Month: May 2020

Last Week of 2019-20 School Year

This is the last week of the 2019-20 school year!  The last day of new required work for students is June 3rd.  June 4th and 5th will be used for students to catch up, make corrections and bring previously submitted work up to an acceptable level of mastery as needed, and to extend their learning with non-required activities.  The P/I final determinations will be made by June 8th, if possible.

As I have looked at students’ progress in 3rd-8th grades this weekend, I have noted some interesting observations.  In some grades and subjects, all of the students are on pace for a “P,” while at other grades or subjects, only 80% might be on that same pace.  (Yes, it’s still also holding that younger students are more likely to be on pace than older students, but the older students have picked up the pace since observations in the middle of April.)  Students also tend to be better on pace in reading/ELA and math than science and social studies.  They are also way more on pace in core subjects than specials.  Individual students, however, might be all over the place.  Some students are consistently on top of everything while others are excelling in a few subjects but struggling to keep up in others.  Some students are “streaky;” they’ll be right on pace for a long period of time, and then have another longer period of time when they fall behind.  We are even seeing some students who struggled with face-to-face learning excelling in remote learning, and some students who excelled with face-to-face learning are struggling with remote learning.  There’s a little bit of everything!

Let’s hope everyone finishes strong this week!

“Closure” to the End of the School Year for Everyone

To find “closure” to the end of this school year for all students, we will be making a special video for each grade level that will be shared and posted.  We’ll also have some personalized items for our students.  Our distribution method will be set in conjunction with a method to distribute yearbooks and to collect Chromebooks, 8th grade ELA textbooks, JFK and AEA library books, etc.

End of the Year Drop Off and Pick Up of Items

During the week of June 1st, families will receive an email from us with the dates/times for drop off and pick up of materials and a list of many of the items that are owed from your students.  Many families have JFK Chromebooks and chargers, library books, and even some textbooks to return.  Some students may have books from teachers’ “classroom libraries,” and there may even be some medications in the office.  There are also some band instruments to be returned by graduating 8th graders.  Please look around to see if there are any additional items of the school that need to be returned.

We will also have yearbooks for those who ordered them plus a few extra for sale and a special gift for students to be picked up.  Altar servers may receive their awards, if they have not already done so.

To allow for social distancing, we have assigned drop off times and dates according to the first letter of your child’s last name.
Last Names Beginning with A through L:  Monday June 8^th and Tuesday June 9^th 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Last Names Beginning with M through Z:  Wednesday June 10^th and Thursday June 11^th 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Face masks should be worn by those entering the building, and the number of people from each family should be limited to those needed to carry the materials to be returned.

Summer Instructional Programming

Schools have been given guidance on how to hold on site summer instructional programming.  We will be offering two sessions of Leaps & Bounds this summer.  Leaps & Bounds focuses on reading and math for students currently in kindergarten – 5th grade.  The student to teacher ratio is 7:1 or lower, and no more than 10 students will be in the room.  Students are encouraged to bring cloth face masks each day from home and return home with them for laundering or replacement with clean ones for the next day. Face shields may at times be used and will be provided by the school.  Session I is weekdays July 6 – 17, and session II is July 20 – 31.  The program runs from 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.  The cost is $190 per student per session.  Sign up for one or both sessions.    A minimum number of students is needed to financially support each session.  More information will be available soon, or contact Mrs. Temming at kitty.temming@olvjfkmail.com to register.

We may also be able to offer one-on-one tutoring this summer.  Dates and times can be arranged individually.  The cost is $22 per hour.  More information will be available soon, or contact Mrs. Temming at kitty.temming@olvjfkmail.com to register.

Home & School

JFK’s Home & School is looking to “think outside the box” for activities next year.  Below is something they are exploring:

In order to have anything next year, however, more committed parents and/or teachers are needed.  This year, we had four key working parents holding down the fort.  We really need about 8-10.  Yes, there are traditional roles such as President, VP, Secretary, and Treasurer, but really what’s needed are a few more people who can commit to help organize H & S events.  It’s a great way to meet and get to know other parents and staff and get to see a little behind the scenes!  This committee has the potential to do great things, such as bringing an event like seen in the video to JFK, but it will not be successful without you.

Summer Communications

Normally, there would be very few, if any, Principal’s Posts during the summer.  This year, however, is not normal!  While I may not have new posts every weekend, look for communications to continue through posts that will be linked via email and on Facebook.

No Official Calendar/Start Date Yet for Next Year

We still have not heard when the DCSD will start next year or what their calendar will look like, and they were not on the DCSD’s May 26th meeting.  We will not set our start date and calendar at JFK until we know theirs so we can consider any bus issues.  It does not sound like early August start dates will be considered, however.  Prior to COVID-19, plans were progressing toward an August 24th start date, and we’ve seen unofficial hints that the 24th will be the date the DCSD uses.  I doubt that we would consider anything much earlier than August 17th now, if even that early.

Thank You for Your Service

Both the school and parish will have fewer staff members next year than this year.  We would like to thank the following people for their service to OLV/JFK and wish them the best in the future:  Kathy Knox, Norma Kuehn, and Dave Mattke.

Registration for Next Year

Being able to accurately project enrollment for the fall seems even more critical this year.  We will be needing to make some significant decisions such as how many desks we are really going to need if we have desks in all classrooms rather than the student tables that are currently in some rooms, how many math textbooks will we really need as we move to new/updated materials, how many Chromebooks do we really need to replace/update, etc.

Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  We would even accept a photo of a signed tuition contract sent to us via email.  We would even accept it without payment of the registration fee right now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.

As Iowa and the nation begin to re-open, we do understand the delays that people may have.  If you are concerned about finishing your tuition and other payments for the current school year, please contact Fr. Jake (greinerj@diodav.org or 563-391-4245) or Emily Sanderson (emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com or 563-391-3030) so a payment plan can be arranged.  We do not want unexpected financial barriers this year to prevent people from registering for next year.  If you are concerned about how to pay for next school year, don’t forget to apply for the Family Tuition Plan financial assistance, for which the application can be found HERE or https://www.assumptionhigh.org/familytuitionplan/.  Even if you need to send in the completed tuition contract without the registration fee yet, please do so as soon as possible.

We do, of course, need the registration fee eventually.  The deadline for the registration fee and deadline for the discounted registration fee have been extended to June 30^th.  The discounted fee is $100 per child with a maximum of $200 per family.  On July 1^st, the discount ends, and the fee will return to $125 per child with a maximum of $250 per family.  If you turned in a tuition contract without the registration fee, please send us the registration fee by June 30^th so you can take advantage of the discount.

JFK Graduation

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. on June 5th, we will do something similar to our reverse teacher parade just for our 8th graders and their families/drivers.  Before exiting the parking lot, each car will stop so a “goodie bag” of several items, including their 8th grade t-shirt, ribbon/medallion, diploma, and other personalized items can be handed to them or a family member.  We will also be making a special video for students that will be on a flash drive and posted on our channel.

Please enter the parking lot from the ball field entrance.  Pick up will be near the front doors.  While we will begin at 6:30, not everyone needs to arrive at the same time.  We will remain outside until at least 7:30.  In the event of inclement weather, vehicles may be parked in the northern section of the lot.  A family member who is wearing a mask may then enter the building through the northwest doors, proceed up the stairs to pick up the bag, and exit JFK through the main entrance on 42nd Street.

Thank you for practicing social distancing during this event and wearing a face mask as needed.

Return to Learn Planning and Guiding Principles

Discussions concerning our “Return to Learn” planning for next school year continue.  We will likely have three separate plans ready.  One will be a plan for remote learning similar to what we are doing now.  This plan could be used if we could not have students on campus for long or short periods of time.  If we were to start school in August with students physically on-site, but had to close the school, a grade, or even just a homeroom for several days in February, for example, we would use the remote learning plan.

A second plan is for having students on campus in August.  This plan consumed the majority of our discussions again this past week.  Nothing seems easy any more!  Planning for re-opening is a challenge as there are many views/guidelines to consider coming from a variety of sources:

1. National leadership, such as what President Trump is saying
2. The Center for Disease Control (CDC)
3. Iowa Governor Reynolds’ proclamations and statements
4. Iowa Department of Education
5. Iowa Department of Public Health
6. Iowa COVID regions
7. Scott County
8. City of Davenport
9. Diocese of Davenport
10. Davenport Community School District (DCSD)
11. What other area churches and Catholic schools are doing
12. Everyone’s own opinions and practices
13. OLV/JFK itself

One also has to sort through the information to determine what are opinions, what are guidance or recommendations, what are binding mandates, and what are just actions that people are taking.  It should also be noted that conversations and decisions are always influenced in schools by the fact that we are responsible for other people’s children.  What we might do within our own families may not be the same when charged with the responsibility to care for other people’s children.

Guiding our conversations for re-opening are the following primary principles, quoted from CDC documentation:

• “Promote healthy hygiene practices such as hand washing and employees wearing a cloth face covering, as feasible
• Intensify cleaning, disinfection, and ventilation
• Encourage social distancing through increased spacing, small groups and limited mixing between groups, if feasible
• Train all employees on health and safety protocols”

A fifth area would be screening of students and employees, and there currently seems to be somewhat fluid guidance on what that might look like.    

At JFK, we have had some intense conversations regarding room assignments and how furniture would be arranged, specials (art, music, PE, band, library), “traveling” in the upper grades, re-grouping/mixing students, preschool, recess, after school child care (aftercare), lunches and snacks, student drop off/pick up, sick/quarantining students and staff, and cleaning/sanitizing.  As I mentioned in previous Principal’s Posts, we are blessed at JFK with large classrooms, which provide us with some great options for social distancing.  The same can be said about areas that we can use for recesses.

The third plan within the “Return to Learn” framework is a hybrid plan or something that might be in between everyone working remotely and everyone being on campus.  There are a lot of transportation issues that would have to be considered with a hybrid model so we won’t work too much on that one until we have a better idea of what the DCSD might do for a hybrid model.

Scholarship and Awards

Last week, I announced the OLV scholarship winners for a current 6th grader and a current 7th grader.  On Friday, we announced 8th grade awards via video.  That video is below.

Church Getting Ready for Masses

The church is getting prepared for Masses again!  Read about it in this week’s OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/May-31-2020.pdf

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

Return to Learn Planning and Guiding Principles

Discussions concerning our “Return to Learn” planning for next school year continue.  We will likely have three separate plans ready.  One will be a plan for remote learning similar to what we are doing now.  This plan could be used if we could not have students on campus for long or short periods of time.  If we were to start school in August with students physically on-site, but had to close the school, a grade, or even just a homeroom for several days in February, for example, we would use the remote learning plan.

A second plan is for having students on campus in August.  This plan consumed the majority of our discussions this past week.  Planning for re-opening is a challenge as there are many views/guidelines to consider coming from a variety of sources:

1. National leadership, such as what President Trump is saying
2. The Center for Disease Control (CDC)
3. Iowa Governor Reynolds’ proclamations and statements
4. Iowa Department of Education
5. Iowa Department of Public Health
6. Iowa COVID regions
7. Scott County
8. City of Davenport
9. Diocese of Davenport
10. Davenport Community School District (DCSD)
11. What other area churches and Catholic schools are doing
12. Everyone’s own opinions and practices
13. OLV/JFK itself

One also has to sort through the information to determine what are opinions, what are guidance or recommendations, what are binding mandates, and what are just actions that people are taking.  It should also be noted that conversations and decisions are always influenced in schools by the fact that we are responsible for other people’s children.  What we might do within our own families may not be the same when charged with the responsibility to care for other people’s children.

Guiding our conversations for re-opening are the following primary principles, quoted from CDC documentation:

• “Promote healthy hygiene practices such as hand washing and employees wearing a cloth face covering, as feasible
• Intensify cleaning, disinfection, and ventilation
• Encourage social distancing through increased spacing, small groups and limited mixing between groups, if feasible
• Train all employees on health and safety protocols”

A fifth area would be screening of students and employees, and there currently seems to be somewhat fluid guidance on what that might look like.    

At JFK, we have had some intense conversations regarding room assignments and how furniture would be arranged, specials (art, music, PE, band, library), “traveling” in the upper grades, re-grouping/mixing students, recess, after school child care (aftercare), lunches and snacks, student drop off/pick up, and cleaning/sanitizing.  As I mentioned in last week’s Principal’s Post, we are blessed at JFK with large classrooms, which provide us with some great options for social distancing.  The same can be said about areas that we can use for recesses.

The third plan within the “Return to Learn” framework is a hybrid plan or something that might be in between everyone working remotely and everyone being on campus.  There are a lot of transportation issues that would have to be considered with a hybrid model so we won’t work too much on that one until we have a better idea of what the DCSD might do for a hybrid model.

No Calendar/Start Date Yet for Next Year

We still have not heard when the DCSD will start next year or what their calendar will look like, and they are not on their May 26th board meeting’s agenda.  We will not set our start date and calendar at JFK until we know theirs so we can consider any bus issues.  It does not sound like early August start dates will be considered, however.  Prior to COVID-19, plans were progressing toward an August 24th start date.  I doubt that we would consider anything much earlier than August 17th now, if even that early.

Last Day of 2019-20 School Year

The last day of the 2019-20 school year is June 5th.  The last day of new required work for students is June 3rd.  June 4th and 5th will be used for students to catch up, make corrections and bring previously submitted work up to an acceptable level of mastery as needed, and to extend their learning with non-required activities.  The P/I final determinations will be made by June 8th, if possible.

OLV/JFK Staff Service Awards

Each year, JFK’s Home & School Association recognizes OLV/JFK staff members that have served for various five year increments.  This year’s recognition is for the following:

Legislative Alert to Help Nonpublic Schools and JFK

Please take a moment to contact your Members of Congress to ask that emergency aid to nonpublic schools and families be included in the next Covid-19 Legislation package. Our requests include equitable access to K-12 federal funds for nonpublic schools, direct support to families for tuition assistance and additional tax breaks for K-12 tuition payments.

As always, we encourage you to include your personal story in the message to your legislators, as well.

Our nonpublic schools and the families they serve should be included in the COVID-19 relief legislation. Make your voice heard by contacting your Congressional members today. Thank you for your advocacy!

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/mZ6GAEViN5B8VlUciVyEDg

How are OLV and JFK Doing?

Fr. Jake, the Finance Council, and I have been operating on a “plan for the worst, hope for the best” mentality.  With ten weeks of no Masses now and large numbers of people unemployed in the community, we were preparing for the loss of church revenue and families having difficulty staying current with tuition payments.  While both of those things have happened, we, at OLV and JFK, have, again, been blessed.  The negative impact hasn’t been as bad as it could have been.  More people have, for example, turned to automated or online “envelope” giving to OLV, and some families have been able to direct some of their stimulus checks toward OLV or toward their JFK tuition bills.  We also have a few families that are working with Fr. Jake to develop personalized payment plans for tuition.  We will make it through the crisis together!

Registration for Next Year

This past week I sent an email to families with students in grades PS-7 if we do not yet have a tuition contract for next school year.  While, traditionally, JFK families are slow to return tuition contracts, being able to accurately project enrollment for the fall seems even more critical this year.  We will be needing to make some significant decisions such as how many desks we are really going to need if we have desks in all classrooms rather than the student tables that are currently in some rooms, how many math textbooks will we really need as we move to new/updated materials, how many Chromebooks do we really need to replace/update, etc.

Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  We would even accept a photo of a signed tuition contract sent to us via email.  We would even accept it without payment of the registration fee right now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.

As Iowa and the nation begin to re-open, we do understand the delays that people may have.  If you are concerned about finishing your tuition and other payments for the current school year, please contact Fr. Jake (greinerj@diodav.org or 563-391-4245) or Emily Sanderson (emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com or 563-391-3030) so a payment plan can be arranged.  We do not want unexpected financial barriers this year to prevent people from registering for next year.  If you are concerned about how to pay for next school year, don’t forget to apply for the Family Tuition Plan financial assistance, for which the application can be found HERE or https://www.assumptionhigh.org/familytuitionplan/.  Even if you need to send in the completed tuition contract without the registration fee yet, please do so as soon as possible.

We do, of course, need the registration fee eventually.  The deadline for the registration fee and deadline for the discounted registration fee have been extended to June 30^th.  The discounted fee is $100 per child with a maximum of $200 per family.  On July 1^st, the discount ends, and the fee will return to $125 per child with a maximum of $250 per family.  If you turned in a tuition contract without the registration fee, please send us the registration fee by June 30^th so you can take advantage of the discount.

JFK Graduation

At 6:30 p.m. on June 5th, we will do something similar to our reverse teacher parade just for our 8th graders.  Their last stop in the parking lot will be to receive a “goodie bag” of several items, including their 8th grade t-shirt, ribbon/medallion, diploma, and other personalized items.  We will also be making a special video for them that will be on a flash drive and posted on our channel.

Additionally, JFK graduates will be recognized after the May 31st Mass, which is also broadcast on COZI-TV, and their names are displayed on a banner on OLV/JFK property.

“Closure” to the End of the School Year for Everyone

To find “closure” to the end of this school year for all students, we will be making a special video for each grade level that will be shared and posted.  We’ll also have some personalized items for our students.  Our distribution method will be set in conjunction with a method to distribute yearbooks and to collect Chromebooks, 8th grade ELA textbooks, JFK and AEA library books, etc.

End of the Year Drop Off and Pick Up of Items

During the week of June 1st, families will receive an email from us with the dates/times for drop off and pick up of materials and a list of what is owed from your students.  Many families have JFK Chromebooks and chargers, library books, and even some textbooks to return.  There may even be some band instruments to be returned by graduating 8th graders.  We will also have yearbooks for those who ordered them plus a few extra for sale and a special gift for students to be picked up.

To allow for social distancing, we have assigned drop off times and dates according to the first letter of your child’s last name.
Last Names Beginning with A through L:  Monday June 8^th and Tuesday June 9^th 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Last Names Beginning with M through Z:  Wednesday June 10^th and Thursday June 11^th 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Face masks should be worn by those entering the building, and the number of people from each family should be limited to those needed to carry the materials to be returned.

Scholarship and Awards

Eighth grade scholarships and awards will be recognized through video with a release target date of May 29th.

There are also two Our Lady of Victory Scholarships, each worth $500, for a 7^th grader going into 8^th grade and a 6^th grader who is going into 7^th grade next year.  There are many factors taken into account for this scholarship, including leadership, Christian witness, moral character, scholarship, need, and community service, and students must submit an essay application highlighting many of these areas.   I am pleased to announce the recipients of these two scholarships:  Ava P (currently in 7th grade) and Clara N (currently in 6th grade).

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1032800026A-05242020.pdf

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

Return to Learn Plans for Next Year

This past week, we have been furthering our discussions about “Return to Learn” planning for next school year.  We will likely have three separate plans ready.  One will be a plan for remote learning similar to what we are doing now.  This plan could be used if we could not have students on campus for long or short periods of time.  If we were to start school with students physically on-site, but had to close the school, a grade, or even just a homeroom for several days in February, for example, we would use the remote learning plan.

A second plan is for having students on campus in August.  In this plan, we are looking at how we can promote healthy hygiene practices with hand-washing and the use of hand sanitizer, how we can intensify our disinfection of the building, and how we can encourage social distancing and minimize the mixing of groups.  On Thursday, for example, we set up a typical sized classroom and one of our smallest classrooms too see what 6 feet between student desks would look like and how many students could we accommodate in each room.  One of the things we are blessed with at JFK is large classrooms!  While they may not be set up how we would otherwise like them to be, we can meet suggestions for social distancing within our classrooms.

The third plan is a hybrid plan or something that might be in between everyone working remotely and everyone being on campus.  There are a lot of transportation issues that would have to be considered with a hybrid model so we won’t work too much on that one until we have a better idea of what the DCSD might do for a hybrid model.

No Start Date Yet for Next Year

We still have not heard when the DCSD will start next year, and we won’t set our date until we know theirs so we can consider any bus issues.  It does sound like early August start dates will no longer be considered, however.  Prior to COVID-19, plans were progressing toward an August 24th start date.  I doubt that we would consider anything much earlier than August 17th now, if even that early.

Legislative Alert to Help Nonpublic Schools and JFK

Please take a moment to contact your Members of Congress to ask that emergency aid to nonpublic schools and families be included in the next Covid-19 Legislation package. Our requests include equitable access to K-12 federal funds for nonpublic schools, direct support to families for tuition assistance and additional tax breaks for K-12 tuition payments.

As always, we encourage you to include your personal story in the message to your legislators, as well.

Our nonpublic schools and the families they serve should be included in the COVID-19 relief legislation. Make your voice heard by contacting your Congressional members today. Thank you for your advocacy!

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/mZ6GAEViN5B8VlUciVyEDg

How are OLV and JFK Doing?

Fr. Jake, the Finance Council, and I have been operating on a “plan for the worst, hope for the best” mentality.  With nine weeks of no Masses now and large numbers of people unemployed in the community, we were preparing for the loss of church revenue and families having difficulty staying current with tuition payments.  While both of those things have happened, we, at OLV and JFK, have, again, been blessed.  The negative impact hasn’t been as bad as it could have been.  More people have, for example, turned to automated or online “envelope” giving to OLV, and some families have been able to direct some of their stimulus checks toward OLV or toward their JFK tuition bills.  We also have a few families that are working with Fr. Jake to develop personalized payment plans for tuition.  We will make it through the crisis together!

Donations, Payments, and Registration for Next Year

Both the school and the church are still dependent upon your regular contributions and payments.  Donation buttons are located on the front page of both the school (green) and parish (blue) sides of our website.  Tuition payments can be mailed, dropped off at the parish office, or made via debit/credit card over the phone.

We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.  If you need another copy of your tuition contract, please contact Emily Sanderson at emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com.  Emily and Angie Hillebrand are also contacting families via phone to offer reminders and help.

Algebra Aptitude Testing Timeline Updated for 7th Graders

There was an issue with the licensing for 7th graders to use ALEKS software to do an Algebra aptitude test to help make recommendations regarding students who might want to consider taking Algebra at Assumption as an 8th grader.  Seventh grade families should have received a letter from Assumption High School last week with their log in information.  I believe the test opens on May 18th, and we are looking for completion by May 21st.

JFK Graduation

One of the things missing from our 8th graders’ spring has been the opportunity for photos.  There’s been no May Crowning, no big field trip, no dress up dinner at the Outing Club, no 7/8 spring showcase, no Crusader Theater, no Confirmation, and no graduation as we normally have it.  Eighth grade families should have received an email last week about a social distancing-friendly way to do photos by TSS at JFK on Tuesday, May 19th from 3:00-5:20.  We will also be congratulating JFK graduates after the last Mass in May on COZI-TV and have names displayed on a special banner on our property.

At 6:30 p.m. on June 5th, we will do something similar to our reverse teacher parade just for our 8th graders.  Their last stop in the parking lot will be to receive a “goodie bag” of several items, including their 8th grade t-shirt, ribbon/medallion, diploma, special video, and other personalized items.

“Closure” to the End of the School Year for Everyone

To find “closure” to the end of this school year for all students, we will be making a special video for each grade level that will be shared and posted.  We’ll also have some personalized items for our students.  Our distribution method will be set in conjunction with a method to distribute yearbooks and to collect Chromebooks, 8th grade ELA textbooks, JFK and AEA library books, etc.  Details will be shared in a week or two.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1032800024A-05172020.pdf

Slight Changes to our Website

We have made a few changes to the home page of our website, www.olvjfk.com.  We hope they will help you even more easily find information you are seeking regularly these days.

Reality as Troubling as TV?

My youngest daughter, Caitlin, has been home from college for about two weeks now.  This afternoon we watched an episode of Criminal Minds together.  While it’s certainly not a show for kids, we do enjoy trying to solve the case before the TV team.  After the episode today, I said I needed to turn back to reality and do some work to prepare for Monday’s tasks dealing with COVID issues.  Sometimes reality is as troubling as what’s on TV!

Fr. Jake’s Questions of the Week

Fr. Jake answers two questions this week from students:

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

Into a Routine with the BIG Questions Still Unanswered

For much of this past week, it seemed as if we had gotten into a routine.  Even with all the Zoom meetings, we were able to actually get some things accomplished too!

We have been eagerly waiting for additional guidance on start dates, a school calendar and the “Return to Learn” plan guidance from the Iowa Department of Education.

Governor Reynolds did sign the official proclamation waiving the requirement that school cannot start before August 23rd.  The proclamation does, however, state that any time before August 23rd must be in excess of the required days/hours for a school year.  That aspect will certainly change many conversations.  We, of course, at JFK, will also still want to see what the DCSD does so we have an idea about what bus transportation might look like.

On Friday, the Iowa Department of Education released its guidance for “Return to Learn” plans that districts and schools will have to create and submit.  What we’ve all been waiting for — what school will look like when allowed to re-open — has been pulled aside as separate guidance being called “Return to Open.”  That guidance has not yet been released.

We do, however, continue to make plans for the fall.  We’ve been estimating how much hand sanitizer we’ll use, considering how to arrange furniture in classrooms to accomplish social distancing, re-examining how much “traveling” students in upper grades do, etc.  We’ve also been doing some “what if” questioning, and some of the questions/answers are quite interesting.  Did you know that, for example, if face masks were to be required for all staff and students and we were to use a disposable one each day, we’d use about 67,500 masks in a year at a cost that could be more than $30,000?

If you have ideas or just additional questions, please pass them along to me.  Even though it may not be possible to think of everything, we want to think about as much as we can while we have the chance.

General Concern About Engagement Levels Backed by National Survey

Last week, I mentioned my general concern about engagement levels of middle school students.  Catching up on some reading this past week, I saw that, in an EdWeek Research Center survey of 1,000 teachers across the country, the average “truancy rate” for remote learning was the highest in the middle school grades.  No matter where one goes, there’s just something about those middle school years that make them tough!

Algebra Aptitude Testing Timeline for 7th Graders May Be Extended

Normally, we would use a paper/pencil Algebra aptitude test for all 7th graders to help make recommendations regarding students who might want to consider taking Algebra at Assumption as an 8th grader.  This year, we will be using a digital tool associated with the ALEKS program used at the high school.  Seventh grade students/parents will be receiving a “snail mail” letter with log in and password information soon.  I said that AHS wanted the testing done by May 15th, but there may be a delay depending upon AHS’ timing of the mailing.

Graduation Ideas

We did not have too many responses to our request to 8th grade families for ideas about graduation, but we will likely be sending out what we’ve put together for graduation later this week.

School Office Hours

The school office will be staffed 8:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Mondays – Thursdays.  Emily Sanderson will be in the school office on Mondays and Thursdays, and Angie Hillebrand will be there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  They are also available via email.

Donations, Tithing, Tuition Payments and Registration for Next Year

Both the school and the church are still dependent upon your regular contributions and payments.  Donation buttons are located on the front page of both the school (green) and parish (blue) sides of our website.  Tuition payments can be mailed, dropped off at the parish office, or made via debit/credit card over the phone.  Emily Sanderson is in the school office on Mondays and Thursdays.

Tuition payments for this school year:  Fr. Jake and Finance Council approved the following statements regarding flexibility for tuition payments.  They want to work with people even if it goes well into or through next school year too.

“From March 30th, 2020 through August 31, 2021, the Finance Council gives the Pastor authority to negotiate with families on how to pay their tuition payments.

All families who request a school contract for the 2020-2021 school year will not be denied a contract based upon how much tuition they owe the parish.

Any questions or concerns about tuition payments or contracts can be directed to Fr. Jake Greiner, greinerj@diodav.org or by calling 563-391-4245.”

Tuition Contracts for Next Year:  We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.  If you need another copy of your tuition contract, please contact Emily Sanderson at emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com.  Emily and Angie Hillebrand are also contacting families via phone to offer reminders and help.

School Meals

Recognizing the need that some families have for meals, ANY child between the ages of 1-18 years old may receive a lunch and breakfast at no cost at one of the following locations beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  It is not a requirement that the child currently be receiving a free/reduced price lunch; it is available to any child.

• Achievement Service Center, located at 1702 N. Main Street
• Davenport Sudlow, located at 1414 East Locust Street
• Davenport Williams, located at 3040 North Division
• Davenport Frank L. Smart, located at 1934 West 5th Street
• Davenport Wood, located at 5701 North Division, Davenport

The child no longer has to be present to receive the free meal.  A sack lunch and breakfast for the following morning will be handed out on Monday through Friday.

Please open the trunk of your car or leave a seat open where staff can place the food.  This step will help reduce contact and practice a higher level of social distancing.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/1032800024A-05102020.pdf

Fr. Jake’s Ordination

Fr. Jake’s class visit this week is about his ordination:

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

Survey Results

Thank you for participating in last week’s survey to provide some formal feedback on our “instructed, required, and assessed” model for K-8.  We had 164 responses representing 237 students.  The distribution of grade levels represented by respondents was nearly identical to the actual distribution of enrollment across K-8.  In other words, no grades were over or under represented.  The number of responses from students when using email to distribute the survey was low, but we do have some data that we can use to look at parents’, students’, and teachers’ responses.  We began analysis on Friday afternoon, and some preliminary results will be shared with staff at our Monday morning “meeting.”  Below are a few summaries:

When forced to choose between the quantity of required work being “not enough” or “too much” (weren’t the forced choice answers tough?), parents, students, and teachers all leaned toward the “too much” side.  It also seems that the amount of time it is taking some students to do the work is longer than what we have been estimating, but we will probably need to do a deeper analysis by grade level to know the full story.

Responses regarding the difficulty of work were split:  students leaned toward it being too hard, teachers leaned toward too easy, and parents were split between the two ends of the spectrum.  One of the more interesting splits was regarding what percentage of required work students should complete at an acceptable level of mastery to have an overall “Pass” for the quarter.  Students were actually the toughest on themselves: 64% of the students said the “Passing” level should be at 80% or better.  Teachers were the most lenient and more reflective of our traditional grading scale of “passing” being around the 65%-70% range.  Parents were in between students and teachers.

Regarding what represents “Passing” for the fourth quarter, we’ll stay with the guidance we’ve been using:

• Core subjects, other than religion:  65% of the required work should be at an acceptable level of mastery, and students can keep submitting or re-submitting work until the end of the school year
• Specials:  50% of the required work, which is often as simple as drawing an animal and coloring it or logging physical activity for the week
• Religion:  We want kids to still be practicing their faith, and teachers are sharing ideas for doing so.  However, in some situations, it seemed awkward to have kids submit something for an activity like attending Mass, praying the rosary, or reflecting upon something they watch on Formed.org.  Therefore, no religion grade will be given for the fourth quarter.

General Concern About Engagement Levels

One of my general concerns mirrors what I’m hearing from other schools and districts.  From what I hear, engagement levels of elementary and high school students are good, but middle school students have the lowest levels of engagement.  I would say that some of our JFK data is similar and shows the highest rates of engagement in grades 3, 5, 1 and 6 and the lowest rates in grades 7 and 8.  No matter where one goes, there’s just something about those middle school years that make them tough!

Not Too Many Answers This Past Week

It didn’t feel like we answered too many questions last week.  In some ways, it seemed like all we did was ask more.  We still do not have a start date for next school year, although conversations seem to be focusing around August 10th or 24th.  Governor’s Reynolds’ statement on April 17th that she was waiving the requirement that school cannot start before August 23rd still has not been converted into an official proclamation, and there’s still some discussion among legislators.  Without a start date, of course, the rest of the school calendar cannot be built.  Add in that we have to wait until the DCSD sets its calendar so we know what the bus transportation might look like, and it’s a frustrating waiting game.

We’re also feeling frustrated as we await the Iowa Department of Education’s guidance for “Return to Learn” plans.  At JFK, we had a team of employees brainstorm questions that we think might need to be answered.  We had four pages!

If you have ideas or just additional questions, please pass them along to me.  Even though it may not be possible to think of everything, we want to think about as much as we can while we have the chance.

Algebra Aptitude Testing for 7th Graders

Normally, we would use a paper/pencil Algebra aptitude test for all 7th graders to help make recommendations regarding students who might want to consider taking Algebra at Assumption as an 8th grader.  This year, we will be using a digital tool associated with the ALEKS program used at the high school.  Seventh grade students/parents will be receiving a “snail mail” letter with log in and password information soon.  The test should be taken by May 15th.

School Office Hours

The school office will be staffed 8:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Mondays – Thursdays.  Emily Sanderson will be in the school office on Mondays and Thursdays, and Angie Hillebrand will be there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  They are also available via email.

Donations, Tithing, Tuition Payments and Registration for Next Year

Both the school and the church are still dependent upon your regular contributions and payments.  Donation buttons are located on the front page of both the school (green) and parish (blue) sides of our website.  Tuition payments can be mailed, dropped off at the parish office, or made via debit/credit card over the phone.  Emily Sanderson is in the school office on Mondays and Thursdays.

Tuition payments for this school year:  Fr. Jake and Finance Council approved the following statements regarding flexibility for tuition payments.  They want to work with people even if it goes well into or through next school year too.

“From March 30th, 2020 through August 31, 2021, the Finance Council gives the Pastor authority to negotiate with families on how to pay their tuition payments.

All families who request a school contract for the 2020-2021 school year will not be denied a contract based upon how much tuition they owe the parish.

Any questions or concerns about tuition payments or contracts can be directed to Fr. Jake Greiner, greinerj@diodav.org or by calling 563-391-4245.”

Tuition Contracts for Next Year:  We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.  If you need another copy of your tuition contract, please contact Emily Sanderson at emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com.  Emily and Angie Hillebrand are also contacting families via phone to offer reminders and help.

School Meals

Recognizing the need that some families have for meals, ANY child between the ages of 1-18 years old may receive a lunch and breakfast at no cost at one of the following locations beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  It is not a requirement that the child currently be receiving a free/reduced price lunch; it is available to any child.

• Achievement Service Center, located at 1702 N. Main Street
• Davenport Sudlow, located at 1414 East Locust Street
• Davenport Williams, located at 3040 North Division
• Davenport Frank L. Smart, located at 1934 West 5th Street
• Davenport Wood, located at 5701 North Division, Davenport

The child no longer has to be present to receive the free meal.  A sack lunch and breakfast for the following morning will be handed out on Monday through Friday.

Please open the trunk of your car or leave a seat open where staff can place the food.  This step will help reduce contact and practice a higher level of social distancing.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/May-3-2020.pdf

Rosary

In this week’s video, Fr. Jake leads us in praying the Rosary.  (The pauses are our parts.)

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad