Dear Saint families,
I can feel the SAINT spirit around campus as we all sport our Blue Ribbon shirts! What an awesome accomplishment to celebrate! Again, thank you all for your support!
Please note that this Friday our report cards will go live on the Parent Portal. We are hoping that the process will go smoothly as we roll this out for the first time with our new student information system. This week you also should begin to sign up for your Parent-Teacher conferences.
October is a busy time for sure as we get excited about Vocation’s Day, Pumpkin Patch, Trunk or Treat, RWTS, and conferences! WOW! That is a lot, however these events are some of the most fun for our families to come together as a community, so I look forward to seeing you there!
Please also consider coming tonight at 6:30 in the GSC to hear our "AIM for Success' speaker about bully-proofing strategies!
Thank you again for your on-going support!
In Him,
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Principal
PS- Hot off the press here is our video montage from today's Blue Ribbon Assembly and Pep Rally!
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Parent-Teacher Conferences
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Parent-Teacher Conferences
We will be have our Parent/Student Teacher Conferences from
1:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. on October 25 and 26. All parents are required to attend the Fall conference with their child present. We will email out the links to sign up on SignUp Genius beginning
Monday, October 15 and will close them on
Monday, October 22. You will have the option of scheduling a conference time for either Thursday or Friday. Detailed instructions for sign-ups will be sent next week along with your grade level/homeroom teacher link (for grades PreK-5). Please note that Middle School sign ups will be sent via an IRIS email with all the links provided for the individual teachers.
When is it?
Thursday, October 25 & Friday, October 26
Is there school on Thursday and Friday?
Yes, all students will attend school for half a day of instruction.
What are school hours?
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Prek & Kindergarten/12:15 p.m.-Elementary/12:30 p.m.– MS
Will BASP be open?
Only for Morning Care from 7:00 a.m. – 7:40 a.m., there will be no after school care on Thursday and Friday October 25 & 26.
What about Lunch?
All students in PK-5th will need to bring a sack lunch for both days.
All middle school students may pack a snack to have in the classrooms both days.
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Spirit Afternoon with Chick-fil-A
After Conferences
Join in and support us with Spirit Lunch at Chick-fil-A! Spirit Afternoons will take place next
Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26 following dismissal from
12:00-3:00 p.m. The participating location is just around the corner at 13412 Briar Forest Dr.
If ordering at the drive-thru or register, please share you are with St. John Paul II Catholic School, and we’ll receive 10% of your order total!
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PTO Pumpkin Patch-During Conferences
Volunteers Needed
Meet by the flagpole for our 11th annual Pumpkin Patch on
Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Enjoy taking Fall photos and picking the perfect pumpkin. Cash and checks accepted, see flyer for details. Please consider volunteering for this event throu
gh our sign up genius link. See you at the patch!
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Student Report Cards
Below are the directions to access students report cards for grades 1-8:
1) Login to the Parent Portal by clicking the link titled:
Parent Portal
2) Click on the name of the child you wish to view.
3) Report cards will be visible in the "Performance" box (upper left) on the "Progress" tab of your student's profile.
Please note: PreK & Kindergarten Report cards will be sent home Friday, October 19.
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Annual Fund Incentive
Each family who donates to the Annual Fund before December 31, 2018 will receive a free
printed pocket student directory!
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Astros Shirts: Wednesday
Since the Houston Astros are taking on the Red Sox in the ALCS (American League Championship Series), students are welcome to wear ASTROS shirts with uniform bottoms
tomorrow, Wednesday, October 17. Game 4 of the series will take place on Wednesday at evening, so let's show our Houston pride. Go Astros! #neversettle
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Vocations Day
Friday, October 19 is Vocations Day.
We will have All-School Mass at 8:30 a.m.
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5th Grade Camp Allen Trip Meeting
Please remember to attend the Parent Camp Allen Meeting on
Monday, October 22 at 8:15 a.m.
in the Library.
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Kindercare - No Parking
Please do not park in Kindercare's parking lot across the street, even for just a few moments to drop off your children in the morning. They have asked us to share this message because they have witnessed StJPII and Bush families parking there.
Kindercare has hired a towing company
, so please do not park there or you may be towed.
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Love and Logic - Conference Tips
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Do you ever dread those conferences (from either side of the desk)? Do you ever fear being blindsided with bad news? Do you find yourself feeling defensive before you even settle into that folding chair?
Many parents AND teachers tell us they look forward to conferences the way they look forward to complicated dental procedures. However, if we can remember a few principles of human communication, parent-teacher conferences don’t have to be so unpleasant. These principles will help adults on either side of a difficult conversation.
1. Empathy is even more powerful than you think. Leading potentially difficult news with empathy will make a world of difference. We can end up using a lot of technology to communicate but we must remember that people can’t hear empathy in a text or email. Sincere empathy comes across largely in our tone of voice and our facial expressions. It can take more time and effort to communicate regularly via phone or in person, but it is worth it.
2. Often, the anger we are hearing is a result of pain that occurred at some other time and place. If we remember that fear and pain are often the primary emotions and we are rarely the true cause of those feelings, it can help us avoid taking the emotional venting personally.
3. Let the meeting be about what is best for the child in the big picture. If we set our egos and insecurities aside, we will find that more often than not, our goals are more common than we realized. It’s not about a win for us, but a win for the student.
In his masterpiece on human communication, Putting Parents at Ease, Jim Fay shares strategies for healthy conversations that are guaranteed to benefit parents and educators. Equipped with these skills, you will be able to communicate effectively in all sorts of challenging situations.
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Library News
Happy October to All! As Fall arrives, here are a few library reminders:
- Book IT has begun! Students should be reading at least 20 minutes outside of school in order to complete the calendar logs leading to pizza coupons.
- Lectio Books is a new program here at school for 4th through 8th graders. Students read at least 5 of the 20 books on the list and they may vote on the winner. Children pick the winner!
- Our passwords and login id for our databases should now be on a sticker in your child's planner. The resources Britannica, Facts on File, and EBSCO are great for home and school use. If you have difficulties, please contact me. I will still continue with the little cards with login and password per usual. The sticker idea just seemed perfect!
- Finally, the new nine weeks brings more responsibility for students to remember to turn in on time or fines will be added. If students are absent, they should return the book to the library the day they return to school. We forgive absences. Check your handbook for proper procedures because we pay for lost books (rather than replace them) since we purchase library bindings unavailable to the public. Thank you for your help and support with teaching responsibility to our youth.
Enjoy this cool time of year with a warm cup and a great read! Happy Reading ~ Ms. Lamb
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Fall Open House
StJPII school families, please share and invite families interested in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade to our Fall Open House for prospective families on
Tuesday, October 23 from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. Visit the Fall Open House
on our website for more information including a schedule of events and how to RSVP. For questions, call the front office at 281-496-1500.
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Trunk or Treat
Join the StJPII community on
Friday, October 26 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for a fun Halloween Trunk or Treat party in our parking lot! Students are invited to come in costume and trick-or-treat trunk-to-trunk safely with all of their friends. Prizes will be provided for 1) best themed decoration 2) scariest decoration and 3) Judges Favorite. For those who are interested, you may sign up to decorate your vehicle by visiting the Sign-Up Genius button.
While you are here, make it an evening for the entire family and stay for the Run with the Saints pre-race dinner. This year,
Mingo’s Latin Kitchen and Kona Ice will be on campus with delicious meal options for the entire family. Both vendors are giving a portion of their proceeds back to StJPII.
Mingo’s will bring two trucks! Truck 1 will serve tacos, quesadillas and nachos and Truck 2 will serve chicken strips with fries, loaded french fries and pulled pork sandwiches with fries.
We are also looking for a DJ for this event. If you have any questions or know of a DJ, please contact Trunk or Treat chairpersons:
Sarah Moore 713-725-4329,
mooresa85@gmail.com or
Erica O'Connor 281-467-6963,
eec5554@hotmail.com.
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RWTS- Sign up today for Registration/Shirts or to Volunteer
It’s not too late to register for the 20th Annual Run With the Saints event. Our annual 5K, benefiting The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation in memory of StJPII student Lauren Lockard is scheduled for
Saturday, October 27. We need volunteers to plan and make this the best race yet! Please sign up to volunteer here. This is a great way to get to know other StJPII families. If you are a runner, would like to sign your child up for the Kids K or want to buy a shirt, register online through our website.
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Did you know, the homerooms (PreK-3rd and 4-8) who have the most students registered will win a free pizza party during their lunchtime?! What a fun way to show support for out 20th annual RWTS! The pizza party is sponsored by our friends at goldfish swim school!
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WHCSA ~ Elementary Soccer
In Elementary soccer all of our teams are off to such a great start! We had beautiful weather for them to play in this past weekend which adds to all the fun at this age level! The teams will have their pictures taken this Friday October 19th right here at school. it will be a rolling schedule for the teams as we will have 2 photographers from Freeman Photography. Please wear your full uniforms for the pictures and remember to bring big smiles! Team time schedules will be emailed to the coaches today.
Basketball Registration opens on Monday, October 22. Kindergarten through 5th grade can register online at that time. Please consider volunteering to be a coach. We want to have as many teams as we can and it depends on the number of available coaches.
Parents, please join the StJPII WHCSA album to share and save your favorite photos of the season.
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Middle School
GHCAA ~ Middle School Sports
Last week our middle school athletes had an incredibly busy week! Our Varsity Football team participated in the GHCAA Football playoff's against St. Cecilia and although our team played with a lot of heart, we just didn't get the win. We are the only team that had a perfect 5-0 season and suffering our 1st loss of the season in the playoffs was tough on both our players and coaches, but we have a lot to be proud of as a team. We congratulate the accomplishments of each individual player, and we thank our Coaches for their dedication to coaching a very fine group of young men!
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All two of our Lady Saints Volleyball teams had wins across the board last week defeating St. Cecilia and St. Francis de Sales! Both our C Team and JV played in the Our Lady of Fatima tournament where JV took a few losses but our C Team took the 3rd place trophy home! Congrats Lady Saints!
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In Soccer our teams had a great week as well. Varsity and JV played St. Cecilia where JV had a 4-2 win and Varsity played one of their best games this season battling to the very end with a 2-2 tie. We then traveled to St. Francis de Sales where JV suffered their 1st district loss with a score of 6-2, then Varsity ended in yet another tie with a score of 1-1. Both teams came back strong in their games against St. Thomas More on Friday defeating the Tigers to get back on a winning track!
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Our Cross Country team has been working very hard to prepare for the GHCAA Championship which will be held today in Spring Creek Park! The runners participated in the St. John's Ramble this past Saturday where most of our athletes performed their personal best times! Our Boys came in 10th out of 17 teams so we are very proud of our results going in to the Championship! Good luck to all of our boys and girls today, they actually love the chill in the air so lets hope they bring home another Championship!
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BASKETBALL TRYOUTS are around the corner and open gyms are starting this week!
Middle School Girls & Boys Tryout's will be held on
Monday, October 22 & Tuesday, October 23
. Girls will be from 3:30-5:00 p.m., and Boys will be from 5:15-6:45 p.m. Remember you must attend both days of tryouts and you must have a physical on file with Mrs. Aertker.
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Brick Pavers help support the StJPII Garden
Our St JPII Garden is a beautiful sight to be shared on campus. Did you know the sale of brick pavers helps to fund repairs and supplies needed for the garden? These pavers come in a variety of sizes and are a great way to thank coaches, our teachers and honor graduating students or the memory of a loved one. Please consider purchasing pavers to support our campus garden. See flyer for ordering information and special pricing.
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Save the Date- DARR Halloween Skate Party- October 25
Mark your calendars for a costume Skate Party
October 25 from 4:00-6:30 p.m. at the Dairy Ashford Roller Rink. Admission is $7.00 and skate rental is $3.00 per person. Join us for this “spooktacular” event with raffle drawings, gift bags for costume winners and sweet treats for all! Grand prize raffle item is a Skate Party for 10 ($150.00 value). See you there!
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Box Tops- Thank you!
We would like to thank all the students, parents, grandparents, teachers and staff for clipping box tops this Fall. We also send a heartfelt thank you to the below volunteers for counting the box tops: Tina Schroeder, Amber Leech, Nicole Lambert, Kimberly Osborn, Tiana Vesce, Tiffany Doucette, Stephanie Dunn, Andrea Dvorachek, Amber Gruen, Diane Gonzales, Maria Kempler Bello, Margarita Pruneda, Analia Gugliotti, Lorena Betancourt and Noha Tuma.
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Aim For Success Programs- Bullying Prevention Program
Aim for Success, Inc., will present their nationally-acclaimed program to the students and parents of StJPII. The Aim for Success motivational programs have educated over 2.5 million teens, parents, and educators across America. The Radical live presentation teaches students to have a radical perspective, words and actions for working together to stop bullying at their schools. This program is designed to reach their hearts and minds with real-life stories and powerful illustrations to turn them from bullying to being “up-standers”. The Parent Program is a preview of the student presentation where parents will receive information on prevention and ideas to help their children make a radical difference in the world around them. Parents, please join us on
October 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the GSC. Student presentations will take place on
October 17 during the day.
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St. John XXIII Open House
St. John XXIII College Preparatory invites you to attend their Open House Sunday,
November 4, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. Register online at
sj23lions.org/openhouse.
Students will have the opportunity to learn more about St. John XXIII's college preparatory curriculum, tour the campus, meet faculty, administration, current students, and parents. Please plan to attend and see why it’s a great day to be a Lion! For more information click on the attached
flyer.
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St. Pius X Open House
St. Pius X High School’s Learning for Success Open House is scheduled for Saturday, October 20, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. For more information, please visit,
www.spxlearningcenter.org and
www.stpiusx.org. Please send the invitation to anyone interested in learning more about St. Pius X.
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Dads Basketball
StJPII dads play men's basketball on Wednesday Nights in the gym at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Mark Gugliotti to be added to the distribution list and for more information:
markgoogs@att.net or 832-301-1681. Everyone is welcome. It's a fun way to meet other dads and get some great exercise!
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Did you know...
that Vocations Day and praying for vocations has always been a founding principle for our school? In honor of this Friday's Vocations Day, we want to highlight Fr. Jonathan Raia, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Austin. Not only is he an alumnus of StJPII, he also graduated in our first graduating class.
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10/16 Aim for Success Parent Presentation, 6:30 p.m., GSC
10/17-18 6th Grade Bake Sale
10/17 Daily Mass, 7:10 a.m., All Saints Chapel
10/18 STUCO Store Opens
10/19 Report Cards on Portal
10/19 Vocations Day
10/19 All School Mass, 8:30 a.m., BAC/GSC
10/22 St. John Paul II Feast Day & StJPII DAY IN HARRIS COUNTY
10/22 Camp Allen Parent Meeting, 8:15 a.m., Library
10/23 StJPII Fall Open House 9:30 A.M.
10/24 Daily Mass, 7:10 a.m., All Saints Chapel
10/24 Saints Breakfast, 7:40 a.m., GSC
10/25 & 10/26 Cafeteria Closed/PK-5th Grade Bring a Sack Lunch/Early Dismissal 12:00/12:15/12:30 p.m./No Afternoon BASP/Parent Teacher Conference
10/25 & 10/26 PTO Pumpkin Patch
10/25 & 10/26 StJPII Spirit Afternoon, Chick-fil-A (12:00-3:00 p.m.)
10/26 RWTS Packet Pick-up/Pre-Race Dinner
10/26 Trunk or Treat
10/27 Run with the Saints
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St. John Paul II Catholic School
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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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