Principal’s Post for March 27, 2022

Formal Registration for K-8 Has Begun

Tuition contracts for K-8 were mailed to families late last week.  The return of the tuition contract and the registration fee, discounted for OLV parishioners and returning families from $150 to $100 per student when returned before April, is the formal enrollment process for 2022-23.

Please contact the school office right away, if you missed Kindergarten Round-up and kindergarten pre-registration.  We don’t want to miss sending you a tuition contract for next year!

Pre-school and Daycare Registration

Registration for all sections of 3 year old preschool, 4/5 year old preschool, and ECLC is underway for all families.  Morning classes fill up quickly, in particular, so do not delay PS registration.

See the  K, pre-school, daycare roundup flyer, 2022

Upcoming Events

  • April 1:  Two hour early dismissal (12:45).  End of 3rd quarter.  No afternoon PS
  • April 7:  5/6 Spring Show, 6:30
  • April 11:  SCCS 8th grade mixer
  • April 14:   Holy Thursday school activities, 1:20
  • April 15:  Good Friday.  No classes.  ECLC closed
  • April 17:  Easter Sunday
  • April 18:  Easter Monday.  No classes.  ECLC closed

Leaps & Bounds

Registration for our free sessions of summer Leaps & Bounds began last week.  Please refer to the email from Kitty Temming.  Registration is first-come, first-served.  With two classes running simultaneously for the three sessions, we have 90 spots available, and half of them are already filled.

COVID Comments

Please continue to take care of yourselves and your family.  We haven’t seen an increase in COVID numbers yet this spring, but we’re not entirely out of the woods yet.  COVID guidance continues to emphasize the following strategies:

    • Recommending vaccination, including boosters, for all eligible
    • Optional masking, particularly indoors and/or in crowded settings and when the vaccination status of others is unknown
    • Ventilation
    • Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
    • Staying home when sick and getting tested
      • Physical distancing and masking are important here too as they are, or perhaps should be, for any other airborne illness
    • Close contacts taking precautions, including some physical distancing and masking, to not only protect themselves but also so they do not become asymptomatic spreaders

Ignite Sundays

See below for the list of IGNITE Sundays.  There is no cost or registration required to participate. Come to as many of the opportunities listed below as you are able on IGNITE Sundays.  Families are encouraged to participate together.  There are small group activities and family activities at each session.

Typical schedule for IGNITE Sundays:

  • 4:30-5:30pm Mass
  • 5:35-6:05pm Meal in the Parish Center
  • 6:10-7:15pm Group Gatherings

Ignite Sundays:

  • April 10:  Family: The foundation of society
  • April 24: What does God want me to do?

Civic Oration Topic:  Inspirational Persons

As I mentioned to the 4th-8th graders gathered to watch the final round of our civic oration competition, all of the 5th-8th graders inspire me just by being able to give public speeches at their ages.  I know I couldn’t do it.  When I was in 2nd grade, we did a “big” show:  The Circus.  I had an important role as the ringmaster.  (Imagine that!)  By the time I was in 6th grade at my K-6 school, however, I had lost my confidence and tried to avoid public speaking.  Our big play was Robin Hood.  I didn’t even bother trying out for the large roles of Robin Hood, Little John, or Friar Tuck.  I played a guard.  I had no speaking lines!  EVERY student in 5th-8th grade at JFK inspires me because every one of them gives their civic oration speeches.

Some students do win our competition as well.  Results are below for first, second, and third places:

5th/6th grade division:  Caitlyn C., Natalie S., and Ava W.

7th/8th grade division:  Marissa B., Julia M., and Adam W.

Our judges have a tough job, and we’d like to thank them:  Andy Burman, Monica Flathman, Fr. Jake Greiner, Aaron Gunnare, Kaye Meyers, and Kitty Temming.

Chad

Principal’s Post for March 20, 2022

Formal Registration for K-8 Begins this Week

Tuition contracts for K-8 will be mailed to families this week.  The return of the tuition contract and the registration fee, discounted for OLV parishioners and returning families from $150 to $100 per student when returned before April, is the formal enrollment process for 2022-23.

Please contact the school office right away, if you missed Kindergarten Round-up and kindergarten pre-registration.  We don’t want to miss sending you a tuition contract for next year!

Pre-school and Daycare Registration

Registration for all sections of 3 year old preschool, 4/5 year old preschool, and ECLC is underway for all families.  Morning classes fill up quickly, in particular, so do not delay PS registration.

See the  K, pre-school, daycare roundup flyer, 2022

Position Change and Opening for Next School Year

We are pleased to announce that Ethan Connors will assume the position of Assistant Principal/Director of Special Programs in the 2022-23 school year.  Ethan has taught band at JFK since 2013 and has served on the Building Leadership Team/Professional Development Team for the last several years.  He also completed his administrative internship at JFK several years ago.  As a member of our Gospel Values/School Climate committee, he has statistically analyzed parents’ and teachers’ survey data and examined open-ended question responses to provide meaning to the raw numbers.  He has become immersed in the minutia of schools, like scheduling and providing coverage when short-staffed, and he can also see the broader picture of Catholic school education.  Ethan Connors is an asset to the school and will be in his new position as well.

Band Position:  Our middle school band position is open for next school year.  An Iowa teaching license with a K-8 or 5-12 music endorsement, or the ability to obtain one of the endorsements within a year or two, is required.  Interested parties should contact me at chad.steimle@olvjfkmail.com.

Upcoming Events

  • Mar 21:  Classes resume
  • Mar 22:  Penny War for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation begins
  • Mar 24:  Final round of civic oration
  • Mar 25:  Dress in your favorite color day
  • Mar 26:  Confirmation retreat (8-11 with sponsors or a parent)
  • April 1:  Two hour early dismissal (12:45).  End of 3rd quarter.  No afternoon PS
  • April 15:  Good Friday.  No classes.  ECLC closed
  • April 17:  Easter Sunday
  • April 18:  Easter Monday.  No classes.  ECLC closed

COVID Comments

The vast majority of our remaining COVID mitigation strategies will be removed by the time we come back from spring break.  More noticeable changes are mentioned below:

  • Masses are back to “normal” including the requirement that Catholics attend Mass on the weekend.
  • One all school Mass on Wednesdays at 7:40 a.m. will be restored.  Arriving at school on time will be even more critical on Wednesdays as students who arrive late may find that their class has already left for the church.  Singing will return to Masses, but students as song leaders will take a while longer.  (They haven’t sung at school Masses for over almost two years!)
  • Any seating arrangement without regard to the physical distancing that had been used for COVID mitigation will be allowed in school.  (Tables for preschoolers will not likely return until we can figure out where to store the 60 desks that would have to come out of classrooms.)
  • Rugs in preschool, ECLC, and kindergarten, in particular, will return, and students can be gathered together on them for instruction and story time.
  • Singing will more regularly be a part of music classes.  A more regular spring show and 7/8 grade spring showcase will return.
  • Clear partitions have been removed in the cafeteria, art  room, library, and resource rooms.
  • Zig-zag seating with an open seat between students in the cafeteria is no longer required in grades 1-8.
  • The exclusion of students from school due to illnesses returns to the normal procedures outlined in our regular handbook.  (Kids still should not be at school when they are sick and not feeling well.)  There will be no more discussion of COVID “high risk” or two or more “low risk” symptoms.  COVID-19 itself has been entered on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) longer list of illnesses for which exclusion is required, and the 5 with or 10 day without mask exclusions still apply.
  • Notification letters regarding a positive case of COVID in a homeroom will end.  There are very few illnesses on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s list that require notification.  COVID is not one of them.
  • Large assemblies will return, as opportunities arise.  The Scott County Catholic Schools’ Mass at AHS for grades 2-12 is scheduled for April.
  • Field trips are returning.
  • Water fountains will be turned back on once our supply of bottled water is at a more reasonable level for storage.  We still have about 140 cases (a pallet and a half) and are distributing about three cases worth of bottles each day.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and your family.  It is possible that we will see another slight increase in COVID numbers after spring break like we did last year.  COVID guidance that we have been receiving lately seems to emphasize the following strategies:

    • Recommending vaccination, including boosters, for all eligible
    • Optional masking, particularly indoors and/or in crowded settings and when the vaccination status of others is unknown
    • Ventilation
    • Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
    • Staying home when sick and getting tested
      • Physical distancing and masking are important here too as they are, or perhaps should be, for any other airborne illness
    • Close contacts taking precautions, including some physical distancing and masking, to not only protect themselves but also so they do not become asymptomatic spreaders

Ignite Sundays

See below for the list of IGNITE Sundays.  There is no cost or registration required to participate. Come to as many of the opportunities listed below as you are able on IGNITE Sundays.  Families are encouraged to participate together.  There are small group activities and family activities at each session.

Typical schedule for IGNITE Sundays:

  • 4:30-5:30pm Mass
  • 5:35-6:05pm Meal in the Parish Center
  • 6:10-7:15pm Group Gatherings

Ignite Sundays:

  • April 10:  Family: The foundation of society
  • April 24: What does God want me to do?

Changes in Weather – How Many Jackets?

When there are changes in the weather around here, people always say that it’s Iowa, and one should just wait a few hours.  Iowa’s weather, however, is nothing compared to the weather along Lake Michigan in the Milwaukee area where I grew up.  As storms would move across the country from west to east, they would also swirl clockwise, and we’d have lake effect snow with moisture being picked up from the lake even though we were on the west side of the lake.  We’d also face 20 degree or more changes in temperatures within minutes when the wind shifted and would come from the east across the lake.  What we needed in the morning as we walked to school was often not what was needed at recess time or after school.   We learned to dress in layers and always have jackets available, even tying them around our waists, if need be.   In our family, we rarely talked about the weather in terms of the temperature.  We talked about it in terms of the jackets or sleeves.  What’s the weather supposed to be today?

  • Short sleeves
  • Long sleeves
  • Light jacket
  • Two jackets with your light sweatshirt jacket
  • Two jackets with your insulated sweatshirt jacket
  • Winter jacket

At Marquette University in Milwaukee and the University of Chicago, where I earned my BA and first MA, you could always tell those who grew up along Lake Michigan from those who didn’t.  When the wind shifted, those who grew up along the lake would just pull out another jacket.  Those who didn’t grow up in the area would run indoors because they were so cold.  Amateurs!

Chad

Principal’s Post for March 13, 2022

Kitty Temming:  60 Years with Catholic Schools

Not having attended kindergarten, because that would have meant going to a public school for a year in her Indiana hometown, Kitty Temming began her journey with Catholic schools in first grade.  For sixty years now, she has been intimately involved in Catholic schools as a student, teacher, administrator, parent, and even grandparent.  At the end of this school year, she will be retiring.

I first learned of Kitty’s contribution to Catholic school education in our area when she was the principal at Lourdes in Bettendorf in the early 1990s, and I was teaching at Assumption.  Some of our beginning-of-the-year in-services used to be held in Lourdes gym.  Everything, of course, was meticulously well-organized by Kitty’s team and led to a great kick-off for the school year.

In 1997, Kitty began teaching at JFK, after having stepped down from Lourdes to focus more on her daughters for a few years.  In the 2000-01 school year, Kitty served as both teacher and interim principal of JFK when the principal of the time experienced several health challenges.  When I arrived in 2001, I was a bit intimidated by her.  I was a “rookie” principal, and she was an experienced principal and had experience at JFK too.  What would she think of me?  Would she be scrutinizing everything I did?  I soon realized that I had nothing to fear, or she was at least polite enough to not let me know how poorly I was probably really doing!  Kitty became a trusted “teacher voice” for me.  She didn’t always tell me what I wanted to hear, but she, thankfully, told me what I needed to hear in a way that wasn’t demoralizing but rather motivating and led to a better school.

In July 2014, JFK added the position of assistant principal/director of special programs, and I approached Kitty because you should always surround yourself with people better than you.  Her knowledge of Catholic school education as both a teacher and administrator and her institutional knowledge of OLV and JFK were invaluable.  For the past eight years, Kitty has been a force to manage the increasingly complex world of education.  From preschool to Title services for students and from standardized testing to instructional services provided by aides, everything in education seems to be getting more and more complex.  Kitty has tackled it all to help things continue to run smoothly.  When the State of Iowa split 3 year old preschool, ECLC, and aftercare from under the direction of the Department of Education and moved it to the Department of Human Services, Kitty was there to make sure our accreditation and licensure processes ran smoothly.  Every year we hear from a DHS childcare licensing consultant and from the Department of Public Health how well-organized our records and processes are and what an exemplar JFK is due to Kitty’s diligence.

Working with Kitty over the years has made so many of us better educators.  She has always been someone with whom one can confide and trust to look out for the best interests of students and staff.   Mentor to so many over the years in Catholic school education and for the last 25 years at JFK, in particular, we are so grateful to Kitty for her service.  We wish her well in retirement.

Civic Oration Speeches Rounds 1 and 2 Concluded Last Week

The culminating academic activity of the year, civic oration speeches, began last week.  Students in grades 5-8 took their their research papers and presented them in memorized speeches.  This year, students also made their presentations while using a slide deck.  (Who does public speaking these days without slides?!)  While not every student advances to subsequent rounds in the competition phase of civic oration, every student does participate in this talented and gifted activity.

There are two divisions in the competition aspect of civic oration:  5/6 and 7/8.

Students who advanced from the first round of competition in the 5/6 division were the following:

5th grade:  Anthony C., Caitlyn C., Kaitlyn E., Cooper P., Evelyn S., and McKenna T.

6th grade:  Hailey E., Noah F., Leia P., Natalie S., AvaMae W., and Haley W.

7th grade:  Maggie A., Marissa B., Cayden F., Payten P., Julia M., and Ava S.

8th grade:  Ben A., Bryce E., Olivia F., Brooklyn M., Aubrey R., and Adam W.

Advancing to the final round of competition:

5th/6th:  Caitlyn, Cooper, Evelyn, Natalie, McKenna, and AvaMae

7th/8th:  Maggie, Marissa, Cayden, Julia, Aubrey, and Adam

Formal Registration for K-8 Begins the Week of March 21

Tuition contracts for K-8 will be mailed to families the week of March 21st.  The return of the tuition contract and the registration fee, discounted for OLV parishioners and returning families from $150 to $100 per student when returned before April, is the formal enrollment process for 2022-23.

Please contact the school office right away, if you missed Kindergarten Round-up and kindergarten pre-registration.  We don’t want to miss sending you a tuition contract for next year!

Pre-school and Daycare Registration

Registration for all sections of 3 year old preschool, 4/5 year old preschool, and ECLC is underway for all families.  Morning classes fill up quickly, in particular, so do not delay PS registration.

See the  K, pre-school, daycare roundup flyer, 2022

Upcoming Events

  • Mar 14-18:  Spring Break.  No classes.  ECLC is open.
  • Mar 15:  Keith Nester — Lenten speaker:  What is Great about Being Catholic (6:30 p.m. in the church)
  • Mar 21:  Classes resume
  • Mar 22:  Penny War for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation begins
  • Mar 24:  Final round of civic oration
  • Mar 25:  Dress in your favorite color day
  • Mar 26:  Confirmation retreat (8-11 with sponsors or a parent)

COVID Data and Comments

Below is a link to a .pdf file that shows several graphs for Scott County and JFK.  Below are also some comments related to the pandemic:

COVID Data, March 11, 2022

  • There were, again, no students or staff testing positive for COVID last week.

The vast majority of our remaining COVID mitigation strategies will be removed by the time we come back from spring break.  More noticeable changes are mentioned below:

  • Masses are back to “normal” including the requirement that Catholics attend Mass on the weekend.
  • One all school Mass on Wednesdays at 7:40 a.m. will be restored.  Arriving at school on time will be even more critical on Wednesdays as students who arrive late may find that their class has already left for the church.  Singing will return to Masses, but students as song leaders will take a while longer.  (They haven’t sung at school Masses for over almost two years!)
  • Any seating arrangement without regard to the physical distancing that had been used for COVID mitigation will be allowed in school.  (Tables for preschoolers will not likely return until we can figure out where to store the 60 desks that would have to come out of classrooms.)
  • Rugs in preschool, ECLC, and kindergarten, in particular, will return, and students can be gathered together on them for instruction and story time.
  • Singing will more regularly be a part of music classes.  A more regular spring show and 7/8 grade spring showcase will return.
  • Clear partitions have been removed in the cafeteria, art  room, library, and resource rooms.
  • Zig-zag seating with an open seat between students in the cafeteria is no longer required in grades 1-8.
  • The exclusion of students from school due to illnesses returns to the normal procedures outlined in our regular handbook.  (Kids still should not be at school when they are sick and not feeling well.)  There will be no more discussion of COVID “high risk” or two or more “low risk” symptoms.  COVID-19 itself has been entered on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) longer list of illnesses for which exclusion is required, and the 5 with or 10 day without mask exclusions still apply.
  • Notification letters regarding a positive case of COVID in a homeroom will end.  There are very few illnesses on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s list that require notification.  COVID is not one of them.
  • Large assemblies will return, as opportunities arise.  The Scott County Catholic Schools’ Mass at AHS for grades 2-12 is scheduled for April.
  • Field trips are returning.
  • Water fountains will be turned back on once our supply of bottled water is at a more reasonable level for storage.  We still have about 140 cases (a pallet and a half) and are distributing about three cases worth of bottles each day.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and your family.  COVID guidance that we have been receiving lately seems to emphasize the following strategies:

    • Recommending vaccination, including boosters, for all eligible
    • Optional masking, particularly indoors and/or in crowded settings and when the vaccination status of others is unknown
    • Ventilation
    • Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
    • Staying home when sick and getting tested
      • Physical distancing and masking are important here too as they are, or perhaps should be, for any other airborne illness
    • Close contacts taking precautions, including some physical distancing and masking, to not only protect themselves but also so they do not become asymptomatic spreaders

Ignite Sundays

See below for the list of IGNITE Sundays.  There is no cost or registration required to participate. Come to as many of the opportunities listed below as you are able on IGNITE Sundays.  Families are encouraged to participate together.  There are small group activities and family activities at each session.

Typical schedule for IGNITE Sundays:

  • 4:30-5:30pm Mass
  • 5:35-6:05pm Meal in the Parish Center
  • 6:10-7:15pm Group Gatherings

Ignite Sundays:

  • March 20:  “I hunger” Eucharist
  • April 10:  Family: The foundation of society
  • April 24: What does God want me to do?

 

Chad

Principal’s Post for March 5, 2022

Civic Oration Speeches Rounds 1 and 2 This Week

The culminating academic activity of the year, civic oration speeches, begins this week.  Students in grades 5-8 have taken their research papers and will present them in memorized speeches.  This year, students will be making their presentations while also using a slide deck.  (Who does public speaking these days without slides?!)  While not every student will advance to subsequent rounds in the competition phase of civic oration, every student does participate in this talented and gifted activity.

Junior Achievement Needs Volunteers for JFK Programs

Seventh grade was able to participate in JA’s Finance Park, a culminating activity at JA’s downtown facility, due to the gracious time of several volunteers and some creative scheduling of staff at school.  There are other JA programs at JFK that need volunteers, including those on the flyer below.

These programs typically involve someone coming into a class to lead a 30-60 minute session about once per week using the materials provided by JA.  Seldom is the JA volunteer a parent of a student in a particular grade/homeroom.    For more information, contact Monica at monica.telschow@ja.org.  See also jaheartland.org for information about JA in general.

Kindergarten Round-up and Pre-registration

Please contact the school office right away, if you missed Kindergarten Round-up and pre-registration.  These pre-registration figures are used to help determine whether or not there will be one section or two sections next year and/or how many classroom aides we’ll need.

Pre-school and Daycare Registration

Registration for all sections of 3 year old preschool, 4/5 year old preschool, and ECLC is underway for all families.  Morning classes fill up quickly, in particular, so do not delay PS registration.

See the  K, pre-school, daycare roundup flyer, 2022

Upcoming Events

  • Mar 7:  Civic Oration 5th-8th grade level rounds.  Music boosters (6:30 p.m. staff room in front entry)
  • Mar 8:  Student Council Supply Store open
  • Mar 9:  AHS and 3rd grade Lenten activity
  • Mar 10:  Civic Oration round two
  • Mar 11:  Green/white out of uniform dress day.  Guest speakers for grades 6-8 in relation to Blessed Carlos Acutis, a teen who passed away at the age of 15 and may be on his way to sainthood.  Sacrament of Reconciliation for grades 2-8 during the school day
  • Mar 14-18:  Spring Break.  No classes.  ECLC is open.
  • Mar 15:  Keith Nester — Lenten speaker:  What is Great about Being Catholic (6:30 p.m. in the church)
  • Mar 21:  Classes resume
  • Mar 22:  Penny War for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation begins
  • Mar 24:  Final round of civic oration
  • Mar 25:  Dress in your favorite color day
  • Mar 26:  Confirmation retreat (8-11 with sponsors or a parent)

Campus Facilities Review: The Higher Priority Items for the School

A campus facilities review is beginning at OLV/JFK .  One of the best characteristics of OLV/JFK is it is not afraid to take on capital projects to enhance the campus and adequately maintain it.  Since I’ve been at JFK, there’s probably been around $3 million or more spent on the school.   Some of the next higher priority items for the school include the following, in no particular order.  More details are added this week:

  • Parking lot sealing and striping and concrete work scheduled/contracted already for summer 2022
  • Handicapped parking and access
    • It’s a long way to go from the handicapped parking spots, out to the 42nd Street sidewalk, and in the front doors.  A handicapped/short term visitor parking area on on the same level as the main doors continues to be explored.
  • Window replacements and window screens
    • The 1963 windows were replaced about 20 years ago.  The 1987 windows are now 25 years old.  Several windows have had their double-pane seals go bad, and parts of the windows are foggy.  Window screens take a beating.
  • Playground equipment and surfacing
    • The wood equipment is probably over 40 years old, and pieces have been taken out over the years.  The metal and plastic equipment is about 25 years old.  They are nearing the end of their life cycles.  The certified playground mulch/engineered wood fiber should probably be entirely replaced.  Rough estimates for playground work is probably $125,000 – $160,000 or more.
  • Exterior gym wall repair
    • Brick on the north side of the gym wall that rises above the rest of the school roof, in particular, has deteriorating bricks.  Although identified as an issue nearly a decade ago, other projects have always had higher priority.
  • Flooring replacement cycle
    • We have been without a regular floor replacement cycle for several years.  Of course, we’ve also replaced most floors with longer lasting materials so the need for replacement has been reduced.
  • Warped doors and frames
    • An evaluation of some wall cracks in 2021 did not yield any concerns.  There’s just been some normal settling in 60 years that has led to some cracks and some door frames being out of square.
  • Unused radiator removal and wall repairs
    • With the VRF system, unused radiators can be removed, and walls can be repaired, as needed.
  • Southwest stair repairs
    • Twenty-five years of winter salt in the 1987 addition has led to pocketing on some of the stair treads.
  • Self-closing fire doors
    • All classroom doors and stairwell doors should be outfitted with self-closing fire doors that are connected to the fire alarm system.
  • Ceiling tiles added on lower level and replaced in nearly all other areas of 1963 and 1987 parts of the building
    • It’s not just ceiling tiles.  It’s also adjustments that then need to be made to lights, fire sprinkler heads, etc.  Would we also add sprinklers to areas of the building that do not have them?
  • Additional mechanical ventilation for 2011 additions
    • This ventilation system typically only operates when the A/C is running.
  • Storage for extra classroom furniture, etc. as needs change due to enrollment and as students physically grow over the 9-12 years they might be at JFK
    • Do you know how many different sizes of chairs are needed in a building for kids who are three years old through possibly 14/15 years old?  As cohorts move through the building and/or enrollment fluctuates, we move furniture in/out of classrooms.  The white garage behind the white house is full and structurally leaning.  (During COVID, we’ve also used 2 1/2 of the 4 rectory garage parking stalls in 20-21 and 1 1/2 stalls in 21-22.  We hope to greatly reduce that again over this summer.)

COVID Data and Comments

Below is a link to a .pdf file that shows several graphs for Scott County and JFK.  Below are also some comments related to the pandemic.

COVID Data, March 4, 2022

  • There were no students or staff testing positive for COVID last week.

As I mentioned the possibility in previous Principal’s Posts and shared in Wednesday’s email, the vast majority of our remaining COVID mitigation strategies will be removed by the time we come back from spring break.  We have begun to make some changes already, including the following, which are more noticeable than other changes:

  • Masses can be back to “normal” including the requirement that Catholics attend Mass on the weekend.
  • Clear partitions have been removed in the cafeteria, art  room, library, and resource rooms.
  • Zig-zag seating with an open seat between students in the cafeteria is no longer required in grades 1-8.
  • The exclusion of students from school due to illnesses returns to the normal procedures outlined in our regular handbook.  (Kids still should not be at school when they are sick and not feeling well.)  There will be no more discussion of COVID “high risk” or two or more “low risk” symptoms.  COVID-19 itself has been entered on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) longer list of illnesses for which exclusion is required, and the 5 with or 10 day without mask exclusions still apply.
  • Fire/tornado drills will return to whole school exercises rather than by homeroom exercises.
  • Field trips are returning.

After spring break, the following will be noticeable:

  • Any seating arrangement without regard to the physical distancing that had been used for COVID mitigation can be used in school.  (Tables for preschoolers will not likely return until we can figure out where to store the 60 desks that would have to come out of classrooms.)
  • One all school Mass on Wednesdays at 7:40 a.m. will be restored.  Arriving at school on time will be even more critical on Wednesdays as students who arrive late may find that their class has already left for the church.  Singing will return to Masses, but students as song leaders will take a while longer.  (They haven’t sung at school Masses for over almost two years!)
  • Singing will more regularly be a part of music classes.  A more regular spring show and 7/8 grade spring showcase will return.
  • Large assemblies will return, as opportunities arise.  The Scott County Catholic Schools’ Mass at AHS for grades 2-12 is scheduled for April.
  • Notification letters regarding a positive case of COVID in a homeroom will end.  There are very few illnesses on the IDPH’s list that require notification.  COVID is not one of them.
  • Water fountains will be turned back on once our supply of bottled water is at a more reasonable level for storage.  We still have about 150 cases and are distributing about three cases worth of bottles each day.
  • Dismissal, while still staggered, will be guided by our new bell system rather than PA announcements.
  • Rugs in preschool, ECLC, and kindergarten, in particular, will return as they are cleaned after being stored for two years.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and your family.  COVID guidance that we have been receiving lately seems to emphasize the following strategies:

    • Recommending vaccination, including boosters, for all eligible
    • Optional masking, particularly indoors and/or in crowded settings and when the vaccination status of others is unknown
    • Ventilation
    • Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
    • Staying home when sick and getting tested
      • Physical distancing and masking are important here too as they are, or perhaps should be, for any other airborne illness
    • Close contacts taking precautions, including some physical distancing and masking, to not only protect themselves but also so they do not become asymptomatic spreaders

Ignite Sundays

See below for the list of IGNITE Sundays.  There is no cost or registration required to participate. Come to as many of the opportunities listed below as you are able on IGNITE Sundays.  Families are encouraged to participate together.  There are small group activities and family activities at each session.

Typical schedule for IGNITE Sundays:

  • 4:30-5:30pm Mass
  • 5:35-6:05pm Meal in the Parish Center
  • 6:10-7:15pm Group Gatherings

Ignite Sundays:

  • March 20:  “I hunger” Eucharist
  • April 10:  Family: The foundation of society
  • April 24: What does God want me to do?

 

Chad