your students next week!

• PreK/ Kindergarten - Pajama Day and Stuffed animal
• 1st Grade - Stuff animal/small handheld toy (teacher discretion) extra recess
• 2nd Grade school-appropriate toy/board game and free dress
• 3rd Grade - Bring cards (example: sports cards, pokemon, or playing cards) extra recess
• 4th Grade - Movie & extra recess
• 5th Grade - Free Dress & extra recess
• 6th Grade - Free Dress & extra recess
• 7th Grade - PreK type activities including naptime, snack, and extra recess
• 8th Grade - Movie Day with PJ - school appropriate
• Faculty & Staff - Duty Free lunch, chick-fil-a & one week no formal lesson plans

Lost and Found

We have an overwhelming amount of jackets, clothes, lunch boxes, and water bottles in lost and found! If your child is missing anything, please remind them to look in St. Jude Hall in the lost and found boxes. All clothes will be donated on Friday, March 10!

The boys' and girls' locker rooms were also recently cleaned out and unclaimed items have been added to the Lost and Found bins. If you are missing something that was lost, please check right away! 

From the Business Office - Update

Invoices for the school year 2023-24 were sent out on January 31st from Intuit E-Commerce Service. Please check your email and spam folders.

Please note:

• You can start sending payments towards the 2023-24 tuition
• $100 a week late fee will be applied for TUITION received after 3:00 p.m. on April 28, 2023.
• Tuition Loans and Tuition Assistance applications are available under the Admissions tab on our website. 
• The due date for Tuition Loans is April 7, 2023.
• The due date for Tuition Assistance was February 6, 2023 to be considered in the first round. Applications will still be considered.

Bidding with Bernie

StJPII’s Online Auction closes TONIGHT at 9 p.m.! Make your final bids now!

Crawfish Boil

Tickets for Saints at Sunset Crawfish Boil are on sale now! Prices go up after Friday! Click the button below to purchase your tickets!

Faculty Meeting Snacks THANK YOU

A HUGE THANK YOU to all our parents who signed up to donate to the Faculty Meeting Food and Drink for the February 2023 Faculty Meeting. Our teachers and staff deserve ALL of this

and so much more, THANKS to your generosity it was made POSSIBLE.

Alexandra Riveros, Amber Leech, Analia Gugliotti, Beverley Huck, Danille Lalonde, Donna Peters, Gail Anderson, Gwen Montesino, Julia Hillier, Kathy Forbes, Leticia Shirley, Mary Solymosy, Rocio Morales, Rose Shelton, Sandra Vreedenburgh, Sarah Moore, Thien Nguyen, Tricia Nino and Victoria Forkner.

If you would like to sign up for upcoming Faculty Meetings, please contact Aida

Patino aidilla84@gmail.com and Valentina Lares valentinalares@yahoo.com. This is an easy

way to show appreciation to teachers and staff, and a simple way for working parents to get

involved. There are nearly 80 StJPII faculty and staff members who thank you!

First Friday Lunch THANK YOU

We would like to give special thanks to the following parents for their donations to the First Friday Lunch for the teachers and staff on March 3:

Sandra   Vreedenburgh, Marielisa Gutierrez, Tricia Nino, Victoria   Forkner, Kathy Forbes, Ruth Herold, Megan Sarvarian, Aza Powers, Sarah Moore, Kike Oyediran, Rose Nguyen Shelton, Gwen Montesino, Tiffani Le, Mindy Bazan, Sabrina Sichert, Leticia Shirley, Rocio Morales, Valentina Bracho-Rodon, Jessica Matuszak, Colleen LaPaglia, Danille LaLonde, Theresa Adegbesan, Gail Anderson, Margarita Hernandez, Maylis Hopewell Curie, Nikki Dias, Maria Chapellin, Megan Sarvarian, Amy Flanders, Ainhoa Saiz, Temi Atoki, Chonky Dad, Thien Nguyen, Chiara Beltrami, Patricia Rangel, Adaobi Elekwachi, Kathy Kuria, Laura Richard, Lauren Baker, Sandy Russell, Sara Gomez, Claudia Vanegas, Stephanie Ramos, Joyce Holicek, Patricia  Wolfe Dare, Viviane Lozano, Ofelia Hernandez, Mandy Wong, Jackie Tharao, Christie Chang, Luciana  Molinari, Veronica Villareal, Jenn Bickley

Thank you! 

Ambassador Family Program

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 of the same gender, in the same grade(s), and may live close to one another. 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

Fun in the Sun 

Mark your calendars and let the countdown begin for one of the most fun days of the school year!! Fun in the Sun (FITS) is a day of fun games, inflatables, field events, and raffles for all of our students. The kids spend the entire school day outside playing games with their friends and parents have the opportunity to join in the fun by volunteering.

Fun in the Sun festivities will take over the campus on Friday, May 19, PreK – 1st grade will have their carnival and inflatables in the back of the school near the big playground. Lower elementary and middle school (2nd-7th) activities will be in the front of the school, pavilion and fields. The 8th grade class helps out during the day with the games and the youngest students, but they will also participate in the FUN. The day will begin with Mass and then the Fun begins! After all our outdoor fun there are special band and chorale concerts, lucky basket drawings. As always, we are working hard to make it a wonderful and memorable time for everyone!! This year we are having an early bird sale on t-shirts and FITS fun. Please click the button below to complete your purchase. You will receive your t-shirts at crawfish boil (3/31/23). Students can wear FITS shirts on Wednesdays.

Brick Paver Sale – Coach Gifts

CALLING ALL BASKETBALL PARENTS

It’s a great time of year to HONOR your team’s coaches with the gift of an engraved brick paver! The personalized brick pavers will be placed in pathways around the St. JPII campus.

Funds from the sale support our garden. When purchased, your coaches will receive a certificate that they have been honored by the team with a brick paver, and then will receive a photograph when the paver is installed.

Reduced Pricing for Coach Gifts:

4”x8”- 2 lines* $50 per brick (reg. $75)

8”x8”- 5 lines* $100 per brick (reg. $150)

*16 character maximum per line of engraving

The Birthday Club

Birthday Club packages are selling fast, some t-shirts sizes are sold out, don’t forget to order yours soon! 



Remember that orders are honored on a first come, first served basis and must be received at least 2 weeks before the birthday to guarantee prompt delivery.

Family STREAM Challenge: Trail Ride Entertainment

Yeehaw…It’s Rodeo time! Looking for something fun and creative to do as a family to kick off Rodeo season in Houston? Try this month’s StJPII Family STREAM Challenge! 

One of the big events of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the Trail Riders coming to Houston for the HLSR Parade to kick off the Rodeo season.  Create a non-electronic toy, musical instrument, game, or other device that could entertain children who might be on a trail ride using items that could be easily available in their supplies or natural items that might be found in the camp areas.

How do you participate in the STREAM Challenge? Click on the button below to go to this month’s challenge. Complete the Trail Ride Entertainment challenge and share what you’ve done on social media using the hashtag #StJP2STREAM  Or send your picture or video to communications@jp2.org for us to share on StJPII social media. 

Questions? Email Dr. Hiltbrand at sehiltbrand@jp2.org  

Summer Enrichment Program

Start making plans now for the summer. Sign up today for StJPII's Summer Enrichment Program. Students going into PreK-4 through 8th Grade are welcome. Click the button below for more information.

Elementary Athletics

We closed out an incredible season of basketball this past Saturday and what a great season of fun! Thank you to our volunteer coaches. I always say this but without each one of you dedicating your time, we would not be able to offer the sports to our little SAINTS! And what makes this more incredible is that most of you are back for Spring sports! Parents, by now you should have heard from your coach and they will fill you in on the requirements for the upcoming season.

Middle School Athletics

So far our Track and Field team has been working really hard in preparation for their Meet on March 25th! Softball & Baseball had great wins this past week and look to continue earning their W's as they enter the midway point of their season. Boys & Girls Lacrosse has a few games to look forward to after Spring Break. All their hard work and focus on learning this sport will hopefully give each team a win!

ALL ATHLETES: Please check the lost and found in St. Jude Hall. The lock rooms have been cleaned out and anything left behind has been played there.

Share Your Spring Sports Photos

We love to see your photos of our saints in action! If you get a great shot at any spring sports function, practice or game, please share with StJPII! Your photo(s) may be featured on social media or in The Spirit yearbook. Please upload them directly using the button below. All grade-level sports pictures are needed and appreciated.

2023 Houston Catholic Women's Conference

The next Houston Catholic Women's Conference is Saturday, March 25. Don't miss this great opportunity to hear inspirational Catholic speakers, attend Mass, and enjoy fellowship with other women from the Houston area. Lunch is included. Registration is now open! Click the button below to register.

Math+: Advanced Mathematics Learning Opportunity Gain an edge – with skills that matter

This is Reynold D’Souza, a Mathematics Instructor at Strake Jesuit. I have joined RedwoodPrep to teach an Advanced Mathematics class, Math+, this Spring for boys and girls in 6th to 8th grade. This Spring’s course focuses on Infinity.

I strongly believe in Math+ and would encourage your family to participate. Each Math+ course explores 1 major idea included in Stanford University’s introductory math sequence. This is world-class content tailored to younger students. I continue to be impressed by how students get excited and passionate about math during

Math+. We want students to be excited about math – and Math+ does a great job doing just that.

This season’s course will be taught at Strake Jesuit on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 pm starting on Monday, March 20th for six weeks. The program will cost $250. Families can sign-up at www.RedwoodPrep.com.

This Spring, the Math+ program will be focused on the concept of Infinity. Infinity can be defined as “something without any limit”. The concept has applications across disciplines but is particularly critical in mathematics where the concept has been at the center of the field since 1655 when John Wallis, a leading mathematician, defined its mathematical symbol.

Most interested students can succeed in Math+. I find that students with a gift for

math or a real desire to participate can succeed and learn a lot. Students interested in

advanced math classes, high performance on standardized exams or general math

ability will particularly benefit.

Strake Jesuit Debate Camp

Strake Jesuit Debate will hold its 16th Annual No Limits Debate Camp June 19 -30 at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (9:00 AM to 1:00 PM June 30). They are offering training in Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum Debate. Click the button below for more information.

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