In Person Events for Kindergarten Round-Up and Preschool Open House and Pre-Registration

With so many changes with ESAs and SCCS, the in person events for kindergarten round-up and preschool open house and pre-registration may be even more important.  Below is a link to the flyer for these events.  Please note that the pre-school event is a drop in anytime event rather than a scheduled program.  Both students and parents should attend.  Please share the flyer/link with other families who may be considering JFK!

JFK Kindergarten and Preschool Flyer, 2023

Preschool Open House and Pre-Registration

February 13th:  5:30-7:00 pm.  Enter door 3W under the canopy (the PS entrance).  Parent and student event — drop in any time between 5:30-7:00

JFK offers several preschool options all of which can be combined with partial or full-time wraparound care:

3 year olds: MWF a.m., T/Th a.m., or M-F a.m.

4/5 year olds: M-F a.m., or M-F p.m.

Kindergarten Information Session and Round-Up

February 16th:  6:00-7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria.  Parent and student event

Pre-Registration Process for 2023-24 Began February 6th

A new registration process for JFK and Scott County Catholic Schools began February 6th when the pre-registration/application link is released.

1. All preschool, kindergarten, and returning families will need to enter information through the pre-registration/application survey.  A QR Code and link/url was distributed/posted on February 6th.  They are available on the front page of our website.  Submissions are time/date stamped.  For those unable to complete the pre-registration/application survey online, physical copies will be available at school.
2. Pay the registration fee for K-8, three year old preschool, or “non-qualifying” four/five year old preschool OR the extra time fee for an “IA preschool” four year old preschool.  The registration fee is regularly $125 per PK-12 student for a maximum of $375 per family.  If paid prior to April 1st, the early bird amount is $100 per PK-12 student for a maximum of $300 per family.   The extra time fee for four year old preschoolers is $250 per child.  These fees can be paid online by following the link in the pre-registration/application survey.  Checks can also be made payable to JFK and sent to the school office.
   1. A non-qualifying preschooler is a non-Iowa resident or student who turns 5 on or before Sept 15th.  Tuition is charged for this student, and there is a registration fee.  There is no extra time fee.
3. Complete a more detailed online process.  This process will most likely be available in March.

As we move through the registration process, it is important that families be up-to-date in their payments of tuition and ECLC and other fees.  Families who are not up-to-date will not be in the highest priority enrollment group and may not even be able to finalize their registration.

Tuition rates for K-12 have not yet been finalized for 2023-24.  (See the below information regarding ESAs.)

Scott County Catholic School tuition rates for preschool, with or without wraparound care, are in the linked document:  Preschool Tuition Rates JFK

Note that there are now more options at JFK for preschool and wraparound care options.  Taking account of all of the wraparound care offered, there are at least 17 preschool options available at JFK next year, including some new ones.  Also note that ECLC is now considered wraparound care in SCCS and not billed separately from tuition.

No Classes on February 20

There are no classes on February 20th due to President’s Day.  ECLC is open.

Demographic Nuggets

I read in The Catholic Messenger that one of our SCCS elementary schools was highlighted for having 53 Hispanic students in PK-8.  JFK has about 64 Hispanic K-8 students (about 19% or our K-8 student body) and an additional seven Hispanic preschoolers for a total of 71.  JFK’s staff would also be considered more than 10% minorities.

JFK Accounting Shifting to SCCS Business Office

As the regionalization of the Catholic schools into one system continues, much of JFK’s accounting work is moving away from the JFK school office to the SCCS business office located at Assumption High School.  Megan Masterson will be starting her days at JFK and then traveling to the SCCS business office to continue work.  Early in the morning, she can still be reached at JFK.  Later in the day, she can be reached through Assumption, 563-326-5313.  She will retain a JFK email address.  Payments should still be sent to the JFK school office.

Middle School Position, with Math Emphasis, Open for 2023-24

JFK is seeking a middle school, primarily math, teacher for 2023-24.  Mrs. Clark will be moving back to Utah where family resides.  Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, resume, copy/link of one’s Iowa license, and list of references to chad.steimle@olvjfkmail.com.  More information is on TeachIowa.gov

Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs)

We are still waiting for the the Iowa Department of Education to write/release the administrative rules regarding ESAs.  Below is an FAQ that I shared via email last week:

View this email in your browser

Education Savings Accounts Frequently Asked Questions What is an ESA?  An ESA is an Education Savings Account. It helps a family to fund non-public school educational expenses when the family believes a non-public school setting may be the best choice for their child. Iowa recently passed a school choice bill that included ESA funding.  That funding will be phased in over the next three school years. First priority has been given to Fall of 2023 Kindergarteners, students switching from public schools and those living in households with family income less than 300% of poverty. By the 2025-26 school year, all non-public school families in Iowa will be able to access ESA funding – although many will access funding sooner. More information will be shared as soon as it becomes available.  We will provide updates through parish bulletins, and the SCCS website at www.sccsiowa.org How will ESAs affect our schools’ mission and culture?   Iowa’s new ESA legislation was carefully written to maintain the independence of private schools.  As Catholic schools, faith will always be central to our mission.  There are no restrictions or changes to our curriculum that will result from this legislation. We will continue to celebrate Mass, have religion classes, and offer reconciliation, along with all of our current faith activities. Will class sizes increase dramatically?  We know parents value personal attention for their students.  The SCCS Board of Directors is responsible for determining maximum class size and student/teacher ratio for grades K-12.  The educational needs of the students and the overall instructional quality of classes shall be considered when determining class size.  In grades with open seats, we will welcome new students according to our enrollment process. Do our Catholic schools accept students with diverse learning needs?  Our Catholic schools are committed to working with all learners to the best of our abilities, including children who may require additional support.  We work with parents on an individualized basis to determine if our services are sufficient to support optimal learning for their student. Do our schools welcome non-Catholic students?  While the Catholic faith is integral to all aspects of school life, our Scott County Catholic Schools welcome families of all faith traditions into our school communities. Are our Catholic school teachers licensed by the State of Iowa and the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners?  Our schools are accredited by the state of Iowa and teachers go through the same licensing process as public school teachers. The only exception is for high school theology teachers because the requirements from the state of Iowa are different for those only teaching religion.  Iowa Catholic schools participate in state testing and report student outcomes to the IA Department of Education. Will our Catholic schools become more diverse due to the ESA legislation?  Since Iowa initiated the STO program in 2006, our schools have been able to welcome more students from varying socioeconomic backgrounds.  In view of the passage of the new ESA legislation – as well as established population trendlines, we believe this trend will continue in the years to come. How will this impact our current parish/school relationship?  Scott County parishes have always been an integral part of the success of our schools and this will not change. While ESAs will help make a Catholic education accessible to more families, the partnership we share with parishes must remain the backbone of our schools.  With the implementation of the ESA program, the methods by which we finance our schools (including parish subsidy) may be adjusted as the program progresses and the full impact is realized. How will parish membership be determined?  Parish membership is based upon criteria set forth by each pastor for his parish(s).  In general, parish membership is based upon registration at the parish, Mass attendance, tithing and service to the parish of membership.  SCCS already verifies parish membership with the pastor of each supporting parish at the beginning of each school year in order to determine parish membership. Will tuition next year be increased to match the $7,598 included in the ESA?  No. Scott County Catholic Schools will be implementing a transition plan with more modest tuition increases that will be phased in over time to align with the new ESA program. What if the amount of the ESA is greater than the cost of tuition?  Any ESA funds beyond the cost of tuition and other qualifying expenses will remain in the student’s account to be used through high school graduation. This means the account balance can grow during K-8 years to help cover the cost of high school tuition. If my family received tuition assistance through the Family Tuition Plan in the past, do I still need to apply to the ESA program?  All families who applied for Family Tuition Plan funding in previous years will be asked to apply for ESA funding first and then apply for Family Tuition Plan funding if necessary. How does a family apply for an ESA account?  The State of Iowa is working feverishly to hammer out the details of this computer based application process. SCCS will be notified as soon as the application becomes available . . .  and as soon as we are notified, you will be notified. It seems like passage of this ESA bill was somewhat of a surprise? Is that a fair assessment?  Actually, the Iowa Catholic Conference has been working on various aspects of school choice since the 1980s when the initial school tuition tax credit was passed into law. Since that time, more entities have become interested in the issue of school choice and helped to amplify our voices.  Many of you responded to our Legislative Alerts over the years, and that also played a part. In the end, Governor Reynolds made school choice a priority of her legislative agenda, and we are very appreciative of her consideration, and that of the Iowa Legislature.

 

JFK Preschool Facebook Page

JFK launched a new Facebook page, JFK Preschool, devoted exclusively to 3-5 year old preschool: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063830626686.   Look for more information from your child’s preschool teacher.

Last week I mentioned that Assumption was also having similar issues with the length of girls’ skirts, the tightness/type of girls’ pants, and various sweatshirt issues.  This week there was communication from/with another SCCS elementary school regarding out of uniform guidelines for the types of girls’ pants.  It seems like this issue might be everywhere within our schools!  Expect a renewed effort to make sure we are abiding by our uniform policy, including the issuance of dress code demerits which lead to detentions in the upper grades.

Highlighted Events

See the calendars on our website for more complete information as the below are only some of the highlights.

• Feb 13:  Pre-school Open House and Pre-Registration Event
• Feb 14:  Red, White, & Pink Dress Day
• Feb 16:  End of 3rd Mid-Qtr.  Kindergarten Round-Up
• Feb 20:  President’s Day-No Classes.  ECLC Open
• Feb 22:  Ash Wednesday
• Feb 24:  Out of Uniform Fundraiser for U of I Children’s Hospital

Chad