Ash Wednesday March 1st
Ash Wednesday is March 1st. Masses are at 7:00 and 8:15 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Preschool and ECLC Registration
Preschool and ECLC/daycare registration has begun. JFK has several options for three and four year olds:
T/Th morning 3 year olds
MWF morning 3 year olds
Both of these can be combined with full day childcare.
M-F morning 4/5 year olds. This program can be combined with full day childcare.
M-F afternoon 4/5 year olds
Did you know that Iowa leads the nation in the percentage of families with children under the age of six in which both parents work? Iowa is around 75%. Access to quality preschool and childcare programs is a must for Iowa families. JFK is proud to be able to help families and prepare students for school.
Register now as waiting lists will start forming.
Kindergarten Round-Up was February 16th. Please contact the school office as soon as possible, if you missed it. Beginning this pre-registration process is the first step in ensuring your child a spot for next year. Last year we had 60 families that wanted kindergarten spots, and we had to use a waiting list and refer to our enrollment policy to limit class sizes. Do not delay!Registration for other students will begin in the next few weeks.
Make Sure Your Payments Are Current
As we prepare to issue tuition contracts for next school year, please make sure your tuition and various fee payments for this year are current. If you are having difficulty with tuition payments, please contact Dave Mattke in the parish office (391-4245) so arrangements can be made. For difficulty with any other fees, contact the school office. We understand that families can run into difficulties; it’s when there is no communication that we don’t know what to do.
Second semester band fees ($75 per child) are now overdue. Please take care of those fees so your child won’t have to miss any band time.
“Day of Diversity”
Students in grades 6-8 will participate in our annual “Day of Diversity,” during which time we supplement classroom lessons about stereotypes and perceptions by inviting in outside presenters. We are honored to have the following join us on February 27th from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the parish center. Parents are welcome to attend.
- Helen Phan, who will address immigration and entrepreneurship
- Imam Saad, from the Quad Cities Islamic Center
- Lisa Willows, who will be speaking about having a special needs family member
A fourth grader reading 20 minutes per day outside of school on Friday – Sunday at the benchmark of 136 words per minute was exposed to nearly 8,160 words this weekend. Thirty minutes per day would have made over 12,240!
Don’t forget math automaticity either. Math automaticity refers to the instant, seemingly effortless recall of math facts. When students become automatic with math facts, the cognitive processing parts of the brain can focus on other aspects of math problems. (Similarly, when students are fluent and accurate readers, their brains are freed up for comprehension and more deeper understanding of what they read.) Math automaticity is achieved when the response time is somewhere between 250 mili-seconds and 1 second. For an interesting 3 1/2 minute video of math automaticity and the brain, enter the following address into your browser or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X_kbbVB4CM
Red Out Day for Jump/Hoops for Heart
With a $1 donation to the American Heart Association, students may be out of uniform if wearing red on Tuesday, February 28th. If you can’t make the $1 donation, consider being in uniform code wearing a red uniform shirt.
Gala Donation?
Have you made a donation yet to this year’s Gala? A $10 donation from each family at JFK will yield more than $2,000 in “seed money.” This $2,000 can then be used to underwrite the Gala. A small amount can then be leveraged into something tenfold or more!
Hearing Screenings – Grades PS, K, 1, 2, 5
Hearing screenings will be conducted on Thursday for students in grades PS, K, 1, 2, and 5. Parents will only receive something from the Health Department if a full hearing test is recommended as a follow up to the screening.
AHS Musical March 10-12
One of my favorite musicals, The Sound of Music, will be presented at Assumption on March 10th and 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the Sunderbruch Auditorium. The performance on the 12th is at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the door: adults $10, students and seniors $8.
JFK on Facebook
Did you Like us on Facebook this week? Ask to be part of the JFK Moms & Dads and see all the pictures from this week’s music and athletic events.
Re-Designed Website
We are in the final phases of a complete re-design of the parish and school’s website, www.olvjfk.com. We hope to launch in mid to late March as we migrate and finish writing content for the new site.
Janitor Position
We are seeking a full-time, 2:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. janitor/custodian. Interested persons can contact the school office for an application or email me at chad.steimle@olvjfkmail.com.
Chad
