Calendar Issues
The OLV/JFK board of education voted to have June 11th as our last day of school this year. With more than enough instructional hours to meet requirements and a major HVAC construction project to be completed in already a shorter than normal summer, it was decided to stay with June 11th as our last day of school. The DCSD will continue until the 16th. Because June 11th is not Davenport’s last day, there is no early dismissal at JFK on June 11th.
The first day of school for next year will be August 23rd. We are awaiting a corrected full year 2021-22 calendar from the DCSD before we finalize our calendar for next year.
Our Easter break includes Good Friday (April 2) and Easter Monday (April 5). There are no classes on these two dates, and ECLC is also closed. Please note that the DCSD does have classes on April 5th.
Board of Education Openings
If you would like to be involved in decisions like those mentioned above, consider running for the board of education. The board meets on the first Tuesday of each month from about 6:30-8:00 p.m. Our longest meetings typically are when we talk “money,” that is, when we try to budget our priorities and put talk into action. Board members occasionally have another meeting to attend during the month. A board member’s term is three years. Please contact me if you are interested in being on the board, and I will connect you with a board member for more information. Elections are in May.
Cultivating Our Future — School HVAC
We received the updated quote to do school HVAC work this summer. The school HVAC project includes a VRF heating/cooling system, mechanical ventilation, and an ionization air purification system. When we are finished, we will have resolved our heating pipes issues in the 1963 part of the building and added air conditioning, mechanical ventilation, and air purification to the 1963 and 1987 parts of the building. (Significant HVAC upgrades are not needed in the 2011 additions.)
In order to accomplish this $1 million project, planned for this summer, pledges and donations to our $1.6 million Cultivating Our Future capital campaign are still needed. No amount is too small. The fewer JFK families that support the campaign in any way, the less support some may interpret this project as having from JFK families. (That’s not true, but it is reality.) For more information about the campaign, use the following link: capital campaign.
Gala and Plant Sale
Plans are being made for the Rock the Lot Gala that will combine online elements and socially distant outdoor elements utilizing our vast campus. We also hope to celebrate the anticipated beginning of the school HVAC project and just making it through the 2020-21 school year! The Rock the Lot Gala is May 15, 2021. If you would like to donate an item or service that can be auctioned alone or in a basket combined with other items, please contact Angie Hillebrand in the school office.
Tuition Contracts for 2021-22, Kindergarten Round-Up, PS, and ECLC Registration
Tuition contracts for 2021-22, which represent the official registration document for next school year, will be mailed on Thursday. Please contact Emily Sanderson in the school office, if you have not turned in your kindergarten forms yet, so your kindergartner is not left off the contract. If you are behind in tuition payments, please contact Fr. Jake so arrangements can be made, and there are no delays in sending out your tuition contract for next year.
Preschool registration for 3, 4, and 5 year olds and ECLC (childcare) does remain open. If you have not yet registered for these programs, please contact the school office ASAP.
School Bookkeeper/Secretary Position
JFK has an upcoming opening for a school bookkeeper/secretary as Emily Sanderson will be transitioning to another position at JFK. The school bookkeeper/secretary position is year round and includes a tuition benefit. The qualified applicant must be detail oriented with accounting knowledge and have strong interpersonal skills with both adults and children. The ability to multi-task with frequent interruptions is a must. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest, resume, and references to chad.steimle@olvjfkmail.com, or complete an application in the school office. We hope to have the position filled within the next few weeks, and the new staff member will begin yet this school year.
COVID Data
Below is a link to a .pdf file that shows several graphs of Scott County and JFK data.
I’ll add a few comments below as well.
- The week by week downward trend in Scott County data has stopped, and the rates crept back up this last week. Hopefully, it is only a short-term “blip” as we are still roughly at or above the July surge rates. We don’t want to become complacent just because the COVID numbers aren’t as high as just the latest surge!
- We won’t be meeting with the health department this week due to spring break, but we may have the weekly data emailed to us.
- JFK’s own absence rates increased this week, but that was expected with spring break. The closer we get to an extended break, the higher the absence rate becomes as people leave early.
- We’ll see if spring break had an impact on COVID numbers about 2-3 weeks after spring break concludes. Stay safe!
Chad
