A Note from Mrs. Yankovich
 

Dear Families,
 

Happy Advent.  The hustle and bustle of the season is definitely upon us.  These weeks leading up to Christmas are quite often some of the busiest of the year.  So much to do!  Presents to prepare, cards to craft, trees to trim, parties to plan: with all the fuss it's easy to get distracted from the reason for the season.  I have spent some time this week visiting each classroom. Rest assured, the students are busy and engaged in meaningful learning and their faith formation is present in every lesson.  I am so impressed with how hard everyone is working, even with all the excitement of the season buzzing around them.  We started our day today with an all school rosary, there will be a penance service for students in grades 3-8 this afternoon and we are building our school nativity one piece at a time, every morning, so the students are getting to hear about each individual figure in the nativity scene and what it represents.  Truly wonderful reminders of the true spirit of the season.  John Paul II is a wonderful place to be this time of year!
 

May Jesus bring light, peace, joy and love into your heart during this Advent Season!

Respectfully,

Jenny Yankovich

Holiday Shoppe Volunteer Opportunity
 

Does your student need service hours?  We can help!  The JPII Holiday Shoppe needs volunteers for setup on Friday, December 9th from 5-7pm.  Please Judy at jpdowd613@gmail.com or call (913) 362-7893 for more information.

JPII Holiday Shoppe
 

Still looking for that perfect gift for Christmas? 

Well, mark your calendars!  The JPII Holiday Shoppe is next weekend (see below for more information).

The Holiday Shoppe organizers have asked JPII families to provide (2) baked items for the Bake Sale.  Please take a moment to sign up below.  Items can be dropped off on Friday, December 9th in the school office by 3:15pm.
 

JPII HOLIDAY SHOPPE BAKE SALE HELPERS
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C044FA5AB2BA6F58-jpii
 

We are also in need of casseroles to sell at the event. Please email Judy at jpdowd613@gmail.com or call (913) 362-7893 to let us know if you are able to help!  Please include a recipe card to accompany the casserole that will be ready to pop in  the oven.

As always, please call the office if you have any questions.  Thank you in advance for help!!

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JPII Holiday Shoppe
Queen of the Holy Rosary Church   
9am – 6pm Saturday December 10th
8am – 2pm Sunday December 11th
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http://Holiday_ShoppeFlyer.pdf
http://Holiday Shoppe Vendor List

SCRIP for Christmas
 

SCRIP gift cards make great Christmas gifts and John Paul II benefits from the profits as well.  Plan ahead with placing SCRIP orders for Christmas!

Large Volumes of gift cards as well as "order-only" items will have to be ordered.  We will be ordering weekly now on Sunday evenings.  If you need an order included in a Sunday order, please call Mary Lou Richardson at 341-7894 by 3:00pm on Sundays during the holiday season.

SCRIP order forms are in the school office and on the website.  Orders are filled at school during the week and at QHR Church Hall on Sundays from 7:30am-12:30pm.

http://www.johnpaul2opks.com/uploads/SCRIP_Order_Form.pdf

Cooler Weather and Cancellation of School

Weather can change rapidly and unexpectedly. With this thought in mind, it is important for all students to be properly dressed for each day’s activities, especially recess. Students go outside for recess unless the actual temperature is at or below 15º or the wind chill is at or below 0°F.

A layered approach to a child’s outerwear will help ensure your child is ready for outdoors at recess time. Students are expected to participate in recess unless extenuating circumstances exist. Generally, if a child is too sick to go outside to recess, the child is too sick to be in school.  Of course, there may always be exceptions to the rule; but it is a reasonable guideline for adults to use when making decisions about recess.

Cancellation of school takes place only during extraordinary circumstances such as extreme weather or equipment failure. Every practical means is used to notify parents of an impending cancellation including radio, TV, School Messenger, and school web site. Listen for the closing of “Johnson/Wyandotte County Catholic Schools”. All efforts will be made to remain in session once the school day has begun. However, early dismissal may be necessary due to weather conditions, emergency, etc. Families will be notified via SchoolMessenger, email, and/or phone at that time.

Arrival and Dismissal Reminder
 

Now that the weather is getting colder we want to kindly give some reminders for arrival and dismissal.  During morning drop-off, please stay in the car line when dropping kids off and remember that all students must enter through the front doors of the school.  Safety patrols have the responsibility of helping students in and out of their cars.  

If you are dropping off a preschooler, you may park in the west parking lot and enter through the preschool doors.   During dismissal, parents that are picking up on the west side of the building are not to park in the lot between the school and the church.  It is unsafe to have students (and parents) crossing the traffic to get to cars.  If you are not the person that picks your child up, please pass this information on to their carpool driver.  If you want to park and pick your child up, you are asked to park in the south parking lot of the church (refer to diagram in the handbook). 

There are more cars in the carpool line at this point in the year, it will take extra patience to dismiss due to this. Safety first, we are not willing to compromise the safety of our students.  Over Christmas break is a good time to have your child practice buckling and unbuckling themselves into their car seats.  Having this done quickly will definitely speed things along.  Thank you for understanding and for your patience.

NEW Hot Lunch Menu Items in January
 

Coming soon!  There are THREE new items on the January Lunch Menu:  hamburgers, corn dogs, and pancake on a stick.  Be sure to try them out and let us know what you think! 
http://January Lunch Menu

Teacher's Christmas Gift Fund
 

The Teacher's Christmas Fund is a tradition that teachers greatly appreciate.  The fund was started as an alternative to individual teacher gifts.  Participation is strictly voluntary and those families choosing to give to the fund can send contributions in a sealed envelope marked "Teacher's Christmas Gift Fund" along with the name of your family.  Envelopes can be dropped off at the office or sent through kid mail.  The names of all contributing families will be listed on a Christmas card and no dollar amounts are eve listed.  Contributions to the fund will be accepted through December 13th. 

All teachers (Preschool-8th Grade) and staff will receive money and a card from all families who participated.  Please write checks to John Paul II PTO.  Any questions should be directed to Tammy Weiss at (913) 980-7011.

2016 Vote for JPII Auction Results
 

THANK YOU to everyone who donated their time, talent, and treasure to the largest fundraiser of the school year.  This year’s auction netted over $108,000 which included $50,000 toward our Fund-A-Need for Curriculum Enhancements!  We continue to be amazed at the love and support of our JPII Community – you truly are AMAZING!

Career Fair
 

We are planning to host a Career Fair during Catholic School's Week.  If you have a career that you would be willing to share with students, please email Jenny Yankovich at jyankovich@archkckcs.org.  We will have students rotating in mixed groups to hear presenters talk about their careers and help students understand what it entails to acquire such a position.