Dear Saint Families,
Welcome back! It is such an exciting time to be back on campus! It was a beautiful start to our year coming together to celebrate the Holy Mass on this Feast of the Assumption. Thank you to those who joined us this morning. I am looking forward to visiting with all the students tomorrow about our theme for the year, “Eyes Up”! It is my hope and prayer that our saints share in this call to action of living out our motto to Be not afraid…and keep our Eyes ever upon our Lord!
A special welcome to our newest saint families! We are so glad you are here! Thank you to our many Ambassador Families for guiding and welcoming them to our community. Also, special thanks to PTO and many volunteers who worked Ice Cream Social and Meet & Greet. From the distribution of carpool tags, to showcasing the many ways our new and returning families may get involved - thank you so much for your time, we appreciate you! Don’t forget if you are new, you are welcome to a special New Parents Breakfast Round up this Friday in the library! This is a great opportunity to mingle and meet new parents.
This is our first official edition of Saints Weekly for the 23/24 school year. This is one of our main ways that we will communicate with you, so please make sure you take time to read this newsletter so you can stay informed. You may click on the blue buttons too, which will link you to important information. Please note below our dates for Parent night!
Happy reading...St. John Paul II, pray for us!
In Him,
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First All School Mass for the 2022-2023 School Year
We will not celebrate mass this Friday due to the Feast of Assumption Mass celebrated today. The next All School Mass will be next Friday, August 25. Students wear casual uniforms this Friday.
Wednesday Mass
Optional daily Mass will begin next week, August 23. All are welcome! Mass starts at 7:10 and ends at 7:40. It’s in the All Saints Chapel every Wednesday before school. What a beautiful way to start the day by worshiping the Lord!
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Parent Paperwork - Due TOMORROW
Be on the lookout for the first day of school paperwork which was sent home in today's Tuesday folders. All parent paperwork is due back to school to your homeroom teachers by tomorrow, Wednesday, August 16. Thank you in advance for your prompt attention.
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New Parent Breakfast Round Up
Let’s celebrate surviving the first week of school! The Ambassador Family Program invites all parents of NEW students to meet up for a mix and mingle over coffee and light breakfast bites in the library on Friday, August 18 from 8:45-9:45 a.m.
• Guests may enter the building after 8:30 a.m. to allow the carpool line plenty of time to finish.
• Please park along Parkway Plaza; the parking lot is for faculty and staff.
• Visitor Check-In will be in the foyer by the main entrance. Stop by the table to register with one of the volunteers, and then walk directly to the Library.
It will be a great opportunity to get to know other St. JPII parents, speak with PTO members, and get answers to any questions you may have!
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Parent Nights
Aug. 30 - PreK, Kindergarten, Middle School Parents
Aug. 31 - 1st-5th Grade Parents
Parents are invited to attend and learn more about StJPII. You will have the opportunity to hear about your child(ren)'s academic year, campus updates, and highlights from the parent survey. These events begin at 6:00 p.m., and are for parents only, so please make plans for your children to stay at home.
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From the Nurse's Office
If you have medication for the school nurse, then put it in a Ziploc bag labeled with your child's name and give it to the faculty/staff working morning arrival. The zip lock bag needs a medication permission form signed by the parent and physician. If at any time your family has a question or concern, please contact School Nurse Jeanne Aertker at jaertker@jp2.org or (281) 496-1500.
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Picture Day is Coming Soon
Wednesday, August 23 will be Individual Picture Day. All students will take individual pictures for the yearbook and they must wear their FULL DRESS UNIFORM. After picture day, an email will be sent from Freeman Photography to your primary email address with access to the online gallery. You will then be able to view your child(ren’s) picture and purchase picture packages.
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Carpool Procedures
Please familiarize yourself with our Arrival and Dismissal Procedures, which have been established for your safety. You may read our Parent Student Handbook for a complete overview of carpool line procedures, including rainy-day carpool. Here are a few reminders about our process:
- Starting tomorrow, parents are not allowed to walk their students into school. You must use the carpool line or walkers.
- Students in PreK-1st Grades should be sent to school with a name-tag listing their full name, homeroom teacher, Family ID# and how they are going home (carpool, Brimhurst, Manderly, BASP) for the first week of school.
- All PreK and Kindergarten students waiting for older siblings will be kept in Mrs. Morales's Kindergarten classroom. Please instruct older siblings to retrieve them and escort them to their dismissal location.
- Write your Family ID# on the outside of your student's backpack.
- Parents should utilize carpool line and walkers. Do not park along the soccer field on Parkway Plaza and walk with your children to the school doors.
- Remain in your vehicle at all times. Students may only get out of the car when in front of the school; they may not be dropped off on Parkway Plaza. Do not park on the street and walk your children to the door.
Fire Lane
Please do not park along the red curbs in the parking lot. This is a fire lane and needs to remain clear at all times. Thank you in advance for using the visitor parking spaces when dropping off/picking up your children for the BASP program, early dismissals and late arrivals.
Reserved Parking Lot Spaces
Please respect the parking spaces designated for a particular individual or staff member as indicated. Visitors are welcome to park in the designated "Visitor" spaces in the parking lot or along Parkway Plaza next to the school during non-carpool hours, the rest of the parking lot is for staff only. In appreciation for their volunteer efforts, we have reserved a space for our PTO President, Gala co-Chairs, and Clergy visiting the school. These individuals, as well as our business assistant and administration, attend meetings or have business away from the office throughout the school day and many times when they return someone has parked in their space, so please do not park in these spaces even for a brief moment.
#1 Spot in Carpool
We have some generous families who have purchased the #1 spots in the 3:00 and 3:20 carpool lines. These passes allow their cars to bypass the line and get in and out of the parking lot quickly. Thank you for making way for their vehicles! You too will have a chance to win this coveted privilege during the "Haute in Havana" gala this Spring, so stay tuned!
Visitors to Campus
To ensure the safety of our students, all visitors and parents are asked to enter through the front doors of the main building and check in at the office where you will be asked to provide a driver’s license or valid ID. The license or ID will be scanned by our Raptor system, and once cleared by the system, the individual will be issued a visitor or volunteer badge. Parents will only be asked to do this the first time they visit StJPII each school year if they have gone through the Volunteer Approval Process.
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Student Services - BASP & Cafeteria |
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Before And After School Program
BASP is back in full swing! Students in PreK- 2nd grade start the morning in St. Jude Hall. Students in 3rd-8th grade should be dropped off at the BAC (gym).
For our students' safety, all parents picking up in the afternoon should check-in at the front office. Your student(s) will then be called down to meet you. For more information about Before and After School Care, please contact Melissa Wilhite.
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ECI Cafeteria Service
Our school cafeteria is run by ECI Management Group and provides lunch meals daily for registered students. Students use cash or personalized debit cards that are managed online through www.diningpay.com. (For those who used the debit card system during the past school year, the account balance will carry forward.) For more information, please contact ECI@ecimanagementgroup.com or 713-722-7773.
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Tricia Nino
Nicole Roca
Thomas Payne
Aida Patino
Angelica Fahy
Nicole Lambert
Payton Donoghue
Sarah Takagi
Jenn Bickley
Erica O’Connor
Victoria Forkner
Henry Langer
Khristine Salvatierra
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Danielle Nunez
Leticia Shirley
Analia Gugliotti
Patricia Wolfe Dare
Kelly Willbanks
Ofelia Hernandez
Sandra Vreedenburgh
Joyce Holicek
Amber Leech
Christine Bartolo
Laura Richard
Ana Palmai
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Get Involved
Our PTO welcomes all families back to school! There are many ways to get involved - opportunities that are big and small - there is something for everyone.
Please click the buttons below to review the 2023-2024 Parent Opportunities Handout, or send an email if you are interested in serving as a Room Parent.
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Volunteer Approval Process
We love our volunteers! If you wish to volunteer during the upcoming school year, you must be volunteer approved. Click below for a checklist for how to become volunteer approved. First time volunteers, please note that processing the paperwork will take four to six weeks to complete, so don’t delay!
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Join the Birthday Club
The Birthday Club is officially open and taking orders for the 2023-2024 school year. Let the celebration begin with us! Make your orders now for August birthdays or any other month! (T-shirt, Squeezies, Marquee) Thanks for supporting the PTO.
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Book Club
3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are invited to join Book Club! Does your child love to read? Join Book Club! Book Club will meet 4x a year during lunch on a Friday. Books will be chosen by each group with guidance from StJPII and the parent volunteers.
We also need parent volunteers to guide Book Club discussions! Interested in guiding the discussion? Sign up now! Each group in Book Club needs at least 2 parent volunteers.
*Must be volunteer approved through the school to participate.
If you have questions or want more information, please contact Patricia Wolfe Dare at patricia.wolfe.dare@gmail.com
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Spirit Store
Check out the new items at the Spirit Store. Orders will be sent home with your youngest Saint through their homeroom.
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Welcome back to all of you! We are so excited to have everyone back on campus and we are even more excited to start Fall Sports! Regarding Middle School sports, please make sure you have your sports physical submitted to either Nurse Aertker or to Coach Hewitt, prior to tryouts. Your physical will last for the entire school year. Take a look at the athletic calendar for all info regarding tryouts as well as the start of Cross Country!
Elementary Soccer registration closes on 8/25 so please go to Acceptiva and register your child! Remember to register each child individually. Also, there is a lot of information on the website so please take time to look it over.
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Click on the various links to see club flyers, contact information, and online registration.
· Cub Scouts (K-5th Grade Boys) – contact John Tejml
· Chess Club (K-5th Grade) – register online with Think Chess
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St. John Paul II Catholic School |
1400 Parkway Plaza, Houston, TX 77077
281-496-1500 • 281-496-2943 (fax)
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St. John Paul II Catholic School prepares all students spiritually
and academically to succeed in life and to do God's will.
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