What the COVID-19 Protocol Changes Mean for JFK
Earlier today a joint statement from Scott County Catholic schools was emailed announcing new COVID-19 protocols for our Catholic schools. (Public school districts will be making their statements within the next day or two.) Basically, our new protocols state that face coverings for students are welcomed and encouraged but optional with parents and students making the decisions, and staff members should follow the face covering guidance as per their vaccination status. Students who are close contacts also are not required to quarantine. While the Friday afternoon guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health, as supported and promulgated by the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Department of Human Services, and the Friday evening new diocesan guidance were surprising in their timing, we all knew the day for changes was, indeed, coming. While we are certainly not out of the pandemic yet, things are improving. The weekly data and graphs shared below show the improvements in both the county and JFK.
On Friday, JFK also returned to masks being optional when students are at their desks in their classrooms, which is how we started the school year. During a walkthrough observation of all classrooms, I counted that 65% of the observed K-5 students and 50% of 6th-8th grade students were still wearing their masks correctly. A good number more were still wearing their masks, but the masks were not covering both their noses and mouths. All staff members observed were still wearing their face coverings and were wearing them in the correct manner. While face coverings for students are now optional with the choice being made by parents and students, the CDC still recommends them for those who are not yet fully vaccinated, which currently includes students.
At JFK, we will continue to have students’ desks six feet apart from one another in classrooms, windows open, fans and A/C running where applicable, portable air purifiers in operation, and the mechanical ventilation system running where installed. Students will still eat lunch in their classrooms at their desks, still be six feet apart from one another at Mass, still not congregate in hallways, still have options available if they are uncomfortable doing a short-term activity in their temporary pods, etc. The change is that face coverings will also be optional when students are not at their desks as well. The change this time also includes recess. With outdoor activities proving to be safer, it was decided that the Catholic schools would unify on this issue and not require face coverings at recess.
While we understand the angst that the new face covering guidance may cause, we also want to remind our Catholic school families that they can have their children become remote learners at any time during this school year. (This option is not available in many of the public schools.) If you would like to make this switch, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher and the school office.
Tuition Contracts for 21-22 Can Be Considered Past Due
With the end of the discounted registration period for the 2021-22 school year, the return of tuition contracts can be considered past due. Completed tuition contracts represent the official registration document that hold a spot for the next school year.
Preschool registration for 3, 4, and 5 year olds and ECLC (childcare) does remain open. We will likely need to make staffing adjustments given the high interest in three year old preschool! If you have not yet registered for these programs, please contact the school office ASAP.
Registration for JFK’s Summer Leaps & Bounds and Vacation Bible School
Due to federal funding, Leaps & Bounds will be free this summer. We have three sessions on the calendar. Each two week session runs from 8:00 – 11:30 a.m. Two hours are for reading, one hour is for math, and 30 minutes is for recess and other fun.
June 21 – July 2
July 19 – July 30
August 2 – August 13
The registration process for Leaps & Bounds will be released soon.
Vacation Bible School is for students entering kindergarten – 5th grade for the 2021-22 school year. The dates are July 15 & 16 from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. with special activities also at the 11:00 Mass on July 18. There is no cost to VBS this year. Questions may be directed to Kaye Meyers, Coordinator of Faith Formation for OLV Parish, 563-391-8384.
COVID Data
Below is a link to a .pdf file that shows several graphs of Scott County and JFK data.
- The Pfizer vaccination has now been approved for those ages 12 and up. Here is a link that can direct you to providers in the area: Vaccinations
- Our HVAC project, which will also provide mechanical ventilation and an ionization air purification system for the 1964 and 1987 parts of the building (the 2011 parts already have mechanical ventilation), has begun. Utility locates were made in the fields on Friday so work on the new electrical service can be started, and an abandoned chimney is being removed to clear the way for the VRF condensers.
Two college graduations were celebrated in my family this weekend. My son, Tom, graduated from the University of Iowa. His route to college graduation meandered a bit, but he made it. After graduating from high school, Tom took the traditional route to a college, but, after a year, ended up working and going to DMACC part-time, from where he earned his associate’s degree. After being a regional retail store manager, he decided to go back to school full-time. He moved to South Carolina and did all of his studies online through Iowa. As parents who experienced your own children doing online education last spring or even perhaps temporarily this year, you know the frustrations that can emerge. The directions, though clear to the teacher, don’t seem clear at all to the student. The technology is wonderful — when it works right. Through all the trials and tribulations of online education and with more perseverance than I could have mustered, Tom pushed through and graduated on Saturday. Congratulations!
My youngest daughter, Caitlin, also received her undergraduate degree this weekend. She is in a special program at the University of Kansas where her fourth year of college is also her first year of law school. This weekend, she, thus, earned her bachelor’s degree and completed her first year of law school. Congratulations to her as well!
I remember how proud my parents were when my sisters and I each graduated from college. Neither of my parents had a college education, but they wanted to make sure that we had that opportunity and took advantage of it. I can even remember my parents telling one of my sisters not to waste what the Lord had given her when she was considering not going to college. Now, it’s Lynn’s and my turn to be proud, and we even shed a tear this weekend. All four of our children have graduated from college. We’re 4 for 4 and couldn’t be prouder!
Chad
