JFK GROWS Students of the Month
Each morning, students and teachers at JFK recite the JFK Difference: JFK GROWS. We put God first, use Respectful behaviors, find Opportunities to serve, are Welcoming to all, and make Safe choices. Below are the students being recognized at each grade level who have exhibited these traits particularly well in May:
- Kindergarten: Chloe A.
- Chloe is a joy to have in kindergarten! She always has a smile on her face and loves to learn! She gives 100% all the time and is a great friend to her classmates. She goes out of her way to find opportunities to help her classmates and her teachers.
- 1st Grade: Keeley K.
- Keeley can be depended on to do what she is asked to do. She displays good citizenship by assisting other students. She is respectful of other students in our classroom and the school community.
- 2nd Grade: Annsley W:
- Annsley is a team player. She looks out for her fellow classmates and is a consistent example of the JFK Difference. Annsley is always happy to volunteer and help. She is a great role model for other students.
- 3rd Grade: Peyton R.
- Peyton is a sweet, polite student who goes out of her way to show kindness toward others. She is helpful in class, does a great job of following directions, and tries her best on all of her assignments. Peyton always has a smile on her face when she comes to school and brings a positive, calm energy to a vibrant classroom.
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4th Grade: Alyse R.
- Alyse always has a smile on her face. She is determined and always does her best. “Give up” is not in her vocabulary. She participates in class and is prepared to learn every day. Alyse is also a great friend by including others and playing fairly. She is a great role model!
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5th Grade: Madison H.
- Madison is a sweet student who is respectful to adults and her peers. She has a caring heart, and she puts others’ needs before her own. Madison does a nice job turning her homework in on time and being a responsible student.
- 6th Grade: Eva B.
- Eva is very respectful and follows classroom rules and procedures. She always works hard and does her best.
- 7th Grade: Moira F.
- Moira is an unsung hero of her class, even though she is quiet and reserved. When she exerts herself, it’s amazing! She has poised, well-thought-out ideas and responses that are always appreciated. She is creative at her approach to schoolwork, and she is a gifted artist. She tries to get along with and coexist with everyone. Moira has a good heart, and it shows.
- 8th Grade: Heath W.
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Heath comes to class prepared and is always on task. Heath will work with anyone with no issues and gives his best effort.
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The school year will be ending in about three weeks. Please make sure your student has his/her iPad or Chromebook AND charger to return. Items are bar coded so we can check them in/out, and we know who is responsible for them, even if students don’t. Turning in equipment that was checked out to someone else does not eliminate the responsibility for the equipment that was actually checked out to a student. We will check equipment on May 31st.
- Scott County Catholic Schools/JFK will send a link for parents to complete the detailed online Student Information Sheet. That’s the one that will ask for names, phone numbers, emergency contacts, allergies, etc. It’s important that we have this information well before school begins so we’re ready on the first day.
- SCCS will have online “tuition contracts/payment arrangements” available for parents. Through this online process, you will acknowledge the costs for an education at a Scott County Catholic school and make payment arrangements as necessary. Note that this acknowledgement is before any discounts or ESAs are applied.
- The ESA application becomes available on May 31st. You only have one month to complete it. If it’s not completed by June 30th, your child will not receive an ESA, and you will have to pay the tuition yourself. The application process is fairly simple, and I’ve viewed a couple of training videos already. Below is a list of the next training dates and links to register:
- Tuesday, May 30, 2 p.m.
Registration Link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iPsDoIBLTlWTNDMgJ9qxQQ - Monday, June 5, 11 a.m.
Registration Link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9Mv08byQSD-SVvrRgP_kcA - Wednesday, June 7, 7 p.m.
Registration Link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F7EBpAMET0mCWBFWW4HKjw
If you can’t make a live training session, here is the link to a recorded one: https://youtu.be/cviDGiA_ykg
- Tuesday, May 30, 2 p.m.
ESA Application Process Goes Live this Week
The application for those eligible for ESAs will open at 8:00 a.m. on May 31st and close on June 30th. The deadline is established in the law; there will be no extension. You will want to act quickly once the online application process becomes available.
The latest information from the Department of Education regarding Education Savings Accounts can be found at the following link: DE’s ESA Page. The Questions and Answers section was updated on May 18th and is very useful. It, for example, contains the 300% of poverty eligibility table, the definition of a household/members, and what line item will be used from one’s Iowa tax form. (It’s line 26, “Net Income,” on the 2022 Iowa 1040 tax form.)
The application process is actually fairly slick. You don’t even need your tax information in front of you, if you are an Iowa resident and filed an Iowa income tax form. You just need to enter some basic information like social security or tax id number and authorize access to tax information you already submitted to the state. Most of the process is entirely automated. For those who did not file an Iowa income tax form, there is a way to upload relevant information to verify Iowa residency and/or income, if needed.
Who is eligible for an ESA in 2023-24?
- All kindergartners (No financial information needed)
- Students who were not in a private school the year prior (No financial information needed)
- All students whose family income is below 300% of poverty
Anyone interested in learning more about the parent/guardian application process can register to attend the training on one of the following dates and times:
The Students First ESA application will be available on May 31, and a link to the application will be provided on the DE’s website.
Tuition Rates for Paying Families and Online SCCS “Tuition Contracts”
The tuition rates for those not yet eligible for ESAs was contained in an April 27th letter. It can be found here: ESA Letter and Tuition Rates for Paying Families Letter, 4-27-23. As anticipated the tuition rates for those not eligible for ESAs increased by about 5% at the elementary level and 3% at Assumption, which is about its historical average. Please note that the actual cost to educate a student in SCCS is over $8,000. Tuition covers just over about 50% of the cost. Parish subsidies and fundraising cover the rest. The SCCS “tuition contracts” will show the parish discounts applied to students’/families’ accounts.
Scott County Catholic School tuition rates for preschool, with or without wraparound care, are in the linked document: Preschool Tuition Rates JFK
SCCS online “tuition contracts” will be ready within the next couple of weeks. These will show the gross amounts on a per child basis. Once all discounts are applied, including multi-child discounts, FTP awards, and ESAs, what is actually owed is adjusted.
Registration Process for 2023-24
As of 5/24, we have about 93% of current and prospective new K-8 students pre-registered. Of those that have pre-registered, about 79% have paid the pre-registration fee.
- All preschool, kindergarten, returning, and new 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. The early bird fee rate has been extended until May 1st. If paid prior to May 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 that will take the place of the collection of paper Student Information Sheets in August. The computer application being developed is in test phase now and should be available within one to two weeks.
- Online tuition contracts to establish the payment plan agreement will be made available to those who have completed the pre-registration process. The availability of the online tuition contracts is targeted for May. Being in good-standing with one’s tuition and fees may also impact the timing of receiving a tuition contract and finalizing enrollment. Those families who agreed to one or two tuition payments should be finished paying. Those who are on the ten month payment plan should have finished in April. (The payment period began in July.) Please remember that, in addition to tuition, payments should be up to date for all fees, like aftercare, band, athletics, etc. and for lunches.
You will want to be up-to-date on your 22-23 tuition and fees as well as have paid the pre-registration fee for 23-24 before you are considered for the issuance of a 23-24 tuition agreement.
Family Tuition Plan Financial Assistance
Current families who do not qualify for ESAs should apply for financial assistance through our Family Tuition Plan Application. When applying, please make sure you use the drop down menu to select the 2023-24 school year. There may be more financial assistance available for next year or more families may be able to receive assistance as ESAs may provide assistance for our families who are below 300% of poverty. (There are still income guidelines and other restrictions to stay within the legal parameters of the Student Tuition Organization rules that will apply.)
Current families who know they are not eligible for ESAs or who might be on the edge should apply for the Family Tuition Plan.
JFK’s Summer Leaps & Bounds and Vacation Bible School
Due to federal funding, Leaps & Bounds will be free again this summer. We have three sessions on the calendar. Each two week session runs from 8:00 – 11:30 a.m. Two hours are for reading, one hour is for math, and 30 minutes are for recess and other fun. Leaps & Bounds is for those students currently in kindergarten through 5th grade.
June 19 – June 30
July 17 – July 28
July 31 – August 11
Vacation Bible School will be held July 10 – 14.
Registration materials were made available via email. They will also be posted on our website soon.
Jump Start Kindergarten
On July 31 – August 4, Melissa Zeimet and Caitlin Putnam will host Jump Start Kindergarten at JFK. There will be a review of letters and sounds, basic math concepts, and literacy skills. Story time and hands-on activities will be abundant during the 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. time slot. The cost is $55 with a $5 discount for early bird registration. A minimum number of students is required for us to offer Jump Start Kindergarten. Registration materials will be emailed to those families for whom a kindergartner has been pre-registered.
Suggestion Box
There is a digital suggestion box for students, parents, and community members on the Contact Us page on our website. Suggestions will be reviewed and considered regularly.
Teaching Positions Open at JFK for 2023-24
JFK will have at least two teaching positions open for the 2023-24 school year. If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, copy of one’s Iowa license, and references. The hiring process will also involve Scott County Catholic Schools, but these steps would good first ones.
Accounting Process Slows Down
With only about five weeks before all accounting switches to the Scott County Catholic Schools’ business office, we are limping along with understaffing at OLV/JFK. Fr. Jake, Ann Lotspeich, Lisa Willows, Megan Masterson, and SCCS business office representative Rose Strickland are all doing various pieces of OLV/JFK accounting to close out the rest of the fiscal year.
Highlighted Events
See the calendars on our website for more complete information as the below are only some of the highlights.
- May 29: Memorial Day. No Classes. ECLC Closed
- May 30: 3rd Field Trip
- May 31: Computer/iPad Turn in. 3 YO PS Program. 4/5 YO PS Program. Last Day of PS Classes
- May 31: ESA application becomes live
- June 1: Last Day of K-8. Field Day. 12:40 Dismissal. 8th Grade Graduation Mass
- June 2: Last Day of ECLC
Chad
