Author: csteimle

Governor Reynolds Orders Schools to Remain Closed through the End of the School Year

On Friday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds extended the school closure through the end of the school year.  It was a bittersweet moment listening to that announcement.  In our minds, we know it’s probably the right decision, and we’re glad for that, but, in our hearts, there’s so much sadness not only for our students and families, but also for what it represents in terms of what’s going on in our broader community and country.

Instructed, Required and Assessed for All K-8; “Lessons” also for Preschool

All K-8 grades will now be using an “instructed, required and assessed” model.  There is an instructional piece, expected student work, and feedback from teachers for each of the absolutely essential standards students need before the next grade.

Sixth through 8th grade students are using Google Classroom, and PS-5th grade are using Seesaw as the main content delivery and feedback platform.  Zoom meetings both for students and just for parents are available.  The Zoom meetings themselves are optional for both students and parents so don’t panic if attendance is not possible.  The “instructed” part of “instructed, required and assessed” does not mean the instruction has to be live, and instruction will look entirely different than the teacher in front of the classroom model that we all envision in education.  Zoom meetings are to connect with students, answer questions and allow students to connect with each other as well.  The Zoom meetings are not where the “instruction” part takes place.

How to access Google Classroom, Seesaw, the Zoom meetings, etc. will be emailed each week.  The email will include a link to a spreadsheet that lists all of the Zoom meetings for each grade in a calendar format with tabs at the bottom for each grade.  We have heard the spreadsheet doesn’t look the greatest on some cell phones, and we’re looking into seeing if there are solutions to that issue.  It does look fine on a computer.  All of the same information can also be found through a link on your teacher’s webpage.  Just click on the name of the teacher from the home page of our website, www.olvjfk.com, and you will be taken to the teacher’s own page.  Information for art, music, band, and music can also be found by clicking on the teachers’ names.

We have received some great feedback from parents already, and we’ll probably collect more feedback more formally at the end of this week.  We are all making adjustments and learning as we go.  Things will become easier over time for everyone.

With required student work, “grading” for the 4th quarter and each activity will switch to a Pass/Incomplete basis.  Pass indicates that the work has been completed at an acceptable level of mastery.  Incomplete indicates that the work illustrates an incomplete mastery yet.  Emphasis is on progress towards achieving the identified student learning goals.  We do not want to use even a P/F marking system as we are truly in uncharted waters.  Specials teachers will use a P/blank system.  Although “due dates” are included for assignments, there are no late penalties.  We just want everyone to be regularly progressing toward an acceptable level of mastery.

We do have required daily religion activities for students (Lord knows we need them!), but there will not be anything that students are required to submit back to teachers.  Religion, therefore, will be blank on the 4th quarter report card.  

In addition to the minimum required activities, teachers will try to provide appropriate extensions for students to do more work and/or work of differing degrees of difficulty as well for those who are seeking them.

Preschool students in both 3 year old classes and our 4/5 year old classes will also find their “lessons” on Seesaw.  They will, however, not be required to submit anything back to their teachers.

Together, we can make sure that students do not lose 25%-30% of a school year.  We can do this!

End of the School Year Tasks

Now that we know what the decision is for the remainder of the school year, we can start to look at end of the year tasks like the following:

• 8th grade graduation
• Lunch payment refunds or rollover
• Lunch duty reimbursements
• Finalizing, selling, and distributing yearbooks
• Algebra aptitude testing to help with recommendations for next year’s 8th grade math
• “Calendaring” for next year
• Budgeting for Home & School, Band Boosters, etc.
• Etc.

Third Quarter Report Cards

Third quarter report cards were emailed on Friday.  They would have come out earlier in the week, but even teachers have internet issues at times!

Donations, Tithing, Tuition Payments and Registration for Next Year

Both the school and the church are still dependent upon your regular contributions and payments.  Donation buttons are located on the front page of both the school (green) and parish (blue) sides of our website.  Tuition payments can be mailed, dropped off at the parish office, or made via debit/credit card over the phone.  Emily Sanderson is in the school office at least usually on Mondays and Thursdays.

Tuition payments for this school year:  Fr. Jake and Finance Council approved the following statements regarding flexibility for tuition payments.  They want to work with people even if it goes well into or through next school year too.

“From March 30th, 2020 through August 31, 2021, the Finance Council gives the Pastor authority to negotiate with families on how to pay their tuition payments.

All families who request a school contract for the 2020-2021 school year will not be denied a contract based upon how much tuition they owe the parish.

Any questions or concerns about tuition payments or contracts can be directed to Fr. Jake Greiner, greinerj@diodav.org or by calling 563-391-4245.”

Tuition Contracts for Next Year:  We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.  If you need another copy of your tuition contract, please contact Emily Sanderson at emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com.  Emily and Angie Hillebrand are also contacting families via phone to offer reminders and help.

School Meals

Recognizing the need that some families have for meals, ANY child between the ages of 1-18 years old may receive a lunch and breakfast at no cost at one of the following locations beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  It is not a requirement that the child currently be receiving a free/reduced price lunch; it is available to any child.

• Achievement Service Center, located at 1702 N. Main Street
• Davenport Sudlow, located at 1414 East Locust Street
• Davenport Williams, located at 3040 North Division
• Davenport Frank L. Smart, located at 1934 West 5th Street
• Davenport Wood, located at 5701 North Division, Davenport

The child no longer has to be present to receive the free meal.  A sack lunch and breakfast for the following morning will be handed out on Monday through Friday.

Please open the trunk of your car or leave a seat open where staff can place the food.  This step will help reduce contact and practice a higher level of social distancing.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/04/April-19-2020.pdf

Congratulations, Mrs. Blake

Some of life’s most precious moments continue even with COVID-19.  Reading interventionist Kayelyn Blake and her husband welcomed their baby boy into their family on Thursday.  Congratulations on the birth of their son!

Plant Sale

Plants continue to grow in spite of COVID-19 as well.  Our plant sale sold about $11,500 worth of plants.  The plants will still be dropped off to us on April 29th and pick up will be on 4/30 and 5/1 from 11:00 – 6:00 and on 5/2 from 9:00 – 12:00.  Pick up will be different this year, with curbside only pickup.  Please click HERE to sign up for a pick up time or use the following link/url.  There are five pick up slots available in each 30 minute window:  https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/20F0C48ABAF2DA0FF2-jfkolv

Orders will be assembled ahead of time.  Please enter the school parking lot from 42nd Street and follow the directions on where to line up. Someone will be outside to take your name.  Your order will then be brought to you as soon as possible. Weather permitting, we will have extra plants for purchase located somewhere near the preschool playground.

If you are picking up orders for other people, please reserve/select more than one spot within the time slot as it will take more time to get all of the orders to you than if you were just picking up for yourself.

Frazzled at Teaching?

I woke up this morning while having a weird dream.  No, it wasn’t the one about school being closed for the rest of the school year; that’s real.  It was one about teaching.  I’m sure many of my colleagues in education, which now include all parents, might be able to relate to it.  In my dream, I was in (squirrel) a small classroom with a large number of students right before lunch.  “No one” was listening.  To pull everyone back together, I (squirrel) did an amazing student engagement technique and had students moving to different parts of the room.  Unfortunately, three girls (squirrel) never returned.  After the movement activity, another girl was standing on (squirrel) a chair writing something on the board and wouldn’t get down.  We did, however, manage to have an amazing discussion (squirrel) until I realized that it was the last period’s discussion question, and my notes were all mixed up.  When I finally had things going well again, (squirrel) I had to stop to deal with the two boys in the back who were having a squirt gun fight.  After the bell rang and students (squirrel) went to lunch, I was pleasantly surprised that several students were staying behind to copy the notes that were on the board — the notes from yesterday and not today!  Finally, as all the students were gone (squirrel), another teacher came into my room and looked at me oddly.  She couldn’t figure (squirrel) out why I looked so frazzled!

Faceted Windows of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church

In the video below, Fr. Jake gives us a tour of the church and talks about the stained glass windows.

 

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

Today, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year.  Click on my quick VIDEO MESSAGE or use the following link/url:  https://kennedy-dav.zoom.us/rec/share/zpdefr_qsXhIEo304X7uXb4HQYfHeaa82ncarqdfyBnfT8370dYqWgYF0v4v50wC?startTime=1587141168000

Chad

 

 

 

Reverse Teacher Parade

Don’t forget the “reverse teacher parade” today with staggered times beginning at 11:00 a.m.  Here are the guidelines again: Parent Parade Letter, 4-9-2020 .  I saw something similar on the news last night, and participants were not following the governor’s orders.  We can do better.

No one is allowed to be outside of their cars, and all convertibles, hatches, sunroofs, and even windows must be closed throughout the entire route.

Governor Reynolds’ Next Announcement by the End of the Week

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has repeatedly said that she will give us at least two weeks notice regarding the next step for schools.  That timeframe will put us at sometime between Wednesday and Friday.  Lately, her news conferences have been at 11:00 a.m.  They are live on Facebook and YouTube.  I’ve also found it on Mediacom cable at 6.3.

Right now, all the momentum from the Department of Education down to the smallest of schools is for the closure to continue.  It, honestly, would be hard to switch the momentum to be open again on May 1st.  Before spring break, I had mentioned that we were trying to figure out how to keep our supplies of toilet paper and hand sanitizer to continue in sufficient quantities to keep school open.  I can’t imagine switching to finding masks for 500 people each day, if masks were to be required.  If I were a betting man, I would say that the closure will continue.  We’ll see what the governor says this coming week.

Closing the Books on the Third Quarter

We can’t keep putting off the end of the third quarter.  Final third quarter grades should be entered early this coming week by teachers, and we’ll try to get the report cards finalized and emailed by the end of the week.

Transitioning to Instructed, Required and Assessed

Last weekend, I previewed that we would be starting the transition from remote learning that has been “guided, supplemental and optional” to “instructed, required and assessed.”  By the time the transition is complete, there will be an instructional piece, expected student work, and feedback from teachers for each of the absolutely essential standards students need before the next grade.  This process begins the week of April 13th with the exception of preschool, which will remain at the voluntary level for however long the closure lasts.

Sixth through 8th grade students will move to “instructed, required and assessed” on Monday through the use of Google Classroom, with which the students and staff are already familiar.  Changes to the Zoom meetings for students and the addition of a Zoom meeting just for parents was emailed to families on Friday.  The Zoom meetings themselves are optional for both students and parents so don’t panic if attendance is not possible.  The “instructed” part of “instructed, required and assessed” does not mean the instruction has to be live, and instruction will look entirely different than the teacher in front of the classroom model that we all envision in education.  Zoom meetings are to connect with students, answer questions and allow students to connect with each other as well.  The Zoom meetings are not where the “instruction” part takes place.  The emailed information can also be found by clicking on your child’s teacher’s name on the front page of our website, www.olvjfk.com.  Hopefully, before the week of April 20th, we will have a weekly calendar or spreadsheet that students and parents of all PS-8th graders can access to see a schedule of all of the Zoom meetings.

Preschool through 5th grade are transitioning to a content delivery system called Seesaw.  Kindergarten and 5th grade are piloting it for us this coming week so kindergarten and 5th grade will be “instructed, required and assessed” beginning April 13th as well.  Information for kindergarten and 5th grade is also being emailed to families and will be posted on the kindergarten and teachers’ pages on our website.  Feedback from parents and these teachers will be used to guide us for the remaining grades.

Preschool and 1st through 4th grades will use the .pdf templates available via email and posted on teachers’ webpages for one more week.  Then, they will switch to Seesaw for the week of April 20th as well.  During the week of April 13th, preschool and 1st -4th grade teachers will be narrowing down the work to the required essentials but will not have the systems in place yet for students to submit work on a large scale or to efficiently offer feedback.  That will start the week of April 20th.

Specials (art, music, band, P.E., and social-emotional learning) information is available by clicking on the teachers’ names on our website, www.olvjfk.com.

“Grading” for the 4th quarter and each activity will switch to a Pass/Incomplete basis.  Pass indicates that the work has been completed at an acceptable level of mastery.  Incomplete indicates that the work illustrates an incomplete mastery yet.  Emphasis is on progress towards achieving the identified student learning goals.  We do not want to use even a P/F marking system as we are truly in uncharted waters.  Specials teachers will use a P/blank system.  We will have required daily religion activities for students (Lord knows we need them!), but there will not be anything that students are required to submit back to teachers.  Religion, therefore, will be blank on the 4th quarter report card.  

In addition to the minimum required activities, teachers will try to provide appropriate extensions for students to do more work and/or work of differing degrees of difficulty as well.

Together, we can make sure that students do not lose 25%-30% of a school year.  We can do this!

Third Round of Chromebook Pick Up

Thanks to our previous two rounds of Chromebook pick up, the technology access survey parents completed, and conversations with families, we are currently down to about 20 PS-8th grade students from 14 families that really have internet or technology device issues.  Even after working to find solutions for these families, we will still have about 60 Chromebooks left at JFK.  They will not do anyone any good sitting at school.  We will, therefore, have a third round of Chromebook pick up.  If you believe it is necessary for there to be a/another JFK device at your PS-8th grade home, please come to pick one up on Tuesday between 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. or Thursday between 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  All of the social distancing precautions that we used during the bag pick up last week will be in place.  Preschool families who have not yet picked up their personal belongings may also pick them up during these times.

Donations, Tithing, Tuition Payments and Registration for Next Year

Just like your family, OLV and JFK are making sure that we have our financial house in order.  We, too, are working with all of the recent government legislation and funding to see how it might help us through these uncertain times.

That said, both the school and the church are still dependent upon your regular contributions and payments.  Donation buttons are also located on the front page of both the school (green) and parish (blue) sides of our website.  Tuition payments can also be made via debit/credit card over the phone.  Emily Sanderson will be in the school office on Tuesday and Thursday of this week.

Tuition payments for this school year:  Fr. Jake and Finance Council approved the following statements regarding flexibility for tuition payments.  They want to work with people even if it goes well into or through next school year too.

“From March 30th, 2020 through August 31, 2021, the Finance Council gives the Pastor authority to negotiate with families on how to pay their tuition payments.

All families who request a school contract for the 2020-2021 school year will not be denied a contract based upon how much tuition they owe the parish.

Any questions or concerns about tuition payments or contracts can be directed to Fr. Jake Greiner, greinerj@diodav.org or by calling 563-391-4245.”

Tuition Contracts for Next Year:  We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.  If you need another copy of your tuition contract, please contact Emily Sanderson at emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com.

School Meals

Recognizing the need that some families have for meals, ANY child between the ages of 1-18 years old may receive a lunch and breakfast at no cost at one of the following locations beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  It is not a requirement that the child currently be receiving a free/reduced price lunch; it is available to any child.

• Achievement Service Center, located at 1702 N. Main Street
  • Note:  this site replaces DLC/Keystone
• Davenport Sudlow, located at 1414 East Locust Street
• Davenport Williams, located at 3040 North Division
• Davenport Frank L. Smart, located at 1934 West 5th Street
• Davenport Wood, located at 5701 North Division, Davenport

The child no longer has to be present to receive the free meal.  A sack lunch and breakfast for the following morning will be handed out on Monday through Friday.

Please open the trunk of your car or leave a seat open where staff can place the food.  This step will help reduce contact and practice a higher level of social distancing.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/04/April-12-2020.pdf

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

I hope you and your family are doing well.  This staying at  home and social distancing thing is starting to wear thin, and I don’t like telling my children not to come home for a visit.  Even though I don’t go much of anywhere or do anything real exciting, I don’t like the feeling of not being able to.  As I was doing a little yard work yesterday and my hands were cold, I thought to myself, “At least I’m not sitting in the cold at a ball field.”  That thought was immediately followed by “I wish I could sit at a ball field and be cold these days!”

My wife was making masks yesterday, and, today, she has a pattern to make hospital gowns for medical staff.  We’ll never be mass producers, but there is the feeling that “I’m not going to take this lying down.  I’m going to do something.”  At school, I’ve offered the temporary use of our 3-D printer to a non-profit organization that can make parts for face shields.  Every little thing counts.

Schools Ordered Closed through April 30

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds ordered that all K-12 public and accredited non-public schools in Iowa be closed through at least Thursday, April 30, 2020.  She promised to give people two weeks notice about what we will do after that date.  (If I were a betting man, I’d bet that we won’t open after then either, but I’m not the governor.)

What Will Education Look Like in the Future?

Currently, we’re using what I’m calling a “guided, supplemental and optional” model.  This model will continue through this week with the following changes:  only religion activities will be shared for Good Friday, and there will only be one grade level Zoom meeting.  We’ll also use this week to collect any final make up work for the third quarter and close the books on the quarter.  Preparations for the next educational model will also continue to come closer and closer to finalization.  Our end goal is an “instructed, required and assessed” remote learning model.

During the week of April 13th, we will begin the process of transitioning between the two models.  We will begin to focus only on the essential things that students need before moving on to the next grade.  By the time the transition is complete, there will be an instructional piece, expected student work, and feedback from teachers for each of the absolutely essential standards students need before the next grade.

This transition actually has already begun.  When the first school closure was announced during spring break, it was like the Wild West.  There were hundreds and hundreds of options being offered through the internet.  When we began our first three week closure at JFK, we narrowed it down for families and gave them just a few options for each subject.  Our next three week (and beyond?) closure will narrow it even further and recognize that because time is of a premium, “Do X.”  Everything else can be great extensions of student learning, but students must do “X.”

We know that there are access issues (my home internet stopped working twice just while doing the Principal’s Post today), but we will work our way through them.  The survey you completed last week, and the conversations we have had with families is very helpful to identify what we are facing.

Together, we can make sure that students do not lose 25%-30% of a school year.  We can do this!

Donations, Tithing, Tuition Payments and Registration for Next Year

Just like your family, OLV and JFK are making sure that we have our financial house in order.  We, too, are working with all of the recent government legislation and funding to see how it might help us through these uncertain times.

That said, both the school and the church are still dependent upon your regular contributions and payments.  Donation buttons are also located on the front page of both the school (green) and parish (blue) sides of our website.  Tuition payments can also be made via debit/credit card over the phone.  Emily Sanderson is typically in the office on Mondays and Thursdays, and Angie Hillebrand has irregular hours.

Tuition payments for this school year:  Fr. Jake and Finance Council approved the following statements regarding flexibility for tuition payments.  They want to work with people even if it goes well into or through next school year too.

“From March 30th, 2020 through August 31, 2021, the Finance Council gives the Pastor authority to negotiate with families on how to pay their tuition payments.

All families who request a school contract for the 2020-2021 school year will not be denied a contract based upon how much tuition they owe the parish.

Any questions or concerns about tuition payments or contracts can be directed to Fr. Jake Greiner, greinerj@diodav.org or by calling 563-391-4245.”

Tuition Contracts for Next Year:  We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.  If you need another copy of your tuition contract, please contact Emily Sanderson at emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com.

School Meals

Recognizing the need that some families have for meals, ANY child between the ages of 1-18 years old may receive a lunch and breakfast at no cost at one of the following locations beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  It is not a requirement that the child currently be receiving a free/reduced price lunch; it is available to any child.

• Achievement Service Center, located at 1702 N. Main Street
  • Note:  this site replaces DLC/Keystone
• Davenport Sudlow, located at 1414 East Locust Street
• Davenport Williams, located at 3040 North Division
• Davenport Frank L. Smart, located at 1934 West 5th Street
• Davenport Wood, located at 5701 North Division, Davenport

The child no longer has to be present to receive the free meal.  A sack lunch and breakfast for the following morning will be handed out on Monday through Friday.

Please open the trunk of your car or leave a seat open where staff can place the food.  This step will help reduce contact and practice a higher level of social distancing.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url:  https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/04/1032800017A-040520.pdf

I hope you were able to catch Fr. Jake’s class visit this week:

 

 

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

Governor Reynolds to Speak about Schools at Press Conference

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has indicated that she will have more to say about schools in her 2:30 press conference today, April 2, 2020.  Her press conferences can be found on Facebook Live and YouTube Live.  I found it easier to find the recordings of her press conferences then on Facebook.  I have also watched her press conferences live on Mediacom 6.3.

There is also now a virtual meeting scheduled for Iowa public school superintendents and non-public school administrators that I will be attending this evening.

I do not know what the governor will say, but, as I mentioned in my last Principal’s Post, I suspect she will at least be recommending an extension of our school closure.  It’d be much better to know something now when there’s time to prepare than on April 12th, and we are continuing to develop plans for the possibility of a longer closure.  Please do not expect details immediately.

I will have more information to share after this evening and in the upcoming days.  Please be patient.

In the meantime, please enjoy this “class visit” from Fr. Jake:

 

 

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

I hope you and your family are staying well as we go into our second week of school closure and our new social distancing efforts.  I have found that my life doesn’t seem to have changed much.  I used to get up, go to work, work, come home, and go to bed.  Now, there are plenty of days where I’m just eliminating the go to work and come home steps!  I’m even starting to forget what day of the week it is.  They all, even weekends, tend to look about the same.  Honestly, since March 15th, it’s been 12-17 hours of work each day for me.  I swear I’m working more when school is closed now than when it is open!  I hope you were able to watch the video that I made last week.  (See the link in the March 24th Principal’s Post.)  I have a whole new level of respect for broadcast journalists who just talk into a camera!  Here’s some of the latest new, all subject, of course, to change.

Currently Still Scheduled to Reopen on April 13th

When Governor Reynolds made her recommendation that school be closed for four weeks, she indicated that her recommendation would be revisited in two weeks.  That two weeks ends today, and her recommendation has not yet changed.  Superintendents will start to push her this week on whether or not there will be an extension.  Time to prepare is better than a last minute scramble.

If I were a betting person, I would say that we will at least have an extension.  Some of the latest studies are suggesting a peak in cases somewhere between Mid-April and even perhaps into May.

What Will Education Look Like for the Rest of this School Year?

Currently, at JFK, we’ve extended our regular school calendar until June 12th.  We are also, through the current closure, utilizing new ways to connect with students and families and providing guidance and focus on JFK students’ needs in all subject areas that can be addressed through a number of options, including both online and “offline” means.  After only about an hour and a half “meeting” last Monday, teachers began implementing these new ideas and had .pdf “packets” available on Tuesday and were conducting Zoom meetings with students by Wednesday.  The learning curve is huge, but it’s been impressive!

As this work continues, we’re also starting to prepare for the possibility of a longer closure and how we will switch from offering several optional activities for each goal to required activities.  As the Iowa Department of Education is beginning to release new guidance for “continuous learning” (also called remote or distance learning), I think it is doing the same:  hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.  It certainly wouldn’t be ideal, but it may be the way education is done for parts or all of the remainder of the school year.

Technology Access Survey

Both below and through a separate email and text, we are asking all families to complete a survey regarding your child’s access to technology.  Specifically, we are asking about internet access and internet capable devices for student use.  This information will help us as we plan for the future and determine families who might need more help than others.  It is important that we have responses from ALL preschool-8th grade families.

Click JFK Technology Accessibility Survey or use the following link/url: https://forms.gle/SuuA7gSzTKnsSyuu7

Changes to our Website

As you may have noticed, both the school and parish side of our website, www.olvjfk.com, have been changed.  Fr. Jake’s daily reflections (or Sunday’s recorded Mass) are on the front page.  We also have teacher contacts right on the front page as well so you can more easily find their information and the .pdf packets.

Donations, Tithing, Tuition Payments and Registration for Next Year

Just like your family, OLV and JFK are making sure that we have our financial house in order.  The finance council is meeting every two weeks, and Monday night’s discussion will have a focus on flexibility in the payment of tuition.  Fr. Jake will have communication to families after the Monday meeting.

That said, both the school and the church are still dependent upon your regular contributions and payments.  Donation buttons are also located on the front page of our website.  The school side (green) has a button for one time school donations.  The parish side (blue) has buttons for one time donations and for setting up recurring donations.  Tuition payments can also be made via debit/credit card over the phone.  Emily Sanderson is typically in the office on Mondays and Thursdays, and Angie Hillebrand has irregular hours.

Tuition Contracts for Next Year:  We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.

ECLC refunds, which I mentioned in last week’s Principal’s Post, should be mailed to families this week.

School Meals

Recognizing the need that some families have for meals, ANY child between the ages of 1-18 years old may receive a lunch and breakfast at no cost at one of the following locations beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  It is not a requirement that the child currently be receiving a free/reduced price lunch; it is available to any child.

• DLC/Keystone, located at 1002 W Kimberly Road
• Davenport Sudlow, located at 1414 East Locust Street
• Davenport Williams, located at 3040 North Division
• Davenport Frank L. Smart, located at 1934 West 5th Street
• Davenport Wood, located at 5701 North Division, Davenport

The child no longer has to be present to receive the free meal.  A sack lunch and breakfast for the following morning will be handed out on Monday through Friday.

Cultivating Our Future Capital Campaign

While we, of course, are still accepting donations and pledges to the Cultivating Our Future capital campaign, and it is going remarkably well, it is on the “backburner.”  In other words, it is not receiving the public attention that one would normally expect of a capital campaign.  There are more important immediate concerns.  Any HVAC project we’d like to do this summer may be delayed.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url: https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/1032800016A-032920.pdf

 

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

We are all trying new ways to connect with kids and families.

Click HERE for a video message from me or use the following link/url:  https://kennedy-dav.zoom.us/rec/share/wZV3APL6zDpLY6f04mWDUb8eJIamaaa8gyJM-fJcnapNBV86N097ZpqQAEMhkx8?startTime=1585084852000

Stay well.

Our Lady of Victory…Pray for us.

Chad

I hope you and your family are staying well.  Things are changing so fast that as you try to plan for one thing, it’s changed again.  At Our Lady of Victory and JFK,  we’ve been doing the same:  planning for the immediate changes while also keeping in the back of our minds what some of the next issues might be.  As a school, we are currently closed through April 12th and reopening on April 13th.  That may change.

Last weekend, our conversation was focused on cleaning/disinfecting, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper.  (And, that was before the run on toiler paper began!)  What was our stock?  What is our daily usage?  What is happening along our supply chain?  One question at that time was if schools were still open, how long could JFK itself stay open if these supplies begin to run out?  That question changed dramatically on Sunday when Governor Reynolds recommended schools close until at least April 13th.  Since then, it’s been 24/7, what do we do during this interim closure while also keeping in the back of our minds that a closure could be longer.  While we don’t have answers to every question and scenario yet, the following are some of the things that we’ve been working on.  Some of the below is repeated from email messages sent earlier this week.

Changes to the School Calendar

While the governor and legislators are allowing schools to not make up lost instructional time, we recognize that the value of classroom education trumps all other means of instructional delivery.  Our current plan is to, therefore, make up six days.  We will return to classes on Monday, April 13^th, which had previously been a day off for Easter Monday, AND we will extend our school year by one week to June 12^th.  The Davenport Community School District is also planning on returning to classes on April 13^th so there will be bus transportation.  Unless the DCSD also extends the school year, however, there is no bus transportation for JFK students on June 8 – 12.  While we understand the challenges that many families will face without a week of busing, we believe that the value of classroom instruction at JFK provides a greater good during these times.

To give us greater flexibility with the use of time when we do return to classes this spring, the federal government has waived federal testing requirements, and we will will pick up instructional time that way.

I don’t know if we can go much longer into the summer.  There is some discussion in education circles to ask the governor and legislators to allow an earlier start date than August 23rd.  The state fair has been sacred in Iowa, but these are extraordinary times.  We used to start classes several days before August 23rd, and a few days earlier is probably about as far as we can go.  Air conditioning in the entire building would give us much more flexibility!

You may also be noticing that the parish and school calendars are “shrinking” as events are cancelled and removed from the calendar or marked as cancelled.

Educational Activities and Engagement During the Next Three Weeks

Some of the next big questions were how do we keep connecting with students and families over the next three weeks and how do we continue to provide guided educational activities that can be done by students.  Every “educational” business is pushing their products at this time.  (My email in-box is overflowing with offers at this time!)  Many of them have great benefits for students, and many of them can still be used at any time of the year as supplements to schools.  But how do we guide students and families through the smorgasbord and provide some focus to what JFK students need?

Beginning on Monday (technically after spring break), teachers will be identifying and sharing with families educational activities that can be done at home by students of each grade level and within each subject area.  We will have a template that will list goals and the options for religion, English/language arts (which includes reading), math, science, and social studies.  Art, music/band, and physical education will have activities by grade strand: K-2, 3-5, 6-8.  These activities will include online components and links to educational resources, project-based learning or hands-on activities, and other activities intended to keep students learning.  The template will also be organized with suggestions for five days during each week of our closure.

These activities will assembled in a .pdf format and emailed to families and posted on teachers’ pages of our website, www.olvjfk.com.  (Click on “contact us” and scroll down the pages.)  Please do not expect this information until at least late Monday or even Tuesday.  Although many teachers have begun to do this work during the spring break, it does take time to prepare.

These activities are not required to be done by students, and students do not need to do every option listed, but we believe the activities will allow students to continue to be engaged in learning during the upcoming school closure.  As the template is being prepared, I have viewed it on both my laptop and cell phone, and it seems to look good on both.  In fact, the .pdf file was looking better on my cell phone!  If, after receiving the information, you believe that your child absolutely needs a hard copy and you cannot print it yourself, please contact the school office so arrangements can be made for pick up.  Otherwise, we are attempting to avoid additional person-to-person contact and many different people coming to the school.  (We are also keeping in the back of our mind that we may be facing a “shelter in place” order like some states, including IL.)  The best way to contact someone in the office is via email:  angie.hillebrand@olvjfkmail.com and emily.sanderson@olvjfkmail.com.

Without question, any form of remote learning greatly benefits from digital tools, and equitable access becomes an issue.  Even as I’m preparing this Principal’s Post, I’ve experienced my own “spotty” internet connection at times and have cried out in frustration, “Now is not the time!”  I have to remind myself that if I’m having these issues, so are teachers, students, and families.  We will have some options that do not require online access more than looking at the .pdf file.

We are currently (as in over the weekend) trying to configure our Chromebooks so they can be used outside the school, if you believe it is absolutely necessary to use a school device.  The diocese requires that internet access be filtered for inappropriate content when using school machines  regardless of whether the machines are used inside our building or outside the school building.  Our filtering is currently done only through the school’s network, and we’re seeing what we can do to change that at an affordable cost.  We’ll have to inform you later if we’ve developed a solution.

We have also been looking at how we can continue to connect with students and families during our closure.  We have the option to give email access to students in the 3rd through 8th grades.  We will turn on email for student use, and more information on how students can access it will be available from teachers next week.  While we can access students’ accounts, we do not have real time monitoring software in place.  If you do not want the account turned on for your students’ use, please let us know.  Whether or not we continue to have them turned on once regular classes resume has yet to be determined.

We have also been determining what other platform we can use (and train staff on!) for remote meetings, including being able to have optional remote meetings with students.  We have settled on Zoom and will be rolling that out to staff on Monday, and they will be sharing details on how that can be accessed by students.  Please remember that staff members are learning as fast as they can too, and there will be hiccups along the way.  I was experimenting with my wife in one room and me in another room the other day.  We could not get the audio to work through the computers and our connection.  It was only after about 30 minutes of frustration that we realized that the sound was turned off on one of our computers!  Staff may also be able to record meetings or just themselves with a message and post them, but doing these types of things at a business/school level is different than taking a video on a personal cell phone and posting it to a personal Snapchat.  To do it easily at a business/school level often costs money and requires more time to set up than less than the week we’ve had.

Deserving of Special Recognition:  Dianne Siefers

We could not do any of this work at school, and some of the things at the parish level as well, without our amazing technology coordinator, Dianne Siefers.  She exemplifies all that is embodied in our slogan, “There is a difference in education.”  She is more than deserving of her own heading in the Principal’s Post!

Tuition Payments this Year and Registration for Next Year

We understand everyone’s financial concerns during a time of so much turmoil.  We have our own as a church and school.  We also have about 70 full-time and part-time employees about whom we are concerned.  Parish and school leadership members are continually assessing our situations.

Fr. Jake is working on more communication regarding this year’s tuition payments.  Flexibility in payments will be a key component.

Tuition Contracts for Next Year:  We still want to continue the registration process for next school year.  Returned tuition contracts helps us plan for next year as well.  Please return your tuition contract as soon as you can, even without paying the registration fee now.  That can be paid later, if necessary.  At the present time, we are extending the discounted registration fee (discounted to $100) until June 1st.

ECLC and Child Care

There are many behind-the-scenes discussions going on regarding child care, particularly focused on child care for those children whose parents are in “critical roles” that were identified by the State of Iowa and contained in an email to you earlier this week.  I provided information to the State again this morning, and things may change in this area as well as we go farther.

JFK’s ECLC is currently closed for three weeks.  By making up one week of school in June, there is a difference of two weeks.  We will not be charging for two weeks, and we will be refunding the amount for those who have already paid or are doing monthly ACH payments.

We also closed ECLC four days this past week.  We will only charge $40 for the week, regardless of parishioner or non-parishioner status.  Again, we will refund the difference for those who have already paid or are doing monthly ACH payments.

School Meals

Recognizing the need that some families have for meals, ANY child between the ages of 1-18 years old may receive a lunch and breakfast at no cost at one of the following locations beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  It is not a requirement that the child currently be receiving a free/reduced price lunch; it is available to any child.

• DLC/Keystone, located at 1002 W Kimberly Road
• Davenport Sudlow, located at 1414 East Locust Street
• Davenport Williams, located at 3040 North Division
• Davenport Frank L. Smart, located at 1934 West 5th Street
• Davenport Wood, located at 5701 North Division, Davenport

The child must be present to receive the free meal. A sack lunch and breakfast for the following morning will be handed out on Monday through Friday.

Cultivating Our Future Capital Campaign

While we, of course, are still accepting donations and pledges to the Cultivating Our Future capital campaign, and it is going remarkably well, it is on the “backburner.”  In other words, it is not receiving the public attention that one would normally expect of a capital campaign.  There are more important immediate concerns.  Any HVAC project we’d like to do this summer may be delayed.

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url: https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/1032800016A-032220.pdf

 

Once again, please remember that this information is relevant for where we are at right now.  As things change, I will continue to share as best as I can.

Stay well!  Our Lady of Victory,…pray for us.

Chad

Cultivating Our Future:  Pledge Weekend March 14/15

Pledge weekend for the Cultivating Our Future capital campaign is March 14/15.  A few moments from Mass will be taken to “give thanks to God for the commitments made to this campaign.  You can bring your pledge card to any of the Masses that weekend, mail them to the parish office or put them in the offertory.”

This $1.6 million dollar two-year campaign has three goals:

1. Provide for Our Children a physical environment conducive to student learning, with upgrades to the heating and cooling systems at our school.
2. Sustain Our Mission through ongoing facility upgrades to provide more hospitable and efficient spaces for our current parishioners and future families.
3. Build Our Community by expanding and supporting our ministries and missions in the Quad-Cities.

Brochures mailed to each household and available by clicking HERE  and pamphlets in the parish bulletin and sent home in backpack mail provide the details of each area.  The most critical and first area to be addressed is the heating and cooling systems at JFK, and we hope to have a new HVAC system in place for the older parts of the building by fall.

If you have questions about our projects or the campaign after receiving the information, please contact Fr. Jake,  any member of the Finance or Parish Councils, or me.  Pledges as of March 6th were already $250,000!

Thank you in advance for your financial support and prayers as we move together in Cultivating Our Future.

Plant Sale

JFK is partnering again with Janet’s Jungle to offer a way to beautify your yard all while supporting our JFK school.
We offer a beautiful selection of annuals, perennials, and vegetables, including several baskets and planters, at very reasonable prices! This is perfect timing for buying early for Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, and for getting all your flowers and vegetables for your garden, patio, or yard.  The sale runs through April 6th. Pickup will be April 30th and May 1st from 2pm-7pm in the Parish Center. Purchases can be made online by clicking PLANT SALE, using the link/url, or http://www.janetsjungle.com/davenport-jfkcatholicschool.html or via the order form that went home with students.  Extra forms are available in the school office.

COVID-19

With concerns about COVID-19 in the U.S. rising, we are working with the state and county health departments and diocese to review our plans.  Situations can change fairly rapidly as well so make sure you stay attuned to new information.  Between the time the diocese disseminated a bulletin insert for this past weekend outlining things that might change at Masses and the time of the actual weekend Masses, we were directed to actually implement some of the possible changes.

Prevention measures for COVID-19 are the same as for other influenza circulating currently:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper arm/elbow.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an appropriate hand sanitizer, preferably one with a 60%-95% alcohol concentration.  (At school, we are working to increase the availability and use of hand sanitizer.)
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Avoid sharing cups, water bottles, and utensils.
• Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.  (At school, we are examining if there are ways to increase our regular cleaning and disinfecting in both common and classroom areas.)
• Stay home when ill.  The following is from our handbook:  “Parents should keep their children at home if they are ill.  Students should be fever free for 24 hours and fully recovered from any illness before returning to school.  A fever is defined as a temperature at 100 degrees or above when not using medication to lower the temperature.  A student will be excluded from school when the student’s condition has been determined to be contagious to others or if the student is too ill to do his/her work.  These conditions would include fever, diarrhea, pink eye, rashes, vomiting, and non-allergy causing runny nose or coughing spasms prohibiting the child from being able to do his/her work, etc.”
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

It is important to prepare for the potential of COVID-19 as you would for severe weather or other events that could disrupt your normal routine.  What would you do if:

• you could not go to work due to your illness or if your workplace closed?
• your child is ill or becomes ill during the day?
• your daycare provider is ill or has to close?
• school is closed? Closed for a week or longer?
• you need to get groceries but are ill?

Changes to Mass have already begun, and these will continue with all school Masses.  The most noticeable change at school Masses is that the sign of peace will be omitted.

Routine use of prevention measures and preparing for some of the above possibilities will increase our readiness for any disease situation.

Tuition Contracts Mailed This Week

Tuition contracts for the 2020-21 school year will be mailed this week.  The sooner they, and the discounted registration fee, are returned, the better our planning for next school year will be.

Highlighted Upcoming Events

Mar 12:  Home & School Mtg

Mar 13:  Green/White Dress Day

Mar 14/15:  Cultivating Our Future Pledge Weekend

Mar 16-20:  Spring Break.  No Classes.  ECLC Open.

Mar 23:  Classes Resume

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url: https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/March-8-2020.pdf

And Then That One Time in Band Camp…

For the past week, I’ve been battling a flare up of bursitis in my shoulder.  Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa sac near the joint.  I had a twinge about ten days ago and then painted all last Saturday.  I think the painting did me in.  It also brought back memories of the first time I dealt with shoulder bursitis — during “marching band season” when I was in high school.

In South Milwaukee, WI, where I grew up, marching band was HUGE.  Every weekend during the summer, we would perform in one or two parades throughout southeast WI and northern IL.  We marched during Port Washington’s Fish Days, Sheboygan’s Bratwurst Festival, and the South Shore Water Frolics.  If July 4th was on a weekend, it wasn’t uncommon for us to march in five parades in three days.  We were also the WI state champion marching band several years in a row.  While I suppose it seems kind of cheesy, (yes, I also was in a trumpet trio that did fanfares for each winning type of cheese at the WI Cheese Festival), it led to some great experiences, including being at a football bowl game and marching in at least two locally televised and one nationally televised parade.  I have many great memories from marching band, and it was a great way to spend the summers.  I’d tell you what happened during band camp, but we were too busy to ever have camp!

Chad

Cultivating Our Future Capital Campaign Launched

This weekend Our Lady of Victory launched a capital campaign:  Cultivating Our Future.  This $1.6 million dollar two-year campaign has three goals:

1. Provide for Our Children a physical environment conducive to student learning, with upgrades to the heating and cooling systems at our school.
2. Sustain Our Mission through ongoing facility upgrades to provide more hospitable and efficient spaces for our current parishioners and future families.
3. Build Our Community by expanding and supporting our ministries and missions in the Quad-Cities.

Brochures mailed to each household and available by clicking HERE  and pamphlets in the parish bulletin and sent home in backpack mail provide the details of each area.  The most critical and first area to be addressed is the heating and cooling systems at JFK, and we hope to have a new HVAC system in place for the older parts of the building by fall.

If you have questions about our projects or the campaign after receiving the information, please contact Fr. Jake,  any member of the Finance or Parish Councils, or me.  We will also be hosting a special information session next Sunday, March 9th, in the parish center at 2:00 p.m.

Pledge cards will be mailed later this week, and parish members will be calling over the next few weeks to ask if you have any further questions or concerns.  Fr. Jake’s bulletin article explains that “on the weekend of March 14-15, we will have a special Pledge Sunday where we will take a few moments at each Mass to give thanks to God for the commitments made to this campaign. You can bring your pledge card to any of the Masses that weekend, mail them to the parish office or put them in the offertory.”

Thank you in advance for your financial support and prayers as we move together in Cultivating Our Future.

Plant Sale

JFK is partnering again with Janet’s Jungle to offer a way to beautify your yard all while supporting our JFK school.
We offer a beautiful selection of annuals, perennials, and vegetables, including several baskets and planters, at very reasonable prices! This is perfect timing for buying early for Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, and for getting all your flowers and vegetables for your garden, patio, or yard.  The sale runs through April 6th. Pickup will be April 30th and May 1st from 2pm-7pm in the Parish Center. Purchases can be made online by clicking PLANT SALE, using the link/url, or http://www.janetsjungle.com/davenport-jfkcatholicschool.html or via the order form that went home with students.  Extra forms are available in the school office.

COVID-19

With concerns about COVID-19 in the U.S. rising, we are working with the state and county health departments and diocese to review our plans.  Prevention measures for COVID-19 are the same as for other influenza circulating currently:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper arm/elbow.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an appropriate hand sanitizer, preferably one with a 60%-95% alcohol concentration.  (At school, we are working to increase the availability and use of hand sanitizer.)
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Avoid sharing cups, water bottles, and utensils.
• Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.  (At school, we are examining if there are ways to increase our regular cleaning and disinfecting in both common and classroom areas.)
• Stay home when ill.  The following is from our handbook:  “Parents should keep their children at home if they are ill.  Students should be fever free for 24 hours and fully recovered from any illness before returning to school.  A fever is defined as a temperature at 100 degrees or above when not using medication to lower the temperature.  A student will be excluded from school when the student’s condition has been determined to be contagious to others or if the student is too ill to do his/her work.  These conditions would include fever, diarrhea, pink eye, rashes, vomiting, and non-allergy causing runny nose or coughing spasms prohibiting the child from being able to do his/her work, etc.”
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

It is important to prepare for the potential of COVID-19 as you would for severe weather or other events that could disrupt your normal routine.  What would you do if:

• you could not go to work due to your illness or if your workplace closed?
• your child is ill or becomes ill during the day?
• your daycare provider is ill or has to close?
• school is closed? Closed for a week or longer?
• you need to get groceries but are ill?

Routine use of prevention measures and preparing for some of the above possibilities will increase our readiness for any disease situation.

Kindergarten Round-up Has Occurred. Tuition Contracts Being Prepared

If you missed kindergarten round-up, please contact the school office, (563) 391-3030.  Tuition contracts for the 2020-21 school year are being prepared for all students.  We hope to mail them next week.

AHS Production of Freaky Friday

Save the Date for the Assumption Knight Players’ production of Freaky Friday, a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic!  When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they come to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.  Performances are on March 6th and 7th at 7:00 p.m. and March 8th at 2:00 p.m..  Tickets available at http://www.showtix4u.com   or at the door.

Highlighted Upcoming Events

Mar 12:  Home & School Mtg

Mar 13:  Green/White Dress Day

Mar 14/15:  Cultivating Our Future Pledge Weekend

Mar 16-20:  Spring Break.  No Classes.  ECLC Open.

Mar 23:  Classes Resume

OLV parish bulletin:  Click HERE or use the following link/url: https://www.olvjfk.com/olv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/02/March-1-2020.pdf

Campus Improvements

Cultivating Our Future is the second capital campaign I’ve been through at JFK.  I’ve always been impressed with the way the OLV and JFK community has tackled large scale projects.  In many locations, there’s a lot of worrying and fretting, but nothing gets done because it’s too hard or it will cost too much.  At OLV, people do their research to determine what the wants and needs are.  They then do their due diligence in looking at the options and costs.  Finally, they decide and take action.  In 2008, we launched a $2.4 million dollar campaign and ended up with a $3.4 building project that was dedicated in 2011.  Since 2011, we’ve done well over $500,000 in campus improvements including heating and cooling work in the church, school, and rectory, new roofs on three buildings, safety improvements at the school and church, stained glass window repairs in the church, parish center kitchen renovations, and more.  Now, we are preparing for another $1.6 million in campus improvements and ministry enhancements.  OLV and JFK are, again, leading the way.  Please pray for our continued success.

Chad