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News Items:

• FAFSA Night for Students & Parents
  
• Black & Gold Gala
• Truck Raffle
• Open House for Prospective Students
• College Admissions Workshop
• College Tours & Visits
• Sports Schedules
• Scholarship Tips
• and more . . .

On January 25th, courtesy of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, a Mobile Go Center was on our campus to assist seniors and their parents with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for college. Many of our families took advantage of this free service. Families that may have missed this opportunity can look forward to another similar event scheduled for February 24 at the studios of KIII-Channel 3. The all day event will feature financial aid services by specialists from Del Mar College, Coastal Bend College, Texas A&M University Kingsville and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. The focus will be on the FAFSA which is a source of federal grants for college that student can use at many colleges of their choice.

>> Tickets for the Black & Gold Gala are all sold out! <<

The Black & Gold Gala is one of our major fund raisers that will greatly support the mission of John Paul II High School. The event includes a steak dinner, a performance by Spazmatics, both a live and a silent auction, and a truck raffle. Visit our new Black & Gold Gala web site at blackandgoldgala.org to learn more about this event.

A 2012 Nissan Frontier Truck will be given away at our Black & Gold Gala on January 28th -- you do not need to be present to win. Each truck raffle ticket is $20. To learn more about The Black & Gold Gala and to buy tickets click here.

Our annual Open House for Prospective Students is coming up soon and we want interested students and parents to come visit our school and learn more about all that our school has to offer in a well-balanced faith-based environment. See the details below and if more information is desired, call our main office at (361) 855-5744.

One of the best ways to narrow down your list of potential college choices is to actually visit or tour a college or university campus you and your parents are curious about. Below are a few events coming up.

Want to locate a college or university? Click the link below to browse a college and university search engine hosted by the College Board. You'll find lots of information about admissions, degrees offered, cost, and more.

There have been some schedule updates for some of our sport teams. Click the links below to view the schedules.

Boys Basketball

Girls Basketball

Swimming

Varsity Baseball

Junior Varsity Baseball

Freshmen Baseball

Looking for college scholarship opportunities? Follow the links below.

• Coastal Bend Community Foundation
• Catholic Daughters of the Americas - Texas State Court
• KFC Colonel's Scholars®
• fastweb.com
• scholarships.com
• everychanceeverytexan.org
• Best Buy Scholarships

Periodically we remind students of the value of having a strong vocabulary, and many students see this when they take tests such as the SAT. A highly developed vocabulary is of value beyond the college entrance tests: in the classroom, reading challenging materials, writing documents, and more. Below you will see two links. The first leads to the vocabulary.com Web site with "100 SAT Words" that appear regularly on college entrance examinations. A good command of these words can boost reading and writing skills as well as test taking abilities. For the high achievers there is the second link leading to the quizet.com Web site with "1000 SAT Words" in flash card style. Need an online dictionary with audio? Check out http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary. Start working on your plethora of words.

• 100 SAT Words
• 1000 SAT Words

Many seniors and some juniors have been receiving their SAT exam scores. Now what? Can you still improve those scores? The College Board has lots of study and practice materials on their Web site, many of which are free. Be sure to look over the section titled "SAT Skills Insight." It's a free section that allows you to take a closer look at specific skills in the areas of reading, math and writing. Click the icon below to look at some of these options.

SAT Practice and Study Materials

ApplyTexas offers a centralized means for both Texas and non-Texas students to apply to most post secondary institutions in the State of Texas. The ApplyTexas Application currently consists of three sections: admissions, scholarships and essays. More about this service . . .

With the continuing growth of our school, campus activities and events also increase in number. We have created a School Calendar where school activities are being posted, but give us some time to post all the anticipated events for the school year. In the mean time, you may want to start visiting that School Calendar and start learning how to navigate the site. This School Calendar is actually off our own Web site, but it will serve us well. Use the link below to access the School Calendar, and you may want book mark the site on your Internet browser for quick access in the future. Note: you can change the manner in which you view this calendar by clicking the buttons for "Day," "Week," "Month," and "Agenda."

JPIIHS School Calendar

JPII students who have not completed their Creating & Maintaining a Safe Environment (CMSE) Core Class must do so by June 21st of this year. The incoming 9th graders must complete the CMSE classes done by August 31 of this year. Upon completion of the CMSE course please bring the blue certification card by our office to have a copy made for school files. Click the following links for schedules of classes offered across The Diocese of Corpus Christi.

New CMSE Core Schedule

New CMSE Recertification Schedule

In keeping with the message of the Gospel to "serve and not be served," and the mission of John Paul II High School, all students are required to complete a specified amount of Christian Solidarity Project hours each year. Below are two links you can follow to access a detailed description of this service program and the required student report form.

• Christian Solidarity
• Report Form

As parents and students begin to make plans for the 2011-2012 school year the school calendar may come in handy. Follow the link below to view the Diocese of Corpus Christi Office of Catholic Schools final calendar.

Calendar for 2011-2012

Juniors, you are about to become seniors at the end of this month. If you have not yet taken or registered to take either the SAT or ACT you need to start planning on taking the very first tests in 2011-2012. If you have taken one of these exams, consider re-testing at the earliest possible time next school year. Below you will see the test dates for the 2011-2012 school year.

Seniors are looking ahead to attending a college or university should also seek to continue their spiritual growth. There are many Catholic communities on college and university campuses that serve to advance the spiritual, intellectual and social life of college students. Below is a link to a directory of Web sites that lead to information about Catholic centers at many colleges and universities across the United States. Be Not Afraid, Centurions.

Applications for the 2011-2012 school year are now being accepted. For an outline of the admission process follow the first link below, and to view or download the 2011-2012 Application for Admission use the second link below.

Admission Process

2011-2012 Application for Admission

The 2011 Open House for prospective students and their parents has been rescheduled for March 3, 2011. In order to answer some of the questions that have been asked with regard to the enrollment process for students you may now see the Admissions Process document by following the link below. For additional questions please call our main office at 361-855-5744.

Admissions Process

NexStepU.com has an college search system that's not only interactive, but also quite interesting. The site begins with a map of the United States. You select at state and then see a listing of colleges and universities, each name is actually a hyper-link. After you select a particular institution, a list if majors offered is displayed, including certificate programs, associate's degrees, bachelor's and more advanced degrees.

College Search

Thousands of dollars may be lost when students go to college and have no idea what they want to focus their studies on. As students look toward college they usually spend a lot of time examining potential colleges and universities; however, much less time is devoted to exploring their major field of study. Even one extra year in college trying to decide what to major in can cost students and families thousands of dollars. MyMajors.com is a Web site that provides information about college majors and more. A good look at potential college fields of study could save a significant future sum of money and time for students. Go to MyMajors.com to 1) take a quiz, 2) find a major, 3) find a college, and 4) find scholarships. Click the icon below to access MyMajors.com.

* NOTE: This resource is placed here for informational purposes and is not an endorsement.

This scholarship source is being provided for informational purposes, and it is not an endorsement.

Note: Do not pay for any scholarship services online, nor provide information such as Social Security Numbers, checking or savings account numbers, nor similar information in order to protect your personal identity.

Parents, the Edline Activation codes will be available for pickup at the front office beginning Tuesday, 8/17, after 4 p.m. This is the account you set up to access your student's school grades. Please collect your code as early as possible to view your student's progress in all classes.

Creating and Maintaining Safe Environment Workshops (CMSE) are required for all church personnel, clergy, teachers, volunteers and others working with or for the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Workshops are two hours long. Persons attending a full workshop will receive a certificate of participation. Training must be renewed every three years.

Workshops will continue to be scheduled and announced throughout the year. Persons should attend as soon as possible upon assuming duties with the parish or program.

CMSE Classes Schedule

School Health 2010-2011 Brochure

Scholarship Section

Did you know that there are over 240 Catholic colleges and universities in the United States? The link below will display a listing complied by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

Catholic Colleges and Universities

One of our JPIIHS parents has made us aware of an online tutoring service that is free for military families. "tutor.com" charges the general public a per hour service fee -- however, the same service is free for military families. Military families can set up an account for students and then tutors can be accessed for a variety of subjects and grade levels. Click the link below for more information.

Tutoring Service Free for Military Families

Go to eCampusTours

These are both powerful programs that are free to students who have taken the PSAT. The college admissions process gets more and more competitive each year, and these two programs can help students make great strides in the college readiness process. Click the links below to get started.

• QuickStart
• MyRoad

• Program Outline
• JPIIHS Academic Notes
• Junior/Senior Checklist

FAFSA.gov

Now and then you come across a good Web site that is helpful with regard to "how to go to college" information -- and a free service at that. The United States Department of Education is interested in students learning about key questions about college, such as Why Go?, What to do? and How to pay? Click the graphic below to access college.gov for some useful information that may well answer some of your questions and concerns about going to college.

college.gov

Seniors, as you work through the college application process you will need to contact our registrar for transcripts, and you will need to complete a "Request for Transcript" form from Mrs. Diana Hinojosa in her office. Also, if you need letters of recommendation from faculty members you will need to provide them with a personal resume and at least two weeks lead time for the completion of either the written or online recommendations.

Visit our "New" Centurion Exchange in the foyer of the JPIIHS Cafetorium. You'll find lots of JPIIHS Centurion gear. Now you can view a sampling of items by clicking the link below. For more information e-mail rlongoria3@grandecom.net.

Centurion Exchange Catalog

Seniors may use applytexas.org to apply to any Texas college and university. With more and more colleges and universities moving to paperless applications for admissions, this was a valuable hands-on activity. Our school code is 441-504, however, students will find that on applytexas.org is is listed as 2441504.

The students can find a vast amount of college related information at the College Board’s Web site. Parents will also benefit by taking time to browse the “For Parents” section. To learn more about the services at the College Board’s Web site, click the College Board icon below.

One of the expectations for all JPIIHS students is that of giving back to our community through Christian Solidarity service hours. The realms of service our schools focuses upon are aiding the poor, sick, elderly, disabled and advocating for human life. Our student engage in providing service in pre-approved projects, and are required to provide documentation. Please see the associated documents (four pages) in PDF format by clicking the link below.

• Solidarity Projects & Documents
• Parent & Student Letter
• Youth Volunteer Documents

Seniors who have not taken either the SAT or ACT need to take at least one of these exams as soon as possible. Many deadlines must be met in the college application process, as well as deadlines for financial assistance. There are two test dates coming in October; however, students need to register for these tests by September. Below you will see links for more online information and registration. Also note the links to Web sites that provide practice questions and tests, most of which is free. Our Go Center collegiate mentors are also available as a resource for information and assistance. Contact our Academic Advisor Ted Garcia for more information.

• ACT
• Web site
• Register Online
• Practice questions & test

• SAT
• Web site
• Register Online
• Practice test & questions
  

• Dress Code Clarifications
  • Word Document
  • PDF Version

The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority has added a new bus route to our front door next to our traffic light entrance on Saratoga and across the street at the City Natatorium. The new service will depart the Southside Station near Palmera Mall making stops at John Paul II HS, City Natatorium and then expressing to Port Ayers Stations and returning to the Southside Station. The bus will only be traveling on weekdays with two morning and two afternoon trips. Below are links to maps and schedules.

http://www.ccrta.org/

http://ccrta.nextinsight.com/routes.php?mrnid=38