Civic Oration Speeches Rounds 1 and 2 This Week
The culminating academic activity of the year, civic oration speeches, begins this week. Students in grades 5-8 have taken their research papers and will present them in memorized speeches. This year, students will be making their presentations while also using a slide deck. (Who does public speaking these days without slides?!) While not every student will advance to subsequent rounds in the competition phase of civic oration, every student does participate in this talented and gifted activity.
Junior Achievement Needs Volunteers for JFK Programs
Seventh grade was able to participate in JA’s Finance Park, a culminating activity at JA’s downtown facility, due to the gracious time of several volunteers and some creative scheduling of staff at school. There are other JA programs at JFK that need volunteers, including those on the flyer below.
These programs typically involve someone coming into a class to lead a 30-60 minute session about once per week using the materials provided by JA. Seldom is the JA volunteer a parent of a student in a particular grade/homeroom. For more information, contact Monica at monica.telschow@ja.org. See also jaheartland.org for information about JA in general.
Kindergarten Round-up and Pre-registration
Please contact the school office right away, if you missed Kindergarten Round-up and pre-registration. These pre-registration figures are used to help determine whether or not there will be one section or two sections next year and/or how many classroom aides we’ll need.
Pre-school and Daycare Registration
Registration for all sections of 3 year old preschool, 4/5 year old preschool, and ECLC is underway for all families. Morning classes fill up quickly, in particular, so do not delay PS registration.
See the K, pre-school, daycare roundup flyer, 2022
Upcoming Events
- Mar 7: Civic Oration 5th-8th grade level rounds. Music boosters (6:30 p.m. staff room in front entry)
- Mar 8: Student Council Supply Store open
- Mar 9: AHS and 3rd grade Lenten activity
- Mar 10: Civic Oration round two
- Mar 11: Green/white out of uniform dress day. Guest speakers for grades 6-8 in relation to Blessed Carlos Acutis, a teen who passed away at the age of 15 and may be on his way to sainthood. Sacrament of Reconciliation for grades 2-8 during the school day
- Mar 14-18: Spring Break. No classes. ECLC is open.
- Mar 15: Keith Nester — Lenten speaker: What is Great about Being Catholic (6:30 p.m. in the church)
- Mar 21: Classes resume
- Mar 22: Penny War for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation begins
- Mar 24: Final round of civic oration
- Mar 25: Dress in your favorite color day
- Mar 26: Confirmation retreat (8-11 with sponsors or a parent)
Campus Facilities Review: The Higher Priority Items for the School
A campus facilities review is beginning at OLV/JFK . One of the best characteristics of OLV/JFK is it is not afraid to take on capital projects to enhance the campus and adequately maintain it. Since I’ve been at JFK, there’s probably been around $3 million or more spent on the school. Some of the next higher priority items for the school include the following, in no particular order. More details are added this week:
- Parking lot sealing and striping and concrete work scheduled/contracted already for summer 2022
- Handicapped parking and access
- It’s a long way to go from the handicapped parking spots, out to the 42nd Street sidewalk, and in the front doors. A handicapped/short term visitor parking area on on the same level as the main doors continues to be explored.
- Window replacements and window screens
- The 1963 windows were replaced about 20 years ago. The 1987 windows are now 25 years old. Several windows have had their double-pane seals go bad, and parts of the windows are foggy. Window screens take a beating.
- Playground equipment and surfacing
- The wood equipment is probably over 40 years old, and pieces have been taken out over the years. The metal and plastic equipment is about 25 years old. They are nearing the end of their life cycles. The certified playground mulch/engineered wood fiber should probably be entirely replaced. Rough estimates for playground work is probably $125,000 – $160,000 or more.
- Exterior gym wall repair
- Brick on the north side of the gym wall that rises above the rest of the school roof, in particular, has deteriorating bricks. Although identified as an issue nearly a decade ago, other projects have always had higher priority.
- Flooring replacement cycle
- We have been without a regular floor replacement cycle for several years. Of course, we’ve also replaced most floors with longer lasting materials so the need for replacement has been reduced.
- Warped doors and frames
- An evaluation of some wall cracks in 2021 did not yield any concerns. There’s just been some normal settling in 60 years that has led to some cracks and some door frames being out of square.
- Unused radiator removal and wall repairs
- With the VRF system, unused radiators can be removed, and walls can be repaired, as needed.
- Southwest stair repairs
- Twenty-five years of winter salt in the 1987 addition has led to pocketing on some of the stair treads.
- Self-closing fire doors
- All classroom doors and stairwell doors should be outfitted with self-closing fire doors that are connected to the fire alarm system.
- Ceiling tiles added on lower level and replaced in nearly all other areas of 1963 and 1987 parts of the building
- It’s not just ceiling tiles. It’s also adjustments that then need to be made to lights, fire sprinkler heads, etc. Would we also add sprinklers to areas of the building that do not have them?
- Additional mechanical ventilation for 2011 additions
- This ventilation system typically only operates when the A/C is running.
- Storage for extra classroom furniture, etc. as needs change due to enrollment and as students physically grow over the 9-12 years they might be at JFK
- Do you know how many different sizes of chairs are needed in a building for kids who are three years old through possibly 14/15 years old? As cohorts move through the building and/or enrollment fluctuates, we move furniture in/out of classrooms. The white garage behind the white house is full and structurally leaning. (During COVID, we’ve also used 2 1/2 of the 4 rectory garage parking stalls in 20-21 and 1 1/2 stalls in 21-22. We hope to greatly reduce that again over this summer.)
COVID Data and Comments
Below is a link to a .pdf file that shows several graphs for Scott County and JFK. Below are also some comments related to the pandemic.
- There were no students or staff testing positive for COVID last week.
As I mentioned the possibility in previous Principal’s Posts and shared in Wednesday’s email, the vast majority of our remaining COVID mitigation strategies will be removed by the time we come back from spring break. We have begun to make some changes already, including the following, which are more noticeable than other changes:
- Masses can be back to “normal” including the requirement that Catholics attend Mass on the weekend.
- Clear partitions have been removed in the cafeteria, art room, library, and resource rooms.
- Zig-zag seating with an open seat between students in the cafeteria is no longer required in grades 1-8.
- The exclusion of students from school due to illnesses returns to the normal procedures outlined in our regular handbook. (Kids still should not be at school when they are sick and not feeling well.) There will be no more discussion of COVID “high risk” or two or more “low risk” symptoms. COVID-19 itself has been entered on the Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) longer list of illnesses for which exclusion is required, and the 5 with or 10 day without mask exclusions still apply.
- Fire/tornado drills will return to whole school exercises rather than by homeroom exercises.
- Field trips are returning.
After spring break, the following will be noticeable:
- Any seating arrangement without regard to the physical distancing that had been used for COVID mitigation can be used in school. (Tables for preschoolers will not likely return until we can figure out where to store the 60 desks that would have to come out of classrooms.)
- One all school Mass on Wednesdays at 7:40 a.m. will be restored. Arriving at school on time will be even more critical on Wednesdays as students who arrive late may find that their class has already left for the church. Singing will return to Masses, but students as song leaders will take a while longer. (They haven’t sung at school Masses for over almost two years!)
- Singing will more regularly be a part of music classes. A more regular spring show and 7/8 grade spring showcase will return.
- Large assemblies will return, as opportunities arise. The Scott County Catholic Schools’ Mass at AHS for grades 2-12 is scheduled for April.
- Notification letters regarding a positive case of COVID in a homeroom will end. There are very few illnesses on the IDPH’s list that require notification. COVID is not one of them.
- Water fountains will be turned back on once our supply of bottled water is at a more reasonable level for storage. We still have about 150 cases and are distributing about three cases worth of bottles each day.
- Dismissal, while still staggered, will be guided by our new bell system rather than PA announcements.
- Rugs in preschool, ECLC, and kindergarten, in particular, will return as they are cleaned after being stored for two years.
Please continue to take care of yourselves and your family. COVID guidance that we have been receiving lately seems to emphasize the following strategies:
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- Recommending vaccination, including boosters, for all eligible
- Optional masking, particularly indoors and/or in crowded settings and when the vaccination status of others is unknown
- Ventilation
- Handwashing and respiratory etiquette
- Staying home when sick and getting tested
- Physical distancing and masking are important here too as they are, or perhaps should be, for any other airborne illness
- Close contacts taking precautions, including some physical distancing and masking, to not only protect themselves but also so they do not become asymptomatic spreaders
Ignite Sundays
See below for the list of IGNITE Sundays. There is no cost or registration required to participate. Come to as many of the opportunities listed below as you are able on IGNITE Sundays. Families are encouraged to participate together. There are small group activities and family activities at each session.
Typical schedule for IGNITE Sundays:
- 4:30-5:30pm Mass
- 5:35-6:05pm Meal in the Parish Center
- 6:10-7:15pm Group Gatherings
Ignite Sundays:
- March 20: “I hunger” Eucharist
- April 10: Family: The foundation of society
- April 24: What does God want me to do?
Chad
