“First Peek” Meeting Regarding ESAs
From SCCS:
Many of you may have already heard something about the Education Savings Account (ESA) law which passed through the Iowa Legislature at the beginning of the 2023 session. This law has significant future implications for all of our Iowa resident K-12 Catholic school families. While the administrative rules are still being developed at the state level, some of you are anxious to learn a bit more about the ESA law, even at this early point. There will be a “first peek” meeting held in the Assumption Auditorium on Wednesday March 29th at 7:00 PM. This meeting is open to all parents. There will be additional meetings in the coming months, once more information becomes available.
How Much Time Does Your Child Spend on Social Media?
A 2022 report by Common Sense Media indicates that children between the ages of 8 and 12 spend about 5 1/2 hours PER DAY on social media. Teenagers spend even more time on social media: a little over 8 1/2 hours PER DAY.
Plant Sale Ends April 1st
Bandit’s First Day!
Even Bandit had his picture taken on his first day of school at JFK! Bandit has begun to meet students, but it will take him several weeks before he meets everyone. I think he’s bonded pretty well with his main handler, Emma Wolf, however. Bandit was sad when he had to stay with me for about a half hour while Mrs. Wolf was involved in something else. He just laid by the door waiting for her to come back!
Rules for interacting with Bandit follow GROWS expectations and the following four steps: Approach, Ask, Pet and Goodbye.
Emma Wolf has created an Amazon list for anyone wishing to help support Bandit with treats, toys, bandanas, and other items that Bandit might need at school: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/B0JIB58UPXPO?ref_=wl_share
Gala is Sneaking up on Us
The 2023 OLV/JFK Gala is sneaking up on us. It’s April 15th. Celebrate the completion of your taxes! Proceeds above the normal budgeted amount will go toward new playground equipment out back.
K-8 Pre-Registration Process for 2023-24
- All preschool, kindergarten, and returning families will need to enter information through the pre-registration/application survey. A QR Code and link/url are available on the front page of our website. Submissions are time/date stamped. For those unable to complete the pre-registration/application survey online, physical copies will be available at school.
- Pay the registration fee for K-8, three year old preschool, or “non-qualifying” four/five year old preschool OR the extra time fee for an “IA preschool” four year old preschool. The registration fee is regularly $125 per PK-12 student for a maximum of $375 per family. If paid prior to April 1st, the early bird amount is $100 per PK-12 student for a maximum of $300 per family. The extra time fee for four year old preschoolers is $250 per child. These fees can be paid online by following the link in the pre-registration/application survey. You can also go directly just to this payment link, without having to pre-register your child, which is especially handy if you already pre-registered but did not make the payment initially. Scroll down to the one time payment option to pay registration or extra time fees. Checks can also be made payable to JFK and sent to the school office.
- A non-qualifying preschooler is a non-Iowa resident or student who turns 5 on or before Sept 15th. Tuition is charged for this student, and there is a registration fee. There is no extra time fee.
- Complete a more detailed online process. This process will most likely be available in March.
As we move through the registration process, it is important that families be up-to-date in their payments of tuition and ECLC and other fees. Families who are not up-to-date will not be in the highest priority enrollment group and may not even be able to finalize their registration.
Tuition rates for K-12 have not yet been finalized for 2023-24 as we are still waiting for state guidance regarding Educational Savings Accounts. One of the most often asked questions in relation to ESAs is if tuition will be raised to the $7,600 amount available in an ESA. The answer is no. You can expect more modest tuition increases. The 2022-23 tuition rate for a parish supported child was $4,170 and $6,170 for a non-parish supported child. Please note that the average cost per pupil for a child in a SCCS elementary school is over $8,000. The difference between cost per pupil and tuition is made up by parish subsidy and fund-raising/donations.
Scott County Catholic School tuition rates for preschool, with or without wraparound care, have been set. They are in the linked document: Preschool Tuition Rates JFK
Note that there are now more options at JFK for preschool and wraparound care options. Taking account of all of the wraparound care offered, there are at least 17 preschool options available at JFK next year, including some new ones. Also note that ECLC is now considered wraparound care in SCCS and not billed separately from tuition. (No more weekly ECLC bills!)
Middle School Position, with Math Emphasis, Open for 2023-24
JFK is seeking a middle school, primarily math, teacher for 2023-24. Mrs. Clark will be moving back to Utah where family resides. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, resume, copy/link of one’s Iowa license, and list of references to chad.steimle@olvjfkmail.com. More information is on TeachIowa.gov
Highlighted Events
See the calendars on our website for more complete information as the below are only some of the highlights.
- Mar 27: First Communion Preparation Event
- Mar 29: 8th Gr Band Students to Blue Man Group. Two hour Early Dismissal (12:40). End of 3rd Qtr. No Pm Preschool Classes.
- Apr 1: Plant Sale Orders Due
- Apr 2: Palm Sunday. Ignite Sunday.
- Apr 6: Holy Thursday school activities, 8:55
- Apr 7: Good Friday. No School/No ECLC.
- Apr 9: Easter
- Apr 10: Easter Monday. No School/No ECLC
- Apr 11: 7th to Finance Park
- Apr 14: Kickball tournament
- Apr 15: Gala
Childhood Flashback
I had a childhood flashback last week. On Thursday, I was joking with Ms. Epping that I might need her help someday as she was helping a first grader with a stuck zipper on his coat. Well, Friday morning I put my coat on and zipped it up. It got about 3/4 of the way up and stopped — stuck. I couldn’t do anything with it. I trudged upstairs to ask my wife for help. She wrestled with it for a little bit and asked, of course, the obvious question that took me back to my childhood, “What did you do to this thing?” My answer was equally reminiscent of my childhood, “I don’t know! I didn’t do anything! I just zipped it up!” Thankfully, she was able to help me get my coat off over my head and was able to fix the zipper. I put my coat back on and zipped it up, and my wife patted me on the back and sent me off to school. I felt like such a little kid again!
Cooking Shows
I don’t know why I occasionally watch cooking shows. I’m not going to take notes so I can use the tips later. I never have any of the ingredients they use on the shows, and I usually don’t even know what half of the ingredients are. I’m not going to have a surprise ingredient. I’m not going to yell, “Time’s up!” and step away from the food whether it’s done or not. I’m not going to battle my wife to see who can cook something better. I just don’t know why I watch cooking shows. I can “nuke” a hotdog quite well in the microwave, thank you.
Chad
