Month: October 2020

Fall Celebrations on October 30th

We will have our annual black/orange dress day on Friday, October 30th.  Students may be out of uniform if they are wearing black and/or orange, but they do still need to follow the out of uniform guidelines in our handbook.

Look for communication from your child’s teacher regarding details for other ways of celebrating.  One of the big things we are trying to avoid is kids passing out things to other kids, and teachers have options that they can share with you.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences will be November 2nd from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. and November 5th from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 -8:00 p.m.  There are no classes on November 5th and 6th.  ECLC is open those days.

November 6th is also the end of the first quarter.

We will use SignUp Genius to schedule PS-5th grade conferences.  The scheduling intervals will be 20 minutes, but conferences will not be longer than 15 minutes, allowing time for cleaning in between guests.  For in person conferences, face coverings are required, and participants will be seated 6-12 feet apart.  Those waiting will be required to stay on a black “dot” in our hallways or other marking on the floor in other locations.  If you want to do the conference via Zoom, you will need to indicate it in SignUp Genius so the teacher knows to send you an invitation with a link.  The SignUp Genius link was sent on Thursday to those families who have more than one child at JFK.  It will be sent to other PS-5 families no later than Monday.

Sixth-8th grade and specials conferences will be “drop in” but scattered throughout the building so those waiting are apart from one another.  Within each conferencing area/room, we will use multiple tables/seats for parents so we can have one set of seats drying from disinfectant while another spot is being used.  Face coverings are required, and participants will be seated 6-12 feet apart.  If parents want a Zoom conference instead of a face-to-face meeting, these will have to be scheduled separately, and teachers will post these “taken” times outside of their doors and/or communicate it through other means.  Due to the higher number of students that upper grade teachers have, conferences will be less than 15 minutes.  At this time, we are planning on using the following locations for upper grade and specials conferences:

• Mrs. Kubalsky (6th-8th):  Room 206 (her room)
• Mrs. Nicoletto (6th and 6th-8th Spanish):  Room 207 (her room)
• Mrs. Thomas (6th):  Room 203 (her room)
• Mr. Connors and Mrs. VanSpeybroeck:  Room 215 (music room)
• Mr. Ryan:  Room 212 (art room)
• Mrs. Tilkens:  Cafeteria
• Ms. Burken (7th):  Cafeteria
• Mrs. Whelchel (7th/8th):  Gym
• Mrs. Lundquist (8th):  Gym

Online JFK Spirit Store

Click HERE for the online JFK spirit store developed by Home & School

COVID Related 

The bad news only got worse this past week:

• COVID-19 numbers for Scott County continue to be high.  We’ve had three record highs within the last ten days:  89 and 92 new cases on two days last week and 133 on Friday/Saturday.  Earlier this fall I wrote that the  average number of cases was in the mid-30s.  Last week I said that the graph looked like the 14 day moving average for Scott County was just over 50 new cases per day.  The latest 14 day moving average is now over 60 cases per day.
• The 14 day positivity rate calculation used by the Department of Education for Scott County was at 6.6% when school started.  On 10/13, it was 8.7%.  Today, it is at 11.8%.
• According to the CDC’s document regarding the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools (see the link below), the risk of transmission in Scott County schools as of 10/20/2020 is now in the highest levels of risk according to the number of new cases per 100,000 population (420 per 100,000 compared to 335 on 10/13), positivity rate (10.1% on 10/20), and percent change in number of new cases per 100,000 (22%).  Our percentage of hospital beds used has moved from the lowest risk level to the lower risk level (71%), and the percent of hospital beds being used for COVID patients (10%) is remaining in the moderate risk level.

CDC indicators, thresholds of COVID transmission in schools

The good news:  While COVID-19 seems to be all around us, it is not in high numbers in our Catholic schools – yet.  The cumulative positivity rate for persons at JFK is less than 3%, and our 14 day average is 0.0%.  Since school began, an average of about 6.5 persons per week are being tested.

Our latest discussions at school have focused on developing some metrics that might be used should there be a need for a two week building shut-down, a one week building shut-down, a shut-down of a particular homeroom, a mask mandate for the building, and a mask mandate for a particular homeroom.  It’s a tough conversation to have:  act too soon and you risk compromising the education available, but act too late and you risk or have already risked compromising everyone’s health.  Below is our current draft:

COVID Metrics for building closure, face masks, 10-21-2020

Most situations involving COVID are not the “super spreader” events you hear about in the news.  Rather, they are small gatherings of family and close friends or work-related situations.  We cannot let our guard down.  I would encourage everyone to proceed as if COVID-19 were everywhere.  Wear your mask, practice social distancing, use good face/hand hygiene, and stay home when ill.

Handbook Sign-Off

Please read the parent and student handbook, available HERE, and on our website: https://www.olvjfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JFK-Parent-and-Student-Policy-Handbook-2020-21.pdf.  Then, print off the last page, sign it, and return it to the school office — one per family.  Thank you for helping us to reduce our printing costs.

Annual Diocesan Appeal

Families of John F. Kennedy Catholic School are encouraged to consider a pledge to the Annual Diocesan Appeal.  Funds support the work of the diocese, including the training of deacons and new priests, support for our parishes and Catholic schools, charitable works, and the administrative work required to support Catholics within our diocese.  Contributions can be a one-time donation or spread out throughout the year. No amount is too small.

Home & School News

Holiday Greenery:  Wreaths, swags, etc.  Orders and payment are due by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 30th in order to be processed.  Accepted forms of payment include check or Venmo. Cash will NOT be accepted by Home and School for this fundraiser.  JFK Students/families are responsible for order pick ups and delivery to their own buyers.  The use of the online order form is encouraged, but please note that payment is still due either via check or Venmo.  Pick up information is still being finalized, but it will be the weekend of Nov 20-22nd (just in time for the holidays)!!  If you cannot pick up at that time, you’ll need to arrange for your own backup.

Panera Bread fundraiser:  Join us on Thursday, October 29th from 4pm to 8pm for a JFK fundraiser.  Bring in the flyer or show an electronic version of it (such as from the JFK Moms and Dads Facebook group) when you place your order.   A portion of the proceeds from every order will go to JFK Home and School.

Chad

Survey Results

Thank you for your responses to our survey last week.  We’ve had 169 responses to date.  About 6% of those are from families who have started the year needing remote learning or have had to do remote learning for a short period of time.  Ninety percent shared something when asked what is going well for your student(s) this fall, and responses tended to all be similar to the following:

• Everything!  They love school!
• Just being back in school!
• They are happy to be back at school!
• Being back in classes with teachers
• Being able to interact with other students
• Being able to have face-to-face instruction
• Having some normalcy in our lives
• Learning and academics

When asked what could help improve things for your student(s) this year, nearly 60% said “nothing,” “everything’s going well,” or did not offer any suggestions.  The suggestions that were offered were hard to categorize, as there were very few patterns.  Several families also qualified their suggestions with statements like “…but we understand the situation we’re in.”  Suggestions that could be categorized with more than one respondent were the following, but they only represent a total of 35 responses:

• Continued social emotional support/lessons
• More student interaction
• Being able to play/socialize with friends
• More movement
• More communication
• If COVID were gone, and we could just get back to normal
• Keeping school open
• Ventilation (but also cold)
• Better computer connections
• Lunch
• Just keep up vigilance
• Sports

Most respondents (90%) are satisfied or very satisfied with our current COVID-19 safety measures/precautions.  A common sentiment is captured in the following comment:  “I think the school is handling the rules and restrictions very well.  I don’t think kids notice too much, and they understand why things have to be a certain way.”

As winter approaches, about 18% said there are additional COVID-19 safety measures/precautions that they think we should take.  Only three suggestions were mentioned by more than one family, however:  requiring masks more often, taking temperatures, and handwashing more often.

Fall Celebrations on October 30th

We will have our annual black/orange dress day on Friday, October 30th.  Students may be out of uniform if they are wearing black and/or orange, but they do still need to follow the out of uniform guidelines in our handbook.

Look for communication from your child’s teacher regarding details for other ways of celebrating.  One of the big things we are trying to avoid is kids passing out things to other kids, and teachers have options that they can share with you.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences will be November 2nd from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. and November 5th from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 -8:00 p.m.  There are no classes on November 5th and 6th.  ECLC is open those days.

We will use SignUp Genius to schedule PS-5th grade conferences.  The scheduling intervals will be 20 minutes, but conferences will not be longer than 15 minutes, allowing time for cleaning in between guests.  For in person conferences, face coverings are required, and participants will be seated 6-12 feet apart.  Those waiting will be required to stay on a black “dot” in our hallways or other marking on the floor in other locations.  If you want to do the conference via Zoom, you will need to indicate it in SignUp Genius so the teacher knows to send you an invitation with a link.  Look for the SignUp Genius link in the near future.

Sixth-8th grade and specials conferences will be “drop in” but scattered throughout the building so those waiting are apart from one another.  Within each conferencing area/room, we will use multiple tables/seats for parents so we can have one set of seats drying from disinfectant while another spot is being used.  Face coverings are required, and participants will be seated 6-12 feet apart.  If parents want a Zoom conference instead of a face-to-face meeting, these will have to be scheduled separately, and teachers will post these “taken” times outside of their doors and/or communicate it through other means.  Due to the higher number of students that upper grade teachers have, conferences will be less than 15 minutes.  At this time, we are planning on using the following locations for upper grade and specials conferences:

• Mrs. Kubalsky (6th-8th):  Room 206 (her room)
• Mrs. Nicoletto (6th and 6th-8th Spanish):  Room 207 (her room)
• Mrs. Thomas (6th):  Room 203 (her room)
• Mr. Connors and Mrs. VanSpeybroeck:  Room 215 (music room)
• Mr. Ryan:  Room 212 (art room)
• Mrs. Tilkens:  Cafeteria
• Ms. Burken (7th):  Cafeteria
• Mrs. Whelchel (7th/8th):  Gym
• Mrs. Lundquist (8th):  Gym

Online JFK Spirit Store

Click HERE for the online JFK spirit store developed by Home & School

COVID Related 

The bad news:

• COVID-19 numbers hit two daily record highs in Scott County within the last four days.  There were 89 cases on Thursday and 92 then on Saturday.  I think it was about 2-3 Principal’s Posts ago when I said the average number of cases was in the mid-30s.  Looking at the most recent graph, I think the Scott County 14 day moving average is now over 50 cases per day.
• The 14 day positivity rate calculation used by the Department of Education for Scott County was at 6.6% when school started.  That is, just under 7% of the COVID tests taken came back negative.  It is now at 9.6%, even up from 8.7% on 10/13.
• According to the CDC’s document regarding the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools (see the link below), the risk of transmission in Scott County schools as of 10/13/2020 is in the highest and higher levels of risk according to the number of new cases per 100,000 population (335 per 100,000), positivity rate (8.7%), and percent change in number of new cases per 100,000 (13%).  Our percentage of hospital beds used is still at the  lowest risk level (65%), but the percent of hospital beds being used for COVID patients (12%) has risen to the moderate risk level.  Doug Cropper, President and CEO of Genesis Health System, in fact, indicated on Thursday that they are getting nervous about the rising numbers and the potential to overwhelm the hospital system, which would lead to curtailing elective and other,  even needed, services.

CDC indicators, thresholds of COVID transmission in schools

The good news:

• While COVID-19 seems to be all around us, it is not in high numbers in our Catholic schools – yet.
• JFK’s cumulative positivity rate since the beginning of the school year is 2.8%, and our 14 day moving average positivity rate is 0.0%

Most situations involving COVID are not the “super spreader” events you hear about in the news.  Rather, they are small gatherings of family and close friends or work-related situations.  We cannot let our guard down.  I would encourage everyone to proceed as if COVID-19 were everywhere.  Wear your mask, practice social distancing, use good face/hand hygiene, and stay home when ill.

Flu Shots

Free flu shots will be offered to students through the Genesis Flu-Free QC program on Thursday.  The consent form must be completed online by Tuesday:  https://www.genesishealth.com/giving/projects–events/flu-free-quad-cities/student-flu-vaccine-consent–release-form/

First Reconciliation

There will be a sign up for First Reconciliation sent home later this week for two options:  December 3 at 6:00 p.m. or December 5 at 10:30 a.m.

Trunk or Treat

Trunk or Treat is being held in the OLV/JFK parking lot after the 4:30 Mass on October 24th.  Unlike years past, there is no food being served in the building.  Everything will be outdoors.  Please observe social distancing, the wearing of face coverings (costume masks likely are not good enough), etc.

Handbook Sign-Off

Please read the parent and student handbook, available HERE, and on our website: https://www.olvjfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JFK-Parent-and-Student-Policy-Handbook-2020-21.pdf.  Then, print off the last page, sign it, and return it to the school office — one per family.  Thank you for helping us to reduce our printing costs.

Annual Diocesan Appeal

Families of John F. Kennedy Catholic School are encouraged to consider a pledge to the Annual Diocesan Appeal.  Funds support the work of the diocese, including the training of deacons and new priests, support for our parishes and Catholic schools, charitable works, and the administrative work required to support Catholics within our diocese.  Contributions can be a one-time donation or spread out throughout the year. No amount is too small.

Stay safe!

Chad

Mid-Quarter

The end of the first mid-quarter was late last week.  We hope to email mid-quarter reports to families early this week.

We will also be putting together a survey regarding our COVID mitigation efforts, remote learning this fall, and face-to-face learning experiences.  Look for that survey late this week or early next week.

Online JFK Spirit Store

Click HERE for the online JFK spirit store developed by Home & School

COVID Related 

Our complete Return to Learn Plan and FAQ document continue to available to families.  Please note that both of these documents will continue to be updated as necessary.  Some of the challenges that we are/will be facing are the following:

• Kids/adults get sick even without COVID-19.  I read recently that kids may have as many as eight “colds” per year.  Unfortunately, with so many illnesses having the same symptoms as COVID-19, people are having to get COVID tests and/or be out of school and work more often.  It’s not just that people are being tested more, however, the percent of positive tests is increasing as well in Iowa and Scott County.  Several weeks ago, it was the counties in which UNI, Iowa State, and the University of Iowa are located that were in the news with the highest 14 day positivity rates.  Now, those counties are below the state average and even below many other counties, including Scott County.  Most situations here involving COVID are not the “super spreader” events you hear about in the news.  Rather, they are small gatherings of family and close friends or work-related situations.  We cannot let our guard down.
• As the temperature drops, we can rely less and less upon open windows and fans for ventilation.  Please make sure your students dress in layers and have sweatshirts available for when we can utilize open windows.
• People are like magnets; they are attracted to one another.  Unless we are at our designated spots in classrooms or in the pews at church marked with black dots, we tend to move together.  It’s tough to remember to stay apart from one another.  This week we’ll try a few additional steps at recesses, particularly the longer lunch recesses, to try to help kids stay farther apart from each other.

Since school began, JFK has had between 1 and 5 positive COVID cases among students and staff.  There have, of course, been more students and staff who have been tested and/or who have had to quarantine.  I would encourage everyone to proceed as if COVID-19 were everywhere.  Wear your mask, practice social distancing, use good face/hand hygiene, and stay home when ill.

Flu Shots

Did you get your flu shot yet?  I got mine a week ago.  JFK will be participating in the Genesis Flu-Free QC program again this year to offer free flu shots to students.  We do not yet have the details, however.

Handbook Sign-Off

Please read the parent and student handbook, available HERE, and on our website: https://www.olvjfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JFK-Parent-and-Student-Policy-Handbook-2020-21.pdf.  Then, print off the last page, sign it, and return it to the school office — one per family.  Thank you for helping us to reduce our printing costs.

Substitutes Needed

All of our Catholic schools are in need of substitutes.  Not only do staff members get sick, possibly have to quarantine, or have an emergency plumbing need at their homes, they also have their own children who get sick, have to quarantine, etc.  Our conversation, again, at this week’s principal’s meeting was that it probably won’t be the number of absent kids that forces grade level/building closure; it’ll be the number of staff members out.  We’ve been tested pretty well at JFK on a couple of recent days.  We’ve had five staff members gone on one day, and seven on another afternoon.  Thankfully, they weren’t all classroom teachers, and we were able to adjust everyone’s schedules to accommodate the absences.  That may not always be the case, however.

You do not need a teaching degree to work as a substitute.  A minimum of an associate’s degree may be enough to qualify.  The process to become a substitute teacher includes completion of a 15-20 hour workshop, multiple background checks, and applications with the Iowa Board of Education Examiners and JFK.  Workshops are being held almost every week throughout the state, and many of them are virtual so geography does not need to be a limiting factor.

Recognizing the need for substitute teachers, JFK’s board has authorized a $450 bonus at the pay period following the fifth day of substituting at JFK to the first five people to take advantage of this offer. The bonus will essentially cover the workshop fee, license application fee, background check fee, and pay an amount for the workshop time.  Substitutes make $12.39 per hour. or about $96 per day.

If you are interested in being a substitute, please contact me and/or the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency at 563-359-1371.

Annual Diocesan Appeal

Families of John F. Kennedy Catholic School are encouraged to consider a pledge to the Annual Diocesan Appeal.  Funds support the work of the diocese, including the training of deacons and new priests, support for our parishes and Catholic schools, charitable works, and the administrative work required to support Catholics within our diocese.  Contributions can be a one-time donation or spread out throughout the year. No amount is too small.

Dress Code Change

At the October board meeting, the board passed a motion stating that the following applies now to males as well as females:  No more than 2 post earrings in each ear.  No dangle or hoop earrings.  No tattoos and body piercing other than the ears.

Dueling Radio Stations

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard dueling radio stations.  On Saturday, I was staining part of our fence, and my neighbor was painting something in her garage.  We both had “old-fashioned” radios with dial in tuners playing different stations.  No headphones, no ear buds, no Spotify, no YouTube Music, not even digital tuning….  I wonder if kids today will even know what a radio station is.

Chad

Online JFK Spirit Store

Click HERE or use the following link/url for the new online JFK spirit store developed by Home & School:  https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstores.inksoft.com%2Fjfk_home%2Fshop%2Fhome%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3UJvjCoWOyt7L45gsY_YOmu8wOkEPOIYN0zUubZmT67uQgoSMaLW-GaO8&h=AT2mrL0W7OJ04cgGBXA1tREicByHWrgmc3HZCTV13d-ofYt4QV-t0crXk3dtR1mvYBU0DoPamBn5vRmL1k0J_aQzy7UzcNtuEUgxZ5GPmbfjNef-RI1mZPSjYwCsx6JAHKV8&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT2OZPjNRvmaAJ-XckxWSYf6Cfj7b9SyruYXIV4rqt39Sq0-yIU2ZJVJktlm0k1UmMMz0jthhfNzz6lc2UVWJFGLpCxInl89qVmajIVxa_sZ9vz-TAMsKpg5TYWcDj8urIQdvG7b6pOwybeMr1rOx6TMXMbqBG4lw2x7rkbXs_roPkje_igVWPt9xGN1zzhcGAnMlx_8Gfdr1qbK

Updates to COVID Documents: Frequently Asked Questions and Return to Learn Plan 

Updates were made to our COVID document Frequently Asked Questions last week, and updates continue to be made to our complete Return to Learn Plan on a regular basis.  Please note that both of these documents will continue to be updated as necessary.  The more significant changes in the documents are highlighted.  I believe the updated areas of more interest are the following:

• When do students become short-term remote learners?
  • An anticipated absence of at least three days
• “Sick” kids and special COVID-19 considerations
  • What does it meant to be sick?
  • What if that “sickness” also involves COVID-19 symptoms?
• Communications regarding cases
  • COVID-19 is within Davenport and Scott County.  Every week, school administrators meet with representatives from the Scott County Health Department.  The COVID numbers are not good.  Back in May, Scott County was averaging under 30 cases per week.  Since mid-September, Scott County is averaging over 30 cases per day.
  • Since school began, JFK has had between 1 and 5 positive cases among students and staff.  There have, of course, been more students and staff who have been tested and/or who have had to quarantine.  I would encourage people to proceed as if COVID-19 were everywhere.  Wear your mask, practice social distancing, use good face/hand hygiene, and stay home when ill.
  • The below is copied from our Return to Learn Plan for your convenience.
  • “Communication will be made with the Scott County Health Department regarding any staff or students who test positive for COVID-19.  JFK will cooperate with the health department for all contact tracing steps.  Decisions about the types of notifications, quarantining, etc. will be made with the guidance of the health department, who will likely also be calling the person who tested positive or their parents.  As with many situations, general statements to all families may be made, but family privacy will be maintained:
    • The infected person’s identity will remain confidential as well as information that would allow the person to be identified.  This confidentiality will be done to the extent possible, but we must also recognize that we are a small community.  While school officials will not break that confidentiality, people can often “figure it out” on their own.
    • In order to help keep the community informed and protect students’ privacy, the Department of Education has released on September 16, 2020:
      • Release case counts only when there are 100 or more total students in the student population at a location
      • Schools that have no cases can report zero cases
      • Schools with counts of 6 or more cases can release specific case counts
      • Schools with 5 or fewer cases should not provide a specific count, but can confirm there are cases within the school population
      • No other demographic identifiers should be included in the school-level release
    • Based upon DE guidance, there will not be notification to the entire community every time there is a positive case.  
    • Aside from isolation and quarantining, one must proceed as if COVID-19 is in the community.  Mitigation efforts must be utilized.  
    • Note that a positive case will not necessarily lead to a whole class, grade, or the building shutting down or having to quarantine.
    • Because COVID-19 symptoms are similar to many other illnesses, we will not be informing people or taking action just because someone is being tested for COVID-19.  We will wait until results are known.
      • Those who are being tested because they are symptomatic may not come to school until the test results are known, and the below guidance can be followed.  
      • Those who are a close contact of an infectious case must remain quarantined for 14 days, even if their test results are negative.  
      • Those who are being tested due to some other reason do not have the same restrictions and may be in school.  An example might be someone who goes to the doctor/hospital for some other medical procedure, and the standard practice is to test everyone for COVID-19.
      • Those who are not symptomatic and are not close contacts but are being tested for surveillance purposes only may be in school.”

Are You Registered to Receive Text Messages from JFK?

If you are not registered to receive text messages from JFK (primarily families new to JFK and/or preschool), type “Y” or “Yes” to 67587.  You will not receive text messages from JFK if you do not take action yourself.  There is no action required to receive email or phone messages.

Handbook Sign-Off

Please read the parent and student handbook, available HERE, and on our website: https://www.olvjfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/JFK-Parent-and-Student-Policy-Handbook-2020-21.pdf.  Then, print off the last page, sign it, and return it to the school office — one per family.  Thank you for helping us to reduce our printing costs.

Locals Love Us

Time to spread the love.  Vote for JFK:  https://localsloveus.com/quad-cities/campaign/67607/

Substitutes Needed

JFK is in need of substitutes.  Many conversations across districts and schools have focused on having enough staff to staff open.  Not only do staff members get sick, possibly have to quarantine, or have an emergency plumbing need at their homes, they also have their own children who get sick, have to quarantine, etc.

You do not need a teaching degree to work as a substitute.  A minimum of an associate’s degree may be enough to qualify.  The process to become a substitute teacher includes completion of a 15-20 hour workshop, multiple background checks, and applications with the Iowa Board of Education Examiners and JFK.  Workshops are being held almost every week throughout the state, and many of them are virtual so geography does not need to be a limiting factor.

Recognizing the need for substitute teachers, JFK’s board has authorized a $450 bonus at the pay period following the fifth day of substituting at JFK to the first five people to take advantage of this offer. The bonus will essentially cover the workshop fee, license application fee, background check fee, and pay an amount for the workshop time.

If you are interested in being a substitute, please contact me and/or the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency at 563-359-1371.

Annual Diocesan Appeal

Families of John F. Kennedy Catholic School are encouraged to consider a pledge to the Annual Diocesan Appeal.  Funds support the work of the diocese, including the training of deacons and new priests, support for our parishes and Catholic schools, charitable works, and the administrative work required to support Catholics within our diocese.  Contributions can be a one-time donation or spread out throughout the year. No amount is too small.

Protect Young Eyes

Chad