Parent/Teacher Conferences – No Classes Thursday and Friday
Parent/teacher conferences are on November 4th and 7th. Conferences for PS-5th graders are scheduled. If you need to change your conference time, please reach out to your child’s teacher. Sixth-8th grade conferences are all drop-in as multiple teachers are involved for each child. Conferences are from 5:00-7:30 p.m. on November 4th and 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on November 7th. There are no classes on November 7th and 8th.
No Buses on November 11th
There no are buses before or after school on Monday, November 11th. The public schools are not in session.
Veterans’ Day Event at JFK
All students will be involved in a special Veterans’ Day program on Monday, November 11th at 1:30, in the gym. Guests, particularly veterans, are invited to attend.
JFK GROWS Students of the Month for November
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. Each month, we recognize one student at each grade level, alternating each month between the two homerooms, whose teachers have observed exhibiting these traits particularly well at school during the past month:
- Kindergarten: Isla A.
- Isla comes to school every morning with a smile on her face and ready to learn. She is a good listener, works hard at following directions, and waits patiently for her turn. Isla is kind to her classmates and eager to play with everyone.
- 1st Grade: Gabe B.
- Gabe is persistent in his school work and a good friend to all his classmates. Gabe is respectful and has a positive attitude.
- 2nd Grade: Roslind P.
- Ros is the first to help others and always has her teammates’ backs. She is joyful and shines her light all day, everyday.
- 3rd Grade: Peyton M.
- Peyton is a great student who always puts extra effort into each assignment that is presented to her. In addition, she has a smile that is contagious and creates a positive atmosphere in our classroom.
- 4th Grade: Nolan I.
- Nolan has shown outstanding adaptability and a positive attitude as he begins his first year at JFK. His cooperative, kind personality make him a welcome addition to our classroom community.
- 5th Grade: Piper R.
- Piper is goal-oriented, super hardworking, and always willing to help her classmates. She always shows great organizational, listening, and time-management skills. She is responsible and possesses great integrity.
- 6th Grade: Olivia T.
- Olivia is very respectful and follows classroom rules and procedures. She is always willing to help those around her.
- 7th Grade: Lilly S.
- Lilly is new to JFK but fits in so well, it’s like she has been here since Kindergarten. She works very hard in class and always does her best in everything she does.
- 8th Grade: Kaitlyn E.
- Kaitlyn stays on track, is always willing to help her peers, and even helps clean up the room at the end of the day.
Checking Grades in PowerSchool
Here, again, is the link to the instructions for parents to check their students’ “in progress” standards grades. It also includes directions for checking missing assignments and Algebra grades for students taking the class at Assumption. The directions cover how to use both the PowerSchool portal on a computer and the PowerSchool app.
Instructions
Building Vocabulary
Good readers need strong vocabularies. First/second graders need to add 2-3 words per day on average, and third/fourth graders need to add 6-8 words per day. If just left up to schools, that rate doubles as students are only in school for about 174-180 days per year. What are you doing at home to help students grow their vocabularies?
Vocabulary is one of the five pillars of literacy that was emphasized by The National Reading Panel:
Below is a brief description of each:
- Phonemic awareness—the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller segments of sound known as phonemes.
- Deals entirely with sounds: I can do this work in the dark
- Phonics—the knowledge that letters of the alphabet represent phonemes, and that these sounds are blended together to form written words. Readers who are skilled in phonics can sound out words they haven’t seen before, without first having to memorize them.
- Fluency—the ability to recognize words easily, read with greater speed, accuracy, and expression, and to better understand what is read. Children gain fluency by practicing reading until the process becomes automatic
- Vocabulary words–the body of words used in a language
- Reading comprehension strategies—techniques for helping individuals to understand what they read.
- (Concepts of print)–sometimes a 6th pillar is added, the awareness of how print “works.”
This science of reading is used greatly within instruction.
Substitutes Needed at JFK and SCCS
Are you looking for a way to make a meaningful impact at JFK? Becoming a substitute teacher is a powerful opportunity to inspire and guide the next generation! As a substitute, you play a key role in keeping classrooms engaged, helping students stay on track, and supporting full-time teachers. It’s flexible, rewarding, and allows you to connect with young minds, all while keeping control of your own schedule. Whether you’re passionate about education or simply want to make a difference, being a substitute teacher lets you step into a role where you can shape the future.
Substitutes are 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). Although a teaching degree is the most ideal qualification, you do not need one to work as a substitute. A bachelor’s/associate’s/60 hrs of college course work meets the educational qualifications. 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. The easiest way to progress toward the teaching authorization license is to take the self-paced online course. Substitutes are needed in all of our Catholic schools, especially at the elementary school level. You can agree to work at just one building or multiple buildings. We have also had people who requested only certain grade levels.
Annual Progress Report to the Community
JFK’s Annual Progress Report to the Community, summarizing the 2023-24 school year, has been posted to our website. Many thanks to Emma Wolf for her design work.
The following events are highlighted. For all of our events and more information, please see the calendars on our website and communications from individual teachers:
- Nov 4: Evening parent/teacher conferences
- Nov 7: Day/Evening parent/teacher conferences. No Classes. ECLC open.
- Nov 8: No classes. ECLC open
- Nov 9/10: Bazaar
- Nov 11: No buses. Red, White, Blue Out of Uniform Day. Veterans’ Day Event at JFK, 1:30.
- Nov 12: H & S
- Nov 14: Civic Oration Final Copy Due. Jump for JFK at FunStation
- Nov 15: H & S Ladies Bingo Night
- Nov 22: Mock Trial
- Nov 25: Nothing Bundt Cakes Pop Up Sale
- Nov 27-29: Thanksgiving Break. ECLC is open on the 27th.
Chad
