October 8, 2024

Living Rosary

Our third graders will lead the student body in praying the Living Rosary at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 10; students should wear their full dress uniforms for this special StJPII tradition. While we would love for all of our families to join us, due to space constraints we can only accommodate the third-grade parents. We look forward to seeing everyone when we resume Mass next week.

Wednesday Mass

Optional daily Mass is tomorrow, Wednesday, October 9. 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!

StJPII Mom's Weekend Retreat

A very big thank you to our retreat leaders, Roxanna Figueroa, Brenda Medrano and Laynne Martinez for organizing and preparing all the food and activities. Thank you to Fr. Eamonn Shelly, Consecrated Woman Amelia Hoover, and Elizabeth Feldpauch for leading all the talks and to Mallory Miller for providing the music. This gave the StJPII moms a wonderful spiritual time away to rest and recharge so that they can lead their families in our beautiful Catholic faith.

Help the Victims of Hurricane Helene

In late September, Hurricane Helene ravaged communities across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, leaving behind widespread devastation. Catholic Charities, the official domestic disaster relief agency of the Catholic Church in the United States, has launched a disaster relief campaign to support those affected. All donations received will go directly to Catholic Charities agencies providing essential relief—such as shelter, food, and other humanitarian aid—to those in need. Please consider offering your support, just as others have generously done for us in our times of need.

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

Research shows that teacher effectiveness significantly improves when peer observation is utilized as a form of professional development. At StJPII, we leverage the expertise within our school by organizing instructional rounds, allowing our exceptional teachers, who have honed their skills over many years, to support one another’s growth. Through these rounds, teachers will have opportunities to observe each other using targeted strategies such as small group instruction, collaborative learning, and inquiry-based questioning techniques. Notably, two of very our StJPII teachers have been recognized as ACET (Archdiocesan Catholic School Exemplary Teachers) for their outstanding teaching practices. They share their insights and expertise with colleagues, fostering reflective practice and professional growth. All of our teachers are looking forward to continuing their professional development at their in-service this Friday! 

Upcoming In-Service and Early Dismissal Day

Please note that the October calendar includes a few days that are out of the norm:

• Friday, October 11 is a student holiday for a teacher in-service day.
• Tuesday, October 22 is an early dismissal day (2:00/2:15/2:30 p.m.) 

Parent Teacher Conferences

Friday, October 25 is Parent/Teacher conference day. This is not a regular school day.

• Prekindergarten Students are not expected to be present for the Parent Teacher Conferences. 
• Elementary and Middle School (Kinder-8th) Students are expected to be present for the Student-Led Parent Teacher Conferences.

Use the signup genius link sent by your student's homeroom teacher to schedule your time slot.

StJPII PTO Embroidery

The PTO is thrilled to announce an opportunity for you to get embroidery done on your own SHIRTS (ex. fishing shirts or a favorite top in your closet!) The PTO is partnering with Project Luong to enhance school spirit and provide you with high-quality, customized apparel. The initial price is $25 per shirt for the school StJPII monogram. Your items will be collected on 10/25 during Parent-Teacher conference day, so stop by St. Jude Hall for details! See the attached flyer to learn more.

2025/2026 New Sibling Application & Current Student Re-enrollment

Applications for the 2025/2026 school year are open! If your family has a NEW sibling applying to attend StJPII, please be sure to complete the online application and submit all required documents by February 5, 2025. For more details on the application process, click the button below.

For all students who are currently attending StJPII, the online re-enrollment contract and forms for the 2025/2026 school year will be emailed to your primary email address in January. Please contact Jessica Ande at jande@j2p.org if you have any questions.

Smart Families

Join Smart Families for an exciting online talk on the impact of gaming on adolescent brains, featuring special guests from the Houston Neuroscience Brain Center. We’ll dive into how gaming can affect impulse control, risk-taking behaviors, and the emotional highs and lows of in-game trash talk. Learn how gaming shapes behavior, learning, and social dynamics, while gaining expert insights into the vulnerabilities of the teenage brain. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or gamer, this fun and eye-opening session will reveal the risks of virtual play and the real-world impact of those heated gaming moments. 

Don’t miss this chance to hear from neuroscience experts. To access the event, click the button below.

Fifth Grade Camp Allen Meeting for Parents

There will be a parent meeting for fifth grade parents on Thursday, October 24 at 8:15 a.m. in the Library. Please plan on attending to learn more about the November 18-20 trip to Camp Allen. Teachers will speak about the agenda, what to pack, expectations, etc. Paperwork for the trip will be sent home next week, so please be on the lookout.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day is Coming Soon!

November 22 - We are looking forward to celebrating Grandparents & Special Friends Day the Friday before Thanksgiving. Invitations will be mailed SOON!

Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week is coming soon! Mark your calendars for the week of October 21- 24 and be on the lookout next week in Saints Weekly for the theme day schedule.

Time to Celebrate!

The U.S. Department of Education named St. John Paul II Catholic School a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School, placing StJPII among the top-performing schools in the country! StJPII has won this award four times—1997, 2008, 2018, and now in 2024—more times than any other elementary school, public or private, in Texas, and is one of only nine elementary schools in the entire U.S. to receive this distinction as many times. These accolades are only possible thanks to the grace of God! We will celebrate this AMAZING accomplishment on our Patron's Feast Day, October 22 at 1:00 p.m. in the BAC.

Trunk or Treat

Join the StJPII community for our annual Trunk-or-Treat festivities in the StJPII parking lot on Friday evening, October 25 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.  Kids and parents are encouraged to dress in costume for safe trick-or-treating, games, food, photos, and fun! Your participation is key to helping make this event a success...without trunks, there are no treats! If you are interested in reserving a spot in the parking lot to decorate your vehicle, sign up below. 

*We will have pizza being sold by the slice. All the proceeds will go back to the 8th Grade Class. (cash only!)

Steps for Students

It's that time of year again! Time to sign up for Steps for Students. Sign up today to take advantage of early bird pricing for this year's Step for Students 5K Run/Walk Race. The race will take place on the morning of February 8, 2025. Click on the button below to register. Be sure to check out the incentives this year!

As the first 9 weeks comes to an end, let's chat about our main topics in library lessons. We have been learning about how to use a planner and use our time more wisely. Additionally, we are looking at several different genres of literature (adventure and scifi) to read more of a variety to become stronger readers and build our vocabulary skills. Mrs. Lamb’s hats and costumes always appear in the fall! Older students are learning more about integrity, honor code, and media literacy. These valuable lessons help us to grow to be better researchers and to be prepared for middle school research and for the future in school. Please do look at the helpful link below and bookmark this link. Please take a look often for the added content for students and parents from Ms. Lamb!

The Literati Book Fair is upon us.  The ONLINE component is OPEN and ready for you THROUGH NOV 8. The actual physical fair will open NOVEMBER 1, 2024. The link for the online fair is listed below. Look for more information coming soon for loading your ewallet and other goodies related to the fair! See You At The Fair!  

8th Grade Washington DC Trip

The Class of 2025 had an excellent time in Washington DC last week! They covered a lot of ground, learned a lot about our nation's capital, and grew strong bonds as a class. Check out the links below to view the trip photo album and "Where's Bernie?" blog. These will give you a glimpse of this much-anticipated trip that is always a highlight for our 8th graders. A big thanks to our chaperones who attended the trip: Eric Olson, Sheila Drewes, Jordan Fama, Erin Maskulinski, Cindy Kim, and Mary Beth Hewitt. 

Spirit Night at Raising Cane’s

This Thursday, October 10, Raising Cane’s at 1105 N. Dairy Ashford will donate 15% of net sales if you mention “St. John Paul II Catholic School” at the register. Make dinner easy and support our school with one stop! 

PTO Monthly Meet-Up

If you missed the PTO meeting, or just want to come out and chat with other parents, please join us for spaghetti lunch at St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church beginning at 11:30am on October 17. Children are welcome to attend. 

PTO DARR Halloween Skate Party

Save the date and join us for the Annual PTO DARR Halloween Skate Party on October 24!

Used Uniform Drop Off Dates and Upcoming Sale

The next used uniform sale will take place Friday, October 25 from 9am-2pm in SJH. Donations of gently used uniforms will be accepted October 14-18 only. Drop-off boxes will be located in the foyer by the front office.

Volunteers Needed for Used Uniform Sale

PTO is looking for volunteers to help with the used uniform sale. This is a fundraiser for the 8th grade class and the PTO. You can help by preparing the inventory and assisting with the sale. Scan the QR code or click below to sign-up! 

Celebrate October Birthdays with The Birthday Club! 

Celebrate your child's special day in style! Choose from several fun packages that include a special birthday t-shirt, birthday recognition on the marquee, ice cream, and more! Orders are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Gifts will be delivered to your child's homeroom teacher.

Thank You for Donating to the Faculty Meeting!

 A huge “thank you” to all the parents who signed up to donate food and drinks for the faculty meeting on September 24th. Our teachers and staff deserve all of this, and more! Thanks to your generosity, it was made possible!

Amber Leech, Ana M. Esteva-Parra, Analia Gugliotti, Ashleigh Green, Beverley Huck, Christine Bartolo, Daniley Carrero, Danille LaLonde, Emily Miller, Gwen Montesino, Hang Tran, Hilda Hickman, Jamie Kopulos, Julia Hillier, Kathy Forbes, Leticia Shirley, Nicole Lambert, Rocio Morales, Rose Nguyen Shelton, Sandra Vreedenburgh, Sarah Moore, Terri Bryan, Thien Nguyen, Tiffany Doucette, Victoria Forkner, Xin He.

If you want to sign up for upcoming faculty meetings, please get in touch with Aida Patino at aidilla84@gmail.com and Valentina Lares at 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!

 Poinsettia Pre-Order Coming Soon!

Get ready for the holiday season with our upcoming poinsettia sales benefiting the PTO Teacher Wishlist! These beautiful plants will add a festive touch to your home or office while supporting a great cause. The delivery dates are set for December 4th and 5th, so you'll have your poinsettias just in time to decorate. Don't miss out on this chance to spread holiday cheer and support our amazing teachers!

Elementary Athletics

WOW our soccer teams are having great success AND gorgeous weather! We finally have had some great temperatures for our kiddos to actually enjoy not only their games but their practices as well!

*Elementary team pictures will be held in the next few weeks so please continue to read the newsletter! Your coaches will send out information in regards to each sports picture time frame as well as arrival time.

Middle School Athletics

In the Cross Country world all of our athletes are on the right path to continue to run their seasons best at their last few Meets! In this past weekend's Meet, our runners once again showed tremendous improvement in their times. 

Our Varsity & JV Soccer teams are closing out their season in the next few weeks with BOTH teams still UNDEFEATED showing great skill and team effort! Varsity will head to the GHCAA Soccer Playoffs starting the week of October 22nd so please keep checking the Athletic calendar as well as right here in SW for all their playoff info.

Our Football team did an incredible job finishing out their Homecoming game never giving up and fighting to the bitter end. Our boys have shown such commitment and perseverance throughout their season and we are very proud of them!

Our Lady Saints Volleyball teams have had a really busy season and they too have demonstrated hard work and dedication. From the 6th grade team improving every day in simple fundamentals to the JV team having great chemistry with one another, and Varsity trying their very best to achieve success as a team.

*Middle School Fall sports will have their team pictures in the next few weeks so please continue to read the newsletter!  Your coaches will send out information in regards to each sports picture time frame. 

***Middle School BASKETBALL tryouts are right around the corner! We will have Open Gyms here at school on Friday, October 18th for the boys from 3:30-5:00, and then for the girls on Saturday, Oct 19th from 9:00-1030 so you can get started practicing for tryouts!

Share Your Fall Sports Photos

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