Dear Saint family,
It is October, and I can hardly believe it! We've had such a wonderful start to the year! I am so happy to share that Homecoming was an awesome first community event. Thank you for participating and cheering on our SAINTS!
The end of the first quarter is approaching, and some of you may have questions as we report COVID cases. Please know that we continue to monitor our saint community everyday. We look at our classes, grade levels, overall student population, and the unique circumstances that each case presents. Recently, the cases reported were from exposures within family homes and siblings became positive. This is not a situation of community spread, so it is important for us to look at each and every situation when determining if any of our protocols should be changed. When we announce a case, rest assured that if your child was in close contact, then we will notify you personally before we email a Health Update to our community. Thank you for your continued support, communication, and working with us by keeping your students home if they are sick. Please reach out to our fabulous Nurse Aertker should you be concerned about your family's health.
The month of October brings so many great things here at StJPII and we are looking forward to sharing them with you: Living Rosary, Vocations Day, Parent/Teacher Conferences, Trunk or Treat, and more! Thank you in advance for getting involved in our community and experiencing the JOY of being a part of our saint community.
As some of you know, I enjoy participating in daily prayer and reflection. I was overjoyed with today’s reflection in my Jesus Calling and I would like to share it with you….
“Remember that JOY is not dependent on your circumstances. Some of the world’s most miserable people are those whose circumstances seem the most enviable. People who reach the top of the ladder career-wise are often surprised to find emptiness awaiting them. True Joy is a by-product of living in My Presence. Therefore you can experience it in palaces, prisons….anywhere. Do not judge a day as devoid of Joy just because it contains difficulties. Instead, concentrate on staying in communication with Me. Many of the problems that clamor for your attention will resolve themselves. Other matters you must deal with, but I will help you with them. If you make problem solving secondary to the goal of living close to Me, you can find JOY even in your most difficult days.” Chronicles
In Him,
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Principal
P.S. Here are some reminders about our arrival/dismissal procedures. Unfortunately, we continue to receive feedback from our neighbors about StJPII vehicles. Please do your best to abide by the following traffic practices, even on rainy days:
- Do not block driveways or intersections, even for a few moments.
- Do not park at Kindercare nor Temple Sinai, even for a few moments.
- On rainy days, when our carpool line reaches the Greek Orthodox Church, line up on Tracewood Park (behind the church) instead of extending the carpool line across Eldridge.
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7th Grade Service Project Update
Thanks to your generosity, the 7th grade class collected just over $1,800 for CRS for Christian’s in Afghanistan. Thank you for your support!
Current Service Project (Kindergarten)
The October Service project is organized by the kindergarten class, and of course anyone can donate if you would like. The donations will coincide with Respect Life month. Please donate baby items for us to give to The Pregnancy Help Center. There will be bins in the hallway to collect the items. Once again, thank you for helping those in need. The Pregnancy Help Center is in need of:
- Clothing (sizes 9 months-3T)
- Pajamas with feet, new black or white tights (sizes 6 months-3T)
- Baby towels
- Bottles, pacifiers, teethers
- Crib sheets
- Baby shampoo
- Baby lotion
- Diaper cream
- Diaper Genie refills
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Dad's Club Men's Retreat - Tonight
StJPII's Father’s Ministry is designed to strengthen the fathers of our students in faith and love, to help them bring the Catholic faith home to their families, and support the mission of the school. As a father of a child(ren) at the school, you are a member of this Ministry. Our ministry includes retreats, Mass, and other events that enrich and encourage your faith and witness as a man of God, all in the model of St. Joseph. Our first retreat of the year will be tonight, Tuesday, October 5 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in St. Jude Hall. We will discuss service projects and ways to get involved. All StJPII dads are invited to attend. Please RSVP to Assistant Principal Mr. Ryan Schwab.
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Texas A&M Week - Going on Now
It's "Ultimate Fan Duel" week! Thanks to the Bazan Family who earned naming rights in last year's online auction, this week we all get to be part of the "Fightin' Texas Aggie" community. We will fly the Texas A&M flag all week and play the Aggie War Hymn over the PA system each morning. Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 6, students may wear their Aggie t-shirts (or a StJPII spirit shirt) with their regular uniform bottoms. Want to fly your alma mater's school colors next year? Be on the lookout for this package in the upcoming Speakeasy Soiree Gala this February. GIG 'EM!
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Upcoming In-Service and Conference Days
Please note that the October calendar includes two Mondays that are out of the norm:
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Monday, October 11 is a student holiday for a teacher in-service day.
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Monday, October 25 is Parent/Teacher conference day. This is not a regular school day; students will report to school during the parent/teacher meeting time. Conference sign ups will be sent to parents on Wednesday, October 13th. Elementary sign ups will close at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 20th. Middle school conference sign ups will close on 18th to leave time to coordinate schedules. The Teachers will be sending out their respective links.
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Optional Casual Uniforms
Due to the manufacturers supply shortages, the gray and burgundy polo’s from our Meet & Greet order as well as the recent Fall order have been backordered. At this time, we have not received an exact date of delivery. We will keep you updated as we receive updates. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
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Fifth Grade Camp Allen Meeting for Parents
There will be a parent meeting for fifth grade parents on Tuesday, October 12 at 8:15 a.m. in the Library. Please plan on attending to learn more about the November 15-17 trip to Camp Allen. Teachers will speak about the agenda, what to pack, expectations, etc. Update: Paperwork will be sent home in the Tuesday Folder after the Parent Meeting on October 12th.
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StJPII Admissions for 2022-2023
We will have an Open House for prospective families on Tuesday morning, October 19. Our StJPII community grows stronger every year thanks to your referrals! "Word of mouth" is our very best advertising, so please share the good news and invite your friends who might be interested in StJPII to RSVP for the Open House on our website. (Current family re-enrollment for next year takes place after Christmas break.) If you know of a family who might like to learn more about StJPII, you may also contact admissions@jp2.org.
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Trunk or Treat
Trunk or Treat is coming back! Join the StJPII community for our annual Trunk-or-Treat festivities in the StJPII parking lot on Friday evening, October 29 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.! Kids and parents are encouraged to dress in costume for safe trick-or-treating, games, and photos. Your participation is key to help make this event a success...without trunks, there are no treats! Feel free to join forces with another family to double your fun! If you are interested in reserving a spot in the parking lot to decorate your vehicle, click the Sign Up Genius link below.
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Grandparents Day
We are looking forward to celebrating Grandparents & Special Friends Day the Friday before Thanksgiving, the morning of November 19. Invitations will be mailed SOON!
StJPII will mail invitations to Grandparents and Special friends who are in our database, as indicated on the paperwork that was sent home and returned the first week of school. No action is necessary if you confirmed the addresses on the first day paperwork.
However, if you know that an address has changed, OR to add an address to the guest list, click the button below to fill out the address form. Submissions are due by this Friday, October 8 to ensure that the invitations mail on time. If you have any questions, please email communications@jp2.org.
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Hello from the Library! Fall is in the air, so it is time for a few updates. As books arrive late and overdue we have been forgiving those fines. As of OCTOBER 4, 2021, we will begin again with library fines for overdue books. Ten cents per day per book is our fine amount. Students will not be allowed to renew or checkout books unless all items are returned and fines are paid. Thank you so much for helping your child learn responsibility by paying for fines, perhaps out of the piggy bank. The small sting of giving up some of their money for this will help to reinforce that books need to be returned on time.
To encourage these good behaviors, having a routine for school books such as" read and back into the bag" is a suggestion. Another choice might be to have a regular spot at home such as the coffee table or a saved space on a bookcase to put all books so they do not mix with family books. Your appreciation of the rules shows your child that you value books and following school policies. You are the first teachers, and we appreciate you! Coming Soon - the Scholastic Book Fair in the Library will be the week of October 26 - 29! More details to follow!
Thank you for your support! Happy Reading! Ms. Lamb
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Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) |
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October PTO Meeting
Please join us for our next PTO meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday October 6th @ 8:30 AM in St. Jude Hall. All are welcome! Please contact Nicole Lambert at pto@jp2.org if you have any questions.
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Thank You - Faculty Meeting Food and Drink
A HUGE THANK YOU to all our parents who signed up to donate to the Faculty Meeting Food and Drink on September 28th. Our teachers and staff deserve ALL of this and more, THANKS to your generosity it was made POSSIBLE.
Carolina Frangie, Chiar Salvetti, Danielle LaLonde, Diane Gonzales, Donna Peters, Gail Anderson, Gwen Montesino, Heidi Galito, Ida Centeno, Julia Hillier, Kate Yuan, Kathy Forbes, Khristine Salvatierra, Lauren Baker, Maria Tarbay, Nicole Lambert, Olga Saenz, Reyna Fullerton, Rocio Morales, Rose Shelton, Sandra Vreedenburgh, Sandy Russell, Sofia Spessato, Stephanie Kukutschka, Thien Nguyen, Tiffany Doucette, Tricia Nino, Valentina Bracho-Rodon, Vanessa Briceno-Hinestroza and Victoria Forkner. If you would like to sign up for upcoming Faculty Meetings, please contact Aida Patino and Valentina Lares.
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Thank You - First Friday Lunch
Many thanks to all our parents who signed up to donate to the First Friday Lunch on October 1. Your overwhelming generosity made it POSSIBLE.
THANKS!!!! Chiara Beltrami, Sabrina Sichert-Khreiche, Kathy Forbes, Rose Nguyen Shelton, Tricia Nino, Maria Alecia Klemprer-Bello, Thomas Payne, Suzy Nguyen, Sandra Vreedenburgh, Emily Miller, Victoria Forkner, Melinda Del Rio, Mariana Burgoa, Lizette Maya, Priscilla Ojeah, Marielisa Gutierrez Peraza, Lorrie Rudd, Sindy Schwab, Misty Monckton, Analia Gugliotti, Hana Byun, Tiffani Le, Nkem Okoli, Ashley Larimore, Sherry Dharamsingh, Christine Bailey-Navarro, Lauren Baker, Gwen Montesino, Emma Welsch, Tiffany Doucette, Amber Leech, Veronica Villareal, Holly Michael, Paulina De La Cruz, Marisol Decker, Bea Moreno, Isabella Sanchez, Sandra Mouton, Beverley Huck, Angelica Fahy, Ida Centeno, Diane Gonzales, Rocio Morales, Ruth Herold.
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Volunteer in the Garden
The PTO is currently looking for a team of parents to help maintain the school's community garden. We need parents to help with Fall planting and removing weeds. This is a great way to volunteer if you only have a few hours to spare. Please contact Nicole Lambert at PTO@jp2.org if you are interested.
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GHCAA Middle School Athletics
Homecoming was such a great event and so much fun! It was just wonderful to see everyone come out to support our Football team and to enjoy the festivities! Our parent community, our teachers and faculty members, our Coaches, and of course all of our wonderful Saints! Thank you to Director of Development Mrs. Jessi Cook, and our Facilities Manager, Mr. Goodman, as well as our Administrators for their never ending support and hard work!
We opened up the week with our Lady Saints Volleyball teams playing against St. Laurence and it was a battle of the Saints! We played tough, but came up short. Soccer got rained out in their games, so we look forward to a rescheduled date for them. XC kicked off their week, and despite the rain, our Saints kept runnin'! They participated in the FPR Hay Bale Meet and did incredibly well, with over 20 teams competing there was fierce competition in all races. Our athletes did very well and most of them ran personal bests. We are so proud of their efforts. Our next meet is this coming Saturday and we wish them good speed!
Please remember to check the Athletic Calendar for updates and changes! Basketball tryouts will be in the next few weeks, so check the calendar for GIRLS 6th-8th grade Basketball Clinics on Oct 16th and Oct 23rd! Boys Clinics with Coach Rodney will be listed by next week. Also, see below for Coach Amorosa's camps at Strake Jesuit!
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Middle School Basketball 3v3 League
Strake Jesuit Head Basketball Coach, Dominic Amorosa, will host a 3v3 mini league for StJPII 7th & 8th grade boys to be held at Jesuit on the dates below. It is free, just make sure you sign up by clicking the button below.
- Oct. 10, 1-2:30 PM
- Oct. 17, 1-2:30 PM
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WHCSA Elementary Athletics
Elementary Soccer got rained out in their 2nd weekend of play....but it looks like this weekend should be a go for all of the teams. They will hopefully be able to make up their rainout games from this past weekend as the WHCSA league will try to put the games at the end of their schedule. As for uniform shirts, we are still waiting, but the shirts ARE IN TRANSIT so hopefully by Friday! Also, our new goals have arrived so we will hopefully have them assembled by Friday as well!
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Elementary Basketball Skill Sessions
Strake Jesuit Head Basketball Coach, Dominic Amorosa, will host Basketball skill sessions for 4th and 5th graders at StJPII on the following Thursday nights at 6:30pm:
Sessions will last for 1 hour, and students will work on the fundamentals of basketball in preparation for parish sports competition. For questions, contact Coach Amorosa at damorosa@strakejesuit.org or click the button below to register. Please leave siblings at home.
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Share Your Photos
We love to see your photos of our saints in action! If you get a great shot at practice or a game, please share with StJPII! Your photo(s) may be featured on social media or in The Spirit yearbook. You may email your pictures to: communications@jp2.org.
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After School Activities
Click on the various links to see club flyers, contact information, and online registration.
o Robotics Monday Imagineers class was cancelled on September 13th due to inclement weather. A makeup class will be held at StJPII on Friday, October 8th in St. Jude Hall after school.
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1st Grade Daisy Girl Scouts
The 1st grade girl scout troop is looking for more participants. Meetings are held once a month. Please contact Troop Leader (Laura Richard) at Laura.ey5@gmail.com for more information.
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Conquest
The next Conquest meeting is tonight, October 5, 7:00-8:30 PM in the GSC. Conquest is for StJPII boys in 3rd-8th grade. Members who invite a friend who signs up will receive a prize! Click the button below for more information and to register.
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St. Thomas High School Cheer Clinic |
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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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