Middle School Youth Night and Retreat
Finish the school year right with an OLV/JFK youth night! All OLV/JFK 6th-8th graders are invited. Plan for games, snacks, and small groups. May 15th, 6-7:30. Drop off at the JFK gym. Pick up at the OLV youth room in the basement of the rectory.
There’s also a St. Philomena Academy/youth camp on August 11-13 at St. Al’s. It’s a 3 day overnight retreat for 6th-12 graders and sponsored by Holy Family and St. Al’s. The enrollment process is still being developed.
Scholarships Being Delayed
There are a handful of scholarships that OLV/JFK offers to students attending Assumption High School, and two scholarships for next year’s 7th and 8th graders. Applications for these scholarships will be open after June 30th for those not eligible for ESAs.
iPads, Chromebooks, and Chargers To Be Returned May 31
The school year will be ending in about 3-4 weeks. Please make sure your student has his/her iPad or Chromebook AND charger to return. Items are bar coded so we can check them in/out, and we know who is responsible for them, even if students don’t. Turning in equipment that was checked out to someone else does not eliminate the responsibility for the equipment that was actually checked out to a student. We will check equipment on May 31st.
Ways To Get Involved
There are three ways for parents to currently get involved: Board of Education, Home & School, and Policy Committee.
Even as we regionalize to become Scott County Catholic Schools, there will still be an advisory board needed at JFK. A recent example of the board’s feedback was to help prioritize our next areas of focus in relation to our winter safety/security assessment. The nine member board meets monthly. Terms are for three years. If you are interested, please contact me at chad.steimle@olvjfkmail.com
We know some policies, like dress codes, will remain local rather than SCCS regional policies. JFK reviews about 1/3 of our parent and student handbook policies every year. If you are interested in participating in this year’s review, please contact me: chad.steimle@olvjfkmail.com
Our Home & School Association also needs officers and active participants. H & S plans many of the fun activities for families like the event at the pumpkin patch and Snowstar. Recently, they provided feedback regarding parameters for a new replacing our entire playground out back. If you are interested in being active with Home & School, please send a message to JFK.HomeandSchool@outlook.com
ESA Update
The latest information from the Department of Education regarding Education Savings Accounts can be found at the following link: DE’s ESA Page. The Questions and Answers section was updated on May 4th and is very useful. It, for example, contains the 300% of poverty eligibility table, the definition of a household/members, and what line item will be used from one’s Iowa tax form. (It’s line 26, “Net Income,” on the 2022 Iowa 1040 tax form.)
The application for those eligible for ESAs will open on May 31st and close on June 30th. The deadline is established in the law; there will be no extension. You will want to act quickly once the online application process becomes available.
Who is eligible for an ESA in 2023-24?
- All kindergartners
- Students who were not in a private school the year prior
- All students whose family income is below 300% of poverty
Tuition Rates for Paying Families
The tuition rates for those not yet eligible for ESAs was contained in an April 27th letter. It can be found here: ESA Letter and Tuition Rates for Paying Families Letter, 4-27-23. As anticipated the tuition rates for those not eligible for ESAs increased by about 5% at the elementary level and 3% at Assumption, which is about its historical average. Please note that the actual cost to educate a student in SCCS is over $8,000. Tuition covers just over about 50% of the cost. Parish subsidies and fundraising cover the rest.
Scott County Catholic School tuition rates for preschool, with or without wraparound care, are in the linked document: Preschool Tuition Rates JFK
How Many Current Students Will Be Eligible for ESAs?
On a three year phase in timeframe, it is estimated using past FTP financial assistance that approximately 30% of the current students in Scott County Catholic Schools will be eligible for ESAs next year. The families of approximately 30% of our current students have incomes at 300% or below poverty level. This figure does not include next year’s transfer students or kindergartners. Not bad for the first year of ESAs!
Registration Process for 2023-24
- All preschool, kindergarten, returning, and new families will need to enter information through the pre-registration/application survey. A QR Code and link/url 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.
- 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. The early bird fee rate has been extended until May 1st. If paid prior to May 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. You can also go directly just to this payment link, without having to pre-register your child, which is especially handy if you already pre-registered but did not make the payment initially. Scroll down to the one time payment option to pay registration or extra time fees. Checks can also be made payable to JFK and sent to the school office.
- *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.
- Complete a more detailed online process that will take the place of the collection of paper Student Information Sheets in August. The computer application being developed is in test phase now and should be available within one to two weeks.
- Online tuition contracts to establish the payment plan agreement will be made available to those who have completed the pre-registration process. The availability of the online tuition contracts is targeted for May. Being in good-standing with one’s tuition and fees may also impact the timing of receiving a tuition contract and finalizing enrollment. Those families who agreed to one or two tuition payments should be finished paying. Those who are on the ten month payment plan should finish in April. (The payment period began in July.) Please remember that, in addition to tuition, payments should be up to date for all fees, like aftercare, band, athletics, etc. and for lunches. As of the end of April, questions are already being asked about how many/which current families should be allowed to continue with the enrollment process.
Family Tuition Plan Financial Assistance
Current families who do not qualify for ESAs should apply for financial assistance through our Family Tuition Plan Application. When applying, please make sure you use the drop down menu to select the 2023-24 school year. There may be more financial assistance available for next year or more families may be able to receive assistance as ESAs may provide assistance for our families who are below 300% of poverty. (There are still income guidelines and other restrictions to stay within the legal parameters of the Student Tuition Organization rules that will apply.)
Current families who know they are not eligible for ESAs or who might be on the edge should apply for the Family Tuition Plan.
JFK’s Summer Leaps & Bounds and Vacation Bible School
Due to federal funding, Leaps & Bounds will be free again 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 are for recess and other fun. Leaps & Bounds is for those students currently in kindergarten through 5th grade.
June 19 – June 30
July 17 – July 28
July 31 – August 11
Vacation Bible School will be held July 10 – 14.
Registration materials were made available via email. They will also be posted on our website soon.
Suggestion Box
There is a digital suggestion box for students, parents, and community members on the Contact Us page on our website. Suggestions will be reviewed and considered regularly.
JFK Office Position Open Yet this School Year
JFK has an opening in the school office beginning immediately. Summer and year round work is required. School year hours are typically 6:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Summer hours are more flexible. The rate of pay is about $14 per hour. An employee with children at JFK not qualifying for an ESA will receive a tuition discount. Please contact me at school, if interested.
Teaching Position Open at JFK for 2023-24
JFK will have at least one teaching position open for the 2023-24 school year. If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, copy of one’s Iowa license, and references. The hiring process will also involved Scott County Catholic Schools, but these steps would good first ones.
Highlighted Events
See the calendars on our website for more complete information as the below are only some of the highlights.
- May 8/9: Putnam Museum’s Discovery Dome at JFK
- May 11: Skate night
- May 11/12: 5th grade golfing.
- May 15-19: Guest fitness instructor in PE
- May 18: Band concert
- May 22: Band to Adventureland
- May 25: 3 YO PS Conferences
- May 29: Memorial Day. No Classes. ECLC Closed
- May 31: Computer/iPad Turn in. 3 YO PS Program. 4/5 YO PS Program. Last Day of PS Classes
- June 1: Last Day of K-8. Field Day. 12:40 Dismissal
- June 2: Last Day of ECLC
Chad
