Month: August 2023

Principal’s Post for August 27, 2023

Posted on by csteimle

I’m So Blessed!

We made it through the heat last week!  I think our biggest weather related issues were condensation dripping off of some of the air conditioning pieces of equipment.  If that’s the worst, I’ll count HVAC as among our blessings!

Give Thanks for Our Blessings at Mass

The beginning of a new school year and new schedules is the perfect time to renew and/or adjust your weekend Mass attendance schedule.  OLV has four weekend Masses:  4:30 on Saturdays and 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. on Sundays.  Each Mass has a slightly different “feel” as well, if that aspect is more important than the time of day.  Be also on the lookout for Ignite Sundays with a special evening Mass and programming for the whole family.

PS-8 Immunization Records

Preschoolers, kindergartners and other students new to JFK need to provide evidence of immunizations prior to school beginning.  There are also two boosters, TDaP and meningococcal conjugate vaccine,  required for 7th graders prior to school beginning.  We can accept faxed or emailed copies.  Iowa law says that students cannot be enrolled without up-to-date immunization information provided to the school, and schools must exclude students without proper immunizations.  There are minimal exceptions.  Those interested in religious exemptions should note that because the Catholic Church does not object to immunizations, a religious exemption for Catholics should not be possible.

PS Through Age 12 Aftercare and Wraparound Care:

After school care and wrap around care are licensed by the Department of Human Services and provide supervised activities for students who have not yet turned thirteen.  The preschool wrap around rate is included in your tuition bill for either full-time (20 hours or more) or part-time care (less than 20 hours).  The rate for K through age 12 is $5 per hour per child, which is a decrease at JFK.  The registration fee is $25 per student.  A childcare registration form is required for each student.  The blank aftercare registration form is available at the school or on our website  Students cannot attend aftercare or wrap around care without the DHS program paper/pencil forms complete. 

New Technology Systems for 2023-24 and “Bulk” Communications

Scott County Catholic Schools are still in the midst of transitions to new technology systems, including the following:

  • PowerSchool, our main student information system
  • Kinvo, the communications system connected to PowerSchool
  • Blackbaud, the online tuition, bill paying, and accounting system
  • EduTrak, the lunch program

Throw in the online pre-registration system and Odyssey, for processing ESAs, and it’s quite the handful.  Getting all the systems to “talk” to one another and play nicely together is keeping many people quite busy.  Some of the new systems were because of the merger to SCCS, but others were from the state departments of education and revenue and the Diocese of Davenport.  Enduring so many changes this year, hopefully things will be a breeze by next year.

Please note that our communications systems are still not fully functional and “bulk” or mass messaging is challenging.

3rd-8th Parent Meetings

3rd – 8th grade homeroom teachers will conduct informational parent meetings beginning this week so you can find out more information about your child’s grade.  These meetings are different than the “meet and greet” nature of the Unpack Your Backpack/Meet Your Teacher event.  Meetings will be in the cafeteria unless your child’s teacher informs you otherwise.

    • Mon Aug 28:  5:45 2nd; 6:30 3rd
    • Tues, Aug 29: 5:45 6th; 6:30 7th
    • Wed, Aug 30:  7:00 8th
    • Thurs, Aug 31:  5:45 4th; 6:30 5th

Bus Issues Getting Better

We are starting to notice a lessening number of bus issues.  It always takes a little time for the bus company to smooth things out at the beginning of the school year.  We have 11 buses serving JFK at the end of each day.  They come from All Saints, Trinity Lutheran, and Assumption before arriving at JFK.  Employees of JFK can work as liaisons regarding bus issues, but we have no control over busing.

K-8 Home Language Survey

Kindergartners and other students new to JFK need to complete a Home Language Survey (HLS).  Many kindergartners already submitted these in February.  The HLS is available under the “Policies & Forms” heading of the “For Parents” section of our website, for anyone who needs it.

PS-8 Payment System for 2023-24

Parents need to complete several steps in the Blackbaud tuition management system, arrange for payments to be made, and, by now, begin making payments.  Remember that tuition is billed at the gross amount, and then deductions like parishioner discounts, multi-child discounts, “private pay” discounts, etc. are shown.  It is believed that the invoices are correct, and all of the discounts have been posted.  As of two weekends ago, around 600 families with children attending SCCS had not completed the needed steps within Blackbaud.  If you have questions, please contact Rose Strickland at the SCCS business office at AHS:  rose.strickland@sccsiowa.org or 563-326-5313.  No one at JFK has access to your account information in Blackbaud.

This same system is used for making lunch payments and paying for other optional services/programs like band and aftercare.

Finalizing Payments for 2022-23

Anyone still making payments on 2022-23 school bills, including delinquent tuition, fees, aftercare balances, lunch balances, fines, ECLC payments, etc., should send the payments to OLV/JFK.  You don’t want to mix your payments to OLV/JFK with SCCS.  Payments for 2023-24 will go through SCCS.

Calendars

Multiple calendars are available on our website, www.olvjfk.com.  On the school side of the website, a one page summary calendar is on the front page.  Detailed calendars can also be reached by clicking on the calendars heading.

Calendar Highlights

Here are just a few items highlighted from the detailed online school calendar:

  • Sept 4:  Labor Day.  No classes.  ECLC closed
  • Sept 7:  JFK Skate Night
  • Sept 11:  In-service, no classes.  ECLC is open.  Jason Evert event.

Altar Server Training

Altar Server Training will be Sept. 23 at 9:30 am -11 am in the church.  Children, 4th grade and up, who are interested in altar serving at Mass are invited to attend this training.

Open Positions at JFK for 2023-24

JFK still has open positions for 2023-24:

Instructional aide/support position:  We are looking for a “jack of all trades” person to help in preschool, supervise recesses, provide instructional support, and care for students in aftercare and/or wrap-around care.  On some days, one might start as early as 7:10, and, on other days, one might work until 5:30.  The total is about 39 hours per week, and the rate is $12 per hour.  Summers are off, and most other breaks also follow the same schedule as your children!  If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.

Instructional aide positions:  Help teachers and provide instructional support for students in K-8.  Multiple positions are available.  If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.

Substitutes:  Substitutes are always needed for both long-term assignments (like maternity leaves) and short-term assignments (like when a teacher needs to stay home with his/her own sick child).  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.   If you are interested in being a substitute, please contact me and/or the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency at 563-359-1371.  We would also like to thank our current substitutes:  Kayla Mason, Jen Kira, Amy Jackson, and Dianne Longenecker.

Handbook Sign-Off

Please read the parent and student handbook, available HERE, and on our website: https://www.olvjfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-K-8-Parent-Handbook-2023-24.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.

ALICE Training for Kids

As part of our regular safety procedures, most teachers have already briefly talked to students about ALICE, which is an acronym used to help people remember what to do in the event of a violent situation in a school.  (We also use the Run-Hide-Fight phrasing.)  The materials we’ve used/developed over the years and the approaches we take are targeted for specific grade strands as what one says and does with three year olds in preschool is entirely different than with 13 year olds.  Our work with ALICE complements our other conversations and drills, such as those for fire or tornado/inclement weather.       

JFK’s Facebook Pages

JFK has three Facebook pages:  the main one for the school, one just for pre-school, and a closed Facebook group, JFK Moms & Dads, where people can post to others in the group.  JFK’s Facebook page can be accessed from the front page of our website.  If you’d like to be a member of the JFK Moms & Dads group, please let Angie Hillebrand, in the school office know via a Facebook request or even via email.   Social media is not the best venue for voicing a concern, and posts that appear to do so will be removed while we try to reach out to address the concern through a better means.  Social media, including our Facebook pages, are great ways to share your photos and connect with other JFK families.  Photos from an event are often posted to these pages by families before we can even get photos taken by staff posted.  Please remember, however, that not all parents are comfortable with photos of their children being on social media.  Make sure you “like” us on both Facebook pages!

Chad

 

Principal’s Post for August 20, 2023

Posted on by csteimle

I’m So Blessed!

As we begin another school year, I am reminded of just how blessed I am.  Lynn and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago, and I’m looking forward to this weekend when all four of our children will be at our house for a visit.  It doesn’t happen very often so when it does, it is truly special.

Looking at the forecast this week, JFK is blessed to be the only Catholic school in Scott County with a modern centralized HVAC system.  It’s going to be hot!

Ready for a New School Year

ECLC opens on August 21st for those wishing to use it before school begins.

PS-8 classes begin on Wednesday, August 23rd.  There are no weekly early dismissals on Wednesdays.

K-8:  7:25-2:40

4/5 YO am PS:  7:25-10:25

4/5 YO pm PS:  11:40-2:40

3 YO PS:  7:25-9:55

ECLC:  7:00-5:30

Aftercare:  2:40-5:30

Give Thanks for Our Blessings at Mass

The beginning of a new school year and new schedules is the perfect time to renew and/or adjust your weekend Mass attendance schedule.  OLV has four weekend Masses:  4:30 on Saturdays and 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. on Sundays.  Each Mass has a slightly different “feel” as well, if that aspect is more important than the time of day.  Be also on the lookout for Ignite Sundays with a special evening Mass and programming for the whole family.

Unpack Your Backpack/Meet Your Teacher on August 21st

The 3 YO PS and K-8 Unpack Your Backpack/Meet Your Teacher event is on Monday, August 21st.  (Four/five YO preschoolers and parents have individual meetings with the teachers.)

These “drop in” sessions are not scheduled this year, but we would still like to stagger people throughout the whole evening so each family can have some individual attention.  We, therefore, ask families to “drop in” any time within the 30 minute time slot according to the students’ last names.  If your family is too large, and you can’t make it to each homeroom within your 30 minutes, don’t panic; it will be OK to dribble over into another time slot.:

    • A-D 5-5:30
    • E-J 5:30-6:00
    • K-P 6:00-6:30
    • Q-S 6:30-7:00
    • T-Z 7:00-7:30

The office will also be open for dropping off immunization records, for registering for aftercare, and for completing additional paperwork for wraparound care.  Without paperwork completed, you should not expect your students to be allowed into school and its programs.  For example, even if a student is enrolled at JFK, it should not be expected that he/she can stay in aftercare without the additional paperwork completed.

JFK’s Home & School will be hosting an Ice Cream Bar in the cafeteria during the evening, and the Knights of Columbus will be serving hot dogs, chips and drinks (donations accepted).

Individual Preschool  Parent Meetings Continue this Week

Don’t forget the preschool meeting that you signed up for.  If you haven’t made an appointment, please do so now:

    • 4/5 Year Olds in the parish center at the south end of the building
      • Aug 21 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m

PS-8 Immunization Records

Preschoolers, kindergartners and other students new to JFK need to provide evidence of immunizations prior to school beginning.  There are also two boosters, TDaP and meningococcal conjugate vaccine,  required for 7th graders prior to school beginning.  We can accept faxed or emailed copies.  Iowa law says that students cannot be enrolled without up-to-date immunization information provided to the school, and schools must exclude students without proper immunizations.  There are minimal exceptions.  Those interested in religious exemptions should note that because the Catholic Church does not object to immunizations, a religious exemption for Catholics should not be possible.

PS Through Age 12 Aftercare and Wraparound Care:

After school care and wrap around care are licensed by the Department of Human Services and provide supervised activities for students who have not yet turned thirteen.  The preschool wrap around rate is included in your tuition bill for either full-time (20 hours or more) or part-time care (less than 20 hours).  The rate for K through age 12 is $5 per hour per child, which is a decrease at JFK.  The registration fee is $25 per student.  A childcare registration form is required for each student.  The blank aftercare registration form is available at the school or on our website  Students cannot attend aftercare or wrap around care without the DHS program paper/pencil forms complete. 

New Technology Systems for 2023-24 and “Bulk” Communications

Scott County Catholic Schools are still in the midst of transitions to new technology systems, including the following:

  • PowerSchool, our main student information system
  • Kinvo, the communications system connected to PowerSchool
  • Blackbaud, the online tuition, bill paying, and accounting system
  • EduTrak, the lunch program

Throw in the online pre-registration system and Odyssey, for processing ESAs, and it’s quite the handful.  Getting all the systems to “talk” to one another and play nicely together is keeping many people quite busy.  Some of the new systems were because of the merger to SCCS, but others were from the state departments of education and revenue and the Diocese of Davenport.  Enduring so many changes this year, hopefully things will be a breeze by next year.

Please note that our communications systems are still not fully functional and “bulk” or mass messaging is challenging.  It looks like we will have email first, text messaging second, and “robo” phone calling last.  I am not sure what the status will be by Wednesday.

While I don’t anticipate changes to the school day due to this week’s weather, evening activities could be affected.  Recesses will be another matter, and I do anticipate a number of recesses being indoors due to the heat.  Below is the excerpt from our handbook regarding weather related communications.  Again, I can’t guarantee how well we will be able to push messages out to families via email, text, and/or robocall by Wednesday:

“Announcements regarding school cancellations, late starts, or early dismissals due to severe weather are communicated through JFK’s website, www.olvjfk.com, and other electronic communications, such as automated phone calls, text messaging, Facebook posts, etc. Local television and radio stations may also carry this information. JFK follows the decisions made by the Davenport Community School District, unless it is a unique situation to JFK. As such, JFK may not necessarily be listed separately from the DCSD on the television or radio station announcements.”

K-8 Parent Meetings

K-8 homeroom teachers will conduct informational parent meetings beginning this week so you can find out more information about your child’s grade.  These meetings are different than the “meet and greet” nature of the Unpack Your Backpack/Meet Your Teacher event.  Meetings will be in the cafeteria unless your child’s teacher informs you otherwise.

    • Thurs, Aug 24:  5:45 K; 6:30 1st
    • Mon Aug 28:  5:45 2nd; 6:30 3rd
    • Tues, Aug 29: 5:45 6th; 6:30 7th
    • Wed, Aug 30:  7:00 8th
    • Thurs, Aug 31:  5:45 4th; 6:30 5th

Bus Issues Common at Beginning of a School Year

It seems like it always takes a little time for the bus company to smooth things out at the beginning of the school year.  Please be patient with the bus company as well.  Employees of JFK can work as liaisons, but we have no control over busing.

K-8 Home Language Survey

Kindergartners and other students new to JFK need to complete a Home Language Survey (HLS).  Many kindergartners already submitted these in February.  The HLS is available under the “Policies & Forms” heading of the “For Parents” section of our website, for anyone who needs it.

PS-8 Tuition Payment System for 2023-24

Parents need to complete several steps in the Blackbaud tuition management system, arrange for payments to be made, and, by now, begin making payments.  Remember that tuition is billed at the gross amount, and then deductions like parishioner discounts, multi-child discounts, “private pay” discounts, etc. are shown.  It is believed that the invoices are correct, and all of the discounts have been posted.  As of two weekends ago, around 600 families with children attending SCCS had not completed the needed steps within Blackbaud.  If you have questions, please contact Rose Strickland at the SCCS business office at AHS:  rose.strickland@sccsiowa.org or 563-326-5313.  No one at JFK has access to your account information in Blackbaud.

Finalizing Payments for 2022-23

Anyone still making payments on 2022-23 school bills, including delinquent tuition, fees, aftercare balances, lunch balances, fines, ECLC payments, etc., should send the payments to OLV/JFK.  You don’t want to mix your payments to OLV/JFK with SCCS.  Payments for 2023-24 will go through SCCS.

A Message from Mrs. Wolf, Our Student Support Specialist

“We are getting all geared up for the new school year! While I’m excited I don’t think I’m ready for my little guy to have his FIRST day. I hope that you all enjoyed your summer. I am looking forward to seeing all the students and back to the school year, Bandit our facility dog is too he missed everyone. If at any point of time in the school year if your family is experiencing difficulties at home, I would like to provide additional support at school. I understand that you’re not always able to share details and that is ok. If your child is coming to school after a difficult morning, night, or weekend, please email me your child’s first and last name and “handle with care” at emma.wolf@olvjfkmail.com

This will let me know that your child may need extra time, patience, or help during the day!

As always please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Here’s to a new year!”

PE Uniform

The link to Handicapped Development Center’s “store” for JFK’s 5th-8th grade PE clothes is HERE, or you can use the following: http://handicappeddevelopment.org/jfk/   If I have this right, shirt sizes seem to be running small, pants are running big, and shorts are somewhere in the middle.  I would encourage you to try on the items at JFK or at HDC before ordering.

Uniform Policy/Dress Code

Now is also a good time to review the dress code, especially for hair color.  Some of those fun colors or Kool-Aid dyed tips can be a real challenge to get out and often required a hair cut as well.

Parking Lot Traffic Patterns

It’s also not too early to review the parking lot traffic patterns.  A few reminders are below:

  • Proceed SLOWLY and cautiously through every location.  Little kids are hard to see by cars.  What one makes up in time by speeding through the lot will matter little if someone is hit by a car!
  • Be attentive to your driving.  Talking on a cell phone, even handsfree, can be a distraction when one’s attention is needed most to watch for kids and pedestrians.
  • Only use handicapped parking spots if qualified.  Handicapped parking spots are reserved for those who need them throughout the entire day, including morning drop off, mid-day pre-school pick up and drop off, and pick up at the end of the day.  We reserve one of our handicapped spots, in particular, for wheelchair access for a student.
  • Accompany younger students to/from the barriers, if you park in the lot and are not using the drive-through lanes.  Parents who are standing and waiting for their little ones should stand on the school side of the barriers.  All children should be supervised.

A photo of the parking lot patterns can be found using the following link: Parking lot traffic patterns, 2023

  • Red arrows are the drop off/pick up zones.  Note that the main one is at the north, but there is also one that can be used at the south.
  • Blue arrows are the one-way pick-up lanes.
  • Orange arrows are one-way lanes.
  • Green arrows indicate where traffic goes in both directions.
  • Note that in some areas there are two lanes going in the same direction:  one lane is just driving through (orange arrows) and the other lane is the pick up lane leading to the drop off/pick up zone (blue and red arrows).

Calendars

Multiple calendars are available on our website, www.olvjfk.com.  On the school side of the website, a one page summary calendar is on the front page.  Detailed calendars can also be reached by clicking on the calendars heading.  Check out when your child’s K-8 parent meeting is scheduled.  Those parent meetings begin as early as August 24th.

New Staff Members/Assignments

Most new members were introduced earlier this year, but we want to welcome them again.  We also have some staff members switching positions:

  • Kathy Neuberger moved to kindergarten this year.  Mrs. Neuberger was teaching kindergarten when I started at JFK some 20 years ago, and I think she must have been about 12 years old then.  Mrs. Neuberger has been in an interventionist position since she returned to JFK but is now returning to kindergarten.
  • Jackie Everhart will be teaching 3rd grade for us this year.  She showed the clear signs of an experienced teacher when she moved her personal teaching materials to JFK as soon as possible this summer so they wouldn’t clutter up her garage!
  • Dr. Angela Hand, another experienced teacher, will be joining us to teach K-8 music and 7/8 choir and to help with the musical.  She’ll be busy learning 360 student names!
  • Dr. Carole Behr, who we saw at JFK as a substitute last year, has taken a one year position as an interventionist assigned to JFK.
  • Jennifer Wemhoff and Emma Wolf will be assuming the responsibilities of an SCCS building coordinator for JFK this school year.  Duties of a building coordinator are similar to those of an assistant principal with primary exceptions in teacher evaluations and independent decision making authority.  Mrs. Wemhoff will also continue in her role as adult faith formation coordinator for OLV.  She’s been a “regular” in the office for many years.
  • Shay Lagrone is still feeling her way to new duties in the office.  She will be taking on some clerical tasks that the assistant principal used to do and even covering some recesses.
  • Casey Smith began at JFK in May and will be playing a bigger role at JFK this year in one of those “jack of all trades” types of positions that works in preschool, childcare, recesses, etc.  We may even call upon her for advice as a past daycare director.
  •  Scott Sweeney’s new role as Parish Maintenance and Grounds Supervisor puts him in charge of the entire campus.  No longer will the pastor have to deal with roofs, concrete work, church doors, hail damage, etc.

Open Positions at JFK for 2023-24

JFK still has open positions for 2023-24:

Instructional aide/support position:  We are looking for a “jack of all trades” person to help in preschool, supervise recesses, provide instructional support, and care for students in aftercare and/or wrap-around care.  On some days, one might start as early as 7:10, and, on other days, one might work until 5:30.  The total is about 39 hours per week, and the rate is $12 per hour.  Summers are off, and most other breaks also follow the same schedule as your children!  If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.

Instructional aide positions:  Help teachers and provide instructional support for students in K-8.  Multiple positions are available.  If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.

Substitutes:  Substitutes are always needed for both long-term assignments (like maternity leaves) and short-term assignments (like when a teacher needs to stay home with his/her own sick child).  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.   If you are interested in being a substitute, please contact me and/or the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency at 563-359-1371.  We would also like to thank our current substitutes:  Kayla Mason, Jen Kira, Amy Jackson, and Dianne Longenecker.

Handbook Sign-Off

Please read the parent and student handbook, available HERE, and on our website: https://www.olvjfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-K-8-Parent-Handbook-2023-24.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.

Principal’s Posts

Principal’s Posts are written each weekend and posted on our website, available off the front page.  I also send a link via email and post it to the school’s Facebook account.  I use the Principal’s Post to reach the whole school community and sometimes highlight happenings in particular grades.  You will also receive numerous email communications from teachers.  Email is probably the number one form of communication in schools.

We also utilize a JFK Facebook page, and there is a closed Facebook group, JFK Moms & Dads, where people can post to others in the group.  JFK’s Facebook page can be accessed from the front page of our website.  If you’d like to be a member of the JFK Moms & Dads group, please let Angie Hillebrand, in the school office know via a Facebook request or even via email.   Social media is not the best venue for voicing a concern, and posts that appear to do so will be removed while we try to reach out to address the concern through a better means.  Social media, including our Facebook pages, are great ways to share your photos and connect with other JFK families.  Photos from an event are often posted to these pages by families before we can even get photos taken by staff posted.  Make sure you “like” us on both Facebook pages!

An Update About Me and My Family

This summer seemed to be the year for medical situations in our family.  Two of my four daughters are under recent medical care, and I had eye surgery in June.  The marvels of today’s health care are amazing.  We are so blessed!

My oldest daughter continues to live in Charlotte, North Carolina and works in the dental financial industry.  Tom has moved back to Davenport and is trying to launch Bread and Circuses, his business in “bartainment:”  music bingo/trivia and game day bingo, and other patron games.  Kirsten is in Des Moines and entering her 5th year of teaching in special education.  Caitlin earned her law degree in May and sat for the bar a few weeks ago.  She resides in Kansas City, MO.   My wife, Lynn, continues to work in student services at Assumption High School, and I am entering my 23rd year as principal at JFK.  Prior to my time at JFK, I worked at Assumption for ten years where I met Lynn.  I think this year will be the first time in about 27 years that one of our children will not be a full-time student (but Kirsten will be starting on her masters degree part-time).

Chad

Principal’s Post for August 13, 2023

Posted on by csteimle

Unpack Your Backpack/Meet Your Teacher on August 21st

The 3 YO PS and K-8 Unpack Your Backpack/Meet Your Teacher is on Monday, August 21st.  (Four/five YO preschoolers and parents have individual meetings with the teachers.)

These “drop in” sessions are not scheduled this year, but we would still like to stagger people throughout the whole evening so each family can have some individual attention.  We, therefore, ask families to “drop in” any time within the 30 minute time slot according to the students’ last names.  If your family is too large, and you can’t make it to each homeroom within your 30 minutes, don’t panic; it will be OK to dribble over into another time slot.:

    • A-D 5-5:30
    • E-J 5:30-6:00
    • K-P 6:00-6:30
    • Q-S 6:30-7:00
    • T-Z 7:00-7:30

The office will also be open for dropping off immunization records and other forms or conducting other business.

JFK’s Home & School will be hosting an Ice Cream Bar in front of the Parish Center during the evening, and the Knights of Columbus will be serving hot dogs, chips and drinks (donations accepted).
If you weren’t able to drop by during our regular or weekend office hours or haven’t received an email regarding your child’s homeroom teacher, please call or message Angie or Shay in the school office.  Means of communications with new families, in particular, has been extra challenging.

Individual Preschool  Parent Meetings Begin this Week

Don’t forget the preschool meeting that you signed up for.  If you haven’t made an appointment, please do so now:

    • 4/5 Year Olds in the parish center at the south end of the building
      • Aug 16 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
      • Aug 21 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
    • 3 Year Olds in the classroom, entering through the ECLC/PS door
      • Aug 16 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

New Technology Systems for 2023-24

Scott County Catholic Schools are still in the midst of transitions to new technology systems, including the following:

  • PowerSchool, our main student information system
  • Kinvo, the communications system connected to PowerSchool
  • Blackbaud, the online tuition, bill paying, and accounting system
  • EduTrak, the lunch program

Throw in the online pre-registration system and Odyssey, for processing ESAs, and it’s quite the handful.  Getting all the systems to “talk” to one another and play nicely together is keeping many people quite busy.  By the time we add in new systems for just staff, and it’s hard to keep up!  Some of the new systems were because of the merger to SCCS, but others were from the state departments of education and revenue and the Diocese of Davenport.  Enduring so many changes this year, hopefully things will be a breeze by next year.  What still gets me, however, is that for as many times as parents have had to enter email addresses into one or more new systems this year, one would think that pushing communications out via email would be easy!  I can’t wait for all the systems to “talk” to one another!

Enrollment/Registration Steps for 2023-24

Complete the enrollment/registration steps for 2023-24.  If you missed our weekend and evening office hours and need to complete some items in person, we are now open at least 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

PS-8 Pre-Registration Process:  All preschool, kindergarten, returning and new families will need to enter information through the pre-registration/application survey.  To access the survey, click HERE.  

PS-8 Official Registration Process:  SCCS registration link or use the following link/url: register.sccsiowa.org/   Through this process, you will be entering names, grades, primary and emergency contact information, medical information, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and more.  You may want to have this information handy before you begin the process.  For all JFK students, you will want to click on the “New Registration” button.  Also, make sure you change the school year to 2023-24.

PS-8 Immunization Records:  Preschoolers, kindergartners and other students new to JFK will need to provide evidence of immunizations prior to school beginning.  There are also two boosters, TDaP and meningococcal conjugate vaccine,  required for 7th graders prior to school beginning.  We can accept faxed or emailed copies.  Iowa law says that students cannot be enrolled without up-to-date immunization information provided to the school, and schools must exclude students without proper immunizations.  There are minimal exceptions.

K-8 Home Language Survey:  Kindergartners and other students new to JFK need to complete a Home Language Survey (HLS).  Many kindergartners already submitted these in February.  The HLS is available under the “Policies & Forms” heading of the “For Parents” section of our website, for anyone who needs it.

PS-8 Tuition Payment System:  Parents need to complete several steps in the Blackbaud tuition management system, arrange for payments to be made, and, by now, begin making payments.  Remember that tuition is billed at the gross amount, and then deductions like parishioner discounts, multi-child discounts, “private pay” discounts, etc. are shown.  It is believed that the invoices are correct, and all of the discounts have been posted.  As of last weekend, around 600 families with children attending SCCS had not completed the needed steps within Blackbaud.  If you have questions, please contact Rose Strickland at the SCCS business office at AHS:  rose.strickland@sccsiowa.org or 563-326-5313.  No one at JFK has access to your account information in Blackbaud.

K-8 ESA Recipients:  There are multiple steps even after having been approved by the state for an ESA:

  • Go back into Odyssey to designate JFK as the school you want your children to attend.  We can then verify that the student is enrolling at JFK (see above steps) and have tuition and fees posted to your ESA account.
  • Go into Odyssey again to approve of the tuition and fees.  Once this step is completed, the state can transfer funds to the SCCS business office, and the payment can be applied to your SCCS tuition account.

Optional Items for Enrollment/Registration

PS through age 12 After school care and wrap around care forms:  After school care and wrap around care are licensed by the Department of Human Services and provide supervised activities for students who have not yet turned thirteen.  The preschool wrap around rate is included in your tuition bill for either full-time or part-time care.  The rate for K through age 12 is $5 per hour per child, which is a decrease at JFK.  The registration fee is $25 per student.  A childcare registration form is required for each student.  The blank form is available at the school or on our website.  Students cannot attend aftercare or wrap around care without the DHS program paper/pencil forms complete.  

6th-8th Catholic League athletics:  Forms are available under the “Policies & Forms” heading of the “For Parents” section of our website:

    • Sign the athletics waiver/participation contract
    • Sign the athletic concussion form
    • An annual physical form is also required. The athletic physical form is also available on our website.
    • Pay the SCCS per participant fee

5th-8th Band:  Fifth through 8th graders can be in band.  The fee is $75 per semester or $150 for the year

7th-8th General music/choir:  Seventh and 8th graders have the option to take choir or general music. The default will be choir.

Finalizing Payments for 2022-23

Anyone still making payments on 2022-23 school bills, including delinquent tuition, fees, aftercare balances, lunch balances, fines, ECLC payments, etc., should send the payments to OLV/JFK.  You don’t want to mix your payments to OLV/JFK with SCCS.  Payments for 2023-24 will go through SCCS.

Open Positions at JFK for 2023-24

JFK still has open positions for 2023-24:

Instructional aide/support position:  We are looking for a “jack of all trades” person to help in preschool, supervise recesses, provide instructional support, and care for students in aftercare and/or wrap-around care.  On some days, one might start as early as 7:10, and, on other days, one might work until 5:30.  The total is about 39 hours per week, and the rate is $12 per hour.  If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.

Instructional aide positions:  Help teachers and provide instructional support for students in K-8.  Multiple positions are available.  If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.

Substitutes:  Substitutes are always needed for both long-term assignments (like maternity leaves) and short-term assignments (like when a teacher needs to stay home with his/her own sick child).  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.   If you are interested in being a substitute, please contact me and/or the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency at 563-359-1371.  We would also like to thank our current substitutes:  Kayla Mason, Jen Kira, Amy Jackson, and Dianne Longenecker.

PE Uniform

JFK’s gym clothes policy has been tightened up for grades 5-8.  Fifth-8th graders may still wear their PE clothes rather than their school uniform on days when they have PE, but they will now need to wear a PE uniform on those days.  The PE uniform consists of a gym t-shirt and gym shorts, both of which must be purchased through the school identified vendor.  (Sixth-8th graders already have the black shorts, but those students needing new shorts will have to order them from the new vendor.)  Instead of the gym shorts, students may wear gym sweatpants or loose fitting athletic pants purchased through the school identified vendor. JFK and St. Paul’s are both using Handicapped Development Center as the vendor for gym clothes.  The link to HDC’s site for JFK, which includes more information about the gym clothes policy, is HERE, or you can use the following: http://handicappeddevelopment.org/jfk/   If I have this right, shirt sizes seem to be running small, pants are running big, and shorts are somewhere in the middle.  I would encourage you to try on the items at JFK or at HDC before ordering.

Uniform Policy/Dress Code

Now is also a good time to review the dress code, especially for hair color.  Some of those fun colors or Kool-Aid dyed tips can be a real challenge to get out and often required a hair cut as well.

Parking Lot Traffic Patterns

It’s also not too early to review the parking lot traffic patterns.  A few reminders are below:

  • Proceed SLOWLY and cautiously through every location.  Little kids are hard to see by cars.  What one makes up in time by speeding through the lot will matter little if someone is hit by a car!
  • Be attentive to your driving.  Talking on a cell phone, even handsfree, can be a distraction when one’s attention is needed most to watch for kids and pedestrians.
  • Only use handicapped parking spots if qualified.  Handicapped parking spots are reserved for those who need them throughout the entire day, including morning drop off, mid-day pre-school pick up and drop off, and pick up at the end of the day.  We reserve one of our handicapped spots, in particular, for wheelchair access for a student.
  • Accompany younger students to/from the barriers, if you park in the lot and are not using the drive-through lanes.  Parents who are standing and waiting for their little ones should stand on the school side of the barriers.  All children should be supervised.

A photo of the parking lot patterns can be found using the following link: Parking lot traffic patterns, 2023

  • Red arrows are the drop off/pick up zones.  Note that the main one is at the north, but there is also one that can be used at the south.
  • Blue arrows are the one-way pick-up lanes.
  • Orange arrows are one-way lanes.
  • Green arrows indicate where traffic goes in both directions.
  • Note that in some areas there are two lanes going in the same direction:  one lane is just driving through (orange arrows) and the other lane is the pick up lane leading to the drop off/pick up zone (blue and red arrows).

Calendars

Multiple calendars are available on our website, www.olvjfk.com.  On the school side of the website, a one page summary calendar is on the front page.  Detailed calendars can also be reached by clicking on the calendars heading.  Check out when your child’s K-8 parent meeting is scheduled.  Those parent meetings begin as early as August 24th.

 

Chad