November 5, 2024

Dear Saints families,

Happy November! It once again amazes me how quickly we are approaching Thanksgiving and Advent! This means that we are getting even closer to completing the first semester of our 24-25 school year! What a semester of abundant blessings this Fall has been for our community. 

As we transition into the holiday season and start this new month, we study the virtue of Courtesy, which means being thoughtful of others.  Our Patron Saint John Paul II reminds us, “The more ready you are to give yourselves to God and to others, the more you discover the authentic meaning of life.”

Here at StJPII Catholic School, we are on our path to holiness, including our extended community! 

Thank you for embracing these virtues and practicing them as we all grow together in faith.  Remember that our children are watching all of us and it is important that we model these virtues in families and the larger community.  

We look forward to welcoming our grandparents and special friends this month. We also want to give a special thanks to our many volunteers who have served this semester or will be serving during the upcoming Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and other approaching events. We are so grateful for you and humbled by your generosity. Thank you for your support as we live out our mission and guide each other to sainthood!

In Him,

Principal

Weekly Mass Schedule

Optional daily Mass will be tomorrow, Wednesday, November 6. All are welcome! Mass starts at 7:10 a.m. and ends at 7:40 a.m. It’s in the All Saints Chapel every Wednesday before school. You are also welcome to join us for our All School Mass this Friday, November 8. Students will need to be in full dress uniform. Mass will begin at 8:30 a.m. Please arrive on time.

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

Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and Ava Maria University in Florida, once stated: "I want to go tot Heaven and take as many people with me as I can. I can't think of a better way to do it than through Catholic education."

StJPII SOAR Robotics hosted its 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat Middle School VEX IQ Tournament for 30 middle school teams, approximately 150 students as well as their coaches, parents, and families. This was the first tournament of the season for our Texas Region 3 Middle School VEX IQ region. Besides StJPII’s five SOAR Robotics teams, teams came from Hearne, Bryan, Galveston, Pearland, The Woodlands, and all over Houston. Student-designed, built, and programmed robots compete on a 6 foot by 8 foot field to score as many points in 60 seconds as possible. One StJPII Team, 8th grade Bazinga Elite, qualified for the Teamwork Finals by finishing in the top 10 teams, with two other teams, rookie 6th grade team Drone Strikers (#12) and 7th grade Liberty Biberty (#14) finishing just out of the top ten. But where our teams really excelled was in Skills with 8th grade The Jelly BEANz finishing #10, Bazinga Elite #11, Drone Strikers #16, Liberty Biberty #18, and 7th grade The 7Sixes #25. 

It's Notre Dame Week!

It's finally "Ultimate Fan Duel" week! Thanks to the proud Notre Dame families who won naming rights in last year's gala, this week we all get to be part of the "Fighting Irish" community. Hopefully you've noticed the Notre Dame flag by the front office and we've been playing the Notre Dame Victory March over the PA system each morning this week.

Tomorrow, November 6, students may wear their Notre Dame 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 Bidding with Bernie online auction this February.

Note from Nurse Rhoden

A few reminders as we enter cold/flu season: 

The best defense is a good offense! Remind your child to cover their coughs and sneezes, and to wash their hands throughout the day. Drink plenty of fluids and get a good night's rest. 

If your child has cold or flu symptoms, keep them home from school to prevent spreading the illness. Per our handbook, children with temperatures 100° F or greater should stay home. A student may not return to school until fever-free (without medication) for >24 hours.

SaintsGiving

Our annual one-day giving event is coming soon! Please save the date, spread the word, and join us on SaintsGiving to raise money for our school and help us reach our Annual Fund goal! Stay tuned for more details! www.jp2.org/giving/saintsgiving

Nails, Tails, and Tennies

Support the eighth grade by participating in the Nails, Tails, and Tennies fundraiser. Students may buy a pass for only $6 to wear nail polish, untucked shirts, and any color tennis shoes. The pass will be valid on Thursday, November 21, 2024.  Click the button below to purchase.

Grandparents Day

We are looking forward to celebrating Grandparents & Special Friends Day the Friday before Thanksgiving, the morning of November 22. Invitations have been mailed, so please tell Grandparents and Special Friends to be on the lookout in the coming days. If you need an extra invitation to forward, you may download and share an invitation, which can be found by clicking the button below.  

Dear Friends,

We are having a nice week at the Book Fair! Do stop by now through Thursday 7:40 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Friday we will open after Mass and conclude our sales at about 1 p.m. so we can button up the fair and have it ready for pick up. Check the link below to make other purchases as well. 

November brings thoughts of hearth and home. I have three new articles for you on my Library Home Page. If you are looking for writing prompts, unique holiday ideas and more, take a look. These may be handy ideas for little ones on those busy kitchen days. May your Thanksgiving be full of peace, love, and joy! ~ Ms. Lamb

We make every effort to review all books within the school to ensure they align with Catholic teachings. If you come across any material that does not meet these standards, please let us know. Your assistance is invaluable as we work together to uphold this important responsibility.  

November PTO Meeting

All parents are invited to join us for our monthly PTO meeting on Tuesday, November 12 from 8:30 - 9:30 am in St. Jude Hall. Why should you attend? 



• Learn how students and teachers benefit from the work of the PTO.
• Be the first to hear about school news and upcoming events.
• Ask questions.
• Connect with parents.
• Learn how to volunteer your time to positively impact the school community.

Join 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.

Poinsettia Pre-Order is Now Live!

Get ready for the Christmas season with our poinsettia sale benefiting the PTO Teacher Wish List! 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!

Save the Date for St. Nick’s Feast & Fest

Mark your calendars–St. Nick’s Feast & Fest is almost here, and pre-sale tickets are now on sale! Formally known as Holiday on the Parkway/Snacks with Santa, St. Nick’s Feast & Fest will take place from 4-8 PM on 12/6 and will include all your favorites from past years, like photos with Santa, shopping and games, but will now include many new fun things like a light walk, gingerbread house contest, food, wine and SNOW! Keep an eye on Saints Weekly in the coming weeks to hear more about the participating vendors!

Middle School Gingerbread House Competition

As part of the new St. Nick’s Feast & Fest, there will be a Gingerbread House Competition for Middle Schoolers. Middle School students will be asked to sign up in teams of two. There will be 4 categories for judging: 

Traditional - Using various candy or crafts for decoration. 

Arts - Using any art media preferred by the students (ex: paints, pens, chalk, markers, and any style: i.e. Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Gaudi, Warhol or a style your very own)

Grinch - Be inspired by The Grinch and all things Woo-ville

Current Events/Pop Culture - Consider the world around you - from Swifties, favorite sports teams, AI, robotics, and anything in between.

A cardboard house and base will be provided along with glue sticks, tape and hot glue guns (with supervised use).  All other decoration materials must be brought by the team. All of the decorating will be done on location from 4-6pm The houses will then be set up for judging.

Stay tuned for more information! 

Elementary Athletics

Our Soccer season will be coming to an end this weekend. Thank you to all those who played and a big thank you to our coaches. Don't forget to register for basketball. Registration will close on November 15.

Middle School

The Basketball teams have formed. Congratulations to all those playing this season. Please continue to check the athletics calendar for up to date information. Coach Jones Conditioning Camp starts November 11 and will continue until January 17 on Mondays & Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Please contact Coach Jones directly to register! laverne_j@sbcglobal.net

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.

SJV CARES!

Saturday, November 16, 2024

8:45 am – 11:30 am

Join us on Saturday, November 16 for a day of community beautification. We will begin with check-in and prayer at 8:45 am on the SJV basketball court. From there, we will send teams out to help clean the yards in homes of the elderly and pick up trash form parks in our surrounding neighborhoods. We will return to SJV around 11:00 am to enjoy a snack and refreshments. Free tee shirts to the first 100 participants (or, until supplies run out by size). 

All volunteers must sign up ahead of time. Adults and older children (with parental supervision if under 16) are invited to participate. A waiver will be available upon check-in. Please click on this link to sign up.