Dear Saint Families,
Thanksgiving is upon us! Speaking of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with all of you how grateful I am to be a part of St. John Paul II Catholic School. As many of you know, I was able to attend the National Blue Ribbon Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C. last week as a representative of our school. Wow, what a celebration! It was a wonderful experience to be among top schools and hear from several speakers who shared congratulations for being honored with this coveted award! We were only 1 of 5 that were receiving this honor for the 3rd time! One speaker in particular who has passion and love for education is the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education from the United States Department of Education, Mr. Brogan. He stated,
“What the teachers and staff do for every boy and girl is nothing short of a miracle in the building behind the National Blue Ribbon flag” “Giving students an exceptional education allows them to live the American Dream opening up choices to be whomever they want to be, a teacher makes the difference in a child dreaming the American Dream or living the American Dream”. As I sat among the winners of this award, I became even more overwhelmed with gratitude for the many people that make this place so special; the teachers, the staff, the Board of Directors, and you our parents. Thank you for your continued support as we partner together in achieving excellence in education.
We are looking forward to seeing many of you here on campus for our rehearsal on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. You will get a sneak peak of our program for all our grandparents and special friends for Friday!
Then I wish you all a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!
In Him,
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Principal
PS- Below is the video of StJPII receiving the National Blue Ribbon School Award in Washington D.C.
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Grandparents and Special Friends' Day
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Grandparents & Special Friends Day: November 16
We are looking forward to our 23rd Annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day this week-
Friday, November 16 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
A few things to note:
The program will begin at 9:30 a.m., and will feature the 7th and 8th grade Advanced Band, Middle School Chorale, and all of our Elementary students (grades Pre-K through 5th).
The program will conclude at 10:30 a.m. when Grandparents and Special Friends will leave the GSC and meet their student(s) in the classroom(s). They are welcome to visit the Book Fair together and take a photo in St. Jude Hall.
- Visit St. Jude Hall for the Grandparents Photo Opportunity and Brick Pavers Information
- Grandparents are allowed to sign-out students directly with the teachers.
- School will be dismissed early at 12:00/12:15/12:30 p.m. on November 16.
- There will be no lunch service and no BASP after early dismissal.
- Students should wear their full dress uniforms.
- Share your photos with us here!
We are looking forward to seeing all Grandparents and Special Friends. For more information, visit the Grandparents and Special Friends
web page.
Back by popular demand...parents are welcome to get a sneak-peak of the action and are invited to attend the student dress rehearsal Thursday, November 15 at 8:30 a.m. in the GSC.
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Library News- Book Fair
Happy Fall! Book Fair is open! Join us
now through - November 15 7:40 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Grandparents' Day, November 16 OPEN 7:30 a.m. - Noon.
Students browse the Book Fair and make wish lists. They bring these lists home for your approval. Then you send cash or check with your child to pay for books they will bring home (PLEASE include mandatory sales tax of 8.25%). If you choose to use MasterCard or Visa, you are most welcome to come to the library to make those purchases as this is an Adult task. Make your checks payable to St. John Paul II Catholic School. There are many wonderful choices at the fair for holidays, gifts, birthdays, and other occasions. Please stop in for a visit. I look forward to helping you at the Fall Book Fair! Happy Reading! - Ms. Lamb
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Chick-fil-A Spirit Afternoons
Join us on this
Friday, November 16 (following Grandparents and Special Friends' Day for Chick-fil-A (CFA) Spirit Afternoons! Swing by our neighborhood CFA and treat yourself! They have graciously offered to donate 10% of their proceeds back to StJPII. All purchases made at the 13412 Briar Forest (around the corner at Eldridge) between noon-3:00 will be eligible. When ordering at the drive-thru or register, please share you are with St. John Paul II Catholic School so they can make a donation.
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Brick Pavers
Our StJPII 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 our school or volunteer 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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Annual Fund update
It’s coming! Not Black Friday … not Cyber Monday … GIVING TUESDAY! Please make StJPII your charity of choice on Giving
Tuesday, November 27 when we’ll launch a one day Text to Give campaign! Stay tuned for more details!
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Middle School Information Night: 5th Grade Parents
5th grade parents are invited to attend our Middle School Information Night on
Monday, November 26 at 6:30 p.m.
in St. Jude Hall. This is a great opportunity to learn all about our Middle School program from Dr. Weinman and Middle School teachers.
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5th Grade Shadow Days
Fifth graders will have the opportunity to "shadow" a sixth grade student, following their schedule for the morning, and experiencing a regular day in the life of a Middle Schooler.
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Call for Volunteers for Gala, Mother/Son and Father/Daughter Committees
We are calling for volunteers to join the 2020 Gala, Mother/Son Bowling and Father/Daughter Dance committees. If you wanted to get involved with social events happening at StJPII the time is now. Please send an email to
[email protected] and share which committee you would like to join! Thank you in advance.
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Congratulations to Mrs. Lowen and Mrs. Riley's Homeroom classes
Congratulations to Mrs. Lowen's 2nd grade class and Mrs. Riley's 4th grade class for having the most students signed up for RWTS. For your participation, these classes have won a pizza party this Thursday!
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Great news! Our new House polos are in-stock at Mills Houston Memorial. Shop during Fall Sale and get 10% Off all in-stock items until
November 17, 2018.
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Optional Casual Uniform Orders
StJPII offers Optional Uniform pieces for students to wear any day of the week that is not designated as “Full Dress”.
- All prices include state sales tax. Orders will only be accepted online through the Acceptiva link on our school website.
- Orders are due before Thanksgiving Break on Friday, November 16.
- Please retain a copy of your order and receipt.
- Items ordered will be sent home with the students in late January.
- The next ordering time is in November for delivery in early February.
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4th Grade Service Project
StJPII 4th graders are collecting items for the homeless now through
tomorrow,
Wednesday, November 14.
Donations will be distributed on Thanksgiving Day after a feast provided by the
Breaking Bread Homeless Ministries
. 4th graders will assemble bags of personal items. Please help by donating blankets, sleeping bags, travel-sized toiletries, men's undershirts and socks.
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1st Grade Service Project:
Helping the Needy Smile
First grade students are helping bring bright smiles to the needy. Please help first grade students collect toothbrushes, dental floss, toothpaste and mouthwash. These items will be donated to San Jose Clinic. Bring in items until
Friday, November, 16. Donation bins will be located around the school. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
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Upcycling with a Community Service
The Thursday morning, seventh-grade SOAR group of Hannah Dominy, Annabeth Dronet, and Victoria Tucker would like the StJPII community’s help with their project. The girls are hoping to create upcycled clothing from donated items with a service twist. If you are planning to do some closet cleaning over the next few weeks, please consider donating gently used clothing to this project. Any clothing not used by the girls in their project will be donated to a charity such as Star of Hope, the Gabriel Project, or Salvation Army.
Donation collections will run from
Monday, November 26 through Thursday, December 6 and can be dropped off in bins by the office or in room 423, the Journalism/SOAR room. If closet cleaning is something you have on your agenda for the Thanksgiving break, please consider donating to this creative and worthwhile project. Clothing accepted would be gently used children's, women's, or men’s shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, etc. Questions? Contact
Mrs. Shari Hiltbrand.
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WHCSA ~ Soccer is ending but Basketball is right around the corner! As we end an awesome elementary soccer season with some great games, happy kids, and wonderful coaches, we look back at what this level of play is all about! The teams performed very well across the board, but their school spirit, love for the game of soccer, and most important their sportsmanship, was just great this season! For that we thank our WHCSA Coaches, and our parent community for your support! Basketball information in regards to teams and Coaches will be sent out when we get back from Thanksgiving.
Parents, please join the StJPII WHCSA album to share and save your favorite photos of the season.
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Middle School
Our boys played both St. Thomas More and St. Anne Houston last week and while JV split the week with one win and one loss, Varsity got off to a tough start with two losses. Our Saints bounced back yesterday when both teams traveled to St. Michael’s and defeated the Tigers! Our Lady Saints start their season this week with JV playing at St. Anne Houston so we wish our girls a great start to their season!
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StJPII St. Katharine Drexel Society
You are invited to form part of the StJPII St. Katharine Drexel Society. Join us on
November 16 for our Launch Brunch, at
Pecan Creek Grille from 8:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. As we gather to form the St. Katharine Drexel
Society; let us enter it in a spirit of service and fellowship.
The StJPII Ladies Society is intended to form life long bonds of sisterhood and charity. It is an opportunity to help each other grow in our faith, strengthen our devotion, and be good stewards of the word of Christ. Together we will improve, not only our lives, but that of those whose lives we touch. Please RSVP to
Edith Hernandez.
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Save the Date- Snacks with Santa
Mark your calendars for our “Snacks with Santa” event to be held Saturday,
December 8 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Santa photos, face painting, crafts and snacks will be available. Purchase your tickets for Snacks with Santa by clicking on the button below. Volunteers are needed for crafts and check-in. Please email
Mariam Janda for more information. Please see the attached
flyer and visit the News and Events section on the
website!
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Holiday on the Parkway 2018- Important Information
This year the PTO will sponsor a craft fair for parents and outside vendors on
Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8
. Last year we had over 30 booths filling the Bramanti Athletic Center! The students, faculty and parents are able to shop for holiday presents for family and friends on Friday, and all are welcome to shop during the annual Snacks with Santa festivities on Saturday. If you are interested in reserving a table for your business or know someone that may be interested in having a booth, please complete the below form and send to the school as soon as possible, together with the booth reservation fee. The form can be hand delivered or mailed to St. John Paul II Catholic School, 1400 Parkway Plaza Drive, Houston, TX 77077, Attention: Olga Saenz (Holiday on the Parkway). Space is limited and it will be handled on a first come, first serve basis. Please email or call
Olga Saenz
or 713-213-6930 with any questions.
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Give by Shopping- Just in time for Christmas!
StJPII receives percentages of your holiday shopping when you “Give by Shopping” at these participating vendors:
Kroger, Randall's, Amazon Smile, Shutterfly, Office Depot and Josephine’s Day Spa and Salon. As you make those Christmas lists and check them twice, check our
webpage for opportunities to give by shopping. Thank you!
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Dads Club T-shirts
Did you know all Fathers at StJPII are automatically members of the Dads Club?! There are now Dads club shirts for you to show your StJPII Dads pride. Check out the shirts below. Orders will be taken from now through Thursday, November 15. For more information about the Dads club, please visit the
StJPII Dads webpage
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St. Thomas High School Open House
St. Thomas High School cordially invites StJPII's Middle School boys to their Open House on
December 9 at 1:00 p.m. at the Moran Fine Arts Center on St. Thomas' campus. For more information, please see the attached
flyer.
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St. Pius X Winter Theatre presents:
The Diary of Anne Frank
St. Pius X High School would like to invite StJPII families to their winter theatre production of
The Diary of Anne Frank. For more information, please see the attached
flyer.
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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:
[email protected] 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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St. John Vianney's Catholic Church Events
November Parish Dinner
This
Thursday, November 15; dinner is served from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. in the Activity Center. Delicious Baked Ziti and Rigatoni alla Norma served with Caesar Salad, Bread and Tiramisu for dessert. All for only $10 per person. Tea and Lemonade is included. Beer and Wine available. Children 8 years and under will receive FREE Baked Ziti, salad and a cookie. Reservations are needed by 10 am this Wednesday,November 14 . For your convenience we have three ways to reserve and pay online, click the
link or call 281-497-1555 and pay in person. We
hope to see you all there!
Pancake Breakfast
This Sunday, November 18 in the Activity Center following all the morning masses. Pancakes served with sausage, orange juice and coffee. $3 Adults and Kids 7 and under are Free. No reservations needed.
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Did you know....
St. John Paul II Catholic School helps support the John Paul II Center in western El Salvador. This center offers integral formation for the children of communities in extreme poverty by giving them the opportunity to develop social and educational skills in a safe environment. Part of the mission of the center is to improve the quality of life in the community where the center is located by helping the children and the adults of the community.
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To view events related to StJPII, please click on the school calendars below.
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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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